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Hurricane Isaac, Part 3 - Analysis and Forecasting Thread


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Isaac has a more sheared look than the satellite analysis is depicting. I have to imagine that's either because of a) shear is found at a level that is being missed by GOES (perhaps 300-500mb) or B) the combination of modest shear and dry air entrainment.

Funny thing is, I was thinking the exact opposite. Most of the coldest cloud tops on IR/WV are left of shear, which is what you would expect from a sheared system. However, the radar returns from the Tampa radar are pretty symmetric about the center, and high-resolution visible imagery suggest this as well (although much tougher to tell). Something that does bode well for strengthening is the fact that recon had pretty substantial SFMR rain rates pretty close to the center, suggesting that there is quite a bit of diabatic heating in the inertially stable region inside the RMW. But as we all know, intensity forecasting is extremely difficult, so we'll have to wait and see how this plays out.

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I don't think there's much of a chance for strengthening based on those TCHP plots. While people see slivers of warmer water, I see a real lack of TCHP that we usually see in this area of the Gulf and a large system that will be encouraging a large amount of upwelling.

I think in the last couple of days there were some posts pointing out that the commonly posted TCHP plot was inaccurate, that the large "cold" areas in the GOM weren't "real" but were artifacts of missing data.

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Funny thing is, I was thinking the exact opposite. Most of the coldest cloud tops on IR/WV are left of shear, which is what you would expect from a sheared system. However, the radar returns from the Tampa radar are pretty symmetric about the center, and high-resolution visible imagery suggest this as well (although much tougher to tell). Something that does bode well for strengthening is the fact that recon had pretty substantial SFMR rain rates pretty close to the center, suggesting that there is quite a bit of diabatic heating in the inertially stable region inside the RMW. But as we all know, intensity forecasting is extremely difficult, so we'll have to wait and see how this plays out.

I was strictly looking at the IR with that classic downshear left convection...that's interesting the radar looks considerably more symmetric, though.

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Latest update i would expect those areas haven't changed much since Fri.

For whatever reason, the AOML SST/TCHP satellite page has been analyzing SSTs 28 to 30º, but a persistent area of sea level heights below normal resulting in no depth of water warmer than 26º. OHC calculation is an integration of some type involving SST and the depth of warm water. I looped the last few days before the 24th, it doesn't change much

I have no idea why the satellite sees abnormally low sea level heights there, but I suspect it is a satellite error and that the warm water isn't paper thin there.

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Latest update i would expect those areas haven't changed much since Fri.

It will have changed slowly which is important if you are basing predictions off of areas where small changes occur such as that corner of higher TCHP.

This is in addition to the fact that we have to keep mentioning about how shallower, near-coastal waters with lower TCHP are fine for the intensification of tropical cyclones.

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I was strictly looking at the IR with that classic downshear left convection...that's interesting the radar looks considerably more symmetric, though.

Maybe so, but the closest radar is Tampa, and even that radar is so far away that the slice is reaching Isaac at around 40,000 feet.

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Winds sustained at 30+ mph are nearing the Mississippi Delta, gusts in the 20s across the Florida panhandle westwards to MS. Waters are already a foot above normal in eastern LA. Even a strong tropical storm can be very bad down in the Bayous, pretty similar to the Florida Keys vulnerability wise.

post-645-0-09035400-1346085885_thumb.png

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I think in the last couple of days there were some posts pointing out that the commonly posted TCHP plot was inaccurate, that the large "cold" areas in the GOM weren't "real" but were artifacts of missing data.

Interesting. I'll do some reading up a bit later on how the data is gathered. Thanks for the info.

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Station 42003

NDBC

Location: 26.044N 85.612W

Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2012 15:50:00 UTC

Winds: SE (140°) at 7.8 kt gusting to 13.6 kt

Significant Wave Height: 15.4 ft

Dominant Wave Period: 10 sec

Mean Wave Direction: ENE (68°)

Atmospheric Pressure: 29.17 in and falling rapidly

Air Temperature: 82.8 F

Water Temperature: 85.1 F

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I hope the modes don't get mad at me for posting this link... just trying to help provide resources.

I have an old discontinued page on my site that shows the buoys in the Gulf with a rotating display of the conditions, as well as the values in tabular format. Easy to read and use.

http://www.daculaweather.com/buoy_new.php

FWIW... if a mod wants to delete it, feel free.

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Upon further analysis of the radar and visible imagery, it looks like the strongest convection has now shifted to the south quad. This distribution of convection is consistent with a more easterly shear vector. Now, the shear magnitude may have decreased, allowing for the convection to attempt to wrap completely around the center. However, if the convection continues to "stick" to the south quad, then it would indicate that the shear has not decreased, only the direction has changed. This is something to watch over the next few hours...

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Upon further analysis of the radar and visible imagery, it looks like the strongest convection has now shifted to the south quad. This distribution of convection is consistent with a more easterly shear vector. Now, the shear magnitude may have decreased, allowing for the convection to attempt to wrap completely around the center. However, if the convection continues to "stick" to the south quad, then it would indicate that the shear has not decreased, only the direction has changed. This is something to watch over the next few hours...

Does the convection being south and west quadrant dominant mean in the short term a more westerly heading for Isaac?

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Looks like at least part of the eye passed over that buoy:

http://www.ndbc.noaa...p?station=42003

Note how the winds rapidly decreased to ~10 kt around 1545Z and stayed that low til around ~1620Z.

VERY Interesting data from the buoy (Just updated):

At 16:38 GMT had a pressure of 986.3 mb, but at 16:39 GMT 1-min wind was 37 kts.

Suggests a 985 pressure at least.

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Does the convection being south and west quadrant dominant mean in the short term a more westerly heading for Isaac?

Maybe slightly if the convection sticks to those quads, but we'll have to see over the next few hours if the convection starts to swing around the east and north quads.

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Funny thing is, I was thinking the exact opposite. Most of the coldest cloud tops on IR/WV are left of shear, which is what you would expect from a sheared system. However, the radar returns from the Tampa radar are pretty symmetric about the center, and high-resolution visible imagery suggest this as well (although much tougher to tell). Something that does bode well for strengthening is the fact that recon had pretty substantial SFMR rain rates pretty close to the center, suggesting that there is quite a bit of diabatic heating in the inertially stable region inside the RMW. But as we all know, intensity forecasting is extremely difficult, so we'll have to wait and see how this plays out.

The recon pass through right now indicates that the wind field is responding to this. The RMW has now contracted to 20 km as a new inner wind maximum has sprouted up. We *could* be looking at the beginnings of an accelerated intensification, with the caveat that these things are always difficult to diagnose/predict.

Edit: RMW in the SW quad is bit further out at 40-50 km, but the point still remains valid: an inner wind maximum has sprouted up when before it didn't exist.

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63 Knot FL wind with SFMR values of 60-64 knots.

000

URNT15 KNHC 271803

AF306 2709A ISAAC HDOB 17 20120827

175500 2559N 08558W 8410 01394 //// +221 //// 298017 019 031 001 01

175530 2558N 08557W 8408 01400 //// +218 //// 269019 019 031 002 01

175600 2557N 08555W 8410 01400 //// +215 //// 265022 024 035 001 01

175630 2555N 08554W 8412 01400 //// +210 //// 261026 027 037 003 01

175700 2554N 08552W 8412 01403 //// +198 //// 259027 028 037 003 01

175730 2553N 08551W 8410 01406 //// +187 //// 262030 031 039 006 01

175800 2552N 08550W 8402 01415 //// +179 //// 270036 039 057 016 01

175830 2550N 08548W 8423 01398 //// +164 //// 258042 043 062 017 01

175900 2549N 08547W 8412 01415 //// +163 //// 253046 048 062 017 01

175930 2548N 08545W 8415 01420 //// +156 //// 244057 060 060 021 01

180000 2547N 08544W 8407 01433 //// +156 //// 240049 053 064 032 01

180030 2546N 08542W 8409 01435 //// +153 //// 242053 055 062 017 01

180100 2544N 08541W 8408 01443 //// +168 //// 240052 054 062 016 01

180130 2543N 08539W 8410 01443 //// +164 //// 241058 060 060 007 01

180200 2542N 08538W 8408 01450 //// +181 //// 239060 063 061 007 01

180230 2541N 08537W 8408 01455 //// +183 //// 243054 058 058 006 01

180300 2540N 08535W 8413 01453 //// +185 //// 244051 051 055 006 01

180330 2538N 08534W 8409 01461 //// +189 //// 243053 054 055 005 01

180400 2537N 08532W 8410 01464 //// +197 //// 241052 054 055 005 01

180430 2536N 08531W 8409 01466 //// +187 //// 242048 051 050 003 01

$$

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