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Hurricane Sandy - LIVE - Meteorological Discussion


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You're beating up a straw man here. The NHC has also never not had a Hurricane Watch or Warning out for a hurricane that is 24-48 hours from landfall... they've already broken their basic rules... and we aren't talking about polar vortices... this is a hurricane, plan and simple. Don't try to cloud the discussion with nonsense.

This hasn't been a hurricane plain and simple since it was in the Bahamas. The structure is highly baroclinic in the middle to upper troposphere with the low levels quickly becoming baroclinic too. The only tropical cyclone like structure left is the warm core seclusion.

This has been subtropical for awhile at least, and extratropical transition is well underway. Usually not a good idea to grossly under analyze the situation by saying this is a hurricane plain and simple when the entire discussion for the past weak has been about how strange this storm is.

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94kt at FL on this AF recon pass. SFMR indicating a large disparity between the FL and sfc, though.

Buoys are not terribly impressive given the pressures.....most of these are within 150-100 miles of the center and it the center should get pretty close to the second one and the center missed the top one to the SE...

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=41002

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=41001

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IMO any storm of tropical origin that maintains hurricane intensity in its subtropical or post-tropical phase while threatening land should be treated as a hurricane. We're talking about a public perception and response issue here, which was clearly slowed down because this storm was not maintained as a hurricane to landfall. Time to get off the pure science and bureaucratic soapboxes and get on the saving lives and property soapbox.

Imagine a 1938-like storm heading toward Long Island, undergoing post-tropical transition yet maintaining winds of Cat 3 intensity in its warm seclusion. Everyone knows what should be done in that situation. Heck, even this storm might produce wind gusts just shy of Cat 2 intensity on Long Island during and right after NJ landfall!

On the other hand... I'm not sure I totally agree that it's just a technicality. A hurricane and a nor'easter are two completely different experiences, and I'm not sure it would help the public to describe a nor'easter as a hurricane.

Even a large hurricane has a relatively narrow core, with the significant impacts confined relatively close to the center, and the duration of those significant impacts of relatively short duration in any one location. A nor'easter is the opposite-- the worst effects extend way, way far from the center-- hundreds of miles-- and spread over huge distances, spatially and temporally. So, in terms of sensible weather, the distinctions aren't just academic-- they're very real.

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On the other hand... I'm not sure I totally agree that it's just a technicality. A hurricane and a nor'easter are two completely different experiences, and I'm not sure it would help the public to describe a Nor'easter as a hurricane.

Even a large hurricane has a narrow core, with the significant impacts confined relatively close to the center, and the duration of those signigficant impacts of relatively short duration. A nor'easter is the opposite-- the effects are way, way far from the center, and spread over huge distances, spatially and temporally. So, in terms of sensible weather, the distinctions aren't just academic-- they're very real.

This is not a nor'easter. It's also not a hurricane. It's in a grey area somewhere in between. Let's not forget that. (I'm not just talking to you, Josh, but to everyone who's saying this is a hurricane, too).

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This is not a nor'easter. It's also not a hurricane. It's in a grey area somewhere in between. Let's not forget that. (I'm not just talking to you, Josh, but to everyone who's saying this is a hurricane, too).

Agreed-- I know. And, based on the convective pattern, I totally see why they're still calling it a 'cane now. I'm talking more about what we think it will be in 24-36 hr.

The thing is-- we don't really know exactly what it's going to be as it comes ashore, and I understand the NHC's reasoning-- that, since we don't know what it will be, let's just go with generic wind warnings so that there's no break in messaging continuity as it comes ashore. It makes sense to me.

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000

URNT12 KWBC 282242

VORTEX DATA MESSAGE AL182012

A. 28/22:17:00Z

B. 33 deg 36 min N

071 deg 16 min W

C. NA

D. 51 kt

E. 184 deg 19 nm

F. 264 deg 59 kt

G. 182 deg 46 nm

H. 951 mb

I. 8 C / 3671 m

J. 12 C / 3670 m

K. 8 C / NA

L. OPEN SE

M. E15/30/20

N. 12345 / NA

O. 1 / 1 nm

P. NOAA2 2118A SANDY OB 05

MAX FL WIND 59 KT S QUAD 22:06:03Z

MAX OUTBOUND FL WIND 54 KT N QUAD 22:39:25Z

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Agreed-- I know. And, based on the convective pattern, I totally see why they're still calling it a 'cane now. I'm talking more about what we think it will be in 24-36 hr.

The thing is-- we don't really know exactly what it's going to be as it comes ashore, and I understand the NHC's reasoning-- that, since we don't know what it will be, let's just go with generic wind warnings so that there's no break in messaging continuity as it comes ashore. It makes sense to me.

Yep, I agree with you.

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Sandy seems to be nearing record size for an Atlantic storm. The latest advisory has 34kt winds 450nm NE and 330nm SW, or a diameter of 34kt winds of 780nm/898sm/1445km. The record Igor had a gale force wind diameter of 920sm

Wind field is just about 4 times as large as Katrina at landfall.

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On the other hand... I'm not sure I totally agree that it's just a technicality. A hurricane and a nor'easter are two completely different experiences, and I'm not sure it would help the public to describe a nor'easter as a hurricane.

Even a large hurricane has a relatively narrow core, with the significant impacts confined relatively close to the center, and the duration of those significant impacts of relatively short duration in any one location. A nor'easter is the opposite-- the worst effects extend way, way far from the center-- hundreds of miles-- and spread over huge distances, spatially and temporally. So, in terms of sensible weather, the distinctions aren't just academic-- they're very real.

Partly devils advocate here, Ike didn't have a very tight central core, had a large expanse of tropical storm winds, and wasn't in any way sub-tropical or post-tropical. Isidore post Yucatan was also a large, sloppy but purely tropical system.

ETA

One would presume that if 1938 happened again, because the storm was clearly transitioning, no NHC warnings would have been required for New York or Southern New England.

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A cyclone can have an extremely tight core and an enormous gale radius-- the two are not mutually exclusive.

Yes they can. This storm is sort of a noreaster forming around a hurricane.

Hopefully the frictional convergence may help shrink the core as it moves toward the coast. Water temps are too cold for fireworks though.

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Lake Erie Buoy 45005, north of Sandusky, Ohio, reporting sustained winds of 29 knots (33 mph) and gusts to 35 knots (40 mph) at 5 m agl. Sustained winds at 10 m agl were reported to be 31 knots (36 mph) and 33 knots (38 mph) at 20 m agl. So Sandy is nearly producing tropical storm force winds all the way over Lake Erie now. Obviously, there are no tropical storm force winds over the land areas between Sandy's center of circulation and Lake Erie but there are near tropical storm force winds over the open waters of the lake.

http://www.ndbc.noaa...p?station=45005

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Flight-level winds are increasing with multiple 98 knot values in the latest data package.

URNT15 KNHC 290059

AF308 2218A SANDY HDOB 23 20121029

004930 3320N 07240W 6976 02842 9745 +070 +070 315040 043 062 018 01

005000 3318N 07241W 6968 02849 9744 +070 +070 317040 043 060 018 01

005030 3316N 07241W 6963 02859 9748 +070 +070 313042 045 060 015 01

005100 3314N 07240W 6968 02852 9749 +070 +070 322042 045 059 017 01

005130 3312N 07240W 6972 02846 9750 +070 +070 314051 055 059 022 05

005200 3310N 07240W 6965 02856 9738 +070 +070 315046 049 059 013 01

005230 3308N 07241W 6966 02863 9753 +070 +070 303053 055 059 013 01

005300 3306N 07242W 6969 02857 //// +057 //// 299053 056 057 012 01

005330 3305N 07243W 6968 02864 9771 +060 +060 297064 069 055 009 01

005400 3303N 07243W 6966 02865 9771 +060 +060 296074 076 052 009 01

005430 3301N 07244W 6969 02867 9778 +050 +050 293078 080 052 007 01

005500 3259N 07244W 6968 02870 9785 +050 +050 292083 084 054 006 01

005530 3258N 07244W 6972 02863 9781 +055 +051 290081 083 054 006 00

005600 3256N 07245W 6965 02873 9778 +059 +046 289084 085 051 006 00

005630 3254N 07245W 6973 02866 9798 +046 +036 286090 091 051 006 00

005700 3253N 07245W 6963 02882 9790 +056 +027 286090 091 049 004 00

005730 3251N 07246W 6966 02884 9794 +056 +018 286094 096 048 004 00

005800 3249N 07246W 6967 02883 9791 +063 +001 288096 098 049 003 00

005830 3248N 07246W 6967 02884 9793 +065 -012 287097 098 046 004 00

005900 3246N 07247W 6970 02885 9800 +061 -019 285097 098 048 004 00

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