Jump to content
  • Member Statistics

    17,606
    Total Members
    7,904
    Most Online
    ArlyDude
    Newest Member
    ArlyDude
    Joined

Tropical Storm Erika


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 826
  • Created
  • Last Reply

My best guess based on radar is the center makes landfall in the middle Keys (Marathon area) and then near Cape Sable. I will just get grazed by this here in Broward unless it gets bigger, and it very well might as it approaches the region of maximum frontogenesis.

 

Convection across this tiny but well-defined circulation began flaring up in the past couple hours, maybe it'll become a large convective complex.

 

Could cause some extreme rains where the heaviest precip is already setup along the west coast...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My best guess based on radar is the center makes landfall in the middle Keys (Marathon area) and then near Cape Sable. I will just get grazed by this here in Broward unless it gets bigger, and it very well might as it approaches the region of maximum frontogenesis.

 

Convection across this tiny but well-defined circulation began flaring up in the past couple hours, maybe it'll become a large convective complex.

 

Could cause some extreme rains where the heaviest precip is already setup along the west coast...

Interested to see what happens overnight and tomorrow with this over the EGOM... Wonder if it still has some chance to redevelop. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interested to see what happens overnight and tomorrow with this over the EGOM... Wonder if it still has some chance to redevelop. 

Sheer should lift it north, but if there's some energy so weak that stays south and makes it into the gulf of Mexico.  Maybe, there's a chance at something. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spiral bands overspreading the Keys and southernmost Miami Dade

 

549bf062574753102ae764ea63d3ab6a.png

 

There's a definite wind shift as stations enter the vortex, gusting to 30 mph in the Keys.

 

c08e7ad529d3f58bc380afe1fb857a38.png

 

The thunderstorms in the bands are actually quite deep, extending up to 50,000 feet. Convection started flaring up only 1 hour ago actually, maybe that'll help pull it north.

 

5603ab475c2503314daa5ea01b35b9c4.png

 

Maybe it'll be a tropical depression in the best track at this point, especially if it does manage to re-develop. It's very tiny but has all the characteristics needed for a tropical cyclone. Only thing in question is probably surface circulation, which will be confirmed by observations in the keys soon. I'll be watching pressure too, if there's a nice little dip in this thing, even 2-4 mb, then it's probably a tropical cyclone. Pressure gradient directly corresponds with presence of a warm core via the hydrostatic equation.

 

Lots of small swirls like this in the tropics every year, most of them don't get classified, but it's a different story when you have one moving into range of NEXRAD.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spiral bands overspreading the Keys and southernmost Miami Dade

 

549bf062574753102ae764ea63d3ab6a.png

 

There's a definite wind shift as stations enter the vortex, gusting to 30 mph in the Keys.

 

c08e7ad529d3f58bc380afe1fb857a38.png

 

The thunderstorms in the bands are actually quite deep, extending up to 50,000 feet. Convection started flaring up only 1 hour ago actually, maybe that'll help pull it north.

 

5603ab475c2503314daa5ea01b35b9c4.png

 

Maybe it'll be a tropical depression in the best track at this point, especially if it does manage to re-develop. It's very tiny but has all the characteristics needed for a tropical cyclone. Only thing in question is probably surface circulation, which will be confirmed by observations in the keys soon. I'll be watching pressure too, if there's a nice little dip in this thing, even 2-4 mb, then it's probably a tropical cyclone. Pressure gradient directly corresponds with presence of a warm core via the hydrostatic equation.

 

Lots of small swirls like this in the tropics every year, most of them don't get classified, but it's a different story when you have one moving into range of NEXRAD.

 

Its a piece of ****.  Lets be real here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, they couldn't find an area of low pressure. Now it's trying to start over again.

Yeah, it wasn't closed anymore earth relative

This is directly over the Gulf Stream too, highest ocean heat content on the entire eastern seaboard. Things spin up quick there, even ****ty remnant circulations. Gulf Stream + frontal convergence + diurnal convective max is a great combo as long as it stays in low shear. If it manages to move over the Everglades it might get very interesting, enough land convergence to tighten it up but still pretty much water so it won't weaken.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, it wasn't closed anymore earth relative

This is directly over the Gulf Stream too, highest ocean heat content on the entire eastern seaboard. Things spin up quick there, even ****ty remnant circulations. Gulf Stream + frontal convergence + diurnal convective max is a great combo as long as it stays in low shear. If it manages to move over the Everglades it might get very interesting, enough land convergence to tighten it up but still pretty much water so it won't weaken.

Sent from my iPhone

If this goes back to tropical over the Gulf of Mexico, do they still call her Erika?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If this goes back to tropical over the Gulf of Mexico, do they still call her Erika?

It's more likely to go tropical right now than in the Gulf of Mexico. Ocean heat content is way higher in the Gulf Stream, the southwest coast of Florida has much lower heat content due to coastal upwelling from Ekman divergence and outflows of fresh water from the Everglades, which forms a cap of fresh water over the saltier water below, inhibiting mixing and reducing total heat content. It certainly wouldn't weaken Erika if she really does develop now, but it's not like the rocket fuel it's currently crossing.

 

Convection is deep, all the way to the tropopause. This is what creates a vertically stacked tropical cyclone. There is obviously low-level convergence, which spirals in towards the deep convection. Mass is then evacuated upwards in the deep convective towers, creating a vacuum effect on the low-levels increasing convergence.The mass being evacuated upwards then hits the tropopause and is forced to spread outwards, and due to angular momentum conservation it creates an anti-cyclone in the upper-levels.

 

If it had 12-24 hours in this environment this would be a much different story, since clearly all the ingredients are for rapid tropical cyclogenesis.

 

a9451876bb6a9b14efa9d8842f7f5c20.png

 

I think it's probably a tropical depression now, but won't be sure until we get pressure/wind data from the keys. Also convection needs to persist for 6-12 hours to truly get classified. If it does persist I am near certain this will be a tropical cyclone in the best track.

 

Key Largo and Marathon are getting the brunt of it, nice spiral bands in succession. Miami-dade and broward also getting in on some of the real bands.

 

fde66f115ded78f6ef7589764831cc11.gif

 

Also compact TCs can strengthen quickly. It's only got a few hours before real landfall though, it's chances of survival strongly depend on if it makes it out into the open gulf, I think it might just turn north and stay over Florida though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shear is too high right now for anything to regenerate. 40kt shear awaits it in the gulf. Final Nino punch to Erika. 

Looks like shear is low for the moment though.

 

a718c1a216534be948d424833696d342.png

 

We got west wind in Marathon and Long Key. Considering there's deep easterlies everywhere else that's actually a good indication of a closed circulation at the surface. Gusts of 30-40 mph on Long Key.

 

4258d3a454a28d79b63c23383c35daed.png

 

Not trying to hype this up, it's not like a dangerous cyclone is developing. Just cool to watch tropical cyclogenesis occur so quickly and in radar range.

 

Still looking for a pressure drop but nothing yet

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I'll be staying below deck until Rick Scott gives the all clear.

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED

SPECIAL MARINE WARNING

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL

118 AM EDT SUN AUG 30 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MIAMI HAS ISSUED A

* SPECIAL MARINE WARNING FOR...

BISCAYNE BAY...

COASTAL WATERS FROM DEERFIELD BEACH TO OCEAN REEF FL OUT 20 NM...

WATERS FROM DEERFIELD BEACH TO OCEAN REEF FL FROM 20 TO 60 NM

EXCLUDING THE TERRITORIAL WATERS OF BAHAMAS...

* UNTIL 145 AM EDT

* AT 117 AM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG

THUNDERSTORMS...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WINDS 34 KNOTS OR GREATER...

LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM NEAR CARYSFORT REEF LIGHT TO 21

NM EAST OF THE ELBOW LIGHT...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 20 KNOTS.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...

CARD SOUND...PACIFIC REEF...TURKEY POINT AND CONVOY POINT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

MARINERS CAN EXPECT GUSTY WINDS...HIGH WAVES...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...

AND HEAVY RAINS. BOATERS SHOULD SEEK SAFE HARBOR IMMEDIATELY...UNTIL

THESE STORMS PASS.

FREQUENT LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. IF CAUGHT ON THE

OPEN WATER STAY BELOW DECK IF POSSIBLE...KEEP AWAY FROM UNGROUNDED

METAL OBJECTS.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Relatively sharp pressure drop at Islamorada. 1.3 mb drop in half an hour, 1010 mb versus 1014 mb in Homestead and Marathon.

 

ebcd2ca040603901b7d9799e465cdc17.png

 

That's enough of a pressure gradient to consider this a warm core vortex, whether it's a tropical cyclone is kind've subjective at this point, I guess it depends on convective persistence near the center. Convection just keeps getting deeper for now, too bad this doesn't have another 24 hours over water.

 

7acaae7a8980207eafc33c5638f5af38.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Radar picking up 30-40 kt winds in the lowest 1000 feet across a wide swath of Biscayne National Park.

 

Based on wind obs it looks like the deepest convection centered over Biscayne Bay 'sucked in' the center of circulation, or elongated it so the center stretches from the upper keys to southern Miami-Dade. Basically a center re-location in progress. Still got westerly winds in Islamorada so it's definitely closed.

 

Lots of lightning and thunder here as another band rolls into Broward. I'm jealous of southern Miami Dade though, they got some legit storm conditions out of this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I mean look at this comparison. Does this look anything close to a tropical cyclone? If the GFS totally can't resolve a tropical cyclone, can it resolve other features approximately 1000 km in diameter with grid points every 12-13 km? That allows > 500 grid points for such a feature on a 2 dimensional plane... which I'd say is more than enough to "resolve" a feature. 

 

The actual deep convection in a hurricane simply cannot be realistically resolved, nor barotropic instabilities in the eyewall, or proper spiral rain bands. Convective processes are parameterized, and subject to huge errors. No realistic microphysics is produced either. All of these things have crucial impacts on intensity. And since they can't resolve convection they don't properly calculate vorticity generation, not even close. Parameterization simply doesn't create a realistic vorticity budget.

 

This isn't a mid-latitude wave, 500 grid points are insufficient to resolve a hurricane. To truly resolve a hurricane you need like 100-500 meter resolution. The microscale features if not properly simulated cause a cascade of error all the way up to synoptic scale when dealing with tropical cyclones. This is why global models are garbage for intensity forecasting, they are decent for track though if you have a well-developed and sizable TC.

 

You shouldn't be so aggressive if you don't know what you're talking about, telling me to take met ed courses :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But this is why you give the NWS a black eye.This is stupidity what the governor of Florida is doing.Not only is this giving false presentation to the public,what will happen when a real storm comes?The public will look the other way.I'm not directing my opinion towards you aso

 

What?

 

The actual deep convection in a hurricane simply cannot be realistically resolved, nor barotropic instabilities in the eyewall, or proper spiral rain bands. Convective processes are parameterized, and subject to huge errors. No realistic microphysics is produced either. All of these things have crucial impacts on intensity. And since they can't resolve convection they don't properly calculate vorticity generation, not even close. Parameterization simply doesn't create a realistic vorticity budget.

 

This isn't a mid-latitude wave, 500 grid points are insufficient to resolve a hurricane. To truly resolve a hurricane you need like 100-500 meter resolution. The microscale features if not properly simulated cause a cascade of error all the way up to synoptic scale when dealing with tropical cyclones. This is why global models are garbage for intensity forecasting, they are decent for track though if you have a well-developed and sizable TC.

 

You shouldn't be so aggressive if you don't know what you're talking about, telling me to take met ed courses :lol:

 

To be fair, you never specified with any of this in your early posts in this thread. You just straight up said the globals were trash at TC forecasting without any breakdown of what they were good at and what problems they had. Yes, I do understand that issues with intensity forecasting can lead to track errors particularly where there is recurve potential, but getting a track anywhere close to right is pretty darn crucial as well especially when mid-latitude features are such an important aspect of the whole picture.

 

It seems kind of unnecessary to push the globals into a corner when it comes to intensity forecasting and claim they are useless because all of the models have their problems with this (looking at you HWRF and GFDL), and in many cases it is track errors that are at least partly causing this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are having the most insane lightning storm I've seen in years, at least 1 flash per second, lots of cloud to ground within a mile of me. Car alarms going off and it sounds like shells going off. This has been going on quite awhile too Will upload soon.

 

Looks like the strongest storms have drifted up towards Broward.

 

aaeb6aa80c8c5a65fbc7a5b4a88e2d97.png

 

Being under a vigorous tropical deep convection tower is awesome, quite different than deep convection in the midwest.

 

Racing low clouds and the atmosphere has that deep tropical feel, just about 100% humidity.

 

Only gusts 10-20 mph maybe.... there's gotta be strong gusts in here somewhere.

 

Yup, radar indicates a surge of 40+ knot winds heading north through Broward. I hope it gets here.

 

e6c7fa3f9dbdafd37a402904b01a124e.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites


SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL

230 AM EDT SUN AUG 30 2015

FLZ067-071>074-172-173-300715-

COASTAL MIAMI DADE COUNTY FL-METROPOLITAN MIAMI DADE FL-INLAND MIAMI-

DADE COUNTY FL-INLAND BROWARD COUNTY FL-METRO BROWARD COUNTY FL-

COASTAL BROWARD COUNTY FL-INLAND PALM BEACH COUNTY FL-

230 AM EDT SUN AUG 30 2015

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR FREQUENT TO EXCESSIVE LIGHTNING

FOR CENTRAL BROWARD...SOUTHERN PALM BEACH AND NORTHEASTERN MIAMI-DADE

COUNTIES UNTIL 315 AM EDT...

* AT 230 AM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM

OVER CHAMBERS ESTATES...OR NEAR DAVIE...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 25 MPH.

* THE MAIN IMPACT WILL BE FREQUENT TO EXCESSIVE LIGHTNING. LIGHTNING

IS THE NUMBER ONE WEATHER RELATED KILLER IN FLORIDA. TREES AND OPEN

SHELTERS FOUND IN PARKS...ON BEACHES OR GOLF COURSES OFFER NO

PROTECTION FROM THE DANGERS OF LIGHTNING. SEEK SHELTER IN A SAFE

BUILDING UNTIL THE STORM PASSES.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...

FORT LAUDERDALE...PEMBROKE PINES...HOLLYWOOD...MIRAMAR...DAVIE...

PLANTATION...SUNRISE...TAMARAC...MIAMI GARDENS...HALLANDALE...

LAUDERHILL...WESTON...NORTH MIAMI...NORTH MIAMI BEACH...AVENTURA...

LAUDERDALE LAKES...DANIA BEACH...COOPER CITY...SUNNY ISLES BEACH

AND OPA-LOCKA.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well-defined surface circulation, minimum pressure 1009 mb.

 

That band moved in and it suddenly got very windy, gusts over 30 mph. Feels like typical tropical storm weather. Torrential downpours. This band is probably the convergence zone between Erika's surface circulation and the environment.

 

572767bb658f1ba6c0a29896737ae3f9.png

 

Heavy rain training over me, yet another band about to come in, we're in a rain shield at this point under the deepest convection.

 

3d7a91aefb5b81e3412c686d02078619.png

 

Starting to realize this isn't going anywhere, zone of max precip has setup in southeast florida. Deep convection isn't losing any of its punch.

 

d476ddb9606a8a107c578fca442323c3.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is why you shouldnt say a storm is completely dead while it is still near warm waters and near the gulf.. Not saying it will blow up into a major storm but there is still a potential that it could jump a few categorys again even if it's just for a brief timeframe because where it still is.. Its defiantly not dead yet!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well-defined mid-level vortice over the Everglades, it is headed due north with the steering currents at that level. It's the result of the extremely deep convection over night.

 

Strong inflow and convergence into this vortice even though it is definitely not at the surface. We are having yet another intense band of rain and lightning. Wettest weather we've gotten all summer so far.

 

b86c4b09511ba66ff63be552cae60537.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...