A Cape Verde-type hurricane is an Atlantic hurricane that develops near the Cape Verde islands, off the west coast of Africa. The average hurricane season has about two Cape Verde-type hurricanes, which are usually the largest and most intense storms of the season because they often have plenty of warm open ocean over which to develop before encountering land. The five largest Atlantic tropical cyclones on record have been Cape Verde-type hurricanes. Some of the longest-lived tropical cyclones in the Atlantic basin are Cape Verde hurricanes. While many move harmlessly out to sea, some move across the Caribbean sea and Gulf of Mexico, becoming damaging storms for Caribbean nations, Mexico, Bermuda, and the United States.
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Origin
Cape Verde-type hurricanes typically develop from tropical waves which form in the African savanna during the wet season, then move into the African steppes. The disturbances move off the western coast of Africa and become tropical storms or tropical cyclones within 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) of the Cape Verde Islands, usually in August or September. However, Cape Verde hurricanes have formed as early as July or as late as October. An average of two form per hurricane season.[1]
Typical tracks
A typical Cape Verde hurricane will form as a tropical depression just south of the Cape Verde islands. They normally reach hurricane strength in the mid-Atlantic, but sometimes will strengthen closer to Cape Verde or the Caribbean.
Once the cyclone begins approaching North America, a Cape Verde hurricane can take several basic tracks.
- It can continue to the west, and if it is far enough south, it will cross the Windward Islands into the Caribbean Sea. From there it will often continue westward into Nicaragua, Honduras, or Belize.[2]
- If the storm is further north, it can travel up the Leeward Islands and into the Greater Antilles. In 1998, Hurricane Georges took a track of this nature. Slightly further north, and the storm will track through the Bahamas and into Florida in the manner of 1992's Hurricane Andrew.[2]
- A more northerly storm will begin to have its track affected by the high pressure that generally occurs over the eastern Atlantic in late summer. As these storms pass north of the Antilles, their tracks begin to curve to the north. Often this results in the storms making landfall in North or South Carolina. Hurricane Hugo was a typical example. If the storm's track is affected significantly, it will often curve back out to sea, where it becomes extratropical over cooler water. An example of such was Hurricane Edouard in 1996. Occasionally storms following this track can accelerate to the north and strike New England. The New England Hurricane of 1938 and Hurricane Gloria in 1985 were two such cases.[2]
- Sometimes, the subtropical ridge is displaced from its normal position, which allows storms to recurve quickly by being driven around the east side of an upper trough in the central Atlantic, generally missing land completely. An example of such was Hurricane Philippe in 2005.[2]
Because this type of hurricane takes a near-westward path that starts in the eastern Atlantic, they can avoid the two situations that typically end the life of a tropical cyclone: interaction with land, and movement over cool water. Since storms that far out at sea can go over a week without moving over cooler water or near a landmass, Cape Verde-type hurricanes are some of the longest-lived storms. Hurricane Faith, the third longest lasting Atlantic hurricane on record,[2] was a Cape Verde hurricane. It lasted 16 days total and was a hurricane for 14.[3]
Major Cape Verde-type hurricanes
The hurricane's peak category is the peak intensity of the hurricane, measured on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, or SSHS. Major hurricanes are hurricanes which have reached the third category of the SSHS.
See also
References
- ^ Chris Landsea (1997-07-18). "FAQ: HURRICANES, TYPHOONS AND TROPICAL CYCLONES (Part 1 of 2) Subject: A2) What are "Cape Verde"-type hurricanes?". Faqs.org. http://www.faqs.org/faqs/meteorology/storms-faq/part1/. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
- ^ a b c d e National Hurricane Center (2009). "Atlantic hurricane database". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/tracks1851to2008_atl_reanal.txt. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
- ^ Colin J. McAdie, Christopher W. Landsea, Charles J. Neumann1, Joan E. David, Eric S. Blake, and Gregory R. Hammer (2009). Historical Climatology Series 6-2: Tropical Cyclones of the North Atlantic Ocean, 1851 – 2006 (with 2007 and 2008 track maps included). National Climatic Data Center. p. 161. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/TC_Book_Atl_1851-2006_lowres.pdf. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
External links
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