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2008 Atlantic Hurricane News, Satellite Photos and Resources

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2008 Hurricane News

Note: The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season officially began June 1 and ends November 30.

Hurricane & storm tracking for the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

April 2008 extended Atlantic hurricane forecast pdf: Colorado State University 

2008 Names: Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike, Josephine,
Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paloma, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky, Wilfred

Dolly now a hurricane

WaterWebster.org staff report

July 22, 2008

Dolly was officially classified as a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday afternoon as it headed toward the Mexico-Texas border packing winds of 75 miles an hour and predictions of heavy rain along the coast. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said a hurricane warning remains in effect along the Gulf coast from Brownsville, Texas to Rio San Fernando, Mexico.A hurricane warning, according to forecasters, means "preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion." Dolly is expected to reach land Wednesday and a few tornados are possible overnight across the lower and middle Texas coast. On Tuesday afternoon, the center of the storm was about 165 miles east-southeast of Brownsville, Texas. Tropical Storm Cristobal, meanwhile, continued to move north and away from land. On Tuesday afternoon, the storm was about 170 miles south-southeast of Halifax Nova Scotia and moving toward the northeast with winds of about 50 miles an hour.

Tropical Storm Dolly heads toward the Texas coast

WaterWebster.org staff report

July 21, 2008

Tropical Storm Dolly was expected to strengthen over the Gulf of Mexico as it heads toward the coast of Texas, according to forecasters at the National Hurricane Center. Although Dolly's maximum sustained winds were about 50 miles an hour, still below the 74 mile per hour threshold for a hurricane, forecasters issued a hurricane watch from Rio San Fernando, Mexico north to Port O'Connor, Texas. By Monday afternoon, Dolly was about 420 miles east-southeast of Texas' Lower Rio Grande Valley coast. On the Atlantic coast, Tropical Storm Cristobal continued to move generally away from land as it traveled north past Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. It's maximum sustained winds were 65 miles an hour but it is expected to weaken late Tuesday.

Season's fourth tropical storm forms off Mexico's Yucatan Penninsula; Bertha spins slowly toward Iceland

WaterWebster.org Staff Report

July 20, 2008

Tropical Storm Dolly, the fourth of the Atlantic season, formed off Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula Sunday with maximum sustained winds of about 45 miles an hour. A Tropical Storm Warning was in effect for the Yucatan Peninsula as forecasters with the U.S. National Hurricane Center predicted it would move across the Peninsula tonight and emerge in the southern Gulf of Mexico on Monday. Rainfall was expected to be four to six inches. Tropical Storm Cristobal continued to move parallel to the North Carolina coast, about 40 miles south-southwest of Cape Hatteras, bringing rain to the immediate coastal areas. Forecasters said Cristobal should start moving away from the North Carolina coast on Monday. In the north Atlantic, former Tropical Storm Bertha was about 1,000 miles southwest of Iceland and the National Hurricane Center said it wouldn't issue any further reports on its progress.

Tropical Storm Cristobal moves along Carolina coast; Hurricane Bertha keeps on going

WaterWebster.org Staff Report

July 19, 2008

A tropical storm warning was issued Saturday for the southeastern U.S. coast from South Santee River, South Carolina to the North Carolina-Virginia border. Cristobal, the third named Atlantic storm of 2008, was about 125 miles east of Charleston, South Carolina Saturday afternoon and 205 miles southwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center. The tropical storm had sustained winds of about 45 miles an hour, well below the 74 miles per hour that defines a hurricane. An advisory from the Hurricane Center said Cristobal is expected to stay near the U.S. coast for the next day or so and winds could slowly strengthen. Tropical storm winds extended up to 85 miles from the center of the storm. In the north Atlantic, Bertha regained hurricane status Friday and continued to head northeast about 640 miles from the coast of Newfoundland. Forecasters with the U.S. National Hurricane Center predicted Bertha will continue to travel northeast with winds of 75 miles an hour for the next few days and gradually weaken as it is absorbed into colder Canadian weather systems. Bertha is the longest-lived July tropical storm in history.

Bertha becomes history's longest tropical storm--for July

WaterWebster.org staff report

July 15, 2008

Bertha's 12.5 days as a tropical storm overturns the record 12.25 days set in July, 1916 by "storm #2," according to the National Hurricane Center. On Tuesday Bertha was 315 miles north-northeast of Bermuda and moving at nine miles an hour to the north-northeast. The storm's sustained winds were about 70 miles an hour. Bertha became the season's first hurricane July 7 when winds hit 74 miles an hour and briefly strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, before slowly dropping back Sunday to a tropical storm. Forecasters said Bertha still could regain hurricane strength in the next few days but ultimately will run into weather conditions that will cut its power.

Bertha barely a hurricane

WaterWebster staff report

July 12, 2008

Hurricane Bertha plodded through the Atlantic about 210 miles southeast of Bermuda Saturday as forecasters said diminishing winds kept the storm barely within the hurricane category. A tropical storm warning is in effect for Bermuda, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, where large swells and high surf are expected to continue for a day or two. Bertha barely moved during the day Saturday but is expected to head northward Saturday night and Sunday, eventually passing southeast and east of Bermuda. Once a major Category 3 storm, Bertha's current winds of 75 miles an hour barely qualify it as a hurricane. The Saffir-Simpson Scale rates a tropical storm as a hurricane when winds hit 74 miles per hour.

Bertha weakens in 'hostile' Atlantic hurricane environment

WaterWebster staff report

July 8, 2008

Hurricane Bertha, which briefly reached a major Category 3 level, dropped back to a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday as cooler Atlantic Ocean water and stiff shear forces combined to curb the cyclone's intensity. The National Hurricane Center in Miami reported Bermuda could begin experiencing higher swells Wednesday as the storm continues to work its way slowly west. On Monday Bertha expanded to a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale, meaning winds ranged from 111 to 130 miles an hour. But by Tuesday the maximum sustained winds had dropped to 85 miles an hour as the hurricane encountered the more "hostile" water temperature and shear environment, according to a Hurricane Center update. At 5 p.m. AST Bertha was reported 900 miles southeast of Bermuda and moving toward the northwest at about 12 miles an hour. Major Atlantic hurricanes are unusual in July, but not unknown. In the record 2005 season, two hurricanes, Dennis and Emily, formed in July.

Bertha first hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic season

Bertha may reach Category 2 status today as it intensifies east of the Leeward Islands. Bertha strengthened from tropical-storm levels during the night, with maximum sustained winds of almost 90 mph (120 kph) as of 11 a.m. Miami time, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in the latest advisory on its Web site. Hurricanes have maximum sustained winds of at least 74 mph. The storm was likely to reach Category 2, with winds of over 96 mph, today or tonight, the agency said. If the storm moves as predicted, it could threaten Bermuda, about 670 miles (1,078 kilometers) east of the North Carolina coast, by July 12. Bloomberg_ 7/7/08

Bertha likely to be first hurricane of 2008

Tropical Storm Bertha strengthened Sunday as it moved to the west, with forecasters saying it may likely become the first Atlantic hurricane of the season, an early indication that this year's season could be as busy as usual, if not busier. As of 11 a.m. Eastern, the National Hurricane Center said the storm was about 1,200 miles east of the Northern Leeward Islands in the Caribbean. Bertha's sustained winds were at 50 miles per hour. The forecast put the chances of Bertha's winds reaching hurricane velocity of 74 miles per hour or more by Tuesday at 52%. The odds of it reaching those speeds by Wednesday was estimated at 60%. The tentative forecast had Bertha slowly moving west with the most likely track missing the Bahamas to the south and Bermuda to the north. Currently, the storm is not projected to reach the Gulf of Mexico. Market Watch_ 7/6/08

Bertha, season's second tropical storm, forms in the eastern Atlantic

The second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season formed off the coast of Africa and is moving toward the west-northwest at about 14 mph, but forecasters said it's too early to say if or where Bertha will hit land. The first named storm this year, Arthur, formed in the Atlantic the day before the season officially started June 1 and soaked the Yucatan Peninsula. AP/CNN_ 7/3/08

A new spin on hurricane forecasting

As coastal residents from the Caribbean to Canada brace for as many as 16 named storms, including two to five major hurricanes, predicted for the 2008 Atlantic season, the science of hurricane tracking is expected to improve this year. The human factor, however, has some ground to make up. Unmanned aircraft will provide new insight into how storms form and gain force by flying into the eye of a storm and gathering data on winds, temperatures, humidity and pressure. A global network of trackers and analysts will receive data from the drones on the energy exchange that occurs on the sea surface and determines a storm's intensity. Meteorologists have "over-forecast" the last two tropical storm seasons, and emergency response planners concede that the message that "it only takes one" is more difficult to get across when citizens steeled themselves in 2006 and 2007, only to be left with closets full of canned food, batteries and bottled water. This hurricane season comes after a rough period for the National Hurricane Center, where a fourth director in less than 18 months is trying to unify a staff described as divided and squabbling in a report commissioned by its parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Bill Read has been director since January. Los Angeles Times_ 6/1/08 (logon required)

May 2008

Arthur, the Atlantic season's 1st tropical storm, forms near Belize

Tropical Storm Arthur, the first named storm of the 2008 Atlantic season, formed Saturday near the coast of Belize but was already over land and was expected to weaken later in the day, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Arthur is expected to weaken to a tropical depression Saturday night but could regain tropical strength if it moves back over the warm Gulf waters, the hurricane center said. The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season begins Sunday. CNN_ 5/31/08

U.S. government sees active Atlantic hurricane season

The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season will be active with as many as nine hurricanes expected to form, U.S. government forecasters predicted on Thursday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast 12 to 16 named storms this season, with six to nine developing into hurricanes. Two to five could be major ones of Category 3 or higher with winds above 110 miles per hour (177 km per hour), the agency said in its annual forecast. NOAA said there was a 60 to 70 percent probability of its prediction being accurate, the first time the agency has issued a probability with its forecast. It follows the last two years when NOAA called for active hurricane seasons only to see little or no impact on the United States. The U.S. Gulf Coast, Mexico, Caribbean and Central American countries were battered during 2005. A record four major hurricanes hit the United States, including Katrina, which devastated New Orleans, killing around 1,500 people on the U.S. Gulf Coast and causing $80 billion in damage. The 2004 season saw Florida struck by four powerful hurricanes. An average Atlantic hurricane season brings 11 tropical storms with six hurricanes, including two major hurricanes, NOAA said. Reuters_ 5/22/08

NOAA scientist's study says global warming not causing more hurricanes

Global warming isn't to blame for the recent jump in hurricanes in the Atlantic, concludes a study by a prominent federal scientist whose position has shifted on the subject. Not only that, warmer temperatures will actually reduce the number of hurricanes in the Atlantic and those making landfall, research meteorologist Tom Knutson reported in a study released Sunday. In the past, Knutson, a meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's fluid dynamics lab in Princeton, N.J., has raised concerns about the effects of climate change on storms. His new paper has the potential to heat up a simmering debate among meteorologists about current and future effects of global warming in the Atlantic. Kevin Trenberth, climate analysis chief at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., said it is not just the number of hurricanes "that matter, it is also the intensity, duration and size, and this study falls short on these issues." AP_ 5/18/08

Experts predict 'very active' 2008 Atlantic hurricane season

Wednesday, the forecasting team from Colorado State University's Tropical Meteorology Project, led by William Gray and Phil Klotzbach, released its updated 2008 predictions — and the numbers are rising. The latest forecast calls for:

• 15 named storms.

• Eight hurricanes, of which four will be major hurricanes, clocking in at Category 3 or stronger on the Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity.

"To put it in perspective, a typical season has 10 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes," said Phil Klotzbach. "So we're calling for about 160% of an average hurricane season this year." Klotzbach devised a new computer statistical model after his team overestimated the last two hurricane seasons — he said he lost sleep over the matter. USA Today_ 4/9/08

National Hurricane Center names Bill Read as new chief

Veteran forecaster Bill Read took over the center's top job Friday in the wake of a staff mutiny and other friction that sparked the ouster of his predecessor, who lasted only six months. Read, 58, had been serving as deputy director since August, when the turmoil at the center in West Miami-Dade County triggered the departure of then-director Bill Proenza. The dispute led to a congressional hearing and distracted forecasters during the hurricane season, something no one wants to see repeated. Read said he believed the center now can concentrate solely on delivering its forecasts, operating in close concert with emergency managers, the media and the public. Miami Herald/Houston Chronicle_ 1/25/08

Warmer ocean could reduce number of Atlantic hurricane landfalls: NOAA study

A warming global ocean — influencing the winds that shear off the tops of developing storms — could mean fewer Atlantic hurricanes striking the United States according to new findings by NOAA climate scientists. Furthermore, the relative warming role of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans is important for determining Atlantic hurricane activity. The article, to be published on January 23 in Geophysical Research Letters, uses observations to show that warming of global sea surface temperatures is associated with a secular, or sustained long-term increase, of vertical wind shear in the main development region for Atlantic hurricanes. The increased vertical wind shear coincides with a downward trend in U.S. landfalling hurricanes. This study also suggests that where the global ocean warming occurs is important for determining the vertical wind shear in the Atlantic hurricane main development region — within the 10°-20° North latitude belt that stretches from west Africa to Central America. Whether future global warming increases Atlantic hurricane activity will probably depend on the relative role induced by sustained long-term warming over the tropical oceans. Science Daily_ 1/20/08

December, 2007

2008 seen as a rough Atlantic hurricane season

The 2008 hurricane season is likely to be less kind to the United States than the one that ended officially last week, according to forecasters at Colorado State University. For next season, which begins June 1 and ends Nov. 30, they foresee 13 named storms - those with winds of 39 m.p.h. or better - one fewer than this year. But the forecasters, Philip Klotzbach and William M. Gray, warn of a high likelihood that at least one major hurricane, with winds of 111 m.p.h. or more, will make U.S. landfall, which did not happen this year. The 2007 season left an early holiday present for U.S. taxpayers. Not a single major disaster was declared for a hurricane this year, according to Ashley Small, spokeswoman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. By contrast, FEMA has committed $37.8 billion to cleaning up hurricane damage from the 2005 season - about $350 for every U.S. household. The total for 2006 was $2.6 billion. Not that the 2007 season was without drama. For the first time on record, two deadly Category 5 hurricanes, with winds over 160 m.p.h. - Dean and Felix - made landfall in the same season. Yet only one full-fledged hurricane, Humberto, reached the U.S. mainland, and it was a Category 1, with a peak wind of 90 m.p.h. Philadelphia Inquirer_ 12/8/07