EAS 385 Class Content Day 5 - Wednesday, September 2
Today's class discussions included:
  1. Announcements
    1. Sounding of the Day Begins on Monday, Sept 14
      1. Sign up for times if you haven't already
    2. Skew-T Mastery due Monday, Sept 14 by the start of class
    3. New Assignment 2: Time Series Analysis due Fri, Sept 11
  2. Hurricane Jimena Discussion
    1. Top winds down from yesterday's 155 MPH
    2. Three days of 500 mb charts
      1. Hurricanes tend to develop along southern periphery of subtropical anticyclone
      2. Sometimes at very edge of wind acceleration into polar jet -- not too much shear, but sufficient mass evacuation aloft
    3. Energy Source -- Latent Heat Release from high moisture air
      1. Air must be over sea surface temperatures at least 26 C
      2. "Record sea surface temperatures" in July
    4. University of Wisconsin SSEC Tropical Imagery
    5. Eye Wall Replacement Cycle in Strong Hurricanes
      1. Willoughby et al 1982 and Willoughby 1990 (Hurricane Gilbert)
      2. Later - two eyewalls strike Cancun
    6. University of Wyoming Upper Air
      1. 500 mb temperatures in Louisiana and east Texas warmer than -2 C result of outflow air from hurricane
    7. Dangers
      1. Storm Surge - usually along and to right of path
        1. Particularly dangerous area with high population density on barrier island beaches
      2. Fresh Water Flooding - Heavy rain on Mexican plateau
      3. High Winds
      4. Tornadoes
        1. Can continue to be a problem after landfall
        2. Usually short-lived
        3. Caused by increased friction as spiral bands come ashore
        4. Mostly along and to right of path of storm.

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Last Updated: Friday September 4, 2009 10:30 AM