Strengthening Tomas headed for the Lesser Antilles
Tropical Storm Tomas has exploded into existence in spectacular fashion, becoming the nineteenth named storm of this amazingly active 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. I'm reporting to you live from the National Hurricane Center tonight, where forecasters are working hard to stay abreast of Tomas' intensification. Three hurricane specialists are on duty tonight--Dave Roberts, who is handling Tropical Storm Shary, and Robbie Berg and Dan Brown, who are focusing on Tomas. The Hurricane Hunters have just left Tomas, as of 8pm EDT, and they found a significant increase in winds. Winds at their 1500 foot flight level were 70 mph, and surface winds as measured by the SFMR instrument were near 60 mph. This supports an increase in Tomas' winds to 60 mph in tonight's 8pm EDT public advisory. Since this is such a large increase in intensity from what was forecast--Tomas was not supposed to have 60 mph winds for another 24 hours--this necessitates issuance of a special advisory package. A full set of forecast maps, a marine advisory, wind probability forecast, and a discussion just went out to the world. While all this was occurring, several phone calls to Barbados, St. Lucia, and Martinique were made, alerting the islands to the fact that a Hurricane Warning may be required with the 11pm advisory tonight. NHC has both French speaking and Spanish speaking meteorologists on staff that can coordinate with the islands that don't have English as their main language. I listened in on a 5-minute conversation in French between the weather service in Martinique and NHC meteorologist Mike Tichacek, as they discussed when Martinique may want to issue a Hurricane Warning.
Figure 1. Warren VonWerne (right) of CARCAH presents the latest data from the Air Force Hurricane Hunters to hurricane specialist Robbie Berg.
Intensity forecast for Tomas
The forecasters at NHC are puzzling over the latest intensity forecasts for Tomas. The latest intensity forecast from the GFDL, HWRF, and SHIPS models are not that impressive, and they keep Tomas as a strong tropical storm or weak hurricane for the next five days. The wind shear forecast from SHIPS is particularly odd--the latest 18Z forecast predicts high wind shear of 20+ knots beginning Sunday morning, and the previous SHIPS forecast held wind shear below 15 knots for the next five days. The latest runs by the GFS, ECMWF, and UKMET models all show a very favorable environment for intensification over the next five days over the Caribbean, with Tomas positioning itself beneath an upper level high in a light wind shear environment. The best bet is that Tomas will intensify into a major hurricane over the Central Caribbean by early next week.
Figure 2. NHC meteorologist Mike Tichacek discusses the latest intensity forecast for Tomas with the Martinique weather service (in French.) In the background, hurricane specialist Dave Roberts works on advisories for Tropical Storm Shary.
Track forecast for Tomas
After Tomas reaches the central Caribbean 4 - 6 days from now, there are two possible track scenarios depicted by the models--a continued westerly motion towards Nicaragua, or a sharp turn to the north, with a track over Hispaniola or Puerto Rico. Steering currents will be weak, and we'll just have to wait and see how the steering currents evolve.
Tomas' formation location unprecedented this late in the season
Tomas' formation ties 2010 with 1995 and 1887 for 3rd place for most number of named storms in an Atlantic hurricane season. Only 2005 (28 named storms) and 1933 (21 named storms) were busier. Atlantic hurricane records go back to 1851, though there were likely many missed named storms prior to the beginning of satellite coverage in the mid-1960s.
The formation of a tropical storm so far south and east this late in the season is unprecedented in the historical record; no named storm has ever been present east of the Lesser Antilles (60°W) and south of 12°N latitude so late in the year. Hurricane Six of 1896 came close--it was also a tropical storm south of 12°N and east of 60°W on October 29, but nine hours earlier in the day. That storm recurved to the north and missed the Lesser Antilles. Tomas' track through the southern Lesser Antilles so late in the year is unprecedented. There have been only two other tropical storms that formed after October 15 south of 12°N and east of 60°W: Hurricane Jose, which was a tropical storm in that region on October 18, 1999, and Tropical Storm Nicolas, on October 16, 2003. Tomas most reminds me of Hurricane Joan of 1988, which was a tropical storm on October 14 near Tomas' current location, and later strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane that hit Nicaragua.
Another unusual aspect of Tomas' formation is that we now have two simultaneous named storms in the Atlantic Ocean on October 29. There have been only four hurricane seasons since 1851 that have had two simultaneous named storms later in the year. The record was set way back in 1887, when Hurricane Eighteen and Tropical Storm Nineteen were both active on December 8. There were three years that had simultaneous November named storms: 1932, 1961, and 2001.
Next update
I'll have more late Saturday morning.
Jeff Masters
Reader Comments
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What can one say about this post. Sheesh
Agreed. The blog may have at it. How are ya, Sky?
Looks like Tomas is getting tight there.
Wet and Windy night in Barbados.
no rain here as yet, light overcast.
from its previous heading of (11.2degrees west of) dueNorth
TS.Tomas's average speed moving between its last 2 reported positions increased to ~22.7mph(~36.5km/h) from its previous travel speed of ~11.7mph(~18.8km/h)
Invest91L
29Oct 12amGMT - - 8.5n52.0w - 30knots(~55.6km/h) - 1006mb - ATCF
29Oct 06amGMT - - 9.3n53.7w - 30knots(~55.6km/h) - 1006mb - ATCF
TropicalDepression21
29Oct 12pmGMT - 10.0n55.3w - 30knots(~55.6km/h) - 1003mb - ATCF
TS.Thomas
29Oct 06pmGMT - 10.8n56.8w - 35knots(~64.8km/h) - - 998mb - ATCF
29Oct 09pmGMT - 11.1n57.5w - 40mph(~64.4km/h) - . - 998mb - NHC.Adv.#1
30Oct 12amGMT - 11.6n57.6w - 60mph(~96.6km/h) - . - 999mb - NHC.Adv.#2
30Oct 03amGMT - 12.2n58.4w - 65mph(~104.5km/h) - - 997mb - NHC.Adv.#3
Copy&paste 8.5n52.0w, 9.3n53.7w, 10.0n55.3w-10.8n56.8w, 10.8n56.8w-11.1n57.5w, 11.1n57.5w-11.6n57.6w, 11.6n57.6w-12.2n58.4w, pmv, uvf, 12.2n58.4w-13.044n59.527w into the GreatCircleMapper for a look at the headings and the distances traveled over the last 15^hours.
Using straightline projection upon the speed&heading averaged
over the 3hours spanning the last two reported positions:
~3&1/2 hours from now to GreenGarden,Barbados
^ The westernmost line-segment is the straightline projection.
Each of the 3 preceding line-segment spans 3hours between positions.
The easternmost line-segment spans 6hours between positions.
We already use Latin, so I dunno. Cyrillic, or maybe Arabic?
I like the West and Southerly solution with no recurvature solution based upon the Mid Continent forecasts.
This "trough" everyone is discussing is a nothing burger, IMO.
That's a few degrees north of what I was expecting.
Behave!!
Thanks..and Pottery as well.
I took one look at Thomas this morning.. and booked the vacation to Puerto Valarta this afternoon,Jan 7-21 :)
Me... behave.. but Mom he started it???
I thought I was the only one in Jamaica who heard about it because I haven't heard anyone say anything.
Thanks.
Dont know why he is so squeemish.
They work really well.
Had them hung all around my property all week..
2- 1995 Atlantic hurricane season 19 11 5
2- 2010 Atlantic hurricane season 19 10 5
3- 1969 Atlantic hurricane season 18 12 5
Rather impressive, 2010 is tied with 1995 for the second place for the most named storms during a Atl. Hurricane Season.
Even local news, like Wapa and Univision are presenting old model diagnostics....
You're forgetting 1933 ;) 21 storms formed during that season
;-)
Happy to help. Quite a harrowing flight. I don't blame the Doc for hanging up his flight suit. Glad the plane made it through. A narrow escape, for sure.
The northerly movement you see is the convection, and as confirmed by the NHC 30 mins it is moving at 300 degrees (WNW)
Thanks.... will check....
Ah yes, sorry, I only saw till 1950. :\
So 2010 actually sharing third place with 1995.
Good timing, Nea. I like the images. Gonna have to improvise, if we get past the W.
Yup, I think 2010 should end up with at least 21 storms, 2 possible ones during November, maybe another hurricane too.
This seems fairly fresh.
Link
Ok, Beaver, go to room now.
Amen !
LATEST: Shary will be extra-tropical late tomorrow.
Tomas Will become major hurricane on sunday night.
November will likely contain Virginie, and Walter.
and We could see a storm in December.
Well, that all Folks!
that has to be old.
my bad.
It's not safe to listen to absolutes like this with the storm so far out. Keep your own counsel and pay attention to the NHC.
I think he was talking about Barbados radar.
those are Martinique and Guadeloupe (as you probably know)
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