Hurricane Isabel

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Hurricane Isabel
Hurricane Isabel

• September 2003
• Mainly from Weather Channel Website
  www.weather.com

September 2003 Mainly from Weather Channel
Website www.weather.com
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On September 10th Hurricane Isabel was a well
formed hurricane in the central Tropical
Atlantic Ocean
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Central Tropical Atlantic Ocean SST
Are these temperatures consistent with hurricane
growth or its demise?
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Central Tropical Atlantic Ocean SST
Are these temperatures consistent with hurricane
growth or its demise?
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Central Tropical Atlantic Ocean SST
Can we see the track of the hurricane?
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Central Tropical Atlantic Ocean Storm Track
Can we see the track of the hurricane?
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Tracking the Storm
By the 15th the hurricane is beginning to weaken,
why?
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Storm Winds
The highest winds are near the eye, but the
effect of Hurricane Isabel extends well to the
north of the eye.
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Predicting the Path of Isabel
Weather forecasters began to predict the path and
timing of landfall
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Pre-Landfall
Isabel begins to come ashore. The eye is still
far offshore.
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Storm Winds -ApproachingLand
The highest waves are in and near the eye of the
storm while it is at sea. They extend much
further north of the eye than south of the eye.
Why?
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Pre-Landfall
Impact was greatest north of the eye of the storm.
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Predicted Path Refined
How did they do 2 days before?
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Predicting the Path of Isabel
Weather forcasters began to predict the path and
timing of landfall
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Predicted Path Refined
How did they do 2 days before?
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Storm Surge Prediction
Is it worse north of the eye?
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Storm Surge Storm Path
Storm Surge is worse where wind is onshore, in
this case, north of the eye of the storm.
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Isabel makes landfall on Cape Hatteras, North
Carolina
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Storm Surge High Waves
As Isabel came ashore the skewed effects of storm
surge are clear.
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Storm Surge - Preliminary Report
After the fact the damage from storm surge was
greatest north of the storm track.
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Storm Eye Comes Ashore
The storm diminishes over land. It causes rain in
Detroit, but results in great weather in
Kalamazoo.
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Floods
Flooding occurs on the coast and inland.
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Storm Surge
Flooding occurs on the coast and inland.
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Storm Surge
http//www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/images/hatter
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Flooding occurs on the coast and inland.
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Storm Surge
The barrier beach was breached by Hurricane
Isabel, generating a new tidal inlet.
Flooding occurs on the coast and inland.
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Wind and Rain
Flooding occurs on the coast and inland.
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Power Outages
Over 35,000 people lost electricity
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Flooding Generates Debris Erosion
Maryland
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Flooding Baltimore Md.
Maryland
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Heavy Rain Results in Inland Flooding
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Damage Assessment 3 Days After Landfall