Lovely Rita

[:) Smiley]

It's already late September though, how long does hurricane season last until?

[Jonny]

The end of November (though over the past couple of years there have been a couple of weak storms appearing in December).

[Hueij]

Originally posted by Agathon
Why do they choose such stupid names.

They should really have hooker names like Tiffany, or Brandi or Angel...

Lovely Rita meter maid
nothing can come between us
When it gets dark I tow your heart away

Standing by a parking meter
when I caught a glimpse of Rita
Filling in a ticket in her little white book
In a cap she looked much older
And the bag across her shoulder
Made her look a little like a military man

Lovely Rita meter maid
may I inquire discreetly
When are you free to take some tea with me

Took her out and tried to win her
had a laugh and over dinner
Told her I would really like to see her again
Got the bill and Rita paid it
Took her home and nearly made it
Sitting on a sofa with a sister or two

Lovely Rita meter maid
where would I be without you
give us a wink and make me think of you

Lovely meter maid
Rita meter maid
oh, Lovely Rita meter, meter maid

[chequita guevara]

At first, the storms simply had names like 1, 2, 3, etc. If a storm was particularly destructive, it would get a name, like the Galveston Hurricane or the Long Island Express, etc. In the 50s they started giving them military names, Able, Baker, Charlie, etc. Then after a couple years, the hurricane trackers started naming them after their girlfirends, ad hoc. In the 1960s, they came up with regular scheduals of names. In the 1980s, they started alternating men and women's names.

I should point out, hurricane season is from June 1st to Nov 30th, though tropical cyclones in the Atlantic can happen anytime of year. As I was researching the frequency and severity of storms after a conversation with Drake, I discovered that during the 1950s (an bad decade for storms generally), it was not uncommon for storms to appear in May, and there was one in January (it began Dec. 30th of the previous year) and one that started in February.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Grandpa Troll
well
they start as thunderstorm clusters and move together

they become a TROPICAL DEPRESSION (TD)

the they become a TROPICAL STROM (TS)
then a HURRICANE

"The Perfect Storm" was an extratropical storm that became a hurricane as it moved south, though as I understand it, TPS was formed out of the remnents of Hurricane Grace and two other subarctic storms. IIRC, the Perfect Storm was officially titled in U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NWS Natural Disaster Survey Report, The Halloween Nor’easter of 1991.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Perfect_Storm

Since the northeast of the United States had already received a pounding from the main storm, and the hurricane was forecast to remain offshore, it has never received a name and is known at NOAA as the Unnamed Hurricane of 1991 (or Hurricane #8, 1991). Had it been given a name, it would have been called Hurricane Henri.

Not all storms start out as tropical depresions. Cape Verde storms start out as tropical waves, whatever that is. Cape Verde storms are generally the most powerful and longest lasting.

[Mr. Harley]

I cannot remember the year, but when they first started naming them, they only used women's names. Then in the name of fairhandedness they started alternating woman and men. What they need to do is name them after toddlers!

[chequita guevara]

Oh, Drake, i got the info from Wiki on the worst storm seasons.

The numbers in parenthesis are tropical storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes.

1. 1933 season, 21 systems (11–5–5)
2. 1995 season, 19 systems (8–6–5)
3. 1969 season, 18 systems (5–7–5) and 1 subtropical storm
4. 2005 season, 17 systems* (9–4–4)
5. 1936 season, 16 systems (9–6–1)
6. 2003 season, 16 systems (9–4–3)
7. 2004 season, 15 systems (5–3–6) and 1 subtropical storm
8. 2001 season, 15 systems (6–5–4)
9. 2000 season, 15 systems (6–5–3) and 1 subtropical storm
10. 1998 season, 14 systems (4–7–3)
11. 1990 season, 14 systems (6–7–1)
12. 1996 season, 13 systems (4–3–6)
13. 2002 season, 12 systems (8–2–2)

Note that the 1950s aren't in there at all, but of the top 13, ten have occured in the last 15 years. 2005 is already the 4th worst season ever, and it's not over yet.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
The numbers in parenthesis are tropical storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes.

1. 1933 season, 21 systems (11–5–5)
2. 1995 season, 19 systems (8–6–5)
3. 1969 season, 18 systems (5–7–5) and 1 subtropical storm
4. 2005 season, 17 systems* (9–4–4)
5. 1936 season, 16 systems (9–6–1)
6. 2003 season, 16 systems (9–4–3)
7. 2004 season, 15 systems (5–3–6) and 1 subtropical storm
8. 2001 season, 15 systems (6–5–4)
9. 2000 season, 15 systems (6–5–3) and 1 subtropical storm
10. 1998 season, 14 systems (4–7–3)
11. 1990 season, 14 systems (6–7–1)
12. 1996 season, 13 systems (4–3–6)
13. 2002 season, 12 systems (8–2–2)

That's an odd list. Shouldn't it be sorted by major hurricanes first, then hurricanes, then tropical storms? Sort of like gold, silver, and bronze medals. In this case we get:

1. 2004: 6-3-5 plus 1 subtropical storm
2. 1996: 6-3-4
3. 1969: 5-7-5 plus 1 subtropical storm
4. 1995: 5-6-8
5. 1933: 5-5-11
6. 2001: 4-5-6
7. 2005: 4-4-9
8. 1998: 3-7-4
9. 2000: 3-5-6 plus 1 subtropical storm
10. 2003: 3-4-9
11. 2002: 2-2-8
12. 1990: 1-7-6
13. 1936: 1-6-9

By this list 3 out of the top 5 and 8 out of the top 10 occurred in the last decade.

[Drake Tungsten]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Oh, Drake, i got the info from Wiki on the worst storm seasons.

Cool.

I'm surprised to see 1995 at number two. That's a pretty sudden upsurge in storm activity after decades of relative calm.

[chequita guevara]

It's almost 12 hours and the nhc hasn't updated that image?

[Bereta_Eder]

48 songs detected about Rita

Áõôüò ï Üíèñùðïò (Óáêåëëáñßïõ Ñßôá)

Íá óïõ ðù (Óáêåëëáñßïõ Ñßôá)

¸íá ôñáãïýäé ðåò ìïõ áêüìá (Óáêåëëáñßïõ Ñßôá)

ÁðÜëëáîÝ ìå (Óáêåëëáñßïõ Ñßôá)

Ôï ìðñåëüê (Óáêåëëáñßïõ Ñßôá)

Ìéá æùÞ ðëçñþíù (+ó) (Óáêåëëáñßïõ Ñßôá)

Ôï êïìðïëüé (Óáêåëëáñßïõ Ñßôá)

ÈëéììÝíï óïýñïõðï (+ó) (Óáêåëëáñßïõ Ñßôá)

¼ëá ôá êáôáëáâáßíù (Óáêåëëáñßïõ Ñßôá)

Áðüøå íá ìçí êïéìçèåßò (ÁìðáôæÞ Ñßôá)

Ôåëåõôáßá þñá (Óáêåëëáñßïõ Ñßôá)

ÊÜèå çëéïâáóßëåìá. (+ó) (Óáêåëëáñßïõ Ñßôá)

Ìå ðÞñå ï Ýñùôáò (Óáêåëëáñßïõ Ñßôá)

ÅîùãÞéíåò áãÜðåò (Óáêåëëáñßïõ Ñßôá)

Á÷ Ñßôá (+ó) (Êçëáçäüíçò Ëïõêéáíüò)

Óþóå ìå (Óáêåëëáñßïõ Ñßôá)

Ôá øÝìáôá ôåëåéþóáíå (+t) (Óáêåëëáñßïõ Ñßôá)

ÖÝñôå ðñÝæá íá ðñåæÜñù (Ñßôá ÁìðáôæÞ)

Äåí èÝëù êáíÝíá (Óáêåëëáñßïõ Ñßôá)

¢ó' ôá êüëðá (ÁìðáôæÞ Ñßôá)

Åãþ äåí ðÜù ìÝãáñï (Óáêåëëáñßïõ Ñßôá)

Ãéá ìÝíá äåí óå ìÝëåé (ÁìðáôæÞ Ñßôá)

Ãéáôß íá ìå ãåëÜóåéò (ÁìðáôæÞ Ñßôá)

Äõï ìÜãêåò ìåò óôç öõëáêÞ (+ó) (ÁìðáôæÞ Ñßôá)

Éóôïñßá ìïõ (+ó) (Óáêåëëáñßïõ Ñßôá)

ÎáíèÞ åâñáéïðïýëá (ÁìðáôæÞ Ñßôá)

Ôá ÷áíïõìÜêéá (ÁìðáôæÞ Ñßôá)

Ôï ðáóïýìé (+ó) (ÁìðáôæÞ Ñßôá)

Åßóáé öÜíôçò (ÁìðáôæÞ Ñßôá)

ÔñÜâá óðÜãêï (ÁìðáôæÞ Ñßôá)

Áí êÜíù Üôáêôç æùÞ (Óáêåëëáñßïõ Ñßôá)

Äþäåêá ÷ñïíþ êïñßôóé (ÅóêåíÜæõ Ñüæá)

ÌáñéáíèÜêé (ÁìðáôæÞ Ñßôá)

Ñßôá-ÑéôÜêé. (+ó) (Áäåëöïß Êáôóéìß÷á)

ÌïõñìïõñÜêé (ÅëåõèåñéÜäçò ÔÜóïò)

Ôï ìåñÜêé (ÁìðáôæÞ Ñßôá)

Ñßôá (+ó) (Îýëéíá ÓðáèéÜ)

Ôï ðáé÷íßäé ôïõ ÁìåñéêÜíïõ (ÁìðáôæÞ Ñßôá)

ÁìÜíôï ìßï (ÄáíÜç)

×áóéêëÞò (ÁìðáôæÞ Ñßôá)

Öôþ÷åéá ìáæß ìå ôçí ôéìÞ (ÁìðáôæÞ Ñßôá)

Ôï öëéôæÜíé ôïõ ÃéÜííç (ÁìðáôæÞ Ñßôá)

Ìå æïõñíÜäåò êáé íôáïýëéá (ÁìðáôæÞ Ñßôá)

Õðüãåéï (+ó) (Áäåëöïß Êáôóéìß÷á)

Õðüãåéï (+ó) (Áäåëöïß Êáôóéìß÷á)

ÌÜñù ÌÜñù (ÄáíÜç & Ãïýíáñçò Íßêïò)

Ôñå÷áíôÞñé (Ñßôá Ä. & ÄáíÜç)

×Üëéá (invitation to the blues) (+ó) (ÄåëçâïñéÜò Öïßâïò)

[Bereta_Eder]

oh. one of them entitled blond jewishgirl

[Mr. Harley]

Che's listing is how the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstraction) lists them. However, UR's listing is going to be more sensitive to the effects of Global Warming (I DID NOT say man-made Global Warming, please note I am avoiding that issue it is horrendously complicated) as the number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes will increase with increased surface temperatures, but the total numbers may not.

The indications are that the conditions creating a Tropical Storm/Hurricane may have certain Chaos Theory factors, and even be related to Strange Attractors (I know just enough to get myself in trouble in that field). It appears the storms themselves are cyclical - but that ocean temperature determines just how big they get if they are lucky enough to form. It also appears that the Atlantic spawning ground for Tropical Storms/Hurricanes in on the upswing, though worldwide numbers seem to be fairly typical. However, as I noted in another thread, the number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes had doubled in recent years - just published in Science, I need to go the library and read the article.

Oh, and with some searching on the web I turned up the factoid that they are now suggesting two new categories for the Saffir-Simpson Scale. I could only find the winds, with a category 6 being 185-214 mph and a category 7 being greater than 215 mph. I cannot even find a link on the suggested storm surge - good God if Katrina was category 5 with a 28 foot storm surge (hitting right about at high tide so they go a dandy 18 inches on top of that) then a category 6 would look like something from The Day after Tomorrow - lousy movie IMHO but a good picture of a fifty foot storm surge except it didn't do enough damage. That's why every time I here these people talk about rebuilding their town's oceanfront section - I just

[chequita guevara]

I think there should be multple catagories for storms. The Saffir-Simpson scale only measures wind damage. They need another scale for flooding and storm surge. These are the great killers and destroyers. You rarely see a beast like Andrew, which flattens a couple of cities but has no surge.

BTW, Katrina had the highest ever measured storm surge (at least for the Atlantic), at nearly ten meters, 31'.

I also think that they should have a different name for major hurricanes, cuz cat 1s and 2s aren't that bad. Maybe do like they do in the east and have Super Hurricane (Super Typhoon).

Super Typhoon Tip was the biggest storm ever recorded, at 1350 miles across. It struck Japan in 1979.

To put it another way, if a similar-sized hurricane hit south Florida directly, tropical storm force winds would be felt as far north as Charlotte, North Carolina and as far south as Merida, Mexico and Kingston, Jamaica.

Interestingly, cat 5 storms are rare in the Atlantic, but they are rather common in the Western Pacific.

The deadliest tropical cyclone on record is a 100 mph (160 km/h, Category 2) storm that hit the densely populated Ganges Delta region of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) on November 13, 1970. It killed anywhere from 200,000 to 500,000 people. The Indian Ocean basin has historically been the deadliest, with three storms since 1900 killing over 100,000 people, each in Bangladesh.

The fastest windspeeds ever to make landfall was in Camile, which had speeds of 210mph (380kph).

[Zkribbler]

I like Urbie's list better than the official one. It makes more sense and is easier to understand.