Tropical Storm Arthur

Does anyone remember the show from the 90's? Yeah, I remember growing up with Arthur as one of the cartoons I watched on a regular basis. This Arthur however is far from a cartoon.

The first named storm of the 2014 Atlantic Hurricane Season is Tropical Storm Arthur. Currently packing sustained winds of 35-45 knots with gusts reaching 55 knots at times, Arthur is located 3 degrees east of the Florida/Georgia border and is currently moving N. It is expected to turn more toward the NE and hit the Outer Banks of NC as the Primary Landfall point before continuing up the East Coast. It is possible that this storm could become a Cat 1 Hurricane before making landfall. Regardless of the meteorological categorization, we will experience hurricane force winds in the outer banks should Arthur continue on it's NNEward path. I am considering driving out Thursday night after work so that I can grab some pictures and videos from the beach to post! And because it would be fun haha!

We also have a Tropical Storm in the Eastern Pacific, Tropical Storm Douglas, which will continue NWward into the mid-Pacific Ocean.

So, why was Tropical Arthur able to form? Don't Hurricanes form off the coast of Africa and move in a semicircle path, or form in the gulf and die over the US? Not exactly. There are six factors which contribute to hurricane formation:
1. SST (Sea Surface Temperature) needs to be greater than 80 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal Hurricane formation
2. Easterly Wave or perturbation needs to occur to begin rotation off the coast of Africa
3. Low Wind Shear
4. A convectively unstable atmosphere
5. Sufficient low-level moisture for entrainment or feeding the hurricane
6. Coriolis greater than 5 degrees from the equator. Coriolis is one of the main atmospheric forces when balancing atmospheric rotation and movement of air, and gets stronger with increased speed, rotation, or distance from the equator. The two other forces balanced by Coriolis Force are Pressure Gradient Force and Friction.

When hurricanes form in the Western Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico, the Easterly Wave is not the cause of hurricanes. Typically it's as a result of the Continental Low being trapped between the Bermuda High and the Canadian High pressure systems. This is exactly what happened with Tropical Storm Arthur. The rotation of the Continental Low just off the coast of Florida was accelerated by the Canadian High to the Northeast, and the Bermuda High to the Southwest. The rotation acceleration and stationary location over the warm mid-tropical Atlantic waters allowed for a rapid intensification of the Low. Above is the National Forecast Map for June 30, and it is clear that the High Pressure systems are accelerating the Low. The Low rotates counterclockwise, and each of those four Highs are rotating clockwise. That Low meteorologically is trying to get back to it's normal position over the Southeastern United States, but the four High Centers kept it from moving back and accelerated the rotation. Now, the Tropical Storm is moving up the East Coast and following the Gulf Stream and trade winds and will continue until it dies out.

More accurate information will come tomorrow as the track is easier to forecast 24 hours out. I will have more of a forecast post instead of an informational post tomorrow. If you live on the coast, shopping wouldn't be a bad idea! Power shouldn't go out but with weather, anything can happen.