Hurricane Dorian

hurricane dorian

We know that climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity with which meteorological phenomena of extraordinary range occur. In this case, we are going to talk about Hurricane Dorian. It took place in September 2019 and was listed as category 5. This category level is the maximum. It caused serious disasters and taught us the tendency of climate change to create more frequent these types of extreme weather events.

Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you everything you need to know about Hurricane Dorian, its characteristics and its consequences.

Key features

hurricane dorian stagnation

The Saffir-Simpson scale is a hurricane measurement system. It is divided into 5 categories, which take into account wind speed and cyclonic activity after hurricanes, and take into account the abnormal rise in sea level after storms. Hurricane Dorian reached category 5, which is the largest and most dangerousAlthough it slowed when it reached the Bahamas, causing serious injuries and at least five deaths.

Let's see what the wind speed depending on the category:

  • 1 Category: Winds between 118 and 153 KM / hour
  • 2 Category: Winds between 154 and 177 KM / hour
  • 3 Category: Winds between 178 and 209 KM / hour
  • 4 Category: Winds between 210 and 249 KM / hour
  • 5 Category: Winds of more than 249 KM / hour

Track of Hurricane Dorian

Bahamas as a target

When Hurricane Dorian was discovered, the National Hurricane Center was surprised by the "uncertainty in the prediction of the path" of the cyclone. The National Hurricane Center thought that due to the wide range of modeling solutions, the reliability of the intensity forecasts was still low. It should be noted that compact tropical cyclones like Dorian are often difficult to predict.

Dorian had a period of armed and pumping power, mainly because the dust from the Sahara reached the Caribbean Sea and slowed its development. Even this phenomenon causes the diameter of the cyclone to oscillate between 35 km and 75 km. From the first part, this trajectory indicated that it had passed through Puerto Rico and the northeast of the Dominican Republic. Some even predicted that it could reach the north of Cuba. But he was surprised again, leaving only a few rains in Puerto Rico. In the end, it headed northwest and reached the Bahamas and Florida in the United States.

The panorama that Dorian left in the Bahamas archipelago was bleak. At least 5 dead and more than 20 injured. According to a report by the International Red Cross, issued on Monday, September 2, 2019, more than 13 houses were found severely damaged and several directly destroyed. In addition, the floods caused the Abaco Islands, a group of cays to the northwest of the Bahamas. Drinking water wells were contaminated with salty water.

Services affected by Hurricane Dorian

In United States, the passage of the hurricane affected more than 600 flights. Due to the arrival of the hurricane, the airports in Orlando, Daytona Beach, Fernandina Beach, Jacksonville and Pompano Beach will remain closed until Wednesday. In addition, Florida ports also stopped providing services and trains were also suspended. In Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, all residents who lived east of I-95 were evacuated due to the potential for flooding.

The hurricane was present in the Bahamas for 18 hours. It was a real nightmare. Although it was expected to slow down and even stop, very few expected its stop over the Bahamas to last that long.

From Monday afternoon, Dorian stayed almost in the same place until dawn on Tuesday, when he began to move northwest at the speed of a tortoise: 2 km / h that later rose to 7 km / h.

Hurricane trend

hurricane and climate change

According to scientists there is a disturbing trend coming from climate change. Tropical cyclones have become more likely to stop near the coast and spend several hours over these regions. Obviously this is a very disturbing fact, since the negative effects on cities are going to be seen for a longer time. According to the studies, the average speed of hurricanes has decreased 17%, between 15,4 km / h and 18,5 km / h.

The fact that the hurricane stops in a certain area means that the damage in that area will increase exponentially. This is because the wind and rain affect the regions for a longer period of time. For example, Harvey poured more than 1.500 millimeters of rain on Houston after being there for several days. Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas with a twenty-foot high tide and a downpour for more than 48 hours.

Causes

According to studies, in the last half century, every storm that has stopped or slowed down has a special reason. The reason is related to the weakening or collapse of large-scale wind patterns. However, this situation is believed to be due to the general slowdown in atmospheric circulation (global wind), forming hurricanes in the tropics and moving towards the poles in the middle latitudes.

Hurricanes do not move on their own: they are moved by global wind currents, which are influenced by pressure gradients in the atmosphere.

Few experts doubt the impact of global warming on tropical cyclones. Philip Klotzbach, a meteorologist at Colorado State University in the United States, said there is no evidence that climate change is generating more hurricanes, but there is evidence that climate change is creating conditions for them to become more destructive. For example, Dorian is the fifth Category 5 hurricane to form in the Atlantic in just four years, an unprecedented record. A warmer atmosphere can retain more moisture and therefore bring in more rain. Furthermore, with rising sea levels, storm surge penetrates further inland, as the sea level is higher.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about Hurricane Dorian and its characteristics.


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