Hurricane Ivan, Frances's southern relative

Morgan Palmer

Morgan Palmer

EF5
Joined
Dec 16, 2003
Messages
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Location
Seattle, WA
Internet radio is such a great thing.

Having listened to much of the radio coverage online through Frances, I turned an ear toward Ivan.

Voice of Barbados has a very high quality live audio stream at http://www.vob929.com/

They've been doing regular updates on Ivan (mainly reading the advisories) and are getting emergency preparedness info from the local governmental agencies.

It looks like this might become some very interesting listening over the next few days, esp. if Ivan makes the bee-line that is forecast right now. In the meantime, they're also playing some pretty cool Caribbean music, with a decidedly western influence.

MP
 
Does anybody know what the track of that CAT 5 to hit the Keys was (back in the 30's)? Did it cross over Cuba or did it find its way through the Florida Straits without hitting land before Florida?
 
Thanks, I also found it on wunderground. To answer my question it navigated its way around The Bahamas and through the straits.
 
Top Ten Equatorward Hurricanes (1922-2004)
This shows the most equatorward location where a storm contained hurricane strength winds, according to estimates or measurements. Of course this is kind of like splitting hairs, but hopefully it's somewhat educational. I also just whipped this up in ten minutes and by eyeballing NHC charts, so please don't hold it as authoritative.

10. 12.9N Hurricane Hugo (13 Sep 1989) - Was still very far east when it reached 12.9N, recurved toward SC
9. 12.8N Hurricane Hazel (5 Oct 1954) - Hit Grenada
8. 12.4N Hurricane Janet (22 Sep 1955) - Hit Grenada again
7. 11.7N Hurricane Cesar (27 July 1996) - Rare track near the Panama coast, landfall in Costa Rica
6. 11.2N Hurricane Joan (20 Oct 1988) - TS landfall in Venezuela, then strengthened off Panama coast!
5. 10.8N Hurricane Gertrude (30 Sep 1974) - Did a loop-de-loop east of Trinidad, became TS near Grenada
4. 10.4N Hurricane Joyce (29 Sep 2000) - Died to TS before recurving north and restrengthening
3. 10.3N Hurricane Flora (30 Sep 1963) - Formed at 8N, brushed Trinidad and Grenada
2. 9.7N Hurricane Ivan (5 Sep 2004) - Hit Grenada
1. 9.3N Hurricane #2 (27 June 1933) - Grazed Venezuela

Looks like we have a definitive recordholder here, at least for the modern era.

Honorable mention
14 Aug 1990 - Tropical Storm Fran hit the Venezuelan coast; had gotten as far south as 8N when it was a tropical disturbance
7 Aug 1993 - Tropical Storm Bret takes a similar track, getting down to 10N then hitting Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela

BTW, one should look at Hurricane Ginger for a really deviant track. Not that it has anything to do with southerly storms, but it was just neat.
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/tracks/1971.gif

Tim
 
Also of honorable mention — while hurricane Gilbert's eye passed south of Puerto Rico on 9/13/1988, its southern edge passed over Venezuela and resulted in 50 fatalities.
 
Ivan is 4-5 days from a Florida landfall. At this point in Frances' track it was almost wall to wall coverage on TWC. I think there is a little complacency that they can't be hit with two hurricanes in a week, not to mention they are a pretty worn out.
 
With hurricane Ivan now reaching the ultimate status of category 5, a question comes to my mind. What is the maximum sustained winds recorded or estimated in a cat 5 hurricane? Could a storm strengthen to (hypothetically) beyond a cat 5, if such a classification was included on the Saffir-Simpson scale?
 
The most intense hurricanes occur in the Pacific, as Typhoons. The most intense hurricane in the Atlantic was Gilbert (1988 I believe). That's debateable though as to how you want to classify a hurricane. Lowest pressure, highest wind, highest gust, most damage, most fatalities, etc.
 
Originally posted by Tim Vasquez
Top Ten Equatorward Hurricanes (1922-2004)
Click to expand...
Very interesting Tim, thank you!

We're following your hurricane reports from Israel, because during this time of year the weather over here is extreme in it's boredom :)
 
TWC just did an interesting graphic about CAT 5 hurricanes in the Atlantic. It showed that most CAT 5's remain at that intensity for less than a day. And only 1 since 1949 was a CAT 5 for 2-3 days.
 
Jamaicans...Only concrete is going to save you tonight, not God.

The mis-information and lack of preparedness is really starting to show in Jamaica. I can't count how many Jamaicans I've heard on tv saying 'everything is going to be okay because God will save us!'

God might get you through the aftermath, but not tonight. Even the radio hosts are encouraging this.
 
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