What to expect from hurricanes "Maria" and "Jose", what are the unusual natural disasters of this season and whether "Maria" will be more destructive than "Irma", said Yuri Varakin, head of the Situation Center of Roshydromet.
Tropical storm Maria originated in the Atlantic Ocean, intensified to a hurricane and struck first in the Caribbean Islands, and then, having intensified to the maximum power category, hit Dominica. Due to the threat of a hurricane in Puerto Rico, it was decided to stop the work of the world's second largest telescope "Arecibo".
“There can be 12 or 15 hurricanes per season. The season lasts until mid-October, so this is definitely not the last hurricane, - said Yuri Varakin, head of the Situation Center of Roshydromet.
The most important feature of this year, an anomaly that has not been seen in the last 20 years, is the third highest category hurricane in a season."
Atlantic hurricane season is the shorthand name for the annual formation of the most intense hurricanes in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. In the North Atlantic, hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. The peak is observed around September 10.
Satellite image of Hurricane Maria, September 18, 2017
The first strong hurricane was "Harvey", which went to Texas, followed by "Irma", which went to Dominica, the Caribbean, Cuba, Florida, to small islands. "Jose", a category 3-4 hurricane, for some time weakened to a tropical storm, but by September 16, it gained strength again. The Maria passed through Dominica, over Haiti and is now heading for the Bahamas. It will pass along them in the next three days.
“In this part of the tropics this year there is a weak El Niño, - said Varakin. - Where tropical cyclones arise annually, the temperature is about a degree higher than long-term data. For tropical hurricanes, ocean surface temperatures are critical.
Promotional video:
The minimum temperature required for their appearance is 26 ° C."
The El Niño Current refers to the fluctuation in surface water temperature in the equatorial Pacific Ocean that affects climate.
Hurricane Maria originated at 15 ° N latitude, south of Puerto Rico. He walked from south to north, gradually gaining power, and reached the fifth category. The wind speed was 200 km / h and more. After passing through Dominica, he went to Puerto Rico, and then moved to the Bahamas.
"The evacuation of the Bahamas is now necessary, because even if the hurricane category drops to the fourth or third, it will still pose a threat to coastal and port facilities, power lines, provoking surges up to 7-9 meters," Varakin said.
Satellite image of Hurricane Jose
The hurricane trajectory is also abnormal. So many powerful hurricanes hitting the Bahamas, Caribbean is a very rare phenomenon. The number of hurricanes is about the same every year, and so far it has not been exceeded, but category 3-5 hurricanes usually occur once or twice a year.
“It's good that Jose did not go to the Bahamas, but between Bermuda and the Bahamas,” Varakin notes.
It is still moving, then, already weakened, will go to the northern states of America.
It will hit New Jersey, heading towards the coast of New York. Today, at 9 am Moscow time, he walked along the coast from the US Naval Base Norfolk in Virginia."
Satellite image of hurricane Irma
The United States is not threatened by nine-meter waves, the expert believes, but the country will have to be prepared for heavy precipitation. Washington, Baltimore, Pennsylvania will not be touched by the hurricane - it will go along the coast. Strong winds will be in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Waves on the coast will reach 3-4 meters. They will become the main threat to coastal infrastructure facilities.
And for ships the wind is a danger - its speed can reach 40-45 m / s.
It is unlikely that "Maria" will be more destructive than "Irma", Varakin believes. However, it all depends on how the hurricane goes. Irma passed through the center of Dominica, tearing the roofs off the house of the Prime Minister of the State and from the building of the main hospital. Further, the trajectory of the hurricane runs along the northern and northeastern coasts of Haiti. For the southern and western coasts of Haiti, it will not be as devastating.
Satellite image of hurricane Katya
"Maria" partially repeats the trajectory of both "Irma" and "Jose". But since it originated even further to the east, it is likely that, having reached the Bahamas, it will not be as strong as the Irma.
"Maria" goes further north, and the temperature may already be lower for each latitudinal degree. “It's like a rechargeable battery - the hurricane is no longer gaining that power and does not retain, it moves by inertia, but its energy decreases,” Varakin explained.
Alla Salkova
