Mariners Weather Log Vol. 43, No. 3 December 1999 Double eyewall structure of hurricane Gilbert on September 14, 1988, near Cozumel Island, Yucatan. The devastating peak wind and rainfall occurs in the hurricane eyewalls. The moat is an area of lesser wind and rainfall between the two eyewalls. Superimposed on the radar picture is the aircrafts track and wind at about 2600 meters (8500 feet) (wind barbs and flags in knots). See article on page 4. Mariners Weather Log Mariners Weather Log From the Editorial Supervisor This issue features a fascinating interview with Dr. Hugh Willoughby, head of the Hurricane Research Division of NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratories, on concentric (double) hurricane eyewalls. Hurricane eyewalls are the nearly circular ring of thunder- storm-like cloud towers surrounding the often clear, nearly U.S. Department of Commerce calm center or eye of the storm. The eyewalls contain the William M. Daley, Secretary devastating peak wind and rainfall of the hurricane and can extend up to 10 miles high in the atmosphere. While most National Oceanic and hurricanes have a single eyewall, many major category 3 or Atmospheric Administration stronger hurricanes (50 % or more) develop the double eye Dr. D. James Baker, Administrator wall structure.The double structure usually lasts a day or two, with the inner wall eventually dissipating as the outer National Weather Service wall contracts in to become the new single eyewall (going John J. Kelly, Jr., Assistant Administrator for Weather Services through an entire eyewall replacement). See the article for details. National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service This issue also contains the AMVER rescue report for Robert S. Winokur, 1999. Participation in the AMVER program was at an all Assistant Administrator time high with a record 4,813 vessels receiving AMVER participation awards for 1999 (the previous record was Editorial Supervisor 4,095 vessels in 1998). To receive the participation award, Martin S. Baron a vessel must be on the AMVER Plot for at least 128 days. Editor Nine vessels were nominated for special AMVER awards Mary Ann Burke for their role in notable rescue efforts. Five vessels actually receive special awards, which are sponsored by Lloyds List (a UK trade newspaper), Safety at Sea Magazine (UK), the Association For Rescues at Sea (an organization of retired Navy and U.S. Coast Guard Admirals), KPN Station 12 The Secretary of Commerce has determined that the publication of this (the Dutch signatory to COMSAT), and the New York periodical is necessary in the transaction of the public business required by law of this department. Use of funds for printing this periodical has been approved Chapter of the Navy League of the United States (a by the director of the Office of Management and Budget through December lobbying organization for maritime services). Please 1999. contact Mr. Rick Kenney, the AMVER Maritime Relations The Mariners Weather Log (ISSN: 0025-3367) is published by the National Officer for more information (see contact information in Weather Service, Office of Meteorology, Integrated Hydrometeorological the back of this publication). Services Core, Silver Spring, Maryland, (301) 713-1677, Ext. 134. Funding is provided by the National Weather Service, and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service Navy. Data is provided by the National Martin S. Baron Climatic Data Center. h Articles, photographs, and letters should be sent to: Some Important Webpage Addresses Mr. Martin S. Baron, Editorial Supervisor Mariners Weather Log NOAA http://www.noaa.gov National Weather Service, NOAA National Weather Service http://www.nws.noaa.gov VOS Program http://www.vos.noaa.gov 1325 East-West Highway, Room 14108 SEAS Program http://seas.nos.noaa.gov/seas/ Silver Spring, MD 20910 Mariners Weather Log http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/ mwl/mwl.htm Phone: (301) 713-1677 Ext. 134 Marine Dissemination http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/ Fax: (301) 713-1598 marine/home.htm E-mail: [email protected] See these webpages for further links. 2 Mariners Weather Log Mariners Weather Log Table of Contents Concentric Eyewalls of Hurricanes (An Interview with Dr. Hugh E. Willoughby) ....................... 4 Great Lakes Wrecks—The Wreck of the Aycliffe Hall ................................................................ 10 The NWS Coastal Marine Forecast .............................................................................................. 11 Departments: AMVER............................................................................................................................................................. 15 Physical Oceanography ..................................................................................................................................... 16 Marine Weather Review North Atlantic, April–August 1999 ..................................................................................................... 26 North Pacific, April–August,1999 ....................................................................................................... 36 Tropical Atlantic and Tropical East Pacific, May–August 1999 ......................................................... 51 Climate Prediction Center, May–August 1999 .................................................................................... 60 Fam Float ........................................................................................................................................................... 62 VOS Program .................................................................................................................................................... 73 VOS Cooperative Ship Reports ......................................................................................................................... 94 Buoy Climatological Data Summary ............................................................................................................... 108 Meteorological Services Observations ....................................................................................................................................... 114 Forecasts ............................................................................................................................................. 117 December 1999 3 Concentric Eyewalls of Hurricanes Concentric Eyewalls of Hurricanes An Interview with Dr. Hugh E. Willoughby Debi Iacovelli Tropical Weather Specialist Coral Gables, Florida Editor’s Note: This interview was While the eye of a hurricane As a hurricane becomes intense, conducted in 1993. Dr. Willoughby contains a column of sinking air, the eyewall (the area of rising air is currently the director of the the large convective spiral bands and convection surrounding the Hurricane Research Division of surrounding the center are com- eye) begins to contract and get the Atlantic Oceanographic and prised of air that is rising. Near the smaller. It shrinks towards the Meteorological Laboratories in tropopause (the top of the tropo- center because latent heat (heat Miami, Florida. sphere, at about 50,000 feet, or released due to the condensation 15,250 meters), as most of the of water vapor to form cloud he eye of a hurricane is a rising air is forced to diverge away droplets) released in the rings spectacular view from any from the storm, the Coriolis force causes warmer air to enter the top Tsatellite image. It is one of (deflection of air flow to the right of the hurricane’s eye. The eye nature’s most beautiful arrays, in the northern hemisphere due to becomes warmer as a result. strikingly unique from the rest of the rotation of the earth) gives it a the storm. While one eyewall is an clockwise twist outward. How- The formation of a secondary expected feature of an intense ever, not all of this air moves eyewall around the original one cyclone, the subject of double away from the storm—some occurs no differently than the eyewalls is sometimes shrouded in moves into the eye itself, and the formation of the original eyewall. mystery, even among those of us inward clash of air causes sinking In fact, it would not be wrong to who are familiar with the subject motion. As this air sinks, it warms think of a hurricane with concen- of tropical meteorology. But the by compression. This causes the tric eyewalls as two hurricanes, second eyewall of the hurricane air in the eye to dry out and with the smaller one within the forms in a similar manner as the explains why the eye is typically eye of the larger one. Tropical first. Let’s examine this a bit cloud-free. cyclones with concentric eyewalls closer. Continued on Page 5 4 Mariners Weather Log Concentric Eyewalls of Hurricanes Concentric Eyewalls movement of air) over the inner Tropical cyclones which attain Continued from Page 4 eyewall, disrupting the circulation maximum wind speeds of greater of the inner eyewall, and causing than 164 feet per second (greater undergo cycles in which the inner the central pressure of the hurri- than 50 meters per second, 110 eyewall is replaced by the outer cane to rise and the wind to mph, or 97 knots) for 1 minute one, which sometimes causes a weaken. A concentric eyewall average mean wind speeds create decrease in the intensity of the pattern can exist unimpeded if the a closed eyewall near the storm system. It is thought that this system is out over open water, but center, surrounded by spiral rain weakening occurs because the many times this concentric