Statement on Hurricane Opal October 4, 1995
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Hurricane Waves in the Ocean
WAVE-INDUCED SURGES DURING HURRICANE OPAL Chung-Sheng Wu*, Arthur A. Taylor, Jye Chen and Wilson A. Shaffer Meteorological Development Laboratory National Weather Service/NOAA, Silver Spring, Maryland 1. INTRODUCTION Hurricanes storm surges and waves at the coastline Holliday (1977) developed a simple formula relating the have been the cause of damages in the coastal zone. cyclone’s pressure drop to maximum sustained wind for On the U.S. Gulf Coast, for example, Hurricane Opal the Western Pacific. A more general form was (1995) made landfall near the time of low tide and proposed by Holland (1980). The merit of these models resulted in severe flooding by storm surges and waves. is that they are analytical models for the surface wind Storm surge can penetrate miles inland from the coast. profile in a hurricane. A similar formulation was applied Waves ride above the surge levels, causing wave runup to the wave model in the present work. The framework and mean water level set-up. These wave effects are of the hurricane wave model is described below. significant near the landfall area and are affected by the process that hurricane approaches the coastline. 2.1 HURRICANE WIND AND STORM SURGES During 1950-1977, hurricane wave models based on Holland (1980) employed a standard pressure profile for significant wave height and period were developed (e.g. a tropical cyclone and obtained the popular gradient Bretschneider, 1957; Ross, 1976) for marine weather wind profile. Jelesnianski and Taylor (1976) assumed a prediction and offshore oil industry design. Cardone surface wind profile in the pressure equation. -
Fishing Pier Design Guidance Part 1
Fishing Pier Design Guidance Part 1: Historical Pier Damage in Florida Ralph R. Clark Florida Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Beaches and Coastal Systems May 2010 Table of Contents Foreword............................................................................................................................. i Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... ii Chapter 1 – Introduction................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2 – Ocean and Gulf Pier Damages in Florida................................................... 4 Chapter 3 – Three Major Hurricanes of the Late 1970’s............................................... 6 September 23, 1975 – Hurricane Eloise ...................................................................... 6 September 3, 1979 – Hurricane David ........................................................................ 6 September 13, 1979 – Hurricane Frederic.................................................................. 7 Chapter 4 – Two Hurricanes and Four Storms of the 1980’s........................................ 8 June 18, 1982 – No Name Storm.................................................................................. 8 November 21-24, 1984 – Thanksgiving Storm............................................................ 8 August 30-September 1, 1985 – Hurricane Elena ...................................................... 9 October 31, -
Hurricane & Tropical Storm
5.8 HURRICANE & TROPICAL STORM SECTION 5.8 HURRICANE AND TROPICAL STORM 5.8.1 HAZARD DESCRIPTION A tropical cyclone is a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or sub-tropical waters and has a closed low-level circulation. Tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes are all considered tropical cyclones. These storms rotate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere around the center and are accompanied by heavy rain and strong winds (NOAA, 2013). Almost all tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic basin (which includes the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea) form between June 1 and November 30 (hurricane season). August and September are peak months for hurricane development. The average wind speeds for tropical storms and hurricanes are listed below: . A tropical depression has a maximum sustained wind speeds of 38 miles per hour (mph) or less . A tropical storm has maximum sustained wind speeds of 39 to 73 mph . A hurricane has maximum sustained wind speeds of 74 mph or higher. In the western North Pacific, hurricanes are called typhoons; similar storms in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific Ocean are called cyclones. A major hurricane has maximum sustained wind speeds of 111 mph or higher (NOAA, 2013). Over a two-year period, the United States coastline is struck by an average of three hurricanes, one of which is classified as a major hurricane. Hurricanes, tropical storms, and tropical depressions may pose a threat to life and property. These storms bring heavy rain, storm surge and flooding (NOAA, 2013). The cooler waters off the coast of New Jersey can serve to diminish the energy of storms that have traveled up the eastern seaboard. -
ON the PERFORMANCE of BUILDINGS in HURRICANES a STUDY for the SAFFIR-SIMSPON SCALE COMMITTEE by Tim Marshall, P.E
ON THE PERFORMANCE OF BUILDINGS IN HURRICANES A STUDY FOR THE SAFFIR-SIMSPON SCALE COMMITTEE by Tim Marshall, P.E. Meteorologist HAAG ENGINEERING CO. October 18, 2009 DRAFT COPY INTRODUCTION Over the past 30 years, the author has surveyed building damage in 30 hurricanes beginning with Hurricane Allen (1980). Many of these hurricanes, the author has experienced firsthand by riding out the storms in hotels, vehicles, or parking garages. Within weeks after each hurricane, ground and sometimes aerial surveys were performed to document the performance of buildings and measure the heights of the storm surge using levels, rods, and benchmarks. Then, the author spent several months in the disaster areas conducting individual inspections to hundreds of structures. To date, the author has amassed tens of thousands of images of hurricane damage to buildings and has written and assembled numerous references with regard to building performance in hurricanes. One thing that is clear is that not all buildings perform the same in a hurricane and that certain types of buildings, or their components, fail at relatively low wind speeds. This is especially true if there are poor attachments at critical connections. Certainly there have been a number of building improvements due to code upgrades in Florida and a few other states, after Hurricane Andrew, which has resulted in better building performance in subsequent hurricanes. In the author’s study of storm surge, it has become obvious there is not a direct relationship between the magnitude of the wind and the height of the storm surge. There are many reasons for this including the size of the hurricane, angle of its attack to the shoreline, coastal topography, bathymetry, etc. -
Florida Hurricanes and Tropical Storms, 1871-1993: an Historical Survey, the Only Books Or Reports Exclu- Sively on Florida Hurricanes Were R.W
3. 2b -.I 3 Contents List of Tables, Figures, and Plates, ix Foreword, xi Preface, xiii Chapter 1. Introduction, 1 Chapter 2. Historical Discussion of Florida Hurricanes, 5 1871-1900, 6 1901-1930, 9 1931-1960, 16 1961-1990, 24 Chapter 3. Four Years and Billions of Dollars Later, 36 1991, 36 1992, 37 1993, 42 1994, 43 Chapter 4. Allison to Roxanne, 47 1995, 47 Chapter 5. Hurricane Season of 1996, 54 Appendix 1. Hurricane Preparedness, 56 Appendix 2. Glossary, 61 References, 63 Tables and Figures, 67 Plates, 129 Index of Named Hurricanes, 143 Subject Index, 144 About the Authors, 147 Tables, Figures, and Plates Tables, 67 1. Saffir/Simpson Scale, 67 2. Hurricane Classification Prior to 1972, 68 3. Number of Hurricanes, Tropical Storms, and Combined Total Storms by 10-Year Increments, 69 4. Florida Hurricanes, 1871-1996, 70 Figures, 84 l A-I. Great Miami Hurricane 2A-B. Great Lake Okeechobee Hurricane 3A-C.Great Labor Day Hurricane 4A-C. Hurricane Donna 5. Hurricane Cleo 6A-B. Hurricane Betsy 7A-C. Hurricane David 8. Hurricane Elena 9A-C. Hurricane Juan IOA-B. Hurricane Kate 1 l A-J. Hurricane Andrew 12A-C. Hurricane Albert0 13. Hurricane Beryl 14A-D. Hurricane Gordon 15A-C. Hurricane Allison 16A-F. Hurricane Erin 17A-B. Hurricane Jerry 18A-G. Hurricane Opal I9A. 1995 Hurricane Season 19B. Five 1995 Storms 20. Hurricane Josephine , Plates, X29 1. 1871-1880 2. 1881-1890 Foreword 3. 1891-1900 4. 1901-1910 5. 1911-1920 6. 1921-1930 7. 1931-1940 These days, nothing can escape the watchful, high-tech eyes of the National 8. -
Coastal Flood and Wind Event Summaries
Coastal Flood and Wind Event Summaries ii Coastal Flood and Wind Event Summaries TABLE OF CONTENTS COASTAL FLOOD AND WIND EVENT SUMMARIES...................................................................... 1 North Atlantic Coast ................................................................................................................................. 1 Mid-Atlantic Coast .................................................................................................................................... 5 South Atlantic Coast ............................................................................................................................... 11 Gulf of Mexico Coast .............................................................................................................................. 19 U.S. Caribbean Territories ...................................................................................................................... 28 Great Lakes Coast ................................................................................................................................... 30 Pacific Coast ........................................................................................................................................... 32 Hawaii and U. S. Pacific Territories ....................................................................................................... 35 References .............................................................................................................................................. -
Characteristics of Hurricane Lili's Intensity Changes Adele Marie Babin Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected]
Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Master's Theses Graduate School 2004 Characteristics of Hurricane Lili's intensity changes Adele Marie Babin Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses Part of the Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons Recommended Citation Babin, Adele Marie, "Characteristics of Hurricane Lili's intensity changes" (2004). LSU Master's Theses. 498. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/498 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Master's Theses by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CHARACTERISTICS OF HURRICANE LILI’S INTENSITY CHANGES A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Master of Natural Sciences in The Interdepartmental Program in Natural Sciences by Adele Marie Babin B.S. Louisiana State University, 1995 December 2004 DEDICATION I dedicate this research first and foremost to my mother Jane Alice Head Babin who passed before its completion, but her encouragement and inspiration motivated me onward. I also wish to dedicate the manuscript to my immediate family members: Father- Alfred Mark Babin Sister- Christa Babin Marshall, and husband Robert Andrew Marshall Brother- Dane Mark Babin, and wife Rachel Gros Babin and Grandmother: Mabel Babin Clement. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I extend my deepest gratitude to Dr. S.A. -
SUMMARY of METHODS Contract No
HURRICANE IVAN SURGE INUNDATION MAPS SUMMARY OF METHODS Contract No. EMW-2000-CO-0247 Task Order Nos. 351 (FL) & 352 (AL) 1. Introduction Hurricane Ivan made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on September 16, 2004, near Gulf Shores, Alabama, with hurricane force winds extending up to 105 miles outward from the center of the storm. Many of the barrier islands exposed to Hurricane Ivan's strongest winds are low lying and could not contain the storm surge associated with the storm. Coastal storm surge flooding crossed the barrier islands, undermining buildings and roads, and opening new island breaches. In addition to the storm surge, breaking waves eroded dunes and battered structures. The purpose of this project is to provide immediate coastal flood hazard information to local, regional, State and Federal agencies via high resolution maps that illustrate coastal flood impacts from Hurricane Ivan, which can be used during recovery, mitigation, and redevelopment. 2. Methodology The storm surge inundation maps were developed for the four coastal counties most severely affected by the storm: Baldwin County, Alabama, and Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa Counties, Florida. In addition to showing effective Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) data, the maps provide the following information: 9 Surveyed coastal high water mark (HWM) flood elevations; 9 Coastal flood inundation limits; 9 Inland limits of waterborne debris; 9 Coastal storm surge elevation contours; and 9 Approximate recurrence interval(s) associated with the observed flood elevations. The methods for generating each of these elements are discussed in greater detail below. 2.1 High Water Mark Collection Under separate task orders, field and survey crews from URS and URS Team subconsultants, Dewberry and PBS&J, were deployed to interview residents, find evidence of coastal high water levels, take digital photographs, and survey coastal HWMs from Hurricane Ivan. -
Real-Case Simulations of Hurricane–Ocean Interaction Using a High
VOLUME 128 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW APRIL 2000 Real-Case Simulations of Hurricane±Ocean Interaction Using A High-Resolution Coupled Model: Effects on Hurricane Intensity MORRIS A. BENDER NOAA/Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey ISAAC GINIS Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, Rhode Island (Manuscript received 13 July 1998, in ®nal form 2 April 1999) ABSTRACT In order to investigate the effect of tropical cyclone±ocean interaction on the intensity of observed hurricanes, the GFDL movable triply nested mesh hurricane model was coupled with a high-resolution version of the 1 Princeton Ocean Model. The ocean model had /68 uniform resolution, which matched the horizontal resolution of the hurricane model in its innermost grid. Experiments were run with and without inclusion of the coupling for two cases of Hurricane Opal (1995) and one case of Hurricane Gilbert (1988) in the Gulf of Mexico and two cases each of Hurricanes Felix (1995) and Fran (1996) in the western Atlantic. The results con®rmed the conclusions suggested by the earlier idealized studies that the cooling of the sea surface induced by the tropical cyclone will have a signi®cant impact on the intensity of observed storms, particularly for slow moving storms where the SST decrease is greater. In each of the seven forecasts, the ocean coupling led to substantial im- provements in the prediction of storm intensity measured by the storm's minimum sea level pressure. Without the effect of coupling the GFDL model incorrectly forecasted 25-hPa deepening of Gilbert as it moved across the Gulf of Mexico. -
The Spatial Distribution of Meteorological Impacts Associated with Inland-Moving Tropical Cyclones
The Spatial Distribution of Meteorological Impacts Associated with Inland-Moving Tropical Cyclones Margaret Mae Kovach A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Geography Chapel Hill 2011 Approved by: Advisor: Charles E. Konrad, II Reader: Brian K. Eder Reader Erika K. Wise © 2011 Margaret Mae Kovach ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT Margaret Mae Kovach: The Spatial Distribution of Meteorological Impacts Associated with Inland-Moving Tropical Cyclones (Under the direction of Charles E. Konrad II) The southeastern United States is routinely hit by tropical cyclones. As tropical cyclones track inland and dissipate, their inland impacts can be substantial. Typically, these impacts occur due to any combination of the tropical cyclones heavy precipitation, high winds, or tornadoes. This study will examine the meteorological impacts of 31 inland- moving tropical cyclones from 1985 to 2008. The spatial distribution of meteorological impacts is plotted relative to the track (e.g. left vs. right quadrant) and location (forward vs. rear quadrant) of the cyclone center. Various tropical cyclone attributes, including size, strength, and speed of movement are related to the occurrence of different impacts and their location relative to the cyclone track. Results indicate a distinct variation in the spatial patterns of tornado, high wind and flash flood impacts, particularly when comparing tropical cyclones of different -
Evaluation of Next Generation Beach and Dune Erosion Model to Predict High Frequency Changes Along the Panhandle Coast of Florida
EVALUATION OF NEXT GENERATION BEACH AND DUNE EROSION MODEL TO PREDICT HIGH FREQUENCY CHANGES ALONG THE PANHANDLE COAST OF FLORIDA By NICOLE SHELBY SHARP A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2008 1 © 2008 Nicole Shelby Sharp 2 To my mother and father 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my supervisory committee chair, Dr. Robert G. Dean, for his continuous support and guidance. His insight and knowledge into the subject is inspiring, and his time that he has spent with me over the past two years has been very insightful. I also thank Dr. Arnoldo Valle Levinson for serving on my supervisory committee. I would also like to thank Jamie MacMahan for introducing to me the topic of coastal engineering. If it were not for his spirit and enthusiasm for the subject, I feel as though I would not be where I am today. Lastly, I cannot forget to thank my parents and my sister for their patience in my schooling process and for always answering the phone in my times of need. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................4 LIST OF TABLES...........................................................................................................................7 LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................................8 ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................................11 -
Characteristics of Tornadoes Associated with Land-Falling Gulf
CHARACTERISTICS OF TORNADOES ASSOCIATED WITH LAND-FALLING GULF COAST TROPICAL CYCLONES by CORY L. RHODES DR. JASON SENKBEIL, COMMITTEE CHAIR DR. DAVID BROMMER DR. P. GRADY DIXON A THESIS Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the Department of Geography in the Graduate School of The University of Alabama TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA 2012 Copyright Cory L. Rhodes 2012 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT Tropical cyclone tornadoes are brief and often unpredictable events that can produce fatalities and create considerable economic loss. Given these uncertainties, it is important to understand the characteristics and factors that contribute to tornado formation within tropical cyclones. This thesis analyzes this hazardous phenomenon, examining the relationships among tropical cyclone intensity, size, and tornado output. Furthermore, the influences of synoptic and dynamic parameters on tornado output near the time of tornado formation were assessed among two phases of a tropical cyclone’s life cycle; those among hurricanes and tropical storms, termed tropical cyclone tornadoes (TCT), and those among tropical depressions and remnant lows, termed tropical low tornadoes (TLT). Results show that tornado output is affected by tropical cyclone intensity, and to a lesser extent size, with those classified as large in size and ‘major’ in intensity producing a greater amount of tornadoes. Increased values of storm relative helicity are dominant for the TCT environment while CAPE remains the driving force for TLT storms. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my advisor and committee chair, Dr. Jason Senkbeil, and fellow committee members Dr. David Brommer and Dr. P. Grady Dixon for their encouragement, guidance and tremendous support throughout the entire thesis process.