Hurricane Alex (2016)
extratropical ) | |
Overall effects | |
---|---|
Fatalities | 1 indirect |
Damage | Minimal |
Areas affected | |
IBTrACS | |
Part of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season |
Hurricane Alex was the first
The precursor cyclone to Hurricane Alex brought stormy conditions to Bermuda from January 7 to 9. On its approach, the hurricane prompted
Meteorological history
In early January 2016, a
The system underwent substantial changes to its cyclonic structure on January 11–12:
An
As Alex moved north toward the Azores, decreasing sea surface temperatures and increasing wind shear caused the cyclone to weaken through January 14 and 15.[21][22] A deterioration of the convection around the hurricane's eye feature marked the start of its transition back to an extratropical cyclone.[22] Becoming increasingly disorganized due to shear,[23] Alex weakened to a tropical storm before making landfall over Terceira Island at 13:15 UTC with winds of 65 mph (100 km/h).[1] Less than five hours later, the system completed its transition into an extratropical cyclone, featuring a more elongated circulation, an expanding radius of maximum winds, and frontal boundaries.[1] Furthermore, the overall structure became more "comma-shaped" as a consequence of the frontal systems.[24] The system deepened slightly to 978 mbar (hPa; 28.88 inHg) as it turned northwest towards Greenland. On its passage, the cyclone interacted with the mountainous southeastern coast of the island, generating hurricane-force winds over that region. Around 06:00 UTC on January 17, the remnants of Alex were absorbed into a larger extratropical low over the North Atlantic.[1]
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The precursor non-tropical cyclone on January 10. Note the eye-like feature caused by a Warm Seclusion.[25]
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The cyclone becomes increasingly separated from frontal boundaries on January 11
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Convection develops atop the circulation center on January 12, signifying its transition into a subtropical cyclone
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Banding features become increasingly defined on January 13 as Alex begins transitioning into a tropical cyclone
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Alex develops a well-defined eye and core structure – the hallmarks of a hurricane – on January 14
Preparations and impact
Bermuda
The precursor to Alex brought stormy conditions to
Azores
When Alex was classified as a hurricane on January 14, the Azores Meteorological Service issued a
Traversing the archipelago on January 15, Alex brought heavy rain and gusty winds to several islands.
Distinctions
Alex was only the sixth January tropical or subtropical cyclone on record, and only the third hurricane in January, along with an
The January 2016 formation of Hurricane Pali several thousand miles away in the Central Pacific coincided with Alex's. This marked the first recorded occurrence of simultaneous January tropical cyclones between these two basins.[9]
See also
- Other storms of the same name
- List of off-season Atlantic hurricanes
- Timeline of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season
- List of Bermuda hurricanes
- List of Azores hurricanes
- Hurricane Ophelia (2017) – A Category 3 hurricane that attained that intensity farther east than any other storm on record
Notes
- ^ Co-location with upper-level lows provides subtropical cyclones with the energy to fuel convection.[11]
- ^ During winter months, the tropopause lowers in altitude because of the reduced convective activity at higher latitudes. This in turn limits the height of convection that does develop in association with weather systems. During summer months, regular development of thunderstorms pushes this boundary farther up.[12][13]
- ^ Typically, sea surface temperatures of at least 80 °F (26.5 °C) are required to provide sufficient energy to fuel thunderstorm development within tropical cyclones.[18] However, analyses of sea surface temperatures and tropical cyclones indicate little to no correlation between this value and tropical cyclogenesis. Other atmospheric factors, as shown in the case of Alex, are the dominant force in the development of tropical cyclones, especially ones of non-tropical origins in the mid-latitudes.[19][20]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Eric S. Blake (September 13, 2016). Hurricane Alex (PDF) (Report). Tropical Cyclone Report. National Hurricane Center. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
- ^ a b Scott Bachmeier (January 13, 2016). "Hurricane Alex". CIMSS Satellite Studies. Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS). Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- ^ a b Bob Henson (January 7, 2016). "Rare January Depression in Central Pacific; Atlantic Subtropical Storm Next Week?". Weather Underground. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ a b Michael Brennan (January 7, 2016). Special Tropical Weather Outlook (3:25 PM EST – Thu Jan 7, 2016) (.TXT) (Report). Tropical Weather Outlook Atlantic. National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on January 31, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ a b Jonathan Bell (January 8, 2016). "Windy weather affects flights and power". The Royal Gazette. Archived from the original on January 12, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ Jack Beven (January 9, 2016). Special Tropical Weather Outlook (3:00 PM EST – Sat Jan 9, 2016) (.TXT) (Report). Tropical Weather Outlook Atlantic. National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on January 31, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ .
- ^ Michael Brennan (January 10, 2016). Special Tropical Weather Outlook (1:50 PM EST – Sun Jan 10, 2016) (.TXT) (Report). Tropical Weather Outlook Atlantic. National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on January 31, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ a b Jeff Masters (January 13, 2016). "Unprecedented: Simultaneous January Named Storms in the Atlantic and Central Pacific". Weather Underground. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ "[Atlantic Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies for January 10, 2016]". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Marine Modeling and Analysis Branch. January 10, 2016. Archived from the original (.PNG) on August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ^ "[Subtropical Cyclone]". Glossary of NHC Terms. National Hurricane Center. 2019. Archived from the original on September 12, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ B. Geerts and E. Linacre (November 1997). "The height of the tropopause". University of Wyoming. Archived from the original on December 30, 2006. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
- .
- ^ Richard Pasch (January 13, 2016). Subtropical Storm Alex Discussion Number 1 (Report). National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ Jack Beven (January 14, 2016). Subtropical Storm Alex Discussion Number 2 (Report). National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ a b Richard Pasch (January 14, 2016). Hurricane Alex Discussion Number 4 (Report). National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ a b Stacy Stewart (January 14, 2016). Subtropical Storm Alex Discussion Number 3 (Report). National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ Chris Landsea (June 1, 2018). "A15) How do tropical cyclones form?". In Chris Landsea; Neal Dorst (eds.). Frequently Asked Questions. 4.11. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
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- ^ Richard Pasch (January 14, 2016). Hurricane Alex Discussion Number 5 (Report). National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ a b Jack Beven (January 15, 2016). Hurricane Alex Discussion Number 6 (Report). National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^ Richard Pasch (January 15, 2016). Tropical Storm Alex Discussion Number 8 (Report). National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^ Richard Pasch (January 15, 2016). Post-Tropical Cyclone Alex Discussion Number 9 (Report). National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^ "P6.5 Warm seclusion cyclone climatology (2006 - 27Hurricanes_27hurricanes)". ams.confex.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ^ Daily Climatology Written Summary: January 1 2016 to January 31 2016 (Report). Monthly Climate Reports. Bermuda Weather Service. January 2016. Report for January 2016 retrieved through Climate Data Search Interface.
- ^ "Windy Conditions Cause Power Outages". Bernews. January 8, 2016. Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ^ "Ferries suspended". The Royal Gazette. January 8, 2016. Archived from the original on January 11, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ Richard Pasch (January 14, 2016). Hurricane Alex Advisory Number 4 (Advisory). National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ a b Ana Dias Cordeiro (January 15, 2016). "Furacão Alex passou a tempestade tropical depois de ter atravessado os Açores". Público (in Portuguese). Lusa News Agency. Archived from the original on September 25, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^ a b c d Andrei Khalip (January 15, 2016). "Hurricane Alex hits Azores less hard than feared". Reuters. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^ "Hurricane Alex Weakens After Passing Azores". The Tribune. Associated Press. January 15, 2016. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^ "Pico e São Miguel já sentem o furacão "Alex", mas "nada de monta"". Renascença (in Portuguese). January 15, 2016. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- ^ Richard Pasch (January 15, 2016). Tropical Storm Alex Advisory Number 8 (Report). National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^ "Lagoa IAZORESL2". Weather Underground. January 15, 2016. Archived from the original on July 27, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^ "Santa Luzia meteo IANGRADO6". Weather Underground. January 15, 2016. Archived from the original on July 27, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^ "Rare January Hurricane Alex Landfalls in The Azores as a Tropical Storm". The Weather Channel. January 15, 2016. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^ Sarah Lagan (January 16, 2016). "Residents' fears for families as storm hits". The Royal Gazette. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- ^ "Açores: furacão "Alex" causou 43 ocorrências" (in Portuguese). TVI 24. January 15, 2016. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- ^ "Furacão Alex impede socorro da Força Aérea e doente morre". Público (in Portuguese). Lusa News Agency. January 16, 2016. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- ^ Identificação e Avaliação de Impactes, Vulnerabilidades e Opçōes de Adaptação às Alteraçōes Climáticas (PDF) (Report) (in Portuguese). Government of the Azores. October 2017. p. 48. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 27, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
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ignored (help) - ^ Barker, Aaron (May 11, 2023). "First storm of 2023 hurricane season formed in January, NHC says". Fox Weather. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ Bob Henson (January 15, 2016). "Astounding Alex Hits the Azores: January's First Atlantic Landfall in 61 Years". Weather Underground. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- ^ Mike Carlowicz (January 14, 2016). "An Atlantic Hurricane ... in January". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
External links