As if he had read literally the climatological studies on the cyclone seasons, the present one woke up and in what way, although fortunately only Idalia dared to pay us a visit.
This is confirmed not only by the arrival of the number of 15 cyclones with the formation of the current Hurricane Nigel (including the unnamed subtropical organism of the month of January), but also by the “push” received since the end of August the number of hurricanes increased from one to six.
Dr. Philip Kolzbach (@philklotzbach on Twitter / Although it is a fact that also happened in the 1955, 2004 and 2012 seasons.
The University of Colorado scientist also noted that the formation of Tropical Storm Nigel two days earlier had already set a record, as it was the tenth storm to occur between August 20 and September 16 have formed.
The most impressive tropical organism of this time and so far of the entire season was Hurricane Lee, which, in addition to its long lifespan of more than 10 days, was the only hurricane in 2023 to reach the highest category with 270 kilometers per hour maximum sustained winds.
Hurricanes leave their mark
Sea surface temperature. Source: cyclonicwx.com
This time of year is perhaps one of the most discussed when it comes to extremely high ocean temperatures, as they could (and have shown) play a role in cyclone activity.
However, the current behavior shows us some interesting features that we can see in the following image. Although the tropical zone remains very hot, there are some areas where values are displayed in shades of yellow and green, indicating lower temperatures.
If we analyze the anomaly and remember that it is the difference between today and what is “normal” for this time of year, it is more vivid because we see that cold regions such as those in northwest Africa (on (top right of image) are “hotter” than they should be. In this image, two areas are highlighted in blue, indicating that their temperature is lower than normal. What happened there? The “blame” lies with the tropical cyclones that moved across these areas.
Sea surface temperature anomaly. Source: cyclonicwx.com
When a tropical cyclone moves, especially of great intensity, it produces a cooling of the waters in its path, due to the heat it absorbs from them, due to the action of the rain, but above all due to its winds and the influence thereof. in the state of the sea. These cause deeper and colder water to rise to the surface as the water is displaced at the surface due to strong tides.
This cooling is stronger when, moreover, the movement is slow, as it prolongs this process in the same place, or when several organisms move through the same area in a short time. This “cold footprint,” which can persist depending on its extent, represents a less favorable area for other subsequent organisms to achieve greater development.
However, compare the trajectories of three of them: Franklin, Lee and Margot, with the previous images. The cold track further west (left) is in the area where the first two moved as intense hurricanes, and the second in the area where Margot remained in slow and irregular motion with lower intensity.
Path of Hurricane Franklin. Source: Wikipedia
Path of Hurricane Lee. Source: Wikipedia
Path of Hurricane Margot. Source: Wikipedia