The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
-Psalm 19:1

Do you know that God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash?
-Job 37:15



Friday, July 18, 2008

Tropical Update by Dewdrop

**FOR MY SKY WATCH FRIDAY POST, PLEASE SEE BELOW**
Artwork by Klaus and Jane... borrowed image...


I just had to share an update about the tropics, since the activity out there is super-crazy, and I like to use my blog as a record as well as for information share. So, I start with Bertha and go through all the invest areas...
BERTHA NEWS
...TENACIOUS BERTHA REFUSES TO WEAKEN...
...BERTHA STRENGTHENS AND ACCELERATES NORTHEASTWARD...
Well, this little lady is certainly tenacious, unrelenting and persistent. She appeared as a strong wave off the coast of AFRICA!!! at the beginning of July!!! and hasn't quit since. Here we are 15 days after Tropical Storm Bertha was named such, and she has just strengthened... again (recall that she became a MAJOR HURRICANE at one point along the journey across the Atlantic). She is not considered a threat to land at this point, but she is impressive and still going. Yesterday, I joked that she could pull out a loop dee loop and shoot back around to hit NC... that is NOT the forecast. No worries from Bertha folks...

INVEST 94L NEWS
THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA ABOUT 400 MILES SOUTHEAST OF JAMAICA CONTINUES TO BECOME BETTER-ORGANIZED. AN AIR FORCE RESERVE UNITRECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT IS SCHEDULED TO INVESTIGATE THIS SYSTEM THIS AFTERNOON TO DETERMINE IF A TROPICAL DEPRESSION OR TROPICAL STORM HAS FORMED.
Invest 94L has been a wishy washy system, sometimes looking exceptionally ripe for the making, other times, looking like a disorganized mess. Well, she is looking quite ripe once again. Recon flights attempted to find a closed low earlier in the week, but they are seeing some really favorable signs of development and are giving this area a high probability shot at developing into a tropical cyclone in the very near future.

INVEST 95L NEWS
Well, 95L is centered over land which doesn't give it much of a shot at development. Had it been centered over the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea, we might have an entirely different story, but as it stands this area of tropical moisture is pummeling Honduras, Nicaragua, Belize and Guatemala with some torrential rain, which will most likely result in flash flooding and mudslides, possibly deadly. 95L is not expected to become a named storm.

INVEST 96L NEWS
THERE HAVE BEEN SOME VERY INTERESTING DEVELOPMENTS SINCE 08Z IN REGARDS TO THE TROPICAL LOW PRES OFF THE GEORGIA COAST. IT APPEARS A NEW SURFACE LOW MAY BE FORMING OFF THE SE GEORGIA COAST WHICH IS BECOMING BETTER ORGANIZED. ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ARE CONDUCIVE FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT... THIS NEW LOW MAY BECOME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION TODAY OR EVENTUALLY A FULL FLEDGED TROPICAL SYSTEM BY THIS WEEKEND GIVEN IT/S POTENTIAL NEW FOUND LOCATION.
This is a very interesting system to me, and its location and proximity to me makes it of particular interest. 96L started as a low off the west coast of Florida (just outside of Tampa), showing a nice spin and some significant moisture... well, after dumping buckets of rain on the peninsula, the resultant low in the Atlantic was not nearly as impressive, and the National Hurricane Center dropped the probabilities of it organizing into a tropical something or other. Well, all that has changed... Yesterday, 96L's convective "bands" were actually visible in my neck of the woods, creating some interesting scenery as the convective bands of stratus invaded by beautifully convected and unstable atmosphere... robbing me of my thunderstorms... I guess it's a cool trade-off. It was really cool to see the edge of 96L on visible satellite moving over my area and to see what that translated to from the ground. I am such a geek.

Don't blink...
500 PM AST FRI JUL 18 2008

...BERTHA BECOMES A HURRICANE AGAIN...
Happy Friday!
~Dewdrop

7 comments:

  1. Ms. Dew! Of course you may use my Water Spout shot. I love it. Thank you for giving me way more information about it. Now I can talk to others about it and sound intelligent! HA.

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  2. As always, lovely skies with incredible information! You are amazing!

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  3. Hi Dew this makes great reading... as I write this I have spots before my eyes from cloud watching.. ha! we have had rain rain and more rain.. I've just watched two cloud formations and one was turning pink and purple... I thought it was my eyes at first but then the rains came again and the sun started to shine... very weird weather for our July. No rainbow and no thunder yet..

    All the best
    Tom

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  4. Why should I turn on the weather channel, I get more weather updates right here on your blog. Thank you. Always enjoy reading your post.

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  5. Clouds from above and underneath. I think I prefer the usual vision, on the satellite image it looks like a catastrophe! Furthermore if Bertha becomes an hurricane again.
    Very profesional Sky Watch.

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  6. The sky never looks like those radar pictures to me. Sort of like when people show you an ultrasound of their baby and they say, "See his little face right there?" and I say, "Of course, how adorable." When my honest answer would be, "All I see is black and white blurry stuff--sorry, I'm sure he IS adorable anyhow."

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  7. Gary, THANKS! I have posted the shots with hopefully appropriate acknowledgements. I am glad to share what I know. lol

    Kay, wow! Thank you so much.

    Tom, Thank you! So glad you have an interesting sky to watch, weatherwise... the sky is always interesting... but it's nice when things really get going. Hope you get a rainbow.

    Andrea, Dewdrop Weather??? Better than TWC?! I really hope I start to make as much revenue.

    Catherine, Thanks and Bertha did, but she is definitely no threat.

    Annie, lol... You crack me up!

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Dew comment, please...