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Official names for hurricane season of 2023

Arlene

Bret

Cindy

Don

Emily

Franklin

Gert

Harold

Idalia

Jose

Katia

Lee

Margot

Nigel

Ophelia

Philippe

Rina

Sean

Tammy

Vince

Whitney

Tropical Cyclones

A tropical cyclone is a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms, with a closed low level circulation that develops over tropical or subtropical waters. In the northern hemisphere these storms have a wind pattern that rotates counterclockwise at sea level and a rotation that is clockwise in the higher levels of the atmosphere.

The Atlantic tropical cyclone season runs from June 1st up to November 30th. Tropical cyclones have different names, depending on the location of their formation. In the Atlantic and the Caribbean region they are called Hurricanes, whereas the Western Pacific speaks of Typhoons.

Tropical cyclones are classified according to their maximum sustained winds in 3 categories, namely:
Tropical Depression – sustained winds less than 62 km/h.
Tropical Storm – sustained winds between 63 and 118 km/h.
Hurricanes – sustained winds of more than 119 km/h.

How do tropical cyclones form?

There are several favorable environmental conditions that must be in place before a tropical cyclone can form. They are: 

  • Warm ocean waters (at least 27 °C) throughout a certain depth;
  • An unstable atmosphere;
  • Relatively moist air;
  • Relatively weak winds in the upper levels of the atmosphere, and A pre-existing near-surface
    disturbance, like for example a tropical wave.

HAZARDS

Storm Surge & Breaking Swells — Storm surge is water that is pushed toward the shore by the forces of the winds swirling around the storm. Furthermore, swells breaking near shore in shallow waters can cause hazardous seas.

Winds, Gusts and Squalls — Hurricanes are known for their damaging sustained winds, but can also produce short, rapid bursts in wind speeds. i.e. gusts and also longer periods of increased wind speed (squalls) associated with the spiral bands around the hurricane.

Heavy Rainfall — Tropical cyclones can also cause torrential rains, which can lead to flash flooding. Slow moving tropical storms can cause more damage due to flooding than a more powerful fast moving hurricane.

Updated: Jun 2022