Hurricane Danielle - Could it make landfall and what makes it different from others?
The Atlantic hurricane season has been abnormally quiet. Danielle, the first reported hurricane is itself out of the ordinary the latest to form since 2013.
Not since 1997 has there been an August without a hurricane forming in the Atlantic basin. However, those that live in areas prone to be hit by these colossal storms shouldn’t let their guard down with three months to go, experts are still predicting an above-normal season.
The abnormality of the 2022 hurricane season produced its latest first hurricane since 2013 and the storm it quite unusual itself. Danielle, just a day after it was declared a Tropical Storm became one of the most northeasternmost hurricanes to form since modern records have been kept.
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Usually hot Atlantic waters triggered Danielle
One of the main oddities of Danielle is where it formed, close to 40 degrees latitude. Hurricanes don’t usually form so far north but record sea temperatures in the area helped fuel its creation. Hurricane specialist Michael Lowry pointed out that sea surface temperatures in the vicinity smashed records kept since 1981, topping 80 degrees “rivaling the warmth of the deep tropics in summer.”
Although Danielle was predicted to strengthen developing wind speeds of over 100 mph, which would make it a Category 2 hurricane, just hours after becoming the first hurricane of the season it was downgraded to a Tropical Storm again. The National Hurricane Center is still predicting that the storm will power up once more in the coming days.
Fortunately, Danielle isn’t predicted to make landfall but will still make conditions rough for those at sea in its vicinity. Located roughly 900 miles west of the Azores, it is moving slowly westward but is predicted to shift and meander to the northeast.
Hurricane season expected to get rolling in September
When the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) gave its annual mid-season update for the Atlantic hurricane season in August, it found that the atmospheric and oceanic conditions were still favorable for above-average storm creation for 2022. Until the end of November, the agency is predicting between six and ten hurricanes, with three to five of them major, Category 3 or higher.
“We’re just getting into the peak months of August through October for hurricane development,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, PhD. “We anticipate that more storms are on the way.”
Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo urged people to remain vigilant with the peak of hurricane season approaching on 10 September.
Earl was declared a Tropical Storm on Friday night. Moving northwest it is expected to pass north of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico over the weekend. Models have the storm’s path bending taking it out to sea before it reaches the Bahamas, however other models show Earl continuing its northwesterly march through the Bahamas and into the Southeast Coast of the US.