Coastal Flooding

Coastal Flooding

Among the hazards for those living or working in immediate or near coastal areas is that of coastal flooding. Coastal flooding occurs when ocean water moves into coastal areas, and is fundamentally different from flooding due to heavy precipitation, sometimes termed fresh water flooding. Fresh water flooding can occur in any area, but is more likely in low lying areas and near rivers or streams, not necessarily near the coast.  There are two major factors to consider when assessing the risk of coastal flooding. The first is the state of the tide, and the second is the presence of strong…
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Ken McKinley to lead half-day weather seminar

Ken McKinley to lead half-day weather seminar

ON contributing editor Ken McKinley, who not only writes about weather topics for Ocean Navigator, but is a professional weather router who owns Locus Weather service in Camden, Maine, will co-present a marine weather seminar on March 17 at Bentley University in Waltham, Mass. The seminar is part of the Northeast Ocean Race Symposium, sponsored by the Marion Bermuda, Marblehead-Halifax and Bermuda 1-2 Races. This promises to be valuable session for ocean voyagers, who will get a solid grounding in weather at sea from McKinley, and fellow presenters Frank Bohlen and Joe Sienkiewicz. Essentials of Marine Weather, Ocean Currents and Sea…
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Rapid intensification of hurricanes

Rapid intensification of hurricanes

by Ken McKinley In the previous newsletter I discussed the impact of upper level wind shear on hurricanes and how its presence or absence impacts changes in intensity of these systems. Thanks to significant improvements in the ability to observe these systems as well as the environments around them, mostly due to more sophisticated weather satellites and better mathematical modeling, there have been dramatic improvements in forecast accuracy over the past couple of decades. However, there is one aspect of tropical cyclone forecasting which has lagged behind in terms of improvement, and this is the phenomena of rapid intensification (RI).…
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Vertical wind shear and hurricanes

by Ken McKinley   There is much more information disseminated about hurricanes today than there was a generation ago, which is a good thing. Back then, forecasts were not as accurate as they are today, and were generally sent only as text products. With widespread internet connectivity still in the future a generation ago, most members of the public and voyaging mariners got their information about hurricanes and their threats from radio or television reports. Some television meteorologists would generate graphics to show their audience, but they were not as sophisticated as they are today. These days the amount of…
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Maui wildfires and Hurricane Dora

by Ken McKinley During the second week of August 2023 catastrophic wildfires have occurred in the Hawaiian Islands. The fires have been most severe over western portions of the island of Maui, and the town of Lahaina has suffered near total destruction in some areas. Many news reports have cited Hurricane Dora as the primary cause of the development and rapid spread of the Hawaiian wildfires, but this is not the case. Lahaina has been a significant yachting center for cruisers and racers in recent years and has a rich maritime history. Unfortunately there has been significant loss of life…
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2023 Atlantic hurricane season and storm reanalysis

by Ken McKinley The official start of the Atlantic hurricane season is June 1st each year, but this does not mean that tropical or subtropical cyclones cannot occur before this date. Historically the peak of the season occurs later in the summer and into the early autumn, and it is not unusual to see long periods of no activity early in the season, though in recent years the first tropical system has shown up in either May or June. 2023 has been no exception as the first tropical cyclone of the season (Arlene) formed in early June. This system began…
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Freddy’s Long, Strange Trip

Tropical Cyclone Freddy set records as it traversed the Indian Ocean and impacted Madagascar and portions of southeastern Africa in February and March of 2023. To start looking at this system, I suggest viewing the following video produced by the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS): https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/tropical-cyclone-freddy-breaks-records-lashing-madagascar In fact, it is worth viewing the video before continuing to read this newsletter. The video lasts just under two minutes, and there is accompanying text on the web page which is also worth reading. The video shows the extraordinary track of Freddy as it made its way across the southern…
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2023 Hurricane Names

2023 Hurricane Names

One of the ways that we know a storm is a serious weather event is whether it attains the status of a “named storm.” Hurricanes, being the most energetic of storms in the North Atlantic and the eastern North Pacific, are given names to ease in identification and to speed communications. The National Weather Service actually maintains names for six years into the future. Here are the names on the list for 2023:   Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Don, Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harold, Idalia, Jose, Katia, Lee, Margot, Nigel, Ophelia, Philippe, Rina, Sean, Tammy, Vince, Whitney. How are the names decided…
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Weather scales

Weather scales

Ocean voyagers have to be aware of many factors when it comes to ocean weather. Among these factors are the various scales at which the atmosphere operates. To the experienced observer, the observation of wave-like characteristics in the atmosphere is second nature. The observer sees the wave-like patterns in the clouds or the pulsating nature of snowfall as simple manifestations of these characteristics. The atmosphere exhibits wave-like properties because its essential nature is that of a fluid. And, as with any fluid, waves are produced in the atmosphere when it is disturbed. These waves come in all sizes. Indeed it…
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Weather window for crossing the Drake Passage

In the northern hemisphere as we move toward the winter solstice, our counterparts in the southern hemisphere are approaching their summer solstice with the longest day of the year on the way. At the highest latitudes of the southern hemisphere, this is the time of year when ocean voyages are possible. In particular, it is possible to get to Antarctica, and there has been an increase in both commercial and recreational passages in this part of the world in recent years. Even at this time of the year, though, passages in these areas come with significant risks. In fact, a…
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