The storm season in the Pacific seems to have woken up. Suddenly storms seem to be sprouting up one after another including the Atlantic Sea. But having two storms arriving nearly on top of one another, and travelling along roughly the same track, is fairly unprecedented.
Just days after Hurricane Odile left trail of damage in Baja California, Mexico, Hurricane Polo followed closely. Polo strengthened from a tropical storm to a hurricane Wednesday evening after moving into favorable atmospheric conditions.
Both tropical storms became hurricanes off Mexico’s Pacific coast and as they raced towards the state, the intensity of the storm toned down.
On the other side, Hurricane Edouard is beginning to weaken as it moves quickly northeast in the North Atlantic, over 1000 miles east of Bermuda. However, swells originating from Edouard have created dangerous surf along the East Coast of the U.S. After reaching its peak two days back, Edouard began its weakening trend as the hurricane moved into an area of unfavorable conditions.
Reasons for Formation
One possible reason for the quick formation of these storms is the temperature of the water in the Pacific Ocean right now. There is also El Niño in the works right now, with warmer sea surface temperatures, but a somewhat sluggish response from the atmosphere.
Tropical cyclone basins have a seasonal pattern and the activity peaks in late summer when the difference between the temperature aloft and sea surface is large. High levels of heat potential and sea surface temperature exceeding 26 degree centigrade are the essential requirements towards the formation of cyclones.
Hurricane season endures from June 1 to Nov 30 and peaks from late August through September.
There are six main requirements for Hurricane formation:-
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Effects of Hurricanes
The elevated surf and the threat of dangerous rip currents are the common hits that aftermath of these hurricanes leave behind. This means more heavy rainfall, driving winds and possible flash floods.
