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Polluters as proud parents: Climate-enhanced weather event achievements

September 12th, 2017 · No Comments

Parents are (often too) proud of their children’s accomplishments (and it can go too far, from the screaming parents on the side-line  to one-upmanship comments at back-to-school night to …).  Considering the significant accomplishments of the past month’s climate catastrophes From Sea to Shining Sea, the public affairs staffs of the 90 global firms responsible for “more than a quarter of sea level rise and about half the warming from 1880 to 2010” should be working overtime to brag about Hurricanes Irma and Harvey and the West Coast heat waves and fires.

As many are reporting ‘relief’ that Irma wasn’t as bad as it could have been (even while recognizing that some 20% of Floridians are without electricity, the devastation in the Caribbean, and untold damages throughout Florida), let’s consider Hurricane Irma’s Accomplishments (see after fold for fuller list) that include:

  • 185 mph lifetime max winds – tied with Florida Keys (1935), Gilbert (1988) and Wilma (2005) for second strongest max winds of all time in Atlantic hurricane.
    • Allen had max winds of 190 mph in 1980 – 185 mph lifetime max winds –
  • the strongest storm to exist in the Atlantic Ocean outside of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico on record –
  • 185 mph max winds for 37 hours – the longest any cyclone around the globe has maintained that intensity on record.
    • The previous record was Haiyan in the NW Pacific at 24 hours
  • 914 mb lifetime minimum central pressure – lowest pressure by an Atlantic hurricane outside of the western Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico on record –
  • 3.25 day lifetime as a Category 5 hurricane – tied with Cuba (1932) for longest lifetime as Category 5
  • 3 consecutive days as a Category 5 hurricane – the longest in the satellite era (since 1966)
  • – 8.50 major hurricane days – the 2nd most in satellite era (since 1966)
  • Generated the most Accumulated Cyclone Energy by a tropical cyclone on record in the tropical Atlantic (7.5-20°N, 60-20°W)
  • Generated more Accumulated Cyclone Energy than the first eight named storms of the Atlantic hurricane season (Arlene-Harvey) combined
  • Generated enough Accumulated Cyclone Energy to satisfy NOAA ACE definition for an average Atlantic hurricane season
  • Generated more Accumulated Cyclone Energy than 18 entire Atlantic hurricane seasons in the satellite era (since 1966)

 

 

When it comes to Hurricane Harvey, over 50 inches rain — nuff said?

California heat wave with over 105F temperatures in San Francisco …

 

Oregon, Washington State, Montana, Canadian, …. Forest Fires burning with smoke clouds crossing the nation …

Exxon, Total, Mobil, Chevron, BP, … should be proud parents …

Parents of climate change?

their climate catastrophe offspring are truly accomplished.

 

 

Hurricane Irma: An Accomplished storm:

Hurricane Irma

Meteorological Records/Notable Facts

Recap Intensity/Day Measures

  • 185 mph lifetime max winds – tied with Florida Keys (1935), Gilbert (1988) and Wilma (2005) for second strongest max winds of all time in Atlantic hurricane.
    • Allen had max winds of 190 mph in 1980 – 185 mph lifetime max winds –
  • the strongest storm to exist in the Atlantic Ocean outside of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico on record –
  • 185 mph max winds for 37 hours – the longest any cyclone around the globe has maintained that intensity on record.
    • The previous record was Haiyan in the NW Pacific at 24 hours
  • 914 mb lifetime minimum central pressure – lowest since Dean (2007) and 10th lowest in satellite era (since 1966) –
  • 914 mb lifetime minimum central pressure – lowest pressure by an Atlantic hurricane outside of the western Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico on record –
  • First Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic since Matthew (2016) and first Category 5 hurricane in the tropical Atlantic (7.5-20°N, 60-20°W) since Hugo (1989)
  • 3.25 day lifetime as a Category 5 hurricane – tied with Cuba (1932) for longest lifetime as Category 5
  • 3 consecutive days as a Category 5 hurricane – the longest in the satellite era (since 1966)
  • 12.75 named storm days
    • – the most since Nicole (2016) and tied for 23rd most in satellite era
  • – 11.25 hurricane days
    • – the most since Ivan (2004) and tied for 9th most in satellite era (since 1966)
    • – satellite-era record is Ginger (1971) with a whopping 19.5 hurricane days
  • – 8.50 major hurricane days
    • – the 2 nd most in satellite era (since 1966)
    • – trailing Ivan (2004).
  • – 3.75 major hurricane days in the tropical Atlantic (7.5-20°N, 60-20°W)
    • – trailing only Luis (1995) for major hurricane days in the tropical Atlantic ACE Measures
  • – Generated the most Accumulated Cyclone Energy by a tropical cyclone on record in the tropical Atlantic (7.5-20°N, 60-20°W)
  • – Generated more Accumulated Cyclone Energy than the first eight named storms of the Atlantic hurricane season (Arlene-Harvey) combined
  • – Generated the most Accumulated Cyclone Energy in a 24-hour period on record, breaking old record set by Allen (1980)
  • – 67.5 Accumulated Cyclone Energy
    • – the 2nd most by an Atlantic hurricane in satellite era (since 1966) – trailing only Ivan (70.4)
  • – Generated enough Accumulated Cyclone Energy to satisfy NOAA ACE definition for an average Atlantic hurricane season
  • – Generated more Accumulated Cyclone Energy than 18 entire Atlantic hurricane seasons in the satellite era (since 1966)
  • Landfall Records
    • – Leeward Islands: Strongest storm on record to impact the Leeward Islands defined as 15-19°N, 65-60°W for this calculation, with max winds of 185 mph. Okeechobee Hurricane (1928) and David (1979) were previous strongest at 160 mph
    • – Turks and Caicos: Closest approach of a Category 5 hurricane on record
    • – The Bahamas: First Category 5 hurricane to make landfall since Andrew (1992)
    • – Cuba: 160 mph, 924 mb
      • – Category 5 – First Category 5 hurricane to make landfall since the Cuba Hurricane of 1924
    • – Continental United States:
      • 1 st Landfall (Cudjoe Key, FL): 130 mph, 929 mb
      • – Category 4 – First Category 4 hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Charley (2004) and major hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Wilma (2005)
      • – 929 mb pressure is tied for 7th lowest on record for U.S. landfall with Lake Okeechobee Hurricane of 1928 2 nd Landfall (Marco Island, FL): 115 mph, 940 mb
      • – Category 3 – Exact same latitude/longitude as well as same Saffir/Simpson Category at landfall as Wilma (2005): 25.9°N, 81.7°W

Tags: catastrophic climate change · climate change