Click image to enlarge :: Latest Tropical Weather Outlook courtesy of NHC 

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Hanna Loses Her Tropical Characteristics; Ike Remains a Category 4 Hurricane

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 7 September, 2008 : - - As of 9:00 a.m. GMT Sunday, Hanna has lost all tropical characteristics and there will not be any more advisories on the storm. Hanna was located near 42.6 north, 70.0 west, which places the center just northeast of Boston, Mass. Tropical storm-force winds are mainly confined to the east and south of the center. Hanna continues to pick up speed to the northeast at 36 mph.

Given such a rapid forward motion, winds associated with Hanna are not expected to decrease too rapidly and tropical-storm conditions are forecast for Nova Scotia during the day. All tropical storm warnings have been discontinued. Heavy rain will fall early this morning over far eastern Maine and rainfall totals will approach 2-3 inches in this area. Winds will be decreasing throughout the day, and swells associated with Hanna decline.

Hanna made landfall Saturday morning at 07:20  GMT near the North Carolina/South Carolina border as a strong tropical storm. There is little difference in the effects from a strong tropical storm and a low-end Category 1 hurricane. Swells from Hanna will cause rough surf and rip currents along the mid-Atlantic and Northeast coast into Sunday.

North Atlantic infrared satellite - Click image to enlarge

Hanna made landfall Saturday morning at 07:20  GMT near the North Carolina/South Carolina border as a strong tropical storm. There is little difference in the effects from a strong tropical storm and a low-end Category 1 hurricane. Swells from Hanna will cause rough surf and rip currents along the mid-Atlantic and Northeast coast into Sunday.

Tropical Cyclone Marine Graphic courtesy of NHC 

Click image to enlarge :: Latest Tropical Weather Outlook courtesy of NHC

 
Hurricane Ike 

At 12h00 GMT Sunday, Hurricane Ike was near 21.0 north and 72.8 west, very near the Turks and Caicos and just east of Great Inagua Island in the southeastern Bahamas. Maximum-sustained winds remain near 135 mph with higher gusts, making Ike a powerful Category 4 hurricane. The central pressure as reported by Hurricane Hunter aircraft is 949 mb, or 28.02 inches. The hurricane is moving west at 14 mph. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles and tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 145 miles.

At 12h00 GMT the government of the Cayman Islands has issued a tropical storm watch for the Cayman Islands. Cuba has extended the hurricane warnings to the provinces of Camaguey and Ciego de Avila. Hurricane watches have been extended to the provinces of Villa Clara and Cienfuegos. A hurricane watch remains in effect for Andros Islands in the Bahamas.

A hurricane warning remains in effect for the Turks and Caicos islands and both the central and southeastern Bahamas, as well as portions of eastern Cuba. This includes the provinces of Guantanamo, Holguin, Las Tunas, Santiago De Cuba, Granma and Camaguey. A hurricane watch is in effect for the provinces of Camaguey, Ciego De Avila and Sancti Spiritus in eastern Cuba. A tropical storm warning remains in effect for the northern coast of the Dominican Republic and Haiti from Cabo Frances Viejo, Dominican Republic, westward to Gonaives, Haiti.

Ike strengthened to Category 4 hurricane status on Saturday afternoon as it moved west-southwest. This current strength is expected to remain as such as Ike nears the southeastern Bahamas today and over eastern Cuba tonight. The initial thought was that Ike would move over water stirred up from Hanna, but now it appears that it will move south of those waters. A westward track is forecast over the next 24 hours with a gradual turn to the west. The track of Ike has become a little more clear, at least, with a general consensus taking Ike through the Bahamas and into the Gulf of Mexico.

There is still some chance that Ike could impact the Florida Peninsula on Monday night, but as of now, Ike looks to pass close to or over the Florida Keys. Given this track, Ike will also pass very close to the north coast of Cuba. Because of this, all interests in the Bahamas, Florida and the eastern Gulf Coast states should keep up with the latest information on Ike. Ike could weaken slightly as it passes over both the Bahamas and Cuba on Sunday, but intensification over the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico early next week could lead to a re-intensification.

Satellite Imagery

• Storm-Centered Infrared(GOES 12; NOAA/SSD)
• Storm-Centered Infrared (Aviation Color Enhancement)(GOES 12; NOAA/SSD)
• Storm-Centered Water Vapor(GOES 12; NOAA/SSD)
• Storm-Centered Visible(GOES 12; NOAA/SSD)
• Storm-Centered Water Visible (Colorized)(GOES 12; NOAA/SSD)

• Central Atlantic Infrared(GOES 12; NOAA/SSD)
• Central Atlantic Infrared (Aviation Color Enhancement)(GOES 12; NOAA/SSD)
• Central Atlantic Water Vapor(GOES 12; NOAA/SSD)
• Central Atlantic Visible(GOES 12; NOAA/SSD)
• Central Atlantic Visible (Colorized)(GOES 12; NOAA/SSD)

Satellite Animations

• Storm-Centered Infrared(GOES 12; NOAA/SSD)
• Storm-Centered Infrared (Aviation Color Enhancement)(GOES 12; NOAA/SSD)
• Storm-Centered Water Vapor(GOES 12; NOAA/SSD)
• Storm-Centered Visible(GOES 12; NOAA/SSD)
• Storm-Centered Visible (Colorized)(GOES 12; NOAA/SSD)
• Central Atlantic Infrared(GOES 12; NOAA/SSD)
• Central Atlantic Infrared (Aviation Color Enhancement)(GOES 12; NOAA/SSD)
• Central Atlantic Water Vapor(GOES 12; NOAA/SSD)
• Central Atlantic Visible(GOES 12; NOAA/SSD)
• Central Atlantic Visible (Colorized)(GOES 12; NOAA/SSD)

Current Atlantic Surface Weather Analysis (tropical waves) : Click image to enlarge

Current global sea temperatures and tropical cyclone activity 

Click image to enlarge :: Latest Tropical Weather Outlook courtesy of NHC

Eastern Pacific : Tropical Storm Lowell Forms

Some vigorous showers and thunderstorms associated with an area of low pressure just off the coast of Mexico, near 15.7 north and 106.4 west, has developed into Tropical Storm Lowell this evening as of 8:00 p.m., PDT. Lowell is located approximately 265 miles south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico with maximum sustained winds near 40 mph with higher gusts. Tropical storm-force winds extend up to 60 miles from the center, and the central pressure is estimated around 1000 mb, or 29.53 inches. 

The storm is moving to the west-northwest at around 11 mph and is expected to continue on this track over the next several days. Lowell could strengthen into a hurricane by early next week as it moves away from the coast of Mexico. The storm could bring up to 2 to 4 inches of rain to the mountainous terrain of southwestern Mexico through Sunday.