Hurricane Alex - Unprecedented?

[brokensymmetry]

At 11:00 PM on August 4th, Alex had reached Category 3, with sustained winds of 120 mph. It's located near 38.9 N and 64.8 west.

Isn't this awfully far north for a hurricane? And, it seems to me that it started getting stronger as it was approaching North Carolina - which, if my memory serves is usually where hurricanes start getting weaker.

Can my fellow DUers provide some insights? The media seem to be ignoring what may be a further consequence of global warming...

[russian33]

1. I appreciate the cool nickname, but my name is just Alex...

..or Alex the Great...

:P B-) :evilgrin:

[brokensymmetry]

6. And in the Russian tradition -

I'll add syllables to your name...i.e., Alexander the Great, Protector of Hurricanes, and DUer Extraordinaire! :)

[Media_Lies_Daily]

2. Here's a good site for hurricane history...

<http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastall.shtml>

[ramapo]

3. Not unprecedented

Not even all that unusual. Check back through hurricane history. New England has been hit with a few major hurricanes (1938 especially).

[Sporadicus]

4. Hurricanes are No Strangers to Southern New England

Actually, this year hurricanes have gotten off to a slow start; only two seasons on record have a first tropical depression forming later than July 31. This has no relation to overall hurricane activity, however.

[LynneSin]

5. Don't even question that to someone who remembers Hurricane Agnes

Although I was still just a kid:

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/marfc/Flood/agnes.html
The state-by-state breakdown is as follows:

STATE DAMAGE DEATHS
-------------------------------------------------------
Pennsylvania $2,119,269,000 48
New York 702,502,000 24
Virginia 125,987,000 13
Maryland 110,186,000 19
New Jersey 15,000,000 1
Florida 8,243,000 9
West Virginia 7,753,000 0
Ohio 6,818,000 0
North Carolina 6,558,380 2
Georgia 205,000 0
South Carolina 50,000 0
Delaware Light 1
-------------------------------------------------------
Total $3,102,571,380 117




Bascially Agnes cut through the souther states and went back out to sea around North Carolina. But then it took a wicked turn and went back onland and basically sat still over Pennsylvania and New York City. That's unprecidented that a hurricane could cause over $2billion dollars in a state that doesn't have any coastline on the Atlantic Ocean.

Recently other hurricanes that have made it up North here include last years Isabel, Floyd (that was massive) and I'm sure there are others I could think of.

It happens!

[brokensymmetry]

7. Thanks, all.

I appreciate your input, and thank you for all the information.

[NNadir]

8. According to the Weather Channel, this hurricane is unprecedented.

"Hurricane Alex still looks fairly impressive over the open waters of the Atlantic. In fact, with continued sustained winds of 120 mph, Alex remains a category-3 storm which makes it the first major hurricane (category-3 or higher) of the season. The good news is that Alex is only a threat to shipping interests at this time. In addition, Alex is one for the record books because it is now the strongest hurricane ever seen north of 38-degrees north latitude. Though the decline is now beginning, Alex will remain a hurricane into Friday as it races off to the east-northeast. The hurricane will gradually wind down as it moves over cooler water and encounters more mid-latitude shear.

Elsewhere, the tropics are quiet."

http://www.weather.com/newscenter/tropical/?from=0803wc

Strongest hurricane ever seen north of 38 degrees latitude.

[Scottie72]

9. Much of the energy comes from

the warm waters of the gulf stream! So I am not all that surprised at the increased in strength.

[MrSandman]

10. A quick look...

When the water cools or the storm hits land it decreases. Many hurricanes reach a peak just prior to landfall. Others setttle down while at sea.