NorthHillsWx

Everything has trended towards a stronger, more tropical system since this time yesterday. Euro has jumped into GFS camp

We have had at least 1 active storm every day since 8/20. So for a month straight, today, the Atlantic has had an active storm. That’s incredible

Im sure others saw but 12z GFS brought a borderline hurricane into cape lookout

I said in 8-10 days it will begin to become more hostile. It still looks that way but in 6-8 days now. That doesn’t apply to the current wave which may develop before modeled shear increases, which looks substantial in MDR

Very pretty satellite. Obviously not a high end storm but great symmetry, outflow, and large eye

FINALLY the MDR is showing signs or relaxing. Increasing shear values start in the next 8-10 days and models are mixed on development until then. It’s been a wild ride for an El Niño year and one of the most active MDR seasons in awhile (recency bias). Thankfully the El Niño steering was in place allowing all of the storms to recurve. I think our attention rightfully turns to the NW Caribbean/homegrown scenarios for the rest of the season.

I think “large area of gales” and term you used “disastrous” was the reason for being weenied. Large gales/mid range tropical storms are impactful, and can be damaging, but disastrous is, ehhh, overkill?

Ahhhh, the old truck tire

Lee, Franklin, Idalia, and climo have laid down a protective barrier for the east coast for anything coming from the east the rest of this season.

It’s kind of an unconventional way (looks like it sucked in dry air vs unusual formation through subsidence) but Nigel definitely appears to be showing an eye this morning. Given the eye size and dry air in northern part of the circulation, RI should be limited. I think cat 3 is the ceiling here

Getting “the look” this evening

Can’t wait to see all the videos of 45 mph wind, rough ocean and sea spray tomorrow

Exactly. Models nailed this. 80+ kts and no rain. That’s definitely the non tropical sting jet

Recon matches what we all saw on satellite: Lee is losing tropical characteristics quickly. More or less the temp profile of a front and the highest winds are well away from the center. That NW band actually has the first hurricane-force SFMR values seen in the last couple flights

Going to be our 4th major and likely another cat 4 if guidance is to be trusted. What a season

Recon is… unimpressive

Did no expect the core to completely disappear this soon.

With yet another long track storm possible next week, it’s worth noting that Atlantic ACE has exceeded 100 units this morning and with two active storms plus the future Nigel on the way, that value will continue to increase through next week. We are now running well ahead and likely to exceed normal seasonal values if early forecasts for Nigel verify. Pretty impressive for an El Niño year

Not sure any international agency would’ve prevented what happened in Libya, sadly.

Other than FL winds, nothing else points to this being a cat 2 anymore. Max SFMR values of 70-75 kts two flights in a row

Regardless where/if this comes ashore, I think the calling card will be rain and inland flooding. There’s really no baroclinic forcing or jet streak to enhance winds during the ET transition like some of the storms that hit up north and models are showing a rapid and normal decay of winds once this transitions over the wall of the Gulf Stream. Add into that, wind shear really peaks at 20-30kts by the time this is going by Bermuda and you have a rapidly weakening system before it hits the cold water north of the GS. Also, for a high latitude storm, this will be comparatively crawling in terms of forward speed (which will further decrease the wind threat). However, that slower than normal forward speed and tge potential for a bit of a pivot means that heavy tropical moisture will be thrust into the NW side of the system (normal during ET transition) and areas not accustomed to these tropical rain rates will have a prolonged rainstorm. I really think inland flooding with this could be significantly worse than many recent high latitude storms that were flying through when they impacted land. Though I think the wind threat has decreased significantly since even yesterday

Isabel is such an underrated storm. That’s the high tide mark for a mid-Atlantic purely tropical storm in my lifetime. I think the storm beginning with an “S” made many forget about Isabel North of Maryland

One thing about Lee, hurricane force winds now extend extremely far from center. Recon is finding this thing has exploded in size. It’s probably a high end cat 2 now (FL 105-108 kts, SFMR 90 kts) tho there is evidence to keep it a 3 for posterity at least but wow at the expansion of hurricane force winds

That 0z run would be one of the worst erosion events ever for the SE coast lol

Do not, I repeat do no use any sort of tropical pressure scale to estimate wind of high latitude, post tropical systems. Pressures are lower up north and lower pressures in these regions will not be associated to winds the same way they are for storms that are purely tropical in nature and in lower latitudes. I’m not saying a Cat 1 is off the table but some models have been showing pressures as low as the 950’s and 960’s near any landfall and wind will certainly be nowhere near those levels