Weather, Storms & Hurricane Blog

Image above is of Tropical Storm Ernesto, only 1 of 3 tropical cyclones to affect the US
this season. The 2006 hurricane season comes to a end. (photo credit: NOAA)

Many people along the coasts from Texas to Florida and the Mid-Atlantic, can relax once again starting tomorrow for another seven months as the 2006 Atlantic basin Hurricane Season has come to a end. November 30^th ends the hurricane season each year for the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Last years hurricane season ended officially on the calendar, but remained very active well into the end of the year, along with record breaking named storms for a season. The 2004 and 2005 seasons were deadly, costly and very active, with six United States land falling hurricanes in 2004 and five in 2005.

This was the first hurricane season in awhile that I have ended the season with no hurricane chase interceptions. This was not due to me not wanting to chase or missing a tropical cyclone event, it was because there was no hurricanes to chase anywhere near the United States this year. Sure two became close, but not worth the time and money. Being a Hurricane Chaser and loving tropical meteorology, the feel inside a strong hurricane and my passion and respect for the storms, I was left disappointed with the season. I don’t want to see death and destruction of people’s lives and I don’t wish for or control hurricanes, but I do love to document them and intercept deep into the eyewall.

The 2006 hurricane season started out slow with the first named system Tropical Storm Alberto that formed in the northwest Caribbean Sea on June 10^th and became a tropical storm in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. Alberto went on to become a 70 mph storm while heading northeast towards the Florida Big Bend. Alberto then weakened before making landfall and never reached hurricane status. The poorly-organized center of circulation made landfall near Adams Beach, which is about fifty miles southeast of Tallahassee, Florida. Alberto was the only named system to develop in June 2006. I opted not to chase intercept Tropical Storm Alberto since it was a weakening storm, not even a hurricane and was making landfall in a unpopulated area with little roads to work with.

July was also a slow month, and climatologically normally is every year. The only named system to develop was Tropical Storm Beryl and formed on July 18^th off the southeast US coast. Beryl then slowly moved northward offshore Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to the east by about 115 miles. Beryl peaked with sixty mph winds on July 19^th while offshore the Mid Atlantic states and never reached hurricane status. Beryl went on to skim over Nantucket on July 21^st producing tropical storm force winds and precipitation. The rest of July was hot over the nation and over the Atlantic the dry air, upper lows and African dust was putting a hold on the tropics at the time. A slow time to be a hurricane chaser.

August comes in with me washing Saharan African dust off my car as the dry and dusty atmosphere was invading from the east here in South Florida. This same dry air and dust had a lot to do with the lack of hurricane development in the Atlantic in 2006. Things started to become a bit more active as we moved into the first and second day of August with the development of Tropical Storm Chris. The “C” named storm this year was not going to hurt anyone or damage anyone’s property like the previous two seasons with major category four Hurricane Charley in Punta Gorda, Florida in 2004, and Hurricane Cindy in southeastern Louisiana in 2005. Tropical Storm Chris went on to weaken and die over the Southeastern Bahamas.

Next to form was Tropical Storm Debby in the far eastern Atlantic near the Cape Verde Islands around August 23^rd. Debby quickly became a sheared tropical cyclone with strong southerly wind shear and died off on August 27^th after reaching 50mph. Last in August was Hurricane Ernesto that first became a tropical storm in the eastern Caribbean Sea nearly on top of the Windward Islands. Ernesto continued west-northwest into the central Caribbean and continued to intensify while heading for Haiti and briefly became a category one hurricane with winds of 75 mph. Ernesto then moved northwest towards Cuba and made landfall on the southeast coast of Cuba and weakened while over the island for nearly 18 hours. Ernesto then moved back out over the warm open waters, but was dealing with moderate shear and dry air and had problems redeveloping into a stronger cyclone. Ernesto made landfall over southern Florida on the morning of August 30^th as a tropical storm with winds of 45 mph. The storm then moved inland and up the spin of Florida producing heavy rainfall over the inland counties and Lake Okeechobee.

For Ernesto I was already in place since he was going right over my home by midday. Recorded maybe 30-35mph and some moderate precipitation. Nothing to get the gear out for or drive anywhere. Ernesto exited out into the Atlantic and restrengthened over the Gulf Stream and made landfall in North Carolina as a 70mph tropical storm. Now into September, Ernesto weakened over the northeast with flooding and gusty winds and never reached hurricane status again after the Caribbean.

September turned out to be near normal for hurricane development, but still no landfalls in the US. Four more hurricanes formed during this month with two of them becoming major hurricanes. Beside Hurricane Florence getting some 60 miles west of Bermuda, all the these hurricanes remained out to sea. Hurricane Isaac formed on the last day of September and was the only named storm in October and was the last storm to develop this season.

2006 turned out to be a average season hurricane development wise, but remained very slow for any threats or landfalls for the United States, and a lot of folks out there are very happy for that. Now that the season is coming to a end, I’ll start to focus on my severe storm chase season in the spring and prepare for the 2007 hurricane season to start in seven months. No hurricane chase review this season, but the dead season has allowed me to work on a featured dvd project covering most of all my hurricane intercepts during my career, and hope to have this available soon.

To all my weather and hurricane enthusiasts I will have hurricane footage over the winter on this blog to share with you from the last few years that has never been seen to help fill the void from the 2006 season. Stay tuned for “Moments in Chasing” updates this winter..

Farewell season 2006…awaiting June 1^st 2007,

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