Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Spectacular weather week

As September 1 looms on the horizon and the end to meteorological summer, we are being treated to one awesome weather week. This is the type of weather I think everyone can enjoy, bright sunny days around 27C and cool crisp nights in the low teens. The trees are changing color in some cases and the mornings have been a little chilly walking the dog, but I refuse to give up the t-shirts and shorts. They will be around through September, I am stubborn that way. So with high pressure dominating the weather scene here in Quebec and eastern Ontario, we have to look elsewhere for weather to write about.
From the National Hurricane Center, the potential path of soon to be Tropical Storm Isaac as we head into this weekend.
Tropical Storm Isaac?
The tropics have been fairly active lately, but with most systems being rather weak or disorganized and affecting largely the open ocean. That may be about to change as we have TD 9 in the Atlantic Ocean this morning, 1150 kilometres east of the Leeward Islands. This storm will likely become tropical storm Isaac by later today as winds exceed 39mph. At this time forecasters expect Isaac to become a major system approaching and passing through the Leeward and Windward Islands by Thursday before heading for Puerto Rico. Conditions for this system to develop into a hurricane are ideal with little shear and lots of warm water. We are looking at the potential for a major hurricane by the weekend and into next week. At this time impacts to the US are difficult to assess, but we will ave a storm heading across the Caribbean Sea and possibly towards south Florida or the Gulf. Keep in mind that we are entering the most active time of the tropical season. As a side note, since 2001 the WMO has retired 7 "I" storms including Irene from 2011 that left her mark up and down the east coast from Caper Hatteras to Vermont, southern Quebec and Atlantic Canada. Forecasters are also watching two other areas of interest one just off the African coast and the second area in the southern Gulf of Mexico east of Veracruz, Mexico.

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