Hurricane Dora (1999)
| Category 4 hurricane ( SSHWS ) | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Emergence | August 6, 1999 | |
| resolution | August 23, 1999 | |
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Peak wind speed |
|
|
| Lowest air pressure | 943 mbar ( hPa ; 27.9 inHg ) | |
| dead | none reported | |
| Property damage | minimal | |
|
Affected areas |
Hawaii , Johnston Atoll | |
| Season overview: 1999 Pacific hurricane season |
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Hurricane Dora was the longest-lived tropical cyclone of the 1999 Pacific hurricane season . The fourth named storm of the season was the second major hurricane of the year and developed from a tropical wave in southern Mexico on August 6 . Hurricane Dora maintained a steady westerly course throughout its existence and peaked wind speeds of 220 km / h on August 12th and 13th. Dora existed for a total of 17 days before the system disintegrated north of Wake in the western Pacific Ocean on August 23 .
Although Dora did not reach land, the hurricane caused high waves, squalls and light rain in southeastern Hawaii and the Johnston Atoll . There are no reports of deaths or injuries as a result of the hurricane.
Storm course
The precursor to Dora was a tropical wave that broke off the West African coast on July 23 and crossed the Atlantic without developing. On August 4th, the system crossed Central America and entered the eastern Pacific with slight convection . A slight circulatory movement developed the next day when gusts of wind began to appear , and on the morning of August 6th, the National Hurricane Center announced the formation of Tropical Depression Four-E about 540 km south of Acapulco . Despite the initial vertical wind shear , the low intensified steadily and was named Dora after achieving the status of a tropical storm.
Wandering along a receding subtropical front, Dora continued to gain strength and turned into a hurricane on August 8, based on estimates made using Dvorak techniques . Weak wind shear before the storm and warm water allowed further intensification, and a small, well-trained eye was created. On August 12th Dora reached its summit with wind speeds of 220 km / h and a lowest air pressure of 943 hPa . Shortly after the peak, the hurricane underwent new eyewall formation , which caused the hurricane to weaken briefly before it regained strength. However, Dora did not gain any further as the storm was faced with cooler water and light wind shears.
On August 14, the system crossed the Central Pacific Basin as a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale , and hurricane monitoring was transferred to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center . Dora found itself in favorable conditions again and intensified again into a severe hurricane on August 15, when it passed Dora 320 km south of Hawaii. This second intensification spike was brief as the forward speed increased. Dora passed the Johnston Atoll 105 km south and crossed the international dateline on August 19 as a tropical storm with wind speeds of 115 km / h. The end of Dora's life cycle has been tracked by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center . The storm hit a heavier wind shear and on August 21 the wind speed dropped below the levels of a tropical storm. On August 23, the circulation broke off the convection, and by 1800 UTC the Dora tropical low pressure area about 725 km northeast of Wake had disintegrated.
Effects
The predictive models assumed on August 16 that Dora would pass close to Johnston Atoll, and there were fears the island could be hit directly. Responding to this threat, 1,200 residents of Johnston Atoll were evacuated to Hawaii. Before the residents left the island, they secured facilities and other loose items. Some biologists feared that the hurricane would have a severe impact on the breeding season of over 150,000 birds within the Johnston Atoll Wildlife Refuge , as Hurricane John wiped out about 80% of the island's bird population in 1994. Additionally, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center assumed Dora would hit Wake Island as a light typhoon , although it did not.
The storm surge caused by Dora reached wave heights of 2 to 6 m on the east and south shoreline of Hawaii. Therefore, beaches, campsites and hiking trails in the Puna and Kaʻū districts have been closed by the local authorities because of the threatening conditions. The foothills produced gusts of wind of up to 95 km / h in elevated areas and also resulted in light rainfall. Hurricane Dora also created rough swell on Johnston Atoll , with a weather observer finding that the swell was the most serious effect of the storm. The automatic weather station transmitted gusts of wind of 75 to 85 km / h for two hours. The impact was generally minimal and there was no reported property damage or injury.
With a migration path of 10,500 km, Hurricane Dora had the second longest observed migration path of a Pacific hurricane, just after Hurricane John. The length was more than four times as long as the average in the Pacific Ocean. In addition, Dora was the first tropical cyclone since Hurricane John in 1994, which occurred in all three Pacific hurricane observation areas. The storm name was not deleted, but reassigned during the 2005 Pacific hurricane season .
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c d e f g Miles B. Larwence: NHC Report on Dora . National Hurricane Center. 1999. Retrieved November 27, 2006.
- ^ A b Gary Padgett: Gary Padgett's report on Hurricane Dora . Archived from the original on June 29, 2006. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 28, 2006.
- ↑ Beven: Hurricane Dora Tropical Discussion Archive # 29 . National Hurricane Center. Retrieved November 28, 2006.
- ↑ Beven: Hurricane Dora Tropical Discussion Archive # 33 . National Hurricane Center. Retrieved November 28, 2006.
- ↑ a b Habuzel: Hurricane Dora Tropical Discussion Archive # 44 . Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Retrieved November 29, 2006.
- ↑ a b Habuzel: Hurricane Dora Tropical Discussion Archive # 45 . Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Retrieved November 29, 2006.
- ↑ a b Habuzel: Hurricane Dora Tropical Discussion Archive # 46 . Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Retrieved November 29, 2006.
- ↑ a b Habuzel: Hurricane Dora Tropical Discussion Archive # 48 . Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Retrieved November 29, 2006.
- ↑ Mary Adamski: Hurricane evacuees start arriving in Hawaii . Star Bulletin. 1999. Retrieved April 20, 2007.
- ^ National Climatic Data Center: Event Report for Hawaii . 1999. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 17, 2007.
- ^ A b Central Pacific Hurricane Center: The 1999 Central Pacific Hurricane Season . 1999. Retrieved July 17, 2007.
- ↑ Rosendal: Hurricane Dora Tropical Discussion Archive # 50 . Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Retrieved November 30, 2006.
- ↑ Neal Dorst: FAQ: What is the farthest a tropical cyclone has traveled . NOAA. 2004. Retrieved April 23, 2007.
