Hurricane Florence

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Hurricane Florence
Category 4 hurricane ( SSHWS )
Hurricane Florence north of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico on September 10, 2018
Hurricane Florence
north of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico on September 10, 2018
Emergence 4th September 2018
resolution 17th September 2018
Peak wind
speed
150  mph (240  km / h ) (sustained for 1 minute)
Lowest air pressure 939  mbar ( hPa ; 27.7  inHg )
dead At least 37
(27 in North Carolina,
8 in South Carolina,
2 in Virginia)
Property damage Unknown
Affected
areas 		South , North Carolina
Season overview:
Atlantic hurricane season 2018

Hurricane Florence was the sixth named storm, third hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season . The Cape Verde-type hurricane emerged from a tropical wave on September 4, 2018 and quickly intensified into a tropical storm. About halfway between Cape Verde Islands and the Caribbean , Florence intensified into a hurricane. On September 5 and 10, 2018, Florence reached the strength of a Category 4 hurricane .

course

Time-lapse video recording of a flight through the Eye of the Storm on September 11, 2018

Origin and way across the Atlantic

Trajectory of the storm (the dots indicate the position at 6-hour intervals)
Disc plain black.svg:: Tropical cyclone
Solid black.svg: Subtropical cyclone
ArrowUp.svg: Tropical disturbance / extra-tropical cyclone / remaining low pressure area.
The colors indicate the intensity according to the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale (with wind speed): Trop. Low pressure area (≤ 62 km / h) Tropical storm (63–118 km / h) Category 1 (119–153 km / h) Category 2 (154–177 km / h) Category 3 (178–208 km / h) Category 4 (209-251 km / h) category 5 (≥ 252 km / h) undetermined








Hurricane Florence.svg

On August 28, 2018, the National Hurricane Center began observing a tropical wave that had formed over West Africa and had the potential to further develop into a tropical cyclone. On August 30th, a low pressure area had formed off the coast of Senegal . Eastern trade winds gradually drove the change in a westerly to northwestern direction. On September 1, 2018, after passing south of Cape Verde , the change had evolved into a tropical storm and was named Florence . After satellite images and images from the International Space Station showed densification and the formation of an eye in the storm center, the storm was classified as a hurricane on September 4, 2018 - the third hurricane in the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season . At that time it was about 2000 kilometers west-northwest of Cape Verde and 2045 kilometers east-northeast of the Lesser Antilles . On September 5, 2018, Florence was classified as a Category 4 hurricane. The maximum wind speed in the storm at this time was 215 km / h and the minimum air pressure was 953 mbar ( hPa ).

In the further course of the hurricane moved northeast and the associated shear forces caused its intensity to decrease. The previously sharp eye blurred on September 7, 2018 and Florence was downgraded to a tropical storm again. On September 8, 2018, however, satellite images showed increasing banding and re-formation of the eye, so that Florence was upgraded to a hurricane on September 9, 2018. The energy of the storm increased rapidly over warm sea water (around 29 ° C) and reached hurricane category 4 again on September 10, 2018.The wind speeds measured on the evening of September 10, 2018 were 240 km / h and the central air pressure at 939 mbar (hPa). At times it was feared that Florence could develop into a Category 5 hurricane. In fact, the intensity of the storm weakened somewhat and on September 12, 2018, Florence was downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane again.

Arrival of the storm on the coast and further course

Troubled seas off the coast of Maryland on September 11, 2018
Photo of the deep eye on September 12th from the ISS, Alexander Gerst .

On Friday, September 14, 2018 at around 7:15 a.m. local time (corresponding to 1:15 p.m. Central European Summer Time ), the center of Hurricane Florence hit the US east coast in the area of ​​Wrightsville Beach ( New Hanover County ) in North Carolina. At that time it was classified as a Category 1 hurricane with wind speeds around 150 km / h. In the further course of the forecast, it was already expected that Florence would not be able to swivel to the north due to a high pressure area and would remain in the coast for a longer time at a very low train speed of 7 km / h, initially still heat energy and moisture from the coastline can absorb the Gulf Stream charged with thermal energy and dump the rain over the coastal area before it slowly pulls in a south-easterly direction all the way inland and then moves north along the Appalachian Mountains, weakening further and further.

Around noon on September 15, 2018, the storm was downgraded to a tropical cyclone. When the storm hit the coast, there was extensive flooding, caused by flooding and massive rainfall. At individual locations in North Carolina, more than 500 mm of precipitation was measured in 2 days. The tide reached heights of up to three meters in some places. On the morning of September 15, 726,500 and 110,396 households in North Carolina and South Carolina had lost power.

From the morning of September 16, 2018 (local time), Florence was no longer classified as a cyclone, but only as a tropical depression. On September 17, 2018, Florence had the status of a "post-tropical cyclone".

Preparations

State governors declared a state of emergency in North Carolina on September 7th, South Carolina and Virginia on September 8th, Maryland on September 10th, and Georgia on September 12th. In Washington, DC , the mayor also declared a state of emergency on September 11, 2018. The responsible authorities asked up to 1.7 million residents to get to safety. Several of the 16 nuclear power plants in North and South Carolina were preparing for the expected storm. The reactors should be shut down about 12 hours before the hurricane hit. The US Navy evacuated nearly 30 ships from their naval bases at Naval Station Norfolk and Joint Expeditionary Base-Little Creek , Virginia.

About 1,000 inmates at Indian Creek Correctional Center in Chesapeake , Virginia were transferred to a detention center in the state.

Damage

As of September 20, 2018, a total of 37 human deaths directly caused by Hurricane Florence were counted, including 27 in North Carolina, 8 in South Carolina and 2 in Virginia. In South Carolina, Governor Henry McMaster estimated the economic damage to be more than US $ 1.2 billion, including US $ 125 million in agriculture. It is estimated that at least 3.4 million farm animals drowned in the floods.

Connection to climate change

For the first time in the event of a hurricane, climate researchers are using the newly emerging research field of mapping research to determine the human impact on the hurricane before it even hits the mainland. According to a scientific study, the hurricane is aggravated by man-made climate change , making it about 80 km larger in diameter and about 50% more precipitation compared to a hurricane that was not aggravated as a result of man-made global warming. Previously, attribution science had only been used in retrospect to determine the human impact on past storms. The researchers behind the study emphasized that the climate models have now become robust enough to be able to make such statements in advance. In addition, due to climate change and the associated weakening of the atmospheric circulation, the probability that the hurricane will linger in one place for a long time and then cause particularly severe damage there.

Web links

Commons : Hurricane Florence  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

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  3. ^ Tropical Weather Outlook NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL. NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL, August 30, 2018; accessed September 11, 2018 .
  4. ^ Tropical Storm Florence forms in the Atlantic. Hawaii News Now, September 1, 2018, accessed September 11, 2018 .
  5. ↑ BULLETIN Hurricane Florence Advisory Number 21. NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL, September 4, 2018, accessed on September 11, 2018 .
  6. ↑ BULLETIN: Hurricane Florence Advisory Number 26. NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL, September 5, 2018, accessed on September 11, 2018 .
  7. ↑ Tropical Storm Florence Discussion Number 31. NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL, September 7, 2018, accessed on September 11, 2018 .
  8. ↑ Tropical Storm Florence Discussion Number 41. NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL, September 9, 2018, accessed September 11, 2018 .
  9. ↑ Hurricane Florence Discussion Number 44 ... CORRECTED. NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL, September 10, 2018, accessed September 11, 2018 .
  10. ↑ Hurricane Florence Tropical Cyclone Update 46. NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL, September 10, 2018, accessed September 13, 2018 .
  11. ↑ Hurricane Florence Tropical Cyclone Update 55. NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL, September 12, 2018, accessed September 13, 2018 .
  12. ↑ The danger of hurricane “Florence” is based on its migration behavior , Neue Zürcher Zeitung , September 12, 2018.
  13. ↑ Hurricane Florence Tropical Cyclone Update 60. NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL, September 14, 2018, accessed on September 14, 2018 .
  14. ^ Hurricane Florence: Life-threatening storm lands in North Carolina. BBC News, accessed September 14, 2018 .
  15. ↑ Tracking Tropical Storm Florence: The Storm's Path, Damage and Impact. The New York Times, September 14, 2018, accessed September 14, 2018 .
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  18. ↑ Hurricane Florence Tropical Cyclone Update 67. NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL, September 15, 2018, accessed September 18, 2018 .
  19. ↑ Hurricane Florence Tropical Cyclone Update 68. NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL, September 16, 2018, accessed September 18, 2018 .
  20. ↑ Hurricane Florence Tropical Cyclone Update 74. NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL, September 17, 2018, accessed September 18, 2018 .
  21. ↑ Jason Hanna, Kaylee Hartung, Steve Almasy: Hurricane Florence strengthens as 1 million people are told to flee US East Coast. CNN, September 12, 2018, accessed September 12, 2018 .
  22. ^ Daniel J. Gross: Tropical Storm Florence: SC declares state of emergency, 'preparing for the worst'. The Greenville News, September 10, 2018, accessed September 12, 2018 .
  23. ^ Martin Weil: State of emergency declared in Virginia in advance of tropical storm. The Washington Post, September 8, 2018, accessed September 12, 2018 .
  24. ↑ Maryland Gov. Declares State Of Emergency Ahead Of Hurricane Florence. CBS Baltimore, September 10, 2018, accessed September 12, 2018 .
  25. ^ Hurricane Florence downgraded to Cat. 2 storm. AJC, September 12, 2018, accessed September 12, 2018 .
  26. ↑ Mayor Bowser Declares State of Emergency Ahead of Hurricane Florence. Executive Office of the Mayor, September 11, 2018, accessed September 12, 2018 .
  27. ↑ Richard Fausset, Amy Harmon: Hurricane Florence Live Updates: More Evacuations as 'Monster' Storm Looms. The New York Times, accessed September 11, 2018 .
  28. ^ Atlantic Tropical Cyclones and Disturbancies. US Dept of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Hurricane Center, accessed September 11, 2018 .
  29. ^ Hurricane Florence: Mass evacuation from 'storm of a lifetime'. BBC News, September 12, 2018, accessed September 15, 2018 .
  30. ^ US Nuclear Power Plants Prepare for Hurricane Florence. The New York Times, September 11, 2018, accessed September 12, 2018 .
  31. ↑ USFF Directs Norfolk Ships to Sortie, Installation Set TCCOR III. U.S. Fleet Forces Command Public Affairs, September 9, 2018, accessed September 12, 2018 .
  32. ↑ Hurricane "Florence" in the news ticker: Mass exodus in the southeast of the USA - Trump warns the population. Focus online, accessed September 10, 2018 .
  33. ↑ At Least 3.4 Million Farm Animals Drowned in the Aftermath of Hurricane Florence. September 19, 2018, accessed September 10, 2018 .
  34. ↑ Climate change means Hurricane Florence will dump 50% more rain . In: The Guardian , September 13, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  35. ↑ More dangerous than Hurricane "Florence": Typhoon "Mangkhut" threatens the Philippines . In: Potsdamer Latest News , September 13, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2018.