DISCUSSION: With as busy as the tropical Atlantic hurricane season has now gotten here in September of 2018, it is almost crazy to contemplate what was going on just a year ago today. More specifically, one year ago tonight, the heart of Hurricane Irma lashed out at the northern half of Cuba as a roaring Category 5 hurricane with sustained wind speeds along the immediate northern coastline in excess of 160 mph with even higher gusts at times. Moreover, look into this horrific tropical cyclone anniversary in even greater detail (courtesy of the Tweet from Meteorologist Brian McNoldy) this was the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall anywhere on the island of Cuba in a whopping 93 years. Thus, it goes without saying that this is not a common occurrence for Cuba by any stretch of the imagination.
It also goes without saying that the majority of people across the United States and the world more so remember Hurricane Irma being one of the infamous trio of storms (i.e., the namely trio being Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, and Hurricane Maria) which all went on to impact the United States and/or United States territories at some point during their respective existence. In addition, people also remember Hurricane Irma for being the storm which earlier on was thought to be more of a threat along the eastern coastline (i.e., the Atlantic-side) of Florida. However, as the story went on to be written, Irma ultimately took a path towards northern Cuba and then up through the Florida Keys and on towards southwest and then western Florida before moving inland and dissipating before too long. If nothing else, this 1-year anniversary of the landfall of what was a Category 5 Hurricane Irma in northern Cuba before moving on to the United States just goes to show that one storm can make all the difference in the world and to always be prepared regardless of the intensity of a given storm. To learn more about other historic weather events from around the world, be sure to click here! © 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz
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DISCUSSION: It is hard to believe that it has been a little over 13 years since a good portion of the Gulf Coast of the United States experienced prolific and historic impacts from the full force of Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina left an unforgettable set of horrific memories for many millions of people who lied in the path of that historic tropical cyclone back in August of 2005. Hurricane Katrina began in a very modest fashion as a weak hurricane in Florida by around 25 August 2005 and was originally expected to re-curve into parts of northeast Florida. However, the course of this historic tropical cyclone was forced to change as a result of an area of high-pressure which built in across parts of the Mid-Atlantic United States between 25 and 27 August which forced Hurricane Katrina to take a track further west across the central Gulf of Mexico.
As Hurricane Katrina continued moving across the central Gulf of Mexico, it gained substantial strength and size which made it a large and incredibly dangerous hurricane which would go on to make a historic and terrifying track into Louisiana which will never be forgotten. Between a record-breaking storm surge, powerful onshore winds, and intense as well as persistent tropical rainfall, Hurricane Katrina went on to compromise the strength of the levee system guarding the city of New Orleans to the point that they gave way to the power of the rushing ocean water into Lake Pontchartrain in southern Louisiana. As a result, New Orleans and surrounding area experienced an unprecedented flooding event unlike anything the city had ever experienced before in recorded history. Furthermore, as shown above in the text caption (courtesy of Meteorologist Brian McNoldy), Hurricane Katrina still remains to be the costliest hurricane in recorded U.S. history which is likely a recorded that will not be broken for quite a long time considering the extent of Katrina's impacts. To learn more about other past historic weather events from around the world, be sure to click here! © 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz  DISCUSSION: As the age-old phrase goes, it is always critical to take the time to learn from the past, so we are not doomed to make the exact same mistakes in the future. In looking just beyond 2 days and 32 years ago today, a prolific and somewhat isolated stationary thunderstorm event generated more than ten inches of rain which funneled into the narrow Thompson River Canyon which is located out in northeastern Colorado. As a result of this heavy rainfall event, there were documented reports of a wall of water measuring up to or possibly over six to eight feet high moving through various cities across portions of northeastern Colorado. This major flooding event unleashed an absolutely horrific twenty-five-mile path of destruction from Estes Park to Loveland which ultimately ended up taking the lives of 144 civilians. As part of this tragic flooding event, the flash flood caught campers and caused extensive structural and highway damage.
The results of this tragic flooding (and perhaps flash flooding) event is a truly crucial reason to always live out the words of wisdom which goes by "turn around, don't down" and "always respect the natural power of Mother Nature." When you are under the gun of an ongoing flooding and/or flash flooding event or situated in a location wherein there is a viable short-term threat for a heavy rainfall event, it is imperative to respect the natural power of quickly rushing rainfall run-off and not attempting to "simply pass by" or "just gun through it." Hence, never underestimate the natural power of running water and always treat heavy rainfall events with tremendous respect. To learn more about this particular historic Colorado flooding event, click on the following link: https://www.denverpost.com/2016/07/31/big-thompson-river-flood-1976-photos/. To learn more about other past historic weather events, be sure to click here! © 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz  DISCUSSION: As atmospheric science continues to evolve with time, there is no question that higher-resolution satellite imagery continues to change the way in which we study and evaluate severe weather events. First off, higher resolution satellite imagery allows atmospheric scientists to make much more precise detections of pre-convective initiation signals as well as the timing of convective initiation itself by way of there being a much clearer and real-time view of severe weather events as they unfold with passing time.
Furthermore, much finer detail associated with high-resolution satellite imagery from satellites such as the MODIS and/or MODIS-TERRA satellite platforms allow atmospheric scientists to make much more detailed assessments of severe weather impacts than ever before in human history. Thus, the presence of higher-resolution satellite imagers has forever revolutionized the way in which deep convective storms are analyzed and examined both during their existence and well after their demise. A fitting example for how atmospheric scientists use such high-resolution satellite imagery to enhance their analysis is included above from a recent severe weather event which unfolded on 29 June 2018 (i.e., within the past week). As shown above, back on 29 June 2018 there was a potent supercell thunderstorm which traveled a little over 420 miles during its existence which is quite impressive just by itself. However, to boost such an impressive distance feat, this storm also went as far as to leave behind a solid hail scar in its wake. This hail scar was later observed via the MODIS satellite imager (as captured in the graphic above) to verify the path length and width over which this lengthy hail scar could be found across. Although there were fortunately no fatalities immediately reported in association with this severe weather event, it goes without saying that a severe thunderstorm moving through this region does not bode well for crops since hail can be very damaging to crops. So, in a sense, even if a severe storm is not directly impacting people, there is always a solid likelihood across the Central Plains states that a severe storm is still indirectly impacting the livelihood or safety of animals or livestock belonging to various families or farmers. To learn more about other interesting weather history events from around the world, be sure to click here! © 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz  Discussion: On June 28, 1778, General George Washington led the Continental Army in an attack against the British Army at the Battle of Monmouth in Monmouth County, New Jersey during the American Revolutionary War. In May of 1778, British troops, led by General Sir Henry Clinton, began evacuating from Philadelphia to New York, traveling over land through New Jersey. The Continental Army saw this as a perfect opportunity to strike. Ultimately, this battle ended in a draw as the Continental Army was able to hold the field, but the British were still able to escape to New York. However, this battle is considered a significant battle in the American Revolutionary War, as the Continental Army was able to hold its own against what was considered one of the best armies in the world. Additionally, this battle holds significance in weather history due to the impact heat may have had on the number of casualties in this battle.
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