Anniversary of South Atlantic Hurricane (Caterina,2004)

[cycloneye]

It was a unique event to see a Hurricane form in that part of the world.

[CrazyC83]

Was the intensity ever established? My best guess at landfall is 90 kt with a pressure of 978mb (high for its intensity due to its very small size).

[RL3AO]

I've never seen that loop before. Makes it even more humorous that the Brazilians tried to say it wasn't a tropical cyclone.

[HURAKAN]

It was a very interesting and exciting cyclone. It was very unexpected.

[Category 5]

I've never seen that loop before. Makes it even more humorous that the Brazilians tried to say it wasn't a tropical cyclone.

Not a tropical cyclone? Whatever they say

Catarina is one of the most interesting cyclones in recent memory, and a fun storm to look back on.

[Derek Ortt]

I believe the BT has it as a cat 2 at landfall with 85KT winds

[KWT]

I just wonder how much stronger it could have got if it came towards lands about 6-12hrs later then it did, could we have had a major?

As it was it was still a very impressive storm, there aren't many that are as unique as that one, though I'd say Vince and Gonu are up there as well.

[Cryomaniac]

A very interesting storm. I'm sure there have been other storms in that area, but they haven't been noticed.

[Pedro Fernández]

A very interesting storm. I'm sure there have been other storms in that area, but they haven't been noticed.

I think so, as well... When will we see something similar again?

[Hurricanehink]

I believe the BT has it as a cat 2 at landfall with 85KT winds

Which BT? Do you have a link?

[HURAKAN]

BT: http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/tropic/brazi ... Track.html

CIMSS has a great webpage about Caterina.

Link: http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/tropic/brazil/brazil.html

[CrazyC83]

Somewhat different but related, has there ever been a tropical cyclone in the Southeast Pacific? (i.e. east of 130W)

[HurricaneBill]

Somewhat different but related, has there ever been a tropical cyclone in the Southeast Pacific? (i.e. east of 130W)

Some SPAC systems have tracked beyond 125W. I think William (1983) and Ursula (1998) went the farthest.

[MiamiensisWx]

I've never seen that loop before. Makes it even more humorous that the Brazilians tried to say it wasn't a tropical cyclone.

It's hardly "humorous", since it may have been largely political. Meteorological agencies denied that it was a TC well after the event. If they actually acknowledged it, they may have saved some lives in advance.

Additionally, TC formation is quite common north of 30N in the Northern Hemisphere, so the same case can be applied to the Southern Hemisphere. Catarina strengthened south of 30S. I think its strength was underestimated throughout most of its life span. Since it struck some rural areas, the strongest winds at landfall may have been unrecorded over sparsely populated areas. It may have been stronger at landfall than 85 kt, though I would need some information about the wind radii and RMW, which is not available for this one.

[HurricaneBill]

Although meteorological agencies in Brazil denied it was a TC, I think much of the general public in Brazil believed it was one and many took it seriously. I read somewhere that many Brazilians were posting in hurricane forums asking what they should do to prepare for the storm.

[MiamiensisWx]

Although meteorological agencies in Brazil denied it was a TC, I think much of the general public in Brazil believed it was one and many took it seriously. I read somewhere that many Brazilians were posting in hurricane forums asking what they should do to prepare for the storm.

"If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it IS a duck..."

Substitute "TC" for "duck". You're correct - my memory does blur some of the finer details.

[HurricaneBill]

"If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it IS a duck..."

Didn't that appear in one of the advisories for Hurricane Vince?

[Cryomaniac]

"If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it IS a duck..."

Didn't that appear in one of the advisories for Hurricane Vince?

Something similar did as far as I know.

[CrazyC83]

"If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it IS a duck..."

Didn't that appear in one of the advisories for Hurricane Vince?

Something similar did as far as I know.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/di ... .002.shtml?

IF IT LOOKS LIKE A HURRICANE... IT PROBABLY IS... DESPITE ITS
ENVIRONMENT AND UNUSUAL LOCATION. MOST AVAILABLE DATA SUGGESTS
VINCE HAS BEEN STRENGTHENING TODAY. IN FACT... THE CIRA INTENSITY
ESTIMATE BASED ON THE EARLIER AMSU OVERPASS NEAR 07Z WAS 50 KT AND
995 MB... SO VINCE WAS PROBABLY EVEN A LITTLE STRONGER THIS MORNING
THAN INDICATED IN THE PREVIOUS ADVISORY. MORE RECENTLY... METSAT-8
IMAGERY REVEALS THAT THE EARLIER RAGGED EYE FEATURE WITH ABOUT
20 N MI DIAMETER HAS CONTRACTED TO 15 N MI AS A BONA FIDE EYE. SOME
ANTICYCLONIC OUTFLOW ALOFT IS NOW DISCERNIBLE AROUND THE DEEP
CONVECTION... ALTHOUGH THE CONVECTIVE TOPS REMAIN A BIT WARMER THAN
IN MOST HURRICANES. SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE DVORAK T NUMBERS RANGE
FROM 3.5 TO 4.5... WITH THE HIGHER END OF THIS RANGE BASED ON AN
EYE PATTERN. THESE ESTIMATES PROVIDE THE BASIS FOR THE ADVISORY
INTENSITY OF 65 KT. IT IS NOT CLEAR IF THE SURFACE WINDS ARE AS
STRONG AS THE SATELLITE SIGNATURE WOULD NORMALLY SUGGEST...
ESPECIALLY SINCE THE CONVECTION MIGHT LACK SOME VIGOR OVER THE
23-24C SSTS... BUT WE HAVE NO DATA TO CONFIRM OR DENY THE DVORAK
ESTIMATES.

[Ptarmigan]

Quite an impressive hurricane.