Question re: winter storms and tropicality

[CrazyC83]

I'm just wondering...suppose a Nor'easter were to track onto the Gulf Stream. It is middle of winter - the water temperatures are, say, in the 60s over the Gulf Stream as opposed to, say, 40s elsewhere, with a very cold air mass elsewhere. Since it would be much warmer, would it be possible for it to develop a (relatively) warm core surrounding the very cold air? Could that take over the features of a tropical cyclone even though it would be much cooler?

[wxman57]

While I can't recall one such storm in the middle of winter, such a scenario is quite possible. I immediately think of what was known as "The Perfect Storm" back in 1991:

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/satellite/s ... storm.html

http://weather.about.com/od/winterweath ... _storm.htm

The Nor'easter of October 28th developed into the unnamed hurricane of 1991:

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/satellite/s ... med91.html

[brunota2003]

Something like this?

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/mhx/EventReview ... 050506.php

[CrazyC83]

Something like this?

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/mhx/EventReview ... 050506.php

That almost should have been the 29th storm of the 2005 season...

[Hurricanehink]

Something like this?

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/mhx/EventReview ... 050506.php

That almost should have been the 29th storm of the 2005 season...

Got that right!

[wxman57]

Something like this?

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/mhx/EventReview ... 050506.php

That almost should have been the 29th storm of the 2005 season...

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/gibbs/image/GO ... 5-05-07-15

Got that right!

Looks frontal in that image.

[Cranica]

Looks frontal in that image.

Wha? It's over the Gulf Stream in May with what look to thunderstorms wrapping tightly and all the way around what looks for all the world like an eye feature. I see the remains of a front to its south, but isn't thunderstorms wrapping all the way around the center one of the key signs of tropical transition for such a storm?

One might also point out that this was in 2005, when a sneeze within a hundred miles of the Atlantic would spin up into a hurricane.