45 Nautical Mile Wide Eye on Isabel

[MWatkins]

That is a 45 nautical mile wide eye. You read that right...45 nautical miles wide. That is a 50 mile wide eye.

In terms of strengthening...an eye that wide may slow down the intensification cycle until the eye contracts a bit. But it has been a long long time since I've seen an Atlantic hurricane with such a large eye. In fact I can't remember the last time. That's usually a west pacific thing.

Wow.

MW

[Stormsfury]

That is a 45 nautical mile wide eye. You read that right...45 nautical miles wide. That is a 50 mile wide eye.

In terms of strengthening...an eye that wide may slow down the intensification cycle until the eye contracts a bit. But it has been a long long time since I've seen an Atlantic hurricane with such a large eye. In fact I can't remember the last time. That's usually a west pacific thing.

Wow.

MW

Although sometimes, large eyes on ATL hurricanes can happen (Dennis in 1999 for example - Click here for Dennis Image), but I don't remember any Atlantic hurricane in its development stages with an eye that large, either.

SF

[cycloneye]

Agree MW being a CV storm watcher for many years I haven't seen that a cane had such a wide coverage area in the tropical atlantic.

[Guest]

Do you think it will keep the large eye or will it start constriciting once she continues to gain strenght and grow?

Patricia

[weatherlover427]

How come hurricanes get such large eyes and what causes them?

[Renata]

That is a 45 nautical mile wide eye ... In terms of strengthening...an eye that wide may slow down the intensification cycle until the eye contracts a bit. But it has been a long long time since I've seen an Atlantic hurricane with such a large eye. In fact I can't remember the last time. That's usually a west pacific thing.

Also, you might have noticed that in the last advisory the forward speed of 15 mph is the top speed for Isabel since her birth. In the previous three advisories she was moving at a slow 10mph.

Is it correct to say that when cyclones are organising that they slow down or even stall as Isabel did yesterday? Now that she is moving full steam ahead (so to speak) perhaps strengthening will be a tad slower?

[ChaserUK]

I think this large eye feature well worth watching. All it will have to do is start contracting and the intensity will increase - very odd to see one so large though on such a reletively young storm.