Theoretical question for Hurricane folks

[smashmode]

Is it possible that a hurricane could ever strike Washington?

I know remenets of a hurricane slammed into washinton/oregon back in the 60's..but that was a tropical storm by the time it got up here.

Thanks

Edit: Washington State

[Brent]

Yes... but it's highly unlikely.

It could come up Cheaspeake Bay and be moving quickly so it could still be powerful there.

[Shoshana]

^ Washington State... not DC.

And I don't know...

[Astro_man92]

This seems lke the place to ask this so I will is it possible for a cat 3 hurricane to hit washington D.C. ?????????

[Scorpion]

No, theres a greater chance of a tropical storm hitting Arizona(has happened before actually).

[Hybridstorm_November2001]

Could happen, but due to the curvature of the coast (inwards as opposed to outwards like NC and New England for example) in that area it is not likely that they would ever take a direct hit.


Hybridstorm_November2001

[WindRunner]

Yes... but it's highly unlikely.

It could come up Cheaspeake Bay and be moving quickly so it could still be powerful there.

No, he's talking about the state, "Washingtion/Oregon"!

No, it's not possible. The SSTs are far too cold for anything to get up there. However, something that has gone extratropical could.

[Hurricaneman]

Yes... but it's highly unlikely.

It could come up Cheaspeake Bay and be moving quickly so it could still be powerful there.

No, he's talking about the state, "Washingtion/Oregon"!

No, it's not possible. The SSTs are far too cold for anything to get up there. However, something that has gone extratropical could.

Nothing more than sub-tropical

[smashmode]

Yes... but it's highly unlikely.

It could come up Cheaspeake Bay and be moving quickly so it could still be powerful there.

No, he's talking about the state, "Washingtion/Oregon"!

No, it's not possible. The SSTs are far too cold for anything to get up there. However, something that has gone extratropical could.

I just did some searching on that..and they said the columbus day storm..was the largest extratropical wave perhaps ever..or something.

Whatever that means.

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedi ... -Day-Storm

Looks like something exploded off the coast of california..and got hooked up with some remains from a cyclone..

[Hybridstorm_November2001]

LOL my bad. I never even considered Washington state.


Hybridstorm_November2001

[DoctorHurricane2003]

Its quite common for WA to get the extratropical remnants of WPAC Typhoons....similar to how England/W Europe get the remnants of ATLC Hurricanes.......but that's all. Its quite difficult for any EPAC storm to make it up there. And nothing would be tropical that far north in the Pacific.

[SouthernWx]

Is it possible that a hurricane could ever strike Washington?

I know remenets of a hurricane slammed into washinton/oregon back in the 60's..but that was a tropical storm by the time it got up here.

Thanks

Edit: Washington State

Washington state/ the Pacific northwest? No way....not a truly tropical cyclone.

The destructive and deadly October 1962 windstorm in Washington and Oregon was caused by an extremely deep "extratropical" cyclone...which was reportedly a former WPAC supertyphoon, but by the time it reached any portion of the Pacific offshore the U.S. northwest coast, it had long lost it's warm core center and tropical characteristics (note: a truly tropical cyclone wouldn't last very long over those 50-60° sst offshore Oregon and Washington; not even a 165 kt cat-5).

Even though it was an extremely intense storm system which produced 120-130 mph gusts along the Oregon coast and 80-100 mph winds in greater Portland, to label it as a tropical cyclone or hurricane wouldn't be correct.

Just because a former tropical cyclone still produces hurricane force winds doesn't mean it's still a hurricane (not if it no longer meets TC criteria) Once in a while, you see former Atlantic hurricanes transition to violent baroclinic extratropical storms.....sometimes they strike eastern Canada, sometimes even blast western Europe with 100+ mph winds. You can also experience violent windstorms from intense baroclinic storm systems of non-tropical origin. The March 1993 superstorm/ blizzard is a vivid example. Winds gusted well in excess of hurricane force along portions of the Florida west coast....over 110 mph at a couple of locations.

FYI: as for the nation's capitol...Washington, D.C.? YES....hurricanes have struck Washington, Baltimore, and Chesapeake Bay before. In October 1954, hurricane Hazel roared northward across the mid-Atlantic states after blasting ashore just east of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with 130-140 mph sustained winds. Winds were clocked in excess of 90 mph occurred at some inland locations...and over 110 mph in some coastal areas; including a 113 mph peak gust recorded in New York City's Central Park.

PW

[Derek Ortt]

I've read some accounts that it still had tropical characteristics at landfall, though it also had fronts as well. Probably an extra-trop storm that had tropical characteristics