Ophelia another storm that makes me question!!!!!

[shaggy]

Ophelia has done a movement along the SE coast of NC that has again made ponder the movement of storms around landmasses.

Last year it was Ivan with is weird little jog around Jamaica and then again around western Cuba.Its like he sensed land and moved to avoid it(not a conscious decision cause hes a storm).

This year the big "O" did a similiar movement that kept the north eye along the coast and the center off shore raking the entire coastline with strong winds.This doesn't seem unusual until you look at the all the little nooks and crannies of the NC coast and then you see that is was a peculiar moving storm that also moved along the shape of the coastline!

My question then becomes why and what law of meteorlogical physics causes this to occur.Is it that the storm fires from the water and the new convection pulls the center offshore again? Is there any proof of a scientific reason or just coincidence.Just to weird not to contemplate the reason WHY!?

[hicksta]

They are getting smart!

[JtSmarts]

I think that Charley avoided Ft Myers, by jogging north, then moved to fit his eye into Charlotte Harbor.

[LAwxrgal]

Katrina moved over the skinniest part of LA, went back over water briefly, and then made a 3rd landfall on the LA/MS border.

Not to mention, after her first landfall she dipped southwest over Florida's Everglades, ended up crossing over the skinniest part of the state.

[Tampa Bay Hurricane]

Perhaps the higher pressure from absorbed heat over land that is being
released pushes the lower pressure out keeping it over water. That
lower pressure could refer to the eyewall

[InimanaChoogamaga]

Hurricanes have brains!

[Jim Hughes]

Perhaps the higher pressure from absorbed heat over land that is being
released pushes the lower pressure out keeping it over water. That
lower pressure could refer to the eyewall

Not a bad theory TBH... also could speculate that it's some type of electrical charge via the ocean and up above that they do not want to lose. Salt water conducts better than land. .Just a thought.

Jim

[orion]

just uploaded pics of some of the damage from ophelia in my area (morehead city, atlantic beach, salter path)...

http://www.digital-ink-graphics.net/ophelia/

lot of damage for category 1, but the wind lasted FOREVER it seemed

~orion

[SouthFloridawx]

very good pics.... thanks

[orion]

very good pics.... thanks

you bet... i'm still trying to find out about the down east communities but roads are under water. National guard convoy was on the way earlier this evening. I'll prob add more when I get some time tomorrow.

~orion

[Aslkahuna]

Differential friction can cause jogs in paths of storms. I've seen that happen in the Philippines. Remember that unlike ET lows, Tropical Cyclones have their strongest spin in the low levels of the atmosphere where frictional effects can come into play.

Steve

[weatherSnoop]

shortest route to the jacuzzi(GOM)90+ degrees

Be honest, don't most visitors to FLA make sure their hotel has one!

[Billy Anderson]

I've noticed that "bey blades" and spinning tops likewise seem to avoid resistance. And Mitch seemed to keep bouncing off the coast. I'm wondering just how much the NC coast has been shaped by hurricane action similar to O....for instance, Onslow Bay looks like a perfect fit for a storm her size. Regards, BA.

[coriolis]

I've also wondered if gyroscopic procession - the effect that makes a top wobble slowly, affects hurricanes. I have a gut feeling that it only applies to rigid bodies, though. Need to do some research on that.....

[jasons2k]

One of the best examples of differential friction occured with Isidore when it would not leave the Yucatan.

I'm not a met, so maybe one with more expertise could weigh-in. This is my layman's understanding:

The wind over the water accelerates (highest winds are almost always there), then when it hits land it deccelerates, which causes differential friction. The net effect is for the storm to pull itself against the coast.

If the land mass is to the left, the storm pulls left (like Isidore); if it's to the right, the storm will tug right (like Charley).

The more intense the storm is, the higher the topography is, the greater the effect.

[shaggy]

at work lastnight i had a thought on Ophelia and her movement.Her NW side was over land the majority of the time.Her S side was constantly refiring heavy storms and they would then swing around the east side could this have been one of the reasons as the storm sort of pulled itself towards the heaviest convection?Maybe the convection helped pull her to the SE.

Came up with this theory based on radar images of the inner vortices that were numerous and everytime one got ont he SE side of the eye it then added to the convection.A local TV met also noted the vortices and said they were having an affect on the storm strength and motion!

[oneness]

argh! It's ... It's ALIVE!!

(sorry)

I just can't see how a system 50-60 k ft tall in the atmosphere is affected much by land which is usually far below 5 k ft alt.

[oneness]

Perhaps the higher pressure from absorbed heat over land that is being
released pushes the lower pressure out keeping it over water. That
lower pressure could refer to the eyewall

Not a bad theory TBH... also could speculate that it's some type of electrical charge via the ocean and up above that they do not want to lose. Salt water conducts better than land. .Just a thought.

Jim

All flowing electrons create a measurable magnetic field if there is a large scale directionality or polarisation of such a flow.

[oneness]

I've also wondered if gyroscopic procession - the effect that makes a top wobble slowly, affects hurricanes. I have a gut feeling that it only applies to rigid bodies, though. Need to do some research on that.....

Wouldn't that just create delamination and turbulence?

[feederband]

Although I have nothing to add , this is a real interesting thread...