Got a Landfalling Question.

HurricaneHunter914 · #1 Postby **HurricaneHunter914** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 12:58 pm

During 2004 - 2005 when a Hurricane made landfall on the Gulf coast it weakened. Examples: Dennis, Katrina, and Rita. But that's a different story for the Florida West Coast. When a hurricane made landfall there, it strenghtened. Examples: Charley and Wilma. What causes that?

wxmann_91 · #2 Postby **wxmann_91** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 1:15 pm

A hurricane tends to move northeast in western FL landfalls. This reduces storm-relative shear as it is moving parallel to the shear vector. In addition, many times QG enhancement or baroclinic energy cancels out shearing effects or even helps the storm strengthen.

edit, forgot to mention, there is less dry air entrainment since FL is in a tropical environment.

#3 Postby **JonathanBelles** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 1:16 pm

also when they made landfall they made landfall in the everglades where there is still water.

Ptarmigan · #4 Postby **Ptarmigan** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 4:34 pm

fact789 wrote:also when they made landfall they made landfall in the everglades where there is still water.

Marshy areas tend to be favorable for hurricanes.

wxmann_91 · #5 Postby **wxmann_91** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 6:03 pm

Ptarmigan wrote:
fact789 wrote:also when they made landfall they made landfall in the everglades where there is still water.

Marshy areas tend to be favorable for hurricanes.

Marshy areas aren't exactly favorable for hurricanes, but it's at least better than 10,000 ft mountains.

#6 Postby **Tstormwatcher** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 7:06 pm

Actually, Charley and Wilma weakened after landfall. All storms will weaken after landfall. How much depends on how much land they cross and how fast they move before reemerging over water.

Ptarmigan · #7 Postby **Ptarmigan** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 10:00 pm

wxmann_91 wrote:
Marshy areas aren't exactly favorable for hurricanes, but it's at least better than 10,000 ft mountains.

Hurricanes over marshy areas weaken slower and is a better place for them, then a mountain. Hurricane Katrina did not weaken much when it went over the Everglades.

Jim Cantore · #8 Postby **Jim Cantore** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 6:34 am

The size of the Hurricane also plays into this. Andrew dropped from a 5 to a 3 over the everglades, while Wilma only dropped about 15mph. Katrina only dropped 10mph and it took the longest of the 3 to cross.

#9 Postby **wxman57** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 2:00 pm

Also, both Charley and Wilma had significant interactions with land prior to reaching SW Florida. Had Wilma not sat over Cancun/Cozumel for a day or more it may have been weakening as it crossed S. Florida. It's wind field may have been more intense than was observed but much smaller in size had it not interacted with land.

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