UAMS Blog: 2023

What's been happening in our weather world.

Still Busy Out There!

Hi ‘Canes!

October is always an interesting time in the Atlantic as the atmosphere transitions into a battleground between mid-latitude weather and more tropical systems. 2023 has been an especially cool example of this:

While various extratropical lows ride along a powerful subtropical jet stream (thanks El Nino!), Tropical Storm Sean formed unusually far southeast in the Tropical Atlantic. It, along with another disturbance that was marked Invest 94L make for an impressive scene as their powerful thunderstorms contrast against shallower clouds to the north.

Deelan

October 14th, 2023

GOES-16 Infrared Imagery Loop over the North Atlantic Ocean.
Source: cyclonicwx.com

El Nino and the record warm Atlantic have been the backdrop to this hurricane season -- we'll cover their contrasting impacts in a later blog.

Tropical Storm Ophelia

Hi ‘Canes!

Hurricane season is still raging on in the Atlantic as evidenced by the rapid formation of Tropical Storm Ophelia on Friday afternoon. Unlike most storms that originate in the tropical Atlantic far away from land, this one formed from a nor'easter just east of Florida!

As Ophelia tread over the very warm Gulf Stream, it quickly intensified to near hurricane strength with winds of roughly 70 miles per hour, making landfall at that intensity in North Carolina. As the storm moved inland, it appeared to maintain itself rather well, despite wind speeds steadily declining as friction slows them down. However, the storm's continued interaction with a weather front near the center proved to be its demise, forcing it to transition back into a non-tropical cyclone late last night.

Continued weakening of the system is expected throughout Saturday and Sunday, although flood advisories have still been issued over this weekend. If you’re living anywhere up the east coast, expect weekend plans to be hindered by some heavy rain and wind— stay safe!

Jess

September 24th, 2023

GOES-16 Loop of Ophelia strengthening and making landfall in North Carolina.
Source: RAMMB/CIRA SLIDER

Ophelia's transition from a nor'easter into a full-fledged tropical storm is unusual and very interesting -- this will be a topic covered in a future blogpost. Stay tuned for more!

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