$1.4 billion, Southeastern Tornadoes and Storms, March. There were no recorded tornadoes across the Florida Panhandle, Big Bend, southwest Georgia or southeast Alabama associated with Hurricane Michael.
[22], Early on October 6, a tropical wave moved off the west coast of Africa. This in turn favors a convective feedback processes which help storms deepen and intensify. Usually, mid-latitude systems such as troughs bring very unfavorable environmental conditions for tropical cyclones (i.e., strong upper-level shear).
[53] The system moved offshore early on September 7 and developed into a tropical depression around 12:00 UTC near Banjul, The Gambia. At 12:00 UTC on July 12, Chris became an extratropical cyclone well southeast of Newfoundland. Early Access Reconnaissance Report [34][35] Nevertheless, at 06:00 UTC on July 8, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Chris.
After merging with a frontal system, Leslie began a cyclonic loop to the west, intensifying during this time, and becoming a powerful extratropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds early on September 27.
39 / 75 [33], A frontal system moved offshore the coast of the northeastern United States on July 2. [25], Alberto and its precursor caused flooding in the Yucatán Peninsula, particularly in Mérida. The system gradually organized over the next several days. 57 / 75 Econfina Creek at State Road 20 The measure is calculated at full advisories for cyclones at tropical storm strength—storms with winds in excess of 39 mph (63 km/h). Bainbridge Oscar's extratropical transition ended the season's activity on October 31. One hospital had glass crack and cladding stripped off the building while the other hospital had issues with power and water. Tyndall Air Force Base
This divergence aloft acts as a means of ventilation which favors air to exit and flow away from the top of a hurricane. During the height of the storm, before the transmission stopped, a sensor at Tyndall AFB measured a gust to 139 mph. The season produced sixteen tropical depressions, all but one of which further intensified into tropical storms. St. George Island Marginally favorable conditions allowed for only gradual intensification, with the cyclone becoming a hurricane on September 4. Michael, as it stands now, is the most powerful storm to impact the Florida Panhandle in recorded history. Courtesy of FSU Disaster Incident Research Team Local Research This was in part due to the weakening of an upper-level shortwave trough which was located just northwest of the storm. In South Carolina, Florence produced a maximum total of 23.63 in (600 mm) of precipitation in Loris, also becoming the wettest tropical cyclone in the history of that state. Apalachicola
With the catastrophic winds tracking well inland, the strong winds were observed well into Georgia.
Upper Air Sounding, Forecasts In addition, wave action caused even higher total water values and this resulted in waves destroying the second story of multiple buildings in Mexico Beach. [43] Around 18:00 UTC, the cyclone peaked with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 1,003 mbar (29.6 inHg). Panama City Figure 7: Visible satellite imagery of Hurricane Michael as the storm makes landfall near Mexico Beach, FL
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Additional Info On 8 October at 11 AM EDT (two days prior to landfall) the NHC upgraded Michael to category 1 status and issued a Hurricane Watch for the entire Florida Big Bend and Panhandle coastline. [49][51] Along the Gulf Coast, especially the Florida Panhandle, Alabama, and Mississippi, winds and storm surge caused damage to some piers, homes, and buildings.
Of these, more than 3,000 structures were destroyed. [34], While offshore, Chris brought large swells to the East Coast of the United States, sparking hundreds of water rescues, especially along the coasts of North Carolina, New Jersey, and Maryland.
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Mexico Beach 69 / 75 Donalsonville Hurricane Michael brought catastrophic storm surge to the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend areas. Throughout the day on 8 October, Michael continued to become more organized on satellite imagery. At 06:00 UTC on October 9, while located southwest of Cape Verde, the disturbance organized into a tropical depression, and six hours later strengthened into Tropical Storm Nadine. [86] No names were used for the first time in 2018.
In Georgia, 99% of homes in Seminole County suffered some degree of damage, while thousands of other homes as far north as Dougherty County reported damage. 46 / 75
var myTabs = tabs({ Of these, more than 3,000 structures were destroyed. At 22.4N / 46.2W, this also makes Florence the furthest north category 4 hurricane east of 50W ever recorded in the Atlantic", "One dead as car crashes jam highways connecting Miami and Miami Beach", Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Helene, "Passagem de tempestade tropical Helene provoca queda de árvores, postes e antenas de telecomunicações", "Helene now has max winds of 85 mph at 27.2°W. Panama City The winds knocked down dozens of trees, some of which fell onto roads, power lines,[25] and a few homes. [19] Above normal activity occurred due to anomalously warm sea surface temperatures, a stronger west-African monsoon, and the inability for the El Nino to develop during the season. The degree of confidence of the impacts were already being communicated as well: “there is high confidence that at least a tropical storm will be impacting somewhere along the northern Gulf coast during the middle of the week, and hurricane intensity is within the realm of possibilities.” [7] On May 24, NOAA released their first forecasts, calling for a near to above average season in 2018. The Hurricane Michael Preliminary Virtual Assessment Team (P-VAT) report from the Structural Extreme Event Reconnaissance Network indicated that two hospitals in Bay County, Bay Medical Sacred Heart and Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center also sustained significant damage. The wave soon fractured as it moved into the tropical Atlantic, with the northern portion moving over cool waters and the southern portion continuing westward over warm waters.
Steered westward due to a subtropical ridge to the north, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Helene early on September 8. Shortly after, three more EWWs were issued as the storm progressed inland.
The following list of names was used for named storms that formed in the North Atlantic in 2018.
[21], Activity continued in October, with Michael forming on October 7 and strengthening into a major hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico, before making landfall in the Florida Panhandle at peak intensity.
Damage to hanger at Tyndall Air Force Base Hurricane Michael (2018)