WunderBlog Archive » Category 6™
Category 6 has moved! See the latest from Dr. Jeff Masters and Bob Henson here.Bill Proenza named new NHC director; new typhoon for Philippines?
We don't know him yet, but soon the face and voice of Bill Proenza will become a familiar part of our hurricane experience. As reported by Wunderblogger Margie Kieper in her View From the Surface blog yesterday, the new director of the National Hurricane Center (NHC) is Bill Proenza, 62, a 40-year veteran of the National Weather Service (NWS). Bill currently serves as director of the NWS Southern region, which includes hurricane-prone Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Puerto Rico. He certainly has the experience, knowledge, and connections to make a great NHC Director, and I wish Bill the best of luck in this most demanding of meteorology jobs!
New NHC Director Bill Proenza. Image credit: NOAA.
New typhoon for the Philippines?
A new typhoon is brewing in the waters to the east of the Philippine Islands. Tropical Storm Utor (named after the Marshallese word for "squall line") has the potential to grow to typhoon strength before it makes landfall in the central Philippines Saturday. The storm is under only 5 knots of vertical wind shear, and satellite imagery from the Navy NRL web site shows a large, well-organized system with excellent upper-level outflow, impressive spiral banding, and a steadily consolidating area of heavy thunderstorms near the center. Utor is organizing closer to the Philippines than Durian did, and is moving more rapidly--15 mph. This likely means the storm does not have enough time to grow into a super typhoon like Durian did. Even if Utor does become a major typhoon, its fast forward speed means it will not have enough time over the islands to dump the kind of heavy rains that would cause significant loss of life. The typhoon-weary Philippines could sure use a break! The toll in the islands from Typhoon Durian stands at 1316 dead or missing, 1,933 injured, 80,000 homes destroyed, and 167,000 homes damaged. The estimated $600 million in damage is the highest ever for a Philippines typhoon, and the death toll is the 4th highest. The typhoon killed 105 people in its sweep past southern Vietnam, mostly due to high winds that collapsed buildings. Durian destroyed or damaged over 212,000 homes in Vietnam, and sank 808 fishing boats.
Bill Gray's 2007 hurricane season forecast
Friday, I'll review Bill Gray's 2007 hurricane season forecast, scheduled to be released late in the morning.
Jeff Masters
New NHC Director Bill Proenza. Image credit: NOAA.
New typhoon for the Philippines?
A new typhoon is brewing in the waters to the east of the Philippine Islands. Tropical Storm Utor (named after the Marshallese word for "squall line") has the potential to grow to typhoon strength before it makes landfall in the central Philippines Saturday. The storm is under only 5 knots of vertical wind shear, and satellite imagery from the Navy NRL web site shows a large, well-organized system with excellent upper-level outflow, impressive spiral banding, and a steadily consolidating area of heavy thunderstorms near the center. Utor is organizing closer to the Philippines than Durian did, and is moving more rapidly--15 mph. This likely means the storm does not have enough time to grow into a super typhoon like Durian did. Even if Utor does become a major typhoon, its fast forward speed means it will not have enough time over the islands to dump the kind of heavy rains that would cause significant loss of life. The typhoon-weary Philippines could sure use a break! The toll in the islands from Typhoon Durian stands at 1316 dead or missing, 1,933 injured, 80,000 homes destroyed, and 167,000 homes damaged. The estimated $600 million in damage is the highest ever for a Philippines typhoon, and the death toll is the 4th highest. The typhoon killed 105 people in its sweep past southern Vietnam, mostly due to high winds that collapsed buildings. Durian destroyed or damaged over 212,000 homes in Vietnam, and sank 808 fishing boats.
Bill Gray's 2007 hurricane season forecast
Friday, I'll review Bill Gray's 2007 hurricane season forecast, scheduled to be released late in the morning.
Jeff Masters
The views of the author are his/her own and do not necessarily represent the position of The Weather Company or its parent, IBM.