Katia Continues To Battle In Western Atlantic

When we last left Hurricane Katia late last week, it seemed destined to become a major hurricane by this weekend.  Since then, it has encountered wind shear, and has not been able to live up to its potential thus far.  However, on Sunday morning, Katia returned to minimal hurricane status as of 8:00 AM EDT.  Katia has valiantly battled the shear, and shown tremendous resiliency.

For those who aren’t aware, wind shear is when you have winds going in different directions at different heights.  Hurricanes and tropical storms do not like wind shear.  As powerful as tropical cyclones are, they are actually very fragile in terms of their structure.  A barotropic system such as a hurricane has a vertical cloud construction.  It is almost like a house of cards.  So, light upper level winds are crucial for development.

As of the 8 AM update from the National Hurricane Center, Katia was centered in the Western Atlantic some 365 miles Northeast of the Northern Leeward Islands.  Moving to the Northwest at 12 miles per hour, Katia has maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour with gusts up to 90 miles per hour.  Minimum central pressure is down to 987 millibars, or 29.15 inches of Hg.  Hurricane force winds extend some 35 miles from the eye while tropical storm force winds reach out some 175 miles from the center.

Looking at the 5:00 AM EDT discussion, the NHC indicated that Katia remains in a steady state.  No real changes to the storm’s structure.  The central dense overcast, or core of the storm remains intact.  The intensity forecast still sees Katia becoming a strong Category Two Hurricane within 96 hours, but showing signs of weakening after that.  Moving on to the forecast track,  the storm is expected to turn to the north within five days.

Residents along the East Coast of the United States should monitor the progress of this storm, and should expect large swells, rip currents, and dangerous surf at the beaches as the week progresses.