Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog

Category 2 Evan batters Samoa, killing two
Posted by: Dr. Jeff Masters, 3:30 PM GMT on December 13, 2012 +33
The Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone season is beginning to heat up. Category 2 Tropical Cyclone Evan is pounding Samoa and American Samoa with heavy rains and high winds, after making landfall earlier today on the north shore of Samoa near the capital of Apia. At landfall, Evan had a small 10-mile diameter eye and top winds of 90 mph, but has since intensified to 105 mph winds. Media reports indicate that Evan has killed two, and brought a 12 - 15' storm surge, heavy rains, and severe damage to the island nation. Satellite loops show a well-organized storm with a tiny 7-mile diameter eye. Evan has plenty of intense heavy thunderstorm activity near its core, solid upper-level outflow, and is in an area with weak steering currents. Evan is expected to meander over Samoa until about 18 UTC on Friday, when a ridge of high pressure will build in and force the cyclone to the west. The storm will be in a region with light wind shear and very warm ocean waters that extend to great depth, and could intensify into a Category 3 or 4 cyclone by this weekend. On Sunday, when the ECMWF model predicts that Evan will be near Fiji, the storm will encounter increasing wind shear and should weaken.


Figure 1. True-color MODIS satellite image of Tropical Cyclone Evan over Samoa at 01:05 UTC December 13, 2012. At the time, Evan was a Category 1 storm with 90 mph winds. Image credit: NASA.

Jeff Masters
Categories: Hurricane
  Permalink | A A A
Reader Comments
Display: 0, 50, 100, 200 Sort: Newest First - Order Posted
Viewing: 201 - 251

Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7Blog Index

201. WxGeekVA 1:09 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting Some1Has2BtheRookie:


Water spacers?


The Lost Islands of Jurassic Park?
Member Since: September 3, 2011 Posts: 13 Comments: 3311
202. PensacolaDoug 1:12 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting Grothar:


What are those little islands?



Speed bumbs.
Member Since: July 25, 2006 Posts: 0 Comments: 4827
203. MAweatherboy1 1:14 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Good evening everyone. Evan looks very well organized, solid cloud pattern:



Interesting to note how low the ADT estimates are, they've had a significant low bias with this storm since the beginning. I suspect these numbers will shoot up if the eye clears out.

UW - CIMSS
ADVANCED DVORAK TECHNIQUE
ADT-Version 8.1.3
Tropical Cyclone Intensity Algorithm

----- Current Analysis -----
Date : 14 DEC 2012 Time : 003000 UTC
Lat : 13:09:24 S Lon : 171:53:56 W


CI# /Pressure/ Vmax
4.6 / 971.7mb/ 79.6kt


Final T# Adj T# Raw T#
4.6 4.6 4.1


Center Temp : -79.9C Cloud Region Temp : -82.4C

Scene Type : UNIFORM CDO CLOUD REGION w/ MW EYE

Positioning Method : SPIRAL ANALYSIS

Ocean Basin : EAST PACIFIC
Dvorak CI > MSLP Conversion Used : PACIFIC

Tno/CI Rules : Constraint Limits : MW ON
Weakening Flag : OFF
Rapid Dissipation Flag : OFF

C/K/Z MSLP Estimate Inputs :
- Average 34 knot radii : 82km
- Environmental MSLP : 1004mb

Satellite Viewing Angle : 56.6 degrees

This is likely a much more realistic estimate:

13/2352 UTC 13.0S 172.2W T5.5/5.5 EVAN -- Southeast Pacific
Member Since: February 11, 2012 Posts: 66 Comments: 6341
204. Articuno 1:22 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
HAven't been paying attention to the tropics much but yeah this thing looks like it could explode.

OFFTOPIC:
My birthday was yesterday! It was awesome :D
Member Since: October 22, 2011 Posts: 0 Comments: 1926
205. WxGeekVA 1:22 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Member Since: September 3, 2011 Posts: 13 Comments: 3311
206. wxchaser97 1:25 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting Articuno:
HAven't been paying attention to the tropics much but yeah this thing looks like it could explode.

OFFTOPIC:
My birthday was yesterday! It was awesome :D

Happy belated birthday. My sisters is the day after Christmas, lucky and unlucky her.
Member Since: March 16, 2012 Posts: 87 Comments: 6769
207. TropicalAnalystwx13 1:26 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Evan is having trouble clearing its pinhole eye out it appears.

Member Since: July 6, 2010 Posts: 89 Comments: 25207
208. BahaHurican 1:28 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Evening all...

Not surprised to see this storm over Samoa, given the recent major landfall on the southernmost of the Philippines.... seems activity was likely to just migrate south of the equator as the season progressed rather than fall off.

I hope this is not the beginning of an active and destructive season for the SPac.

Member Since: October 25, 2005 Posts: 19 Comments: 17588
209. AussieStorm 1:29 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
TXPS26 KNES 140015
TCSWSP

A. 04P (EVAN)

B. 13/2352Z

C. 13.0S

D. 172.2W

E. ONE/GOES-W

F. T5.5/5.5/D1.0/24HRS

G. IR/EIR/SSMI/AMSU

H. REMARKS...SYSTEM HAS DEVELOPED AS IT MOVES AWAY FROM LAND. DT=5.5
BASED ON WHITE EYE EMBEDDED IN CMG FOR 6.5 AND SURROUNDED BY CMG FOR
-1.0 EYE DEFINITION. FT IS BASED ON DT.

I. ADDL POSITIONS

13/1951Z 13.7S 171.6W SSMI
13/2046Z 13.4S 171.9W AMSU


...SWANSON
Member Since: September 30, 2007 Posts: 5 Comments: 13272
210. AussieStorm 1:31 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting BahaHurican:
Evening all...

Not surprised to see this storm over Samoa, given the recent major landfall on the southernmost of the Philippines.... seems activity was likely to just migrate south of the equator as the season progressed rather than fall off.

I hope this is not the beginning of an active and destructive season for the SPac.


So do I. Sad fact is, if there is a Cyclone in the SW Pacific, it will hit somewhere.
Member Since: September 30, 2007 Posts: 5 Comments: 13272
211. AussieStorm 1:32 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting wxchaser97:

Happy belated birthday. My sisters is the day after Christmas, lucky and unlucky her.

I'm 2 days before Christmas, along with my 2 cousins.
Member Since: September 30, 2007 Posts: 5 Comments: 13272
212. wxmod 1:36 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting MrMixon:


I've seen no proof that the contrails in the image you posted are anything other than commercial contrails due to normal flights going where they normally go. Heard of Occam's Razor? I've seen the document you cited before. Speculation on future capability does not equate to active implementation.

Just because a jet flew over an area doesn't mean the gov't is controlling the weather there:



MrMixon,

Those are not jet contrails. They are at sea level and the ships that are responsible for them are moving about 30mph. The so called "contrails" are also 20 or more miles WIDE. I don't care who made them or whether they are "intentional", they are geoengineering on a massive scale. And, they encouraged the Pacific storm front to sag further south than it historically would have. These are facts. And so is the desire of the US to "own" the weather by 2025.
Member Since: October 4, 2011 Posts: 0 Comments: 1220
213. GeoffreyWPB 1:41 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Nice and cool out this evening...for south Fla. standards.
Member Since: September 10, 2007 Posts: 0 Comments: 9108
214. MAweatherboy1 1:43 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting TropicalAnalystwx13:
Evan is having trouble clearing its pinhole eye out it appears.


It could be that it's having trouble, or it could be that it's actually not all that well organized right now, which is the option I'm leaning towards after checking microwave.

Member Since: February 11, 2012 Posts: 66 Comments: 6341
215. GeoffreyWPB 1:46 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
For West Palm...They took away my 40's for lows...:(

Member Since: September 10, 2007 Posts: 0 Comments: 9108
216. Dakster 1:55 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Darn. GeoffreyWPB - I like to see you getting 40's so we can at least see 50's!
Member Since: March 10, 2006 Posts: 0 Comments: 4923
217. fmhurricane2009 2:03 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
A local person got struck by lightning on October 11th, he was only 11 years old :( (Fort Myers lead the nation with the amount of days that thunder can be heard, at 94)

The Lee County School District has purchased new and improved lightning detection system which includes new Weatherbug stations at all high school. This is the brand new one I get to use at my school for the news every morning.

Thank you, Jesse Watlington, for increasing awareness about lightning strikes and ensuring that something like this will never happen at a sports practice.

May you Rest In Peace,
FM
Link
Member Since: August 15, 2009 Posts: 3 Comments: 190
218. GeoffreyWPB 2:04 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting Dakster:
Darn. GeoffreyWPB - I like to see you getting 40's so we can at least see 50's!


Well Dakster...They still have our high at 60 Christmas Eve day. Though I doubt it.
Member Since: September 10, 2007 Posts: 0 Comments: 9108
219. wxmod 2:06 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Heavy rain in the desert compliments of wx-mod-a-go-go.

Member Since: October 4, 2011 Posts: 0 Comments: 1220
220. HadesGodWyvern 2:11 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Fiji Meteorological Services
Tropical Cyclone Advisory #13
SEVERE TROPICAL CYCLONE EVAN, CATEGORY THREE (04F)
12:00 PM FST December 14 2012
===================================

A TROPICAL CYCLONE ALERT IS NOW IN FORCE FOR NIUATOPUTAPU AND NIUAFO'OU IN TONGA

At 0:00 AM UTC, Severe Tropical Cyclone Evan (965 hPa) located at 13.0S 171.9W has 10 minute sustained winds of 85 knots. The cyclone is reported as moving northwest at 5 knots. Position good based on hourly GMS visible/infrared imagery and peripheral surface reports.

Hurricane Force Winds
========================
20 NM from the center

Storm Force Winds
====================
35 NM from the center in northern semi-circle and within 24 NM from the center elsewhere

Gale Force Winds
================
50 NM from the center in the northern semi-circle and within 40 NM from the center elsewhere

Deep convection persistent over past 24 hours, EVAN has intensified over the last 12 hours. Cyclone lies under and upper diffluent region. Outflow good to the south. EVAN lies in a low sheared environment. Sea surface temperature is around 30C. Dvorak analysis based on embedded center CMG surround yielding DT of 5.0, MET=5.0, and PT=5.5. Final Dvorak T number based on DT.

Dvorak Intensity: T5.0/5.0/D1.0/2 4HRS

Forecast and Intensity
=====================
12 HRS: 13.1S 172.8W - 90 knots (CAT 4/Severe Tropical Cyclone)
24 HRS: 13.3S 174.4W - 90 knots (CAT 4/Severe Tropical Cyclone)
48 HRS: 14.6S 178.4W- 95 knots (CAT 4/Severe Tropical Cyclone)
Member Since: May 24, 2006 Posts: 43 Comments: 36684
221. GeoffreyWPB 2:20 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
What happened to Nea's YouTube converter site?

It is now called "iwantsomeproof.com"
Member Since: September 10, 2007 Posts: 0 Comments: 9108
222. BahaHurican 2:23 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting GeoffreyWPB:
What happened to Nea's YouTube converter site?
Huh?
Member Since: October 25, 2005 Posts: 19 Comments: 17588
223. wxchaser97 2:24 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting GeoffreyWPB:
What happened to Nea's YouTube converter site?

Ahhh man, it isn't working for me either.
Member Since: March 16, 2012 Posts: 87 Comments: 6769
224. Civicane49 2:25 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Evan:

Member Since: July 21, 2011 Posts: 60 Comments: 3827
225. Civicane49 2:26 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Member Since: July 21, 2011 Posts: 60 Comments: 3827
226. GeoffreyWPB 2:27 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting BahaHurican:
Huh?


Nea was nice enough to create a program where we can convert YouTube videos to the old embed codes.
Member Since: September 10, 2007 Posts: 0 Comments: 9108
227. Grothar 2:28 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting GeoffreyWPB:
What happened to Nea's YouTube converter site?

It is now called "iwantsomeproof.com"


It won't open for me either.
Member Since: July 17, 2009 Posts: 56 Comments: 19500
228. wxchaser97 2:29 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting GeoffreyWPB:
What happened to Nea's YouTube converter site?

It is now called "iwantsomeproof.com"

It still isn't working for me.
Member Since: March 16, 2012 Posts: 87 Comments: 6769
229. Grothar 2:30 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting GeoffreyWPB:


Nea was nice enough to create a program where we can convert YouTube videos to the old embed codes.


It looks like the old code is back on Youtube.
Member Since: July 17, 2009 Posts: 56 Comments: 19500
230. GeoffreyWPB 2:32 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
My favorite Scrooge...

Member Since: September 10, 2007 Posts: 0 Comments: 9108
231. wxchaser97 2:32 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting Grothar:


It looks like the old code is back on Youtube.

It is back on YouTube.
Sorry, I know this isn't weather related but it is to show the old embed code is back up...

The Victors:
Member Since: March 16, 2012 Posts: 87 Comments: 6769
232. GeoffreyWPB 2:35 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
I like this one also...

Member Since: September 10, 2007 Posts: 0 Comments: 9108
233. Grothar 2:35 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting wxchaser97:

It is back on YouTube.
Sorry, I know this isn't weather related but it is to show the old embed code is back up...

The Victors:


Yeah, sure.
Member Since: July 17, 2009 Posts: 56 Comments: 19500
235. TomTaylor 2:41 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting wxmod:
Heavy rain in the desert compliments of wx-mod-a-go-go.

You are to weather modification as cyclonebuster is to underwater tunnels...both of you are relentless, annoying, and insanely out of touch with reality.

While you are entitled to your beliefs, it is rude to force them upon everyone else, so please stop posting about weather modification.
Member Since: August 24, 2010 Posts: 18 Comments: 3886
236. AussieStorm 2:44 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Children feared swept away in Samoan cyclone

Video

Police in Samoa say a number of children are presumed to have drowned after being swept away in a flooded river when Cyclone Evan hit the South Pacific nation.

The cyclone made landfall yesterday and caused widespread damage across the country, killing at least two people, cutting power, causing flooding, and ripping trees out of the ground.

Locals say it is the worst storm to hit the region in recent years, and a state of disaster has been declared.

There are now fears the storm could intensify to a category five cyclone as it tracks across the north of Tonga and then moves onto Fiji.

New Zealand's high commissioner to Samoa, Nick Hurley, says police have told him a number of children went missing near the main river in Samoa's capital Apia.

Many places in Samoa have only just rebuilt after being devastated by a tsunami in 2009.

Authorities in Fiji have gone into emergency preparation as the cyclone threatens to head towards the country.

Fiji's weather bureau says the storm could eventually become a category five cyclone - packing winds at its core of 360 kilometres per hour - and on its current path would hit both of the nation's main islands.

© ABC 2012
Member Since: September 30, 2007 Posts: 5 Comments: 13272
237. wxmod 2:45 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
"Measurements of changes in atmospheric molecular oxygen using a new interferometric technique show that the O2 content of air varies seasonally in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and is decreasing from year to year. "http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v358/n6389/a bs/358723a0.html

" At less than 15% oxygen, fires would not burn, and at greater than 25% oxygen, even wet organic matter would burn freely."
http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/c urrent/lectures/Perry_Samson_lectures/evolution_at m/index.html
Member Since: October 4, 2011 Posts: 0 Comments: 1220
238. BahaHurican 2:45 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting GeoffreyWPB:


Nea was nice enough to create a program where we can convert YouTube videos to the old embed codes.
Ah....

Hadn't realized that. [prolly more like hadn't remembered... since I'm no good at embedding video in the first place...]
Member Since: October 25, 2005 Posts: 19 Comments: 17588
239. Neapolitan 2:46 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting GeoffreyWPB:


Nea was nice enough to create a program where we can convert YouTube videos to the old embed codes.
Sorry about that; the web server is being migrated today, and won't be back up until tomorrow at the earliest, and possibly not until Monday (depending on how closely Comcast sticks to its schedule). In the meantime, as others have noted, YouTube seems to have re-enabled the old embed code, at least for the time being.
Member Since: November 8, 2009 Posts: 4 Comments: 11143
240. AussieStorm 2:48 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting TomTaylor:
You are to weather modification as cyclonebuster is to underwater tunnels...both of you are relentless, annoying, and insanely out of touch with reality.

You can have your beliefs, but it is rude to force them upon everyone else; please stop posting about weather modification, thanks.


WunderBlogs - Dr. Masters' Blog Content Rules
3. No monomania.

mon-o-ma-ni-a
1. Pathological obsession with one idea or subject.
2. Intent concentration on or exaggerated enthusiasm for a single subject or idea.

wxmod has a severe case of this.
Member Since: September 30, 2007 Posts: 5 Comments: 13272
241. KoritheMan 2:50 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting wxmod:


MrMixon,

Those are not jet contrails. They are at sea level and the ships that are responsible for them are moving about 30mph. The so called "contrails" are also 20 or more miles WIDE. I don't care who made them or whether they are "intentional", they are geoengineering on a massive scale. And, they encouraged the Pacific storm front to sag further south than it historically would have. These are facts. And so is the desire of the US to "own" the weather by 2025.


All I see are a bunch of unsupported claims.

Seriously, if weather modification was actually ongoing, one would assume meteorologists would have noticed something odd is going on.
Member Since: March 7, 2007 Posts: 408 Comments: 15418
242. wxmod 2:51 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting TomTaylor:
You are to weather modification as cyclonebuster is to underwater tunnels...both of you are relentless, annoying, and insanely out of touch with reality.

You are entitled to your beliefs, but it is rude to force them upon everyone else; please stop posting about weather modification, thanks.


I have no intention of curtailing my posts about what I see as legitimate weather issues.
Member Since: October 4, 2011 Posts: 0 Comments: 1220
243. wxmod 2:53 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting KoritheMan:


All I see are a bunch of unsupported claims.

Seriously, if weather modification was actually ongoing, one would assume meteorologists would have noticed something odd is going on.


My claims are well supported. You have not followed my links, obviously.
Member Since: October 4, 2011 Posts: 0 Comments: 1220
244. wxchaser97 2:56 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting wxmod:


My claims are well supported. You have not followed my links, obviously.

They really aren't supported well, nor is weather modification happening.
Member Since: March 16, 2012 Posts: 87 Comments: 6769
245. TomTaylor 2:57 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting wxmod:


I have no intention of curtailing my posts about what I see as legitimate weather issues.
That's unfortunate. I think the blog would be a much better place without your posts cluttering up the blog with false information.

Also, as Aussie pointed out, monomania is not allowed on the blogs, so don't be surprised if some of your posts start disappearing.
Member Since: August 24, 2010 Posts: 18 Comments: 3886
246. WxGeekVA 2:58 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting AussieStorm:


WunderBlogs - Dr. Masters' Blog Content Rules
3. No monomania.

mon-o-ma-ni-a
1. Pathological obsession with one idea or subject.
2. Intent concentration on or exaggerated enthusiasm for a single subject or idea.

wxmod has a severe case of this.


Fortunately, there is a thing called "ignore user" and because of it I don't see any of his nonsense unless someone quotes him.
Member Since: September 3, 2011 Posts: 13 Comments: 3311
247. KoritheMan 3:00 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting wxmod:


My claims are well supported. You have not followed my links, obviously.


I did follow that one you gave me about David Keith (?). If you have anymore, I'm all ears.

Also, I love how you obviously can't answer the last part of my post.
Member Since: March 7, 2007 Posts: 408 Comments: 15418
248. AussieStorm 3:00 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting WxGeekVA:


Fortunately, there is a thing called "ignore user" and because of it I don't see any of his nonsense unless someone quotes him.

Same here. I only noticed wxmod post cause someone else quoted them.
Member Since: September 30, 2007 Posts: 5 Comments: 13272
249. BahaHurican 3:06 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Quoting WxGeekVA:


Fortunately, there is a thing called "ignore user" and because of it I don't see any of his nonsense unless someone quotes him.
Some of the pics are pretty.
Member Since: October 25, 2005 Posts: 19 Comments: 17588
250. Civicane49 3:07 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Member Since: July 21, 2011 Posts: 60 Comments: 3827
251. BahaHurican 3:13 AM GMT on December 14, 2012    
Some pics of damage and flooding in Samoa:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/807447 6/Apia-slammed-as-cyclone-hits-Samoa

You have to click on the link at the left to see the photo gallery.

Damage looks quite extensive.
Member Since: October 25, 2005 Posts: 19 Comments: 17588

Viewing: 201 - 251

Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7Blog Index

New Comment
Community Standards Policy Comments will take a few seconds to appear.
Post Your Comments
Please sign in to post comments.
Not only will you be able to leave comments on this blog, but you'll also have the ability to upload and share your photos in our Wunder Photos section.
About JeffMasters
Jeff co-founded the Weather Underground in 1995 while working on his Ph.D. He flew with the NOAA Hurricane Hunters from 1986-1990.

Community Activity