Hurricanes 3

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USA, finally dissipating near the city of Monterrey.
During its most intense phase at the western end of the Caribbean Sea, Gilbert was estimated to have central pressure of 885mbar, and maximum sustained winds in its circulation over 150kt (knots) with highest gusts in excess of 175 kt. The central pressure outrivalled the 899 mbar of the Florida Keys hurricane of 1935. Gilbert, at that stage an un-named tropical depression with maximum sustained winds around 30kt, was first spotted on Thursday 8 September some 300km east of Barbados. It brushed past Barbados and St Lucia the following day with limited wind-damage and some flooding, and was upgraded to ‘tropical storm’ status (means winds 34kt or more).

Gathering strength over the warm waters of the eastern Caribbean, Gilbert achieved ‘hurricane’ status (means winds 64kt or more) , with gale force winds brushing the south coasts of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The island was swept by the ...

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depression’ at 1600 GMT on the 17th, near the city of Saltillo. It was the 210mm of rain which caused the Santa Catarina to break its banks, claiming 200 lives in that city.

There are certain conditions which favour hurricane formations such as Hurricane Gilbert. The sea surface temperatures were in excess of 30șC. There were no strong inversions which would prevent the growth of deep clouds- convectively unstable air. There was a high relative humidity in the middle troposphere. There was little change of the horizontal wind with increasing height (low vertical wind shear). An existing cyclonic rotation of the winds in the lower troposphere is also a condition that ...

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