Hurricane Alex

The first Atlantic storm of the 2010 hurricane season was named Hurricane Alex. The name was assigned when the storm became a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 39 mph. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane if its maximum sustained winds reach 75 mph. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutgloss.shtml Alex was designated a tropical storm on June 26, 2010 and was upgraded toHurricane Alex on June 29. Hurricane Alex first made landfall June 30, 2010, hitting northeaster Mexico before moving north to Texas.http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2010/h2010_alex.html Alex was downgraded back to tropical storm status on July 1, 2010.http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2010/h2010_alex.html

The 2010 hurricane season begins on June 1 and ends on Nov. 30. Those with interests in hurricane-prone areas are watching the weather reports for signs of the first storm of the season. All the forecasters have predicted that the 2010 season will be busy, with more tropical storms and hurricanes than in an average year. http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=12552859

June 14-22, 2010:

A tropical wave moved off the coast of Africa and hurricane watchers said it may become Tropical Storm Alex, the first tropical storm of the 2010 hurricane season.http://www.nbc-2.com/Global/story.asp?S=12641056 From the central Atlantic Ocean about 800 miles southwest of the Cape Verde Islands, the wave moved at about 15 mph to the west northwest.http://www.wesh.com/weather/23890043/detail.html Development into a tropical depression and perhaps a tropical storm was likely because it was in warmer-than-average waters with little wind shear. The storm was not expected to develop into a hurricane because it will run into heavy wind shear as it continues in a westerly direction.

On June 15, although there were increasing showers and thunderstorms in the low pressure system, the National Hurricane Center advised that strong westerly winds were not conducive for cyclonic development. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATWOAT+shtml/161144.shtml On June 16, as the tropical wave approached the Leeward Islands, the National Hurricane Center reported that the system was poorly organized due to upper-level wind shear. Although the wave was producing showers and thunderstorms, further development was not expected.http://www.nola.com/weather/index.ssf/2010/06/tropical_wave_considered_unlik.html

On June 19, the weather system was producing heavy rain and gusty winds over portions of the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Haiti, still moving westward or west northwestward at 10 to 15 mph. http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2010/06/post_25.html Over the next few days, there was only a 10% chance that the system a tropical depression over the next 48 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center. http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2010/06/post_25.html On June 22, after several days of predicting that the system would not develop further, the National Hurricane Center advised that the weather conditions now may be favorable for further development. Because the upper-level winds were calmer, there was a 40% chance that the system would form into a tropical depression during the next 48 hours. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Alex reached tropical storm intensity on July 26, 2010 with predictions that it would reach hurricane strength within three days as it approached the Gulf of Mexico.http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2010/h2010_alex.html Alex was upgraded to hurricane status on June 29, 2010 and reached landfall in Mexico on June 30 and weakened back to tropical storm strength shortly after.http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2010/h2010_alex.html However, Alex caused heavy rains, flash flooding, and it interfered with cleanup of the BP oil spill in the gulf before dissipating.http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2010/h2010_alex.html

The U.S. National Weather Service began naming tropical storms and hurricanes in1953 for convenience in referring to particular storms. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutnames.shtml Initially, all the names were female names; male names were added to the list in 1979. The lists alternate male and female names alphabetically. Six lists of names are rotated. For example, the name Alex is on the 2010 list and will not be used again until 2016, even if there are no named storms in 2010. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) now selects names for tropical cyclones worldwide. http://www.wisegeek.com/how-are-hurricanes-named.htm If a storm is particularly deadly or destructive, the WMO retires the name for at least 10 years. When a storm name is retired, the WMO selects another name beginning with the same letter as the retired storm.

The name Alex first appeared on a list in 1998. Six years earlier, in 1992, the first name on the list was Andrew. Hurricane Andrew was a Category 5 storm that devastated Homestead, Florida with high winds and a 17-foot storm surge. Andrew was so deadly and extremely destructive that the WMO retired the name after the 1992 season. The name Andrew will not be used again for many years, if ever. Alex was substituted for Andrew on the 1998 list. It was also on the 2004 list. Thus, 2010 will be the third time the name Alex is used.

Note: Alex is a named used by both girls and boys. The WMO used Alex as a male name because it replaced Andrew and the next name on the list is Bonnie, clearly a female name.

The first Tropical Storm Alex formed on July 27, 1992, as a tropical wave moving off the coast of Africa.http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1998alex.html It began as a tropical depression and strengthened to a tropical storm on July 28. Its highest sustained winds were 45 knots on July 31. Its minimum central pressure was 1002 mb, also on July 31. The storm was prevented from strengthening further by wind shear, which decreased its intensity back to a tropical storm.The storm moved west but, before reaching the U.S. coast, it turned to the northwest and dissipated on Aug. 2. http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/atlantic/1998/index.html No watches or warnings were ever issued. Tropical Storm Alex never was a threat to land and caused no casualties or damages.

The first Hurricane Alex appeared during the 2004 hurricane season. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/2004alex.shtml? On July 31, the storm became a tropical depression about 175 nautical miles east of Jacksonville, FL. It strengthened to a tropical storm on Aug. 1. The storm moved northeastward toward the coast of the Carolinas and, about 65 nautical miles south-southeast of Cape Fear, it became a hurricane. The storm touched land at the Outer Banks of North Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane; officially Alex did not make landfall in the U.S. because its eye stayed just off the coast. http://www.2004hurricanes.com/alex.html Alex then turned back out over the Atlantic Ocean. On Aug. 5, about 385 nautical miles off the coast of Nova Scotia, Hurricane Alex entered the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and became a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph and a minimum pressure of 957 mb. It is very rare for hurricanes to strengthen so far north. Hurricane Alex then weakened rapidly to a tropical storm and then was absorbed by an extratropical low on Aug. 7. One fatality was attributed to Hurricane Alex. Most of the property damage caused by Hurricane Alex was to the Outer Banks, where the hurricane force winds damaged structures and downed power lines. Alex was the first of a long line of hurricanes and tropical storms in 2004. After Hurricane Alex in 2004 came Hurricanes Charley, Danielle, Earl, Frances, Gaston, Ivan, Jeanne, and Karl. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa//climate/research/2004/hurricanes04.html