NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Meteorological history of Hurricane Katrina

The meteorological history of Hurricane Katrina, an extremely destructive hurricane which was Category 5 at its peak, starts from its formation over the southeastern Bahamas as Tropical Depression Twelve, which was reported by the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) at 5:00 p.m. EDT on August 23. Lowest pressure 902 mbar (hPa) Damages $81. ... The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a scale classifying most Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the levels of tropical depression and tropical storm and thereby become hurricanes. ... The U.S. National Hurricane Center is the division of National Weather Services Tropical Prediction Center responsible for tracking and predicting the likely behavior of tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes. ... This is the song that never ends yes it gos on and on my friends some people started singing it not knowing what it was they just started singing it forever just becauseThis is the song that never ends yes it gos on and on my friends some...

Formation

Tropical Depression Twelve formed over the southeastern Bahamas at 5:00 p.m. EDT (2100 UTC) on August 23, 2005, partially from the remains of Tropical Depression Ten. While normal standards for numbering tropical depressions indicate that the old name/number is retained, satellite data indicated that a second tropical wave combined with Tropical Depression Ten north of Puerto Rico to form a new system, which was so designated as Tropical Depression Twelve.^[1] In a later re-analysis, it was determined that the low-level circulation of Ten had completely detached and dissipated, with only the remnant mid-level circulation moving on and merging with the aforementioned tropical wave. Those conditions did not fulfill the criteria for keeping the same name and identity.^[2] EDT can stand for: Eastern Daylight Time Eau de toilette electrodynamic tether. ... It has been suggested that leap second be merged into this article or section. ... This is the song that never ends yes it gos on and on my friends some people started singing it not knowing what it was they just started singing it forever just becauseThis is the song that never ends yes it gos on and on my friends some... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season officially began June 1, 2005 and officially ended on November 30, 2005 although effectively the season persisted into January of 2006 due to continued storm activity. ... Tropical waves, also known as easterly waves, are elongated areas of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, causing areas of cloudiness and thunderstorms. ...

First landfall

The system was upgraded to Tropical Storm Katrina on the morning of August 24. A burst of convection allowed Katrina to become the fourth hurricane of the 2005 season on August 25, only two hours before it made landfall around 6:30 p.m. EST between Hallandale Beach and Aventura, Florida. Katrina had a well-defined eye on doppler radar which remained intact throughout its passage over Florida. The storm weakened over land on August 26 to a tropical storm, and regained strength to hurricane status at 2:00 a.m. EDT, approximately one hour after entering the Gulf of Mexico. Parts of the Florida Keys experienced tropical storm winds throughout August 26, with the Dry Tortugas briefly experiencing hurricane-force winds.^[2] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (5600x4400, 3669 KB) http://earthobservatory. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (5600x4400, 3669 KB) http://earthobservatory. ... August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ... Convection is the transfer of heat by currents within a fluid. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 25 is the 237th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (238th in leap years), with 128 days remaining. ... Hallandale Beach is a city located in Broward County, Florida. ... Aventura is a city located in northeastern Miami-Dade County, Florida. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Doppler radar uses the Doppler effect to measure the relative velocity information from a radar system. ... August 26 is the 238th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (239th in leap years). ... Gulf of Mexico in 3D perspective. ... Palm trees in Islamorada The Florida Keys are an archipelago, a string of about 1700 islands in the southeast United States. ... August 26 is the 238th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (239th in leap years). ... Dry Tortugas overview map Dry Tortugas detail map Map of Garden Key with Fort Jefferson Fort Jefferson on Garden Key, from northeast The Dry Tortugas are a small group of islands, located at the end of the Florida Keys, USA, about 113 km west of Key West, and 60 km...

Gulf of Mexico

The initial NHC forecasts predicted that Katrina would begin turning northward after landfall, eventually to hit the Florida Panhandle approximately three to four days in the future. Katrina, however, continued a westerly and west-southwesterly track, which eventually shifted the forecast track westward to New Orleans. The Florida Panhandle is the region of the state of Florida which includes the westernmost 16 counties in the state. ...

Immediately after the storm entered the Gulf of Mexico, the low wind shear, good upper-level outflow, and the warm sea surface temperatures of the Gulf Loop Current caused Katrina to start intensifying rapidly. On August 27, the storm was upgraded to Category 3 intensity, becoming the third major hurricane of the season. An eyewall replacement cycle disrupted the intensification of maximum winds for about 18 hours, but led to an almost doubling in radius of the storm. A second period of rapid intensification started by 7:00 p.m. CDT on August 27, and by 12:40 a.m. CDT on August 28, Katrina was upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph. It became a Category 5 storm by 7:00 a.m. CDT, twelve hours after the beginning of the second round of rapid intensification, and reached its peak intensity at 1:00 p.m. CDT with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph (280 km/h), gusts of 215 mph (344 km/h) and a central pressure of 26.64 inches or 902 mbar. The minimum pressure made Katrina, at the time, the fourth most intense Atlantic Basin hurricane on record (Hurricanes Rita and Wilma would later surpass Katrina that same year). Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1194x917, 218 KB) Summary Obtained by recommendation of Jim Scott, News Services, Colorado University 9/27/2005 cunews@colorado. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1194x917, 218 KB) Summary Obtained by recommendation of Jim Scott, News Services, Colorado University 9/27/2005 cunews@colorado. ... Gulf Stream currents (1943 map). ... Wind shear is a difference in wind speed or direction between two points in the atmosphere. ... Visualisation of the SST of the ocean just before Hurricane Bob (August 14, 1991) Sea surface temperature (SST) is the water temperature at 1 meter below the sea surface. ... Gulf Stream currents (1943 map). ... August 27 is the 239th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (240th in leap years), with 126 days remaining. ... Eye of Typhoon Odessa, Pacific Ocean, August 1985 The eyewall is the region of a tropical cyclone with the strongest winds, the tallest clouds, and the heaviest rain. ... August 27 is the 239th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (240th in leap years), with 126 days remaining. ... August 28 is the 240th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (241st in leap years), with 125 days remaining. ... A millibar (mbar, also mb) is 1/1000th of a bar, a unit for measurement of pressure. ... Lowest pressure 895 mbar (hPa)[1] Damages $10 billion (2005 USD)[1] Fatalities 7 direct, 113 indirect Areas affected Bahamas, Florida, Cuba, YucatÃ¡n Peninsula, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas Part of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season Hurricane Rita is the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most... Lowest pressure 882 mbar (hPa) (Lowest pressure ever recorded in an Atlantic hurricane) Damages $16-20 billion (2005 USD) Fatalities 22 direct, 40 indirect Areas affected Jamaica, Haiti, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Honduras, Nicaragua, Belize, YucatÃ¡n Peninsula, Florida, Bahamas, Atlantic Canada Part of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season Hurricane Wilma...

By the morning of August 29, the storm was large enough that some areas of the Gulf Coast were already experiencing tropical storm-force winds. The center of Katrina was about 200 mi (315 km) away from the mouth of the Mississippi River. Tropical storm-force winds extended 230 statute miles (370 km) away from the center of the storm, and hurricane-force winds extended about 100 miles (165 km) away. Overnight on August 29, and into that morning, Katrina quickly weakened (in terms of maximum sustained winds) as it began to enter another eyewall replacement cycle. The inner eyewall deteriorated before an outer eyewall had fully formed. Slightly-increasing shear and dropping sea surface temperatures also may have played a role in the weakening. In 18 hours, the hurricane's maximum sustained winds decreased from 170 mph (280 km/h) to 125 mph (205 km/h). However, storm surge remained high at landfall because large waves greater than 30 feet in height (up to 55 feet) were generated beforehand when Katrina was at Categories 4 and 5. The waves then combined with the storm surge of the large Category 3 hurricane.^[2] August 29 is the 241st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (242nd in leap years), with 124 days remaining. ... The Gulf of Mexico is a major body of water bordered and nearly landlocked by North America. ... The Mississippi River, derived from the old Ojibwe word misi-ziibi meaning great river (gichi-ziibi big river at its headwaters), is the second-longest river in the United States; the longest is the Missouri River, which flows into the Mississippi. ... A mile is any of several units of distance, or, in physics terminology, of length. ... August 29 is the 241st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (242nd in leap years), with 124 days remaining. ...

Second and third landfalls

Katrina made its second landfall at 6:10 a.m. CDT on August 29 as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 125 mph (205 km/h) near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana. At landfall, hurricane-force winds extended outward 120 miles (190 km) from the center and the storm's central pressure was 920 mbar. Because Katrina had just weakened from Category 4 and due to the shape of the coastline, sustained Category 4 winds likely existed on land while the eye was over water. At landfall, hurricane-force winds extended outward 120 miles (190 km) from the center, the storm's pressure was 920 mbar (27.17 inHg), and its forward speed was 15 mph (10 km/h). Making its way up the eastern Louisiana coastline, most communities in Plaquemines, St. Bernard Parish, and Slidell in St. Tammany Parish were severely damaged by storm surge and the strong winds of the eyewall, which also grazed eastern New Orleans. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (775x1000, 256 KB) [1] Credit: NASA/Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [2] File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (775x1000, 256 KB) [1] Credit: NASA/Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [2] File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... August 28 is the 240th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (241st in leap years), with 125 days remaining. ... EDT can stand for: Eastern Daylight Time Eau de toilette electrodynamic tether. ... August 29 is the 241st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (242nd in leap years), with 124 days remaining. ... Buras-Triumph is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. ... http://en. ... St. ... Slidell is a city in St. ... St. ...

A few hours later, after weakening slightly, Katrina made its third landfall near the Louisiana/Mississippi border with 120 mph (195 km/h) sustained winds, still at Category 3 intensity.^[2] Its minimum pressures at its second and third landfalls were 920 mbar, making Katrina the third strongest hurricane on record to make landfall on the United States.

Because the storm was so large, extremely-damaging eyewall winds and the strong northeastern quadrant of the storm pushed record storm surges onshore, smashing the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast, including towns in Mississippi such as Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport, Biloxi, Ocean Springs, Gautier and Pascagoula, and, in Alabama, Bayou La Batre. The storm surges peaked at 34 ft (10.4 m) in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi and at 13 feet (4 m) as far away as Mobile, Alabama (the highest since 1917).^[2] Storm surge was particularly high due to the hydrology of the location, the hurricane's extreme size, and the fact that it weakened only shortly before landfall. As Katrina moved inland diagonally over Mississippi, high winds cut a swath of damage that affected almost the entire state. Waveland is a city located in Hancock County, Mississippi, on the Gulf of Mexico. ... Bay Saint Louis is a city located in Hancock County, Mississippi. ... Pass Christian is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. ... Long Beach is a city located in Harrison County, Mississippi. ... Gulfport, Mississippi city flag. ... Biloxi and Mississippi coast Biloxi is a city located in Harrison County, Mississippi. ... Ocean Springs is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, about 2 miles east of Biloxi. ... Gautier is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. ... Pascagoula is a city located in Jackson County, Mississippi. ... Bayou La Batre (pronounced Bah-you luh Batch-ry) is a city located in Mobile County, Alabama. ... Bay Saint Louis is a city located in Hancock County, Mississippi. ... Nickname: The Azalea City Location Coordinates , Government Country State County United States Alabama Mobile Founded Incorporated 1702 1814 Mayor Sam Jones Geographical characteristics Area City 412. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... Water covers 70% of the Earths surface. ...

Demise

Katrina maintained hurricane strength well into Mississippi, but weakened thereafter, losing hurricane strength more than 150 mi (240 km) inland, near Jackson, Mississippi. It was downgraded to a tropical depression near Clarksville, Tennessee and broke in half. One half continued to race northward, affecting the central U.S. along its path, and was last distinguishable in the eastern Great Lakes region on August 31. On August 31, Katrina was absorbed by a frontal boundary and became a powerful extratropical low, causing 50-170 mm (1.97-6.69 in) of rain in 12 hours, as well as gale-force wind gusts from 31 to 61 mph (50 to 98 kp/h) in southeastern Quebec and northern New Brunswick. In the region of Saguenay and Cote-Nord, rain caused breakdowns and failure in roads. The Cote-Nord region was isolated from rest of Quebec for at least 1 week. The other half of Katrina broke off in the eastern part of the Appalachians, primarily leading to a significant tornado outbreak in the area from central Georgia to central Pennsylvania, killing two people and causing millions of dollars in additional damage. Flag Seal Nickname: The Best of the New South; The Bold, New City Location Coordinates , Government Country State County United States Mississippi Hinds Founded 1822 Mayor Frank Melton Geographical characteristics Area City 276. ... Cyclone Catarina, a rare South Atlantic tropical cyclone viewed from the International Space Station on March 26, 2004. ... Clarksville is a city in Montgomery County, Tennessee, USA. As of the 2005 census, the city had a total population of 123,395, retaining its position as Tennessees fifth largest city. ... The Great Lakes from space The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes in North America on or near the Canada-United States border. ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ... Motto: Je me souviens (French: I remember) Official languages French Flower White garden lily Capital Quebec City Largest city Montreal Lieutenant-Governor Lise Thibault Premier Jean Charest (PLQ) Parliamentary representation - House seat - Senate seats 75 24 Area Total - Land - Water (% of total) Ranked 2nd 1,542,056 kmÂ² 1,183... Motto: Spem reduxit (Hope restored) Official languages English, French Flower Violet Capital Fredericton Largest city Saint John Lieutenant-Governor HermÃ©nÃ©gilde Chiasson Premier Bernard Lord (PC) Parliamentary representation - House seat - Senate seats 10 10 Area Total - Land - Water (% of total) Ranked 11th 72 908 kmÂ² 71 450 kmÂ² 1... Saguenay refers to: the city of Saguenay, Quebec; the Saguenay River; the region of the Saguenay (see Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean); the legendary Kingdom of the Saguenay. ... Côte-Nord (literaly Northern Coast) is the second largest (235,742 km², 17%) region by land area in Quebec, Canada, after Nord-du-Quebec. ... The Appalachian Mountains are a system of North American mountains running from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada to Alabama in the United States, although the northernmost mainland portion ends at the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec. ... More than six tornadoes in one day is considered a tornado outbreak. ... Official language(s) None Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area Ranked 33rd - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 kmÂ²) - Width 160 miles (255 km) - Length 280 miles (455 km) - % water 2. ...

At 11:00 p.m. EDT on August 31, the center of the remnant low of what was Katrina had been completely absorbed by a frontal boundary in southeastern Canada, with no discernible circulation.^[3]^[4] August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ...

Contents

Formation

First landfall

Gulf of Mexico

Second and third landfalls

Demise

See also

References