Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Gustav now a hurricane. Why all the hype?

From the Houston Chronicle's SciGuy:

Taking advantage of the warm northern Caribbean Sea waters, Gustav continued organizing overnight and now has become the season's third hurricane. Its maximum sustained winds have reached 90 mph. Let's talk about where Gustav might be going, how strong it might get and why there's such a buzz surrounding the storm.


The computer models have made a significant jump toward the southwest overnight, and now generally agree upon a track into the Gulf of Mexico between the western half of Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula.



People are buzzing about Gustav because it seems to have the best chance of any tropical system since the record 2005 Atlantic hurricane season's Katrina, Rita and Wilma to traverse the central Gulf of Mexico, where the loop current stands ready to aid in the rapid intensification of a hurricane.

It's also the time of year, from now until the end of September, when the Gulf waters are at their warmest. So if we're to have a major hurricane strike the Gulf coast this year, now's the time....MORE

Here's one of the headline's he's talking about. From CNN:
Forecasters: Gustav could become 'extremely dangerous'