Irma, Katia and Jose: Trio of hurricanes in Atlantic Ocean baffles weather scientists
Updated
Hurricane scientists say they've "never seen anything like this in the modern record".
Satellite images show three hurricanes currently lined up in the Atlantic Ocean threatening to make landfall.
The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) has issued advisories on Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Jose, and Hurricane Katia, all of which had the potential to hit land at the same time: on Saturday.
This is something Eric Blake, an NHC scientist, said is "unparalleled here and totally ridiculous given [the scale of] Irma".
Hurricane Irma, dubbed one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in a century, devastated a string of Caribbean islands, ploughed past the Dominican Republic, pounded Cuba's northern coast on Saturday and now has Florida's Gulf Coast in its sights.
The category five hurricane is expected to make landfall in southern Florida on Sunday, bringing devastating 209kph winds, before it eases back to a category four.
Mr Blake, a hurricane expert tweeting updates on the storms, expressed his disbelief over the unfolding weather events.
"I have little doubt Irma will go down as one of the most infamous in Atlantic hurricane history," he said.
As Irma pummelled the Turks and Caicos islands, two other hurricanes spun in it its flanks.
To the east, Katia was spinning in the Gulf of Mexico. The hurricane ultimately made landfall in the capital state of Veracruz in the early hours of Saturday.
Two people died in Xalapa when mud, loosened from a hillside by Katia's rains, trapped them in their home.
At the same time, Hurricane Jose was spinning in Irma's path about 1,060 kilometres east of the Lesser Antilles.
Quickly becoming the third major hurricane of this year's Atlantic season, the category four system moved toward the Leeward Islands, including Barbuda and Antigua, where it passed on Saturday.
The core of Jose is expected to move away from the northern Leeward Islands and should gradually begin to weaken on Sunday.
French ministers have decided to step up security on the Caribbean islands of St Martin and St Barts.
While Jose could miss these islands, hurricane watches have been issued. A direct hit would be a heavy blow to the small Caribbean islands that were hit hard by Irma and are now facing the approach of Jose.
The last time three hurricanes appeared simultaneously in the Atlantic was in 2010 when Hurricanes Karl, Igor and Julia lined up in a row. But as Julia never made landfall, no advisories were issued.
This was the first time three hurricanes were forecast to make landfall simultaneously.
Climate forecasters at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned that this storm season would be above average.
They predicted between five and nine hurricanes and they are already up to six with the addition of Jose and Katia.
There is still almost three months left of the season, which runs until November 30.
So why are we seeing so many hurricanes?
Warmer sea surface temperatures, a virtually non-existent El Nino and a lack of high altitude winds which normally helps to slow storms in their path has led to the increase in hurricanes.
Essentially, the warmer and deeper the ocean — the more powerful the hurricane.
Hurricane Harvey, which became the most powerful hurricane to strike Texas in more than 50 years, caused so much damage because it moved so slowly, dumped so much water and then started feeding itself from all that water it had dropped.
Hurricane Irma is proving so dangerous because of its size and intensity.
Large storms with powerful wind speeds tend to lead to the more destructive, higher storm surges.
Along the coast, those storm surges are often the greatest threat to life and property from a hurricane, according to the NHC.
ABC/wires
Topics: storm-event, weather, storm-disaster, disasters-and-accidents, haiti, puerto-rico, antigua-and-barbuda, united-states, mexico
First posted
