| AgentB |
| (Weather Guru) |
| Fri Jul 15 2005 01:55 PM |
|
Re: Emily Category 4, Hurricane Warnings up for Jamaica
|
Quote:
Does the size of the storm affect the intensification... namely the rate of intensification? Essentially, I could envision two storms of identical strength in similar SST and shear environments but one is much larger than the other. Does the smaller storm intensify more rapidly than the larger storm since it has less "area" to distribute the energy it gains from the sea and can thus distribute the energy more rapidly? Just curious...
I would agree with the idea that a smaller storm would intesify more rapidly than a larger one. If you think about some of the strongest hurricanes in history(Camille/Andrew/etc), they weren't very large storms. More specifically their eyes weren't very large. I think it would take less heat/energy to build, maintain and strengthen a smaller stormso it's a bit easier to become very strong.
One thing I've been thinking of is what inhibits a storm's growth. Obviously cooler ocean temps, dry air, etc. will reduce a storm's strength/size. However, does a storm ever reach a point where it will not grow anymore even if it's in a favorable environment? Almost as if the way it formed and grew can determine how big it will eventually become, and for some reason it won't get past a certain point? Or is it always inhibited by the water temps/surrounding air/etc. and not much else?