Swirly Thing Alert: H. Ivan C4<>C5

[dolphins_log]

Category: 4--5
Wind: 155
Strengthening possible.

Category five actually starts at greater than 155 mph. Ivan is currently right at 155. He could reach that just above mark before he makes landfall in Jamaica.

Comments

[jeffreycornish.livejournal.com]

I just hope the Cape doesn't get too much of Ivan.

one bit of info from NASA research about hurricanes that is interesting is that a hurricane can be weakened if it crosses the path of a prior hurricane.

hurricane's derive thier power from the latent heat of the tropical ocean waters. As they work as a kind of engine, they _draw_ the heat out of the water, cooling it.

The ocean remains cooler in across the swath that the hurricane crossed.

Since two hurricanes have hit FL is such a short amount of time, the sea tempuratures around FL should be low enough that Ivan would be weakened crossing it.

[dolphinchatter.livejournal.com]

That makes a lot of sense. Though looking at the map on the sea temperature at "Weather Underground" (http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/) it would seem that the currents have churned up that water quite a bit since Charley and Frances.