Matthew takes aim at US Coastline, prompts evacuation
The forecast track for Hurricane Matthew is still uncertain, but with new weather information coming in daily, the US could potentially see some impacts from Matthew. It still remains unclear though as to where exactly Matthew will end up.
Matthew, like other hurricanes, is steered by global winds in the environment. The driving force behind Matthew is the flow around a subtropical ridge known as the Bermuda High.
Lately, global weather models have shown the ridge shifting more westward, which in turn is giving Matthew a more westerly track. This track now places a large portion of the US in the potential path of the storm.
Ahead of the hurricane, Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency Monday afternoon. Tuesday, South Carolina Governor Nikkie Haley announced she is planning evacuation beginning Wednesday for 1 million people. The plan is to get those residents at least 100 miles away from the coast.
If the impacts were to happen, the latest track doesn’t bring Matthew anywhere near the coastline until at least Friday. This afternoon, Matthew is moving relatively slow due in large part to slow moving ocean currents. The slow movement has allowed Haiti to become pummeled by the storm. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and is still recovering from a devastating earthquake in 2010.
Matthew is the most powerful Atlantic hurricane in the US in almost a decade and with the westward trend of models, the US could be in the cross hairs next. Although Matthew is strong it’s not the strongest storm ever recorded. The 10 strongest hurricanes to ever occur in the western hemisphere have happened within the last 50 years.
Hurricane Patricia, which hit near Jalisco, Mexico last year recently joined the list. At its strongest, Patricia had wind speeds of over 200 mph and spun its way into record books as being the second strongest storm ever recorded in the world. Matthew, while not the strongest, has also landed in the record books for its intensity.
With the recent uptick of hurricanes in the Atlantic, this begs the question of what is a hurricane’s purpose and why are they needed. It’s common knowledge that is warmer at the equator than it is at the poles, and the earth’s circulation is constantly trying to reach thermal equilibrium. It’s for this reason hurricanes form, transporting heat from the equator to the poles.
A lot of heat is released, in fact studies by NOAA show that the average hurricane produces 200 times the amount of energy that the world can generate. In just one day, the heat released by a hurricane can power the entire US for three years. Not only that, but the rain released can fill 22 million Olympic swimming pools, with each pool holding 660,000 gallons of water.
In addition to aiding in thermal equilibrium, hurricanes also aide in cycling nutrients from the sea floor to the surface, setting the ground for new life.
The track of Matthew is consistently changing and will most likely keep changing until more information is gathered. Stay tuned to ABC 17 Stormtrack and follow @ABC17Stormtrack for the latest information and track.
