Tropical Storm Zeta
Posted by Stuart Staniford on December 30, 2005 - 7:02pm
Noted by Brad deLong's blog, there is a new tropical storm today, now christened Zeta by the NHC.
Anticipated track of Tropical Storm Zeta. Source: NHC. Click image to enlarge.
One is tempted to trumpet the unusualness of this, being as the official hurricane season has been over for a month. As Forecaster Franklin put it:
ALTHOUGH THE ATMOSPHERE SEEMS TO WANT TO DEVELOP TROPICAL STORMS AD NAUSEAM...THE CALENDAR WILL SHORTLY PUT AN END TO THE USE OF THE GREEK ALPHABET TO NAME THEM.However, it apparently is not unprecendented. Tropical Storm Alice developed on Dec 30th, 1954. However, that year was a lot quieter than this.
1954 Hurricane Tracks. Source: NHC. Click image to enlarge.
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I would have chosen that quote, too, but included its prior paragraph. Welcome to 7 or 8 month hurricane seasons, USA. But look on the bright side - only another 15 years of the bad 30 of the 60 year cycle to go.
It would be fitting if this was the latest storm, after all, just about all other records were broken in 2005. I'd guess the increase in tropical storm activity is the most obvious immediate manifestation of the reduction in the north atlantic conveyer, projecting forward it is maybe fortuitous that it may reduce to zero as the high part of the 60 year cycle ends.