Abstract
Tropical cyclone (TC) translation speed influences rainfall accumulation, storm surge, and exposure to high winds. These effects are greatest when storms stall. Here, we provide a definition and climatology of slow-moving or stalling TCs in the North Atlantic from 1900–2020. A stall is defined as a TC with a track contained in a circular area (“corral”) with a radius of ≤ 200 km for 72 hours. Of the 1,274 North Atlantic TCs, 191 storms met this definition (15%). Ten are multi-stalling storms, or those that experienced more than one stall period. Hurricane Ginger in 1971 stalled the most with four separate stalls. Stalling TC locations are clustered in the western Caribbean, the central Gulf Coast, the Bay of Campeche, and near Florida and the Carolinas. Stalling was most common in October TCs (17.3% of October total) and least common in August (8.2%). The estimated annual frequency of stalls significantly increased over the satellite-era (1966–2020) by 1.5% per year, and the cumulative frequency in the number of stalls compared to all storms also increased. Stalling storms have a significantly higher frequency of major hurricane status than non-stalling storms. Storms are also more likely to stall near the coast (≤ 200 km). Approximately 40% (n=77) of the stalling TCs experienced a period of rapid intensification, and five did so within 200 km of a coastal zone. These results will aid emergency managers in regions that experience frequent stalls by providing information they can use to better prepare for the future.
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