Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

The 1995 and 1996 North Atlantic Hurricane Seasons: A Return of the Tropical-Only Hurricane

Todd B. Kimberlain Department of Meteorology, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

Search for other papers by Todd B. Kimberlain in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
and
James B. Elsner Department of Meteorology, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

Search for other papers by James B. Elsner in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
Print Publication:
01 Aug 1998
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(1998)011<2062:TANAHS>2.0.CO;2
Page(s):
2062–2069
Restricted access

Abstract

Hurricane activity over the North Atlantic basin during 1995 and 1996 is compared to the combined hurricane activity over the previous four years (1991–94). The earlier period produced a total of 15 hurricanes compared to a total of 20 hurricanes over the latter period. Despite this similarity in numbers, the hurricanes of 1995 and 1996 were generally of the tropical-only variety, which marks a substantial departure from activity during the early 1990s. The return of tropical-only hurricanes to the Atlantic basin is likely the result of several global and local factors, including cool SST conditions in the equatorial central and eastern Pacific and warm SSTs in the tropical Atlantic. The hurricane activity of 1995 and 1996 is more reminiscent of activity of some seasons during the early and mid-1950s.

Corresponding author address: Mr. Todd B. Kimberlain, Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523.

Abstract

Hurricane activity over the North Atlantic basin during 1995 and 1996 is compared to the combined hurricane activity over the previous four years (1991–94). The earlier period produced a total of 15 hurricanes compared to a total of 20 hurricanes over the latter period. Despite this similarity in numbers, the hurricanes of 1995 and 1996 were generally of the tropical-only variety, which marks a substantial departure from activity during the early 1990s. The return of tropical-only hurricanes to the Atlantic basin is likely the result of several global and local factors, including cool SST conditions in the equatorial central and eastern Pacific and warm SSTs in the tropical Atlantic. The hurricane activity of 1995 and 1996 is more reminiscent of activity of some seasons during the early and mid-1950s.

Corresponding author address: Mr. Todd B. Kimberlain, Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523.

Save
Cover Journal of Climate
Journal of Climate

  • Avila, L. A., and R. J. Pasch, 1992: Atlantic tropical systems of 1991. Mon. Wea. Rev.,120, 2688–2696.

  • Carlson, T. N., 1971: An apparent relationship between sea surface temperature of the tropical Atlantic and the development of African disturbances into tropical storms. Mon. Wea. Rev.,99, 309–310.

  • Carton, J. A., X. Cao, B. S. Giese, and A. M. daSilva, 1996: Decadal and interannual SST variability in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. J. Phys. Oceanogr.,26, 1165–1175.

  • Elsner, J. B., G. S. Lehmiller, and T. B. Kimberlain, 1996: Objective classification of Atlantic hurricanes. J. Climate,9, 2880–2889.

  • Emanuel, K. A., 1991: The theory of hurricanes. Annu. Rev. Fluid. Mech.,23, 179–196.

  • Evans, J. L., 1993: Sensitivity of tropical cyclone intensity to sea surface temperature. J. Climate,6, 1133–1140.

  • Fernández-Partagás, J., and H. F. Diaz, 1996: Atlantic hurricanes in the second half of the nineteenth century. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc.,77, 2899–2906.

  • Frank, N. L., 1975: Atlantic tropical systems of 1974. Mon. Wea. Rev.,103, 294–300.

  • Goldenberg, S. B., and L. J. Shapiro, 1996: Physical mechanisms for the association of El Niño and West African rainfall with Atlantic major hurricane activity. J. Climate,9, 1169–1187.

  • Gray, W. M., 1984: Atlantic seasonal hurricane frequency. Part I: El Niño and 30-mb quasi-biennial oscillation influences. Mon. Wea. Rev.,112, 1649–1668.

  • ——, C. W. Landsea, P. W. Mielke Jr., and K. J. Berry, 1993: Predicting Atlantic basin seasonal tropical cyclone activity by 1 August. Wea. Forecasting,8, 73–86.

  • Hebert, P. J., J. D. Jarrell, and M. Mayfield, 1996: The deadliest, costliest, and most intense United States hurricanes of this century (and other frequently requested hurricane facts). NOAA Tech. Memo. NWS NHC-31 (February).

  • Hess, J. C., and J. B. Elsner, 1994: Extended-range seasonal hindcasts of easterly-wave origin Atlantic hurricane activity. Geophys. Res. Lett.,21, 365–368.

  • ——, J. B. Elsner, and N. E. LaSeur, 1995: Improving seasonal hurricane predictions for the Atlantic basin. Wea. Forecasting,10, 425–432.

  • Kimberlain, T. B., 1996: Baroclinically-initiated hurricanes of the North Atlantic basin. M.S. thesis, Dept. of Meteorology, The Florida State University, 204 pp. [Available from The Florida State University, Department of Meteorology, Tallahassee, FL 32306-3034.].

  • Knaff, J. A., 1997: Implications of summertime sea level pressure anomalies in the tropical Atlantic region. J. Climate,10, 789–804.

  • Landsea, C. W., 1993: A climatology of intense (major) Atlantic hurricanes. Mon. Wea. Rev.,121, 1703–1713.

  • ——, N. Nicholls, W. M. Gray, and L. A. Avila, 1996: Downward trends in the frequency of intense Atlantic hurricanes during the past five decades. Geophys. Res. Lett.,23, 1697–1700.

  • ——, W. M. Gray, G. D. Bell, and S. B. Goldenberg, 1998: The extremely active 1995 Atlantic hurricane season: Environmental conditions and verification of seasonal forecasts. Mon. Wea. Rev.,126, 1174–1193.

  • Lehmiller, G. S., T. B. Kimberlain, and J. B. Elsner, 1997: Seasonal prediction models for North Atlantic basin hurricane location. Mon. Wea. Rev.,125, 1780–1791.

  • Namias, J., 1973: The birth of Hurricane Agnes: Triggered by the transequatorial movement of a mesoscale system into a favorable large-scale environment. Mon. Wea. Rev.,101, 177–179.

  • Neumann, C. J., B. R. Jarvinen, C. J. McAdie, and J. D. Elms, 1993:Tropical Cyclones of the North Atlantic Ocean, 1871–1992. National Climatic Data Center and National Hurricane Center, 193 pp.

  • Reading, A. J., 1989: Caribbean tropical storm activity over the past four centuries. Int. J. Climatol.,10, 365–376.

  • Saunders, M. A., and A. R. Harris, 1997: Statistical evidence links exceptional 1995 Atlantic hurricane season to record sea warming. Geophys. Res. Lett.,24, 1255–1258.

  • Shapiro, L. J., and S. B. Goldenberg, 1998: Atlantic sea surface temperatures and tropical cyclone formation. J. Climate,11, 578–590.

  • Spiegler, D. B., 1972: Cyclone categories and definitions: Some proposed revisions. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc.,53, 1174–1178.

All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 0 0 0
Full Text Views 473 201 27
PDF Downloads 200 83 16