Growth of Loop Current

[hurricanetrack]

Check this out. The image below is from Sept. 10, 2004 and shows the Loop Current in the GOM.



The next image is from Aug 24 of 2005:



And the last image is from March 20 of this year:



Notice how much the Loop Current grew from 2004 until now- where it appears to be holding steady with two warm eddys now located to its NW. What does it mean? I guess we will have to wait and see!

[ericinmia]

By chance do you have an image of the LC from March 2004 and 2005?

[JonathanBelles]

is that line the 80 degree mark

[gatorcane]

Yep I have been watching that loop current and am noticing it is warmer this year than last year. Also the waters off the FL straits and the E. coast of FL are much warmer this year.

[Ixolib]

Keep in mind that all three of those graphics are using different scales for depicting the temps. It would be interesting to see the same maps for the same dates of each year, all using the same scale and colors for the temp gradients.

But, regardless of the graphical view, they do seem to show the loop current as growing "growing".

[Hyperstorm]

I think we all have to understand that the warm SSTs or Loop Current is just one fraction of the equation of how strong a tropical cyclone can get. It would be completely irrelevant to have a strong Loop Current and have 15-20 kts of wind shear over a system.

The Gulf of Mexico along with the Caribbean Sea has the warmest waters of the basin during hurricane season over the years, but is NOT every single year that we see a hurricane bomb into a monster even in the Loop Current. Take a look at all the active years in the past and see that not every single cyclone that moves through it strengthens. We need to have all factors in place for that to happen. Last year was an anomaly to have 2 hurricanes move into the Loop Current with unusually favorable conditions.

We really don't know if this year will see this area covered with unusually strong wind shear to impede strong development. Please don't panic in thinking that we will see every storm strengthen as it moves through it regardless of how big it is this year...

[Steve]

One thing you have to remember is those High Res (this isn't the super high-res site, also first introduced to this site by yours truly) maps have different legend keys. If you notice your first two, the orange is approximately 89 whereas the last one is 81. They change that throughout the year so the corresponding water temperatures can be scaled accordingly. Just FWIW

Steve

[ROCK]

what does it mean?? well for starters if something was to spin up over these waters in August we could have Rita/ Kat all over again.