National Geographic: Hurricane Gustav to Become Gulf Coast Monster?

National Geographic: Hurricane Gustav to Become Gulf Coast Monster?

Willie Drye for National Geographic News (Willie Drye is author of Storm of the Century: the Labor Day hurricane of 1935, published by National Geographic Books.)

August 27, 2008 See more recent Hurricane Gustav coverage >>

The once and future Hurricane Gustav—currently a tropical storm over Haiti—could attack the U.S. Gulf Coast as a major hurricane this weekend. Or not.

The Gulf Coast's fate depends largely on a developing high-pressure system, whose southern edge extends roughly from the eastern Gulf of Mexico to the western Atlantic Ocean. (See a map of the region.)

High-pressure "ridges" repel storms, so if the developing ridge north of Cuba is strong, Gustav could be deflected westward and into the central Gulf of Mexico, where vast stretches of warm water could supercharge the storm as it heads for the U.S. coast.

[…]

(Related: "Hurricane Bertha's Burst of Strength Stumps Experts" [July 8, 2008].)

[…]

Gustav is expected to turn toward the U.S. sometime Friday or Saturday, and the high-pressure system will decide how sharp Gustav's turn will be.

[…]

There is "no way of knowing" at present how the high-pressure ridge is going to evolve, Waddlington said. The present long-range forecast says Gustav could come ashore anywhere from the central Florida Panhandle to the Texas-Mexico border.

[…]

Read the entire article here: National Geographic: Hurricane Gustav to Become Gulf Coast Monster?

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