By TAMARA LUSH, Times Staff Writer
Published September 21, 2005
More tropical storms are forming closer to the Atlantic Coast this year, giving residents less time to prepare, meteorologists say. Six named storms - hurricanes Rita, Katrina and Ophelia and tropical storms Franklin, Harvey and Nate - formed near the Bahamas or Bermuda.
"Usually, the storms come from West Africa," said Chris Sisko, a meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. "That hasn't been the case this year." Only two storms - Alex and Gaston - formed so close to the coast last year.
Wind patterns, pressure systems and a warmer ocean temperatures synchronized near the U.S. to create these last-minute storms, said Chris Landsea, a meteorologist at the hurricane center. Hurricanes often develop out of tropical waves off the African Coast from a tropical wave off the continent. Hurricane Andrew in 1992 was one.
"This year, the tropical waves are waiting until they get to the western Atlantic to form," Landsea said.
There's no good explanation for it. The weather's like that sometimes. "We know all the ingredients, yet sometimes you have all those ingredients and nothing happens," said Landsea. "There is still quite a bit of guessing involved."
