I’ve watched a lot of hurricanes over the years and I never remember hearing of one coming out of the Pacific Ocean, crossing land then the Gulf, again across land and going into the Atlantic Ocean. That would be quiet a feat!

I do remember one year when one stalled in the gulf, went west then turned around and went east eventually crossing into the Atlantic. Ran twice from that one!

Hey, Janice:

First, I must ask, are postings read and and decided upon if they should be posted BEFORE they are actually posted on your site here? I posted a few things, and so far, only one actually appears.

Secondly, at the NYC BOAT SHOW, a representative from NOAA usually appears. At one show, he was looking for volunteer weather spotters. I signed up, took the literature, and was told that I would be contacted. Well, I never was. The following year, there was another representative present recruiting volunteers. I told him that I was never contacted. He asked me where I lived. I told him, and he said the reason probably is that I live in an are that has no meteorological importance.

What is that supposed to mean, and what makes one area meteorlogically important, and another area not important?

Janice,

Nice research the the main Hurricane site for your readers is http://WWW.nhc,noaa.gov it contains just about anything you could want to know plus kinks to other sites.

I’d like to answer the False Dervish…if they haven’t selected you as an official spotter probably means that there is an abundance of spotters in your area. That does not mean you can’t call in a report. At all the NWS offices I worked at we welcomed any call relaying info about severe weather.

On a personal note I want to add that my youngest son

Janice,

The hurricane FAQ section offers a wealth of info and the main hurricane site is http://www.nhc.noaa.gov anything you want to know about hurricanes can be found there, or from the links.

I’d like to answer the False Dervish if I may. If you weren’t selected as an “official” spotter probably means that there are an abundance of spotters in your area. That does not mean you can’t call in a report. At every NWS office I worked at we welcomed any call relaying info about severe weather. It’s also possible your name or number got lost in the shuffle. Call the WCM at your nearest NWS office.

Those public reports are invaluable.

Sorry about the 2 messages…my computer crashed and I didn’t think the 1st message went out.

The part about my youngest son is that Oct 24th will be one of the happiest days of my life since he will be returning home from his 2nd tour in Iraq.

Thanks for the explanation, Tom!

Appreciate it. And a welcome back to your son from Iraq!

If I might ask, since you were kind enough to reply to my question, I would like to take up amateur meteorology as a hobby. What book, or books, do you recommend that I read?

Also, what is the WCM?

Thanks, again!

Oh, I see…the Warning Coordination Meteorologist (I clicked on the site you provided, Tom).

Concerning Marcus’ question about trans-ocean hurricanes…I was wondering, why is it necessary to change the name of the hurricane once it crosses into another ocean? Would it not be easier for tracking and records to keep the name the same?

False Dervish,

There are numerous books specifically written for persons interested in meteorology(not the tedious textbooks), but I’d hate to reccomend any one. Check out your local bookstore and see what strikes your eye. Most of these are well written and in a manner that a non-metoerologist can understand and gain real insight into the world of weather.

Also you can go to your local NWS website(if you haven’t already) and get real-time radar pictures and a wealth of info.

Glad to have been of help…30+ years of public service is hard to be rid of.

Tom:

Judging from the time you took to answer my questions and the kindness you have shown to answer my questions, I would say that you provided the public with 30+ EXCELLENT years of service!

Thanks!

Thanks, Janice!

Janice,
I agree with your book selection, but having been a public servant for so long it’s difficult to reccomend one thing over another. If we did it was as if it was being endorsed by the NWS which is a strict no no. Sometimes it’s difficult to remember I no longer have to worry about that.

Thank you so much for your kind compliment. I enjoy watching you and you do an excellent job. I also got a big kick from your appearance on Redeye. It showed a completely different side of your personality.

As for a blog for me…uh uh…weather is now just a hobby I enjoy indulging myself with from time to time.

First JD you are a goddess! I spread that question to every weather outlet I could get my hands on. Even emailed “contacts” at NOAA. I checked the tracks and it was Ceasar that I remembered. It was the first time I had seen that.
Second…Dervish Tom is right right and right! All the way round. Make sure you give your boy a hug for all of us Tom! Also I live in Portland OR. For the most part ‘meterologically unimportant’ Things that happen here don’t get anyones attention til they get east of the Cascades when they start to blow up.
On the trans-ocean storm names……..Not sure of the protocal on names, but I’m sure it has to do with the different name lists. Hurricane Ivan was not renamed. A remnant of the storm reemerged over the gulf and redeveloped into a tropical system. It retained its name. And as Tom said, reports from us are invaluable! Spotting is also a step to chasing! hehehehhehehe
Marcus

Thanks, Marcus!

JD
Back to Dervish’s Query or a lil addition on my part. Where do you get your info from? I can tap in and listen to the air traffic controllers at JFK, but I can’t find real time weather info like the stuff you show on the air. I can’t see those ‘commas’ and ‘hooks’ developing like you do I mean we can all watch the weather loops that play on weather.com. Aside from building a doppler in my yard how to i get real time feeds like the pros? MID

Hey Janice, thanks for the suggestion on posting some of my photos. I have a Myspace account, but it has a bunch of other pictures and stuff on it, don’t want to bore everyone to death. I could create another one for my Iraq experience, but anyone that wants to look at them will have to create their own Myspace.
Does anyone out there have a suggestion of the easiest service to use?

The popcorn was great! Myself and the two other fellows on shift with me tonight are enjoying another bowl as I get them caught up on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.

Have a great day!

Thomas
Camp Speicher, Iraq

Marcus,
Your problem is that you’re not using weather.gov or your local NWS office web site, that’s where you can get as real time radar as there is. Use either the base or compositive reflectivity and loop.

Janice I hope I’m not stepping on your toes here. If I’m answering too many questions please say so. I don’t intend to interfere. Being retired gives me too much free time.

Thomas:

Don’t worry-YOU WILL NOT BE BORING ANYONE WITH YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS SO POST THEM RIGHT HERE!

You, and the rest of the guys and girls over there are taking more risks in one second than most of us take in a life time…so go ahead and post stuff. Also, provide weather info, too (after all this is a weather site! LOL) .

What branch of the service are you in and what unit? If you know any USAF CWT members, perhaps they can also post weather stuff here, too.

Derviish,

This answer comes from a friend at the Hurricane Center. I thought I knew the answer but decided to check.

When a named storm crosses from the Gulf or Caribbean
into the Pacific, it would only have its name changed if it dissipates
to a low or disturbance and acquires tropical cyclone status again in
its new basin. If it keeps its tropical cyclone status when crossing over the original name stays
the same. This was done for simplicity in keeping the naming nomenclature from
creating any confusion in the present, and in the future when retracing historical
archived data related to tropical cyclones.

The rule years ago was that the tropical cyclone was renamed to the
next name on the list of the basin to which it crossed over into
whether it was from the Gulf to the Pacific, or Pacific to the
Caribbean.

Hope this helps.

Yes, this helps. Thanks, Tom!