In the terrible shadow of destruction cast by Hurricane Katrina, it may be tempting to overlook her smaller (and apparently retarded) sister, Ophelia. If any of you have been watching Ophelia over the last 10 days, you may be thinking: What is WRONG with this storm? It doesn't move, it doesn't dissipate, and it doesn't worsen. In many ways it defies what I had been told about hurricanes, namely that they are nature's way of moving warm water to cooler regions of the globe, and that they need a constant source of warm water to survive. Ophelia, however, moves with about as much verve as a hippo on tranquilizers, AND she keeps raining over the same patch of ocean, which by now must be a brisk 68 degrees.
If you know me, you know I'm a little obsessed about weather. Storms in general, and hurricanes in particular, seem to be the one way to prove beyond a doubt that if there is a God, he has a serious drinking problem. So, I tried to imagine what would happen if Ophelia simply NEVER went away...and never made landfall. Would we have to name next year's storms around her, skipping the "O"? Would she become a permanent feature of navigation charts (with cautions on maps to avoid the big red thing that looks like Jupiter's spot)? Would extreme-surfer clubs spring up along the Carolina coast to take advantage of the perpetual curl?
So, I decided to find out what a hurricane's average lifespan usually is. Turns out, the average is about 10 days from the time a storm is named to when it degrades into a minor tropical depression (hopefully far out at sea). Ophelia, subnormal that she is, has already been with us 10 days and has only traveled about 300 miles. So I wondered if she was on her way to setting a new longevity record. Turns out, she's not even close.
In 1971, Hurricane Ginger formed a few hundred miles east of Nassau. She drifted slowly eastward and got about halfway to Europe before it occurred to her that she'd forgotten something. So, she turned around and headed west again, where she made landfall as a Category 1 storm in North Carolina. Her lifespan...a stunning 28 days. Imagine the weather forecasters trying to call this one. Let me say again that she went HALFWAY TO EUROPE before reversing. The meteorologists must have thought their instruments were broken. When in fact it was just that God had gotten into some really bad moonshine.
I agree. She is quite tarded. We (those in the Southeast) prepared to the gills for this gal. I kid you not. I am 30 miles inland and all we got was a brisk wind. ??? Waited on the rain for two day and literally only got a few drops. You would love living here in our weather. It's never boring!
Love the blog. Got the link from your lovely wife. You both rock! Keep up the good work.
Posted by: Hope | September 15, 2005 at 11:18 PM
My 5-year-old son is quite taken with the weather, too. He was fine with endless coverage of Katrina pre-empting his beloved "Storm Stories" on the Weather Channel, but is rather dismissive of Ophelia doing the same thing (her category is not high enough to excite him). I'll have to see if her unusual behavior peaks his interest. His specialty, however, is the tornado.
Posted by: Cyl | September 16, 2005 at 11:32 AM
I have a very British obsession with the weather and have been watching the mix of scary weather and scary-er politics with interest and horror
Our weather forcasts tend to be very hit or miss affairs to be honest most days you'd be better off just looking out of the window! However, on breakfast tv this morning we were informed that forcasters have issued a long term forecast for 'a cold spell in December and January with snowfall' .....*sigh*
Posted by: Jean | September 19, 2005 at 05:35 AM