View across the Outer Harbour of Stornoway

Saturday 24 September 2011

Hurricane update 24 September

Ophelia is a strange tropical storm, waxing and waning in intensity. It is not a threat to land, as it sits 400 miles east of the Leeward Islands, and forecast to move northwest.

Philippe is the latest tropical storm in the Atlantic, south of the Cape Verde Islands. This system too is not threatening land, but is worth watching once it veers north. It is not often that we see a hurricane in the eastern troipcal Atlantic.

Hilary is a category IV hurricane in the eastern Pacific, and is a tiny but intense system, carrying winds of 140 mph near its centre. Winds of galeforce stop beyond 85 miles from the centre.

Nesat is a tropical storm in the Pacific, which is going to do very nasty things to Luzon Island in the Philippines, which can expect winds of 130 knots (160 mph) in a few days' time. After passing over land, the storm will regenerate in the South China Sea and could hit Hong Kong with winds of 115 mph by Wednesday or Thursday.

21W is a tropical depression off the coast of Vietnam, which won't get much stronger than the current 30 knots (force 7 on the Beaufort scale) before it comes ashore in Vietnam.

91L is a tropical disturbance off Cape Canaveral and over the northwestern Bahamas, which looks like getting its act together. Will be interesting to see what it does when I next check the tropical cyclones after 9 am GMT tomorrow!

Saturday 24 September

A day of heavy showers, interspersed with bright sunshine. The Norwegian cruiseliner Fram was in port. She is a regular occurrence at the end of the season. Went out in a car, aiming to show someone round Ness, but our expedition had to be aborted at Ballantrushal, after one of the company broke their ankle due to slipping on wet and muddy ground. Person concerned has undergone surgery and is doing fine. Western Isles Hospital A&E was full of people who had suffered injuries, resulting from the wet conditions.