Replies

For give the stupid question but what do you mean by annular hurricanes versus spiral hurricanes ? Does that indicate some kind of huge eyewall as the hurricane opens into an annulus ?

1,060 posted on 09/21/2005 10:15:12 AM PDT by Centurion2000 (An elected Legislature can trample a man's rights as easy as a King can.)

An annular hurricane has a large amount of convection in the eyewall but little elsewhere. It is also extremely symmetric with a very circular eyewall. It resembles a donut or a buzzsaw. It's easier to see an example to describe it:

http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/pub/goes/030913.isabel.gif
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/NOAA-Hurricane-Katrina-Aug28-05-2145UTC.jpg

Compare to Rita:
http://www.usawx.com/sept2110ampowerfulritagrows.jpg

If you look at the pictures, I'm sure you'll see why I don't think Rita is quite annular yet.

1,183 posted on 09/21/2005 10:44:49 AM PDT by burzum (Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people.-Adm H Rickover)