.gif)
Hurricane Bud (2006)
Encyclopedia
Hurricane Bud was the first hurricane and third named tropical cyclone
of the 2006 Pacific hurricane season
. It formed as a tropical depression on July 10, to the south of the southern tip of Baja California
. Shortly after, it became a tropical storm, and soon after the storm began to develop an eye. It began to intensify rapidly
and was upgraded to a hurricane on July 11. Bud reached its peak intensity intensity on July 13, becoming a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
at its peak. After reaching cooler waters and an unfavorable environment, the hurricane rapidly weakened and dropped to a tropical depression status on July 15. The system continued to lose its convection
and eventually degenerated by the next day. As the storm remained away from land, no effects were reported as a tropical cyclone, though its remnant brought precipitation to Hawaii.
emerged off the west coast of Africa
. It proceeded westward across the Atlantic Ocean
and emerged into the eastern Pacific
by July 7. The wave spawned an area of low pressure
, about 630 mi (1,013.9 km) to the south of Manzanillo, Mexico. Interest in the system grew over the next day, and convection
gradually became better organized. Early on July 11, the low was designated as a tropical depression. The storm tracked west-northwestward throughout its entire duration, under the steering currents of a mid-level subtropical ridge
which extended westward from northern Mexico
.
Initially, a small upper-level low pressure system to the north of the depression generated northerly wind shear
and dry air, which inhibited the development of thunderstorm activity. However, after the tropical depression was designated, the low weakened, and the wind shear relented. Located over warm waters, the storm attained tropical storm status at 0600 UTC on July 11, and as such it was named Bud by the National Hurricane Center
. Subsequently, the storm quickly intensified. With more favorable conditions, the storm displayed a fairly organized banding pattern, and the previously exposed center of circulation
became surrounded by convection. At 0000 UTC on July 12, the storm developed an eye
and was upgraded to a hurricane. The convection surrounding the center deepened, and a burst of thunderstorm activity within the southeastern eyewall obscured the eye on satellite imagery. Outflow was well established in all quadrants, though it was slightly restricted to the east, which was believed to have resulted from interaction with Tropical Storm Carlotta
. Later on July 12, Bud was upgraded to a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
.
The storm attained major hurricane status as a Category 3 storm early on July 13. It presented a well-defined eye that was about 23 mi (37 km) in diameter, which was enveloped within by a complete ring of deep thunderstorms. A small cyclone, the area of winds contracted somewhat at around the same time. At 0600 UTC that day, the hurricane reached its peak intensity, with winds of 125 mph (205 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure
of 953 mb. Subsequently encountering cooler waters and stable air, rapid weakening began. As a result of the weakening trend, Bud became a Category 2 storm at 1800 UTC. The eye became obscured, and core convective cloud tops began to warm. Early on July 14, the storm dropped below hurricane status and lost much of its convection during the day. In addition to the cooler sea surface temperatures and an unfavorable environment, southeasterly shear contributed to the weakening. By the evening, only a patch of thunderstorm activity lingered to the north of the center. On July 15, the storm was downgraded to a tropical depression, and it degenerated into a remnant low the next day. The low fully dissipated within the low-level easterly trade winds on July 17, about 750 mi (1,207 km) east-northeast of Hawaii
.
were issued. The remnants of Bud later brought light rainfall to the Hawaiian islands on July 19, two days after it dissipated.
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
of the 2006 Pacific hurricane season
2006 Pacific hurricane season
The 2006 Pacific hurricane season was the most active Pacific hurricane season since 2000 producing 19 tropical storms or hurricanes. Eighteen developed within the National Hurricane Center area of warning responsibility, which is east of 140ºW, and one storm formed between 140ºW and the...
. It formed as a tropical depression on July 10, to the south of the southern tip of Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
. Shortly after, it became a tropical storm, and soon after the storm began to develop an eye. It began to intensify rapidly
Rapid deepening
Rapid deepening, also known as rapid intensification, is a meteorological condition that occurs when the minimum sea-level atmospheric pressure of a tropical cyclone decreases drastically in a short period of time. The National Weather Service describes rapid deepening as a decrease of...
and was upgraded to a hurricane on July 11. Bud reached its peak intensity intensity on July 13, becoming a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
The Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale , or the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale , classifies hurricanes — Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms — into five categories distinguished by the intensities of their sustained winds...
at its peak. After reaching cooler waters and an unfavorable environment, the hurricane rapidly weakened and dropped to a tropical depression status on July 15. The system continued to lose its convection
Atmospheric convection
Atmospheric convection is the result of a parcel-environment instability, or temperature difference, layer in the atmosphere. Different lapse rates within dry and moist air lead to instability. Mixing of air during the day which expands the height of the planetary boundary layer leads to...
and eventually degenerated by the next day. As the storm remained away from land, no effects were reported as a tropical cyclone, though its remnant brought precipitation to Hawaii.
Meteorological history
On June 27, 2006, a tropical waveTropical wave
Tropical waves, easterly waves, or tropical easterly waves, also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic region, are a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which move from east to west across the tropics causing areas of...
emerged off the west coast of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. It proceeded westward across the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and emerged into the eastern Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
by July 7. The wave spawned an area of low pressure
Low pressure area
A low-pressure area, or "low", is a region where the atmospheric pressure at sea level is below that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure systems form under areas of wind divergence which occur in upper levels of the troposphere. The formation process of a low-pressure area is known as...
, about 630 mi (1,013.9 km) to the south of Manzanillo, Mexico. Interest in the system grew over the next day, and convection
Atmospheric convection
Atmospheric convection is the result of a parcel-environment instability, or temperature difference, layer in the atmosphere. Different lapse rates within dry and moist air lead to instability. Mixing of air during the day which expands the height of the planetary boundary layer leads to...
gradually became better organized. Early on July 11, the low was designated as a tropical depression. The storm tracked west-northwestward throughout its entire duration, under the steering currents of a mid-level subtropical ridge
High pressure area
A high-pressure area is a region where the atmospheric pressure at the surface of the planet is greater than its surrounding environment. Winds within high-pressure areas flow outward due to the higher density air near their center and friction with land...
which extended westward from northern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Initially, a small upper-level low pressure system to the north of the depression generated northerly wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
and dry air, which inhibited the development of thunderstorm activity. However, after the tropical depression was designated, the low weakened, and the wind shear relented. Located over warm waters, the storm attained tropical storm status at 0600 UTC on July 11, and as such it was named Bud by the National Hurricane Center
National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center , located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, is the division of the National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting weather systems within the tropics between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 30th...
. Subsequently, the storm quickly intensified. With more favorable conditions, the storm displayed a fairly organized banding pattern, and the previously exposed center of circulation
Eye (cyclone)
The eye is a region of mostly calm weather found at the center of strong tropical cyclones. The eye of a storm is a roughly circular area and typically 30–65 km in diameter. It is surrounded by the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms where the second most severe weather of a cyclone...
became surrounded by convection. At 0000 UTC on July 12, the storm developed an eye
Eye (cyclone)
The eye is a region of mostly calm weather found at the center of strong tropical cyclones. The eye of a storm is a roughly circular area and typically 30–65 km in diameter. It is surrounded by the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms where the second most severe weather of a cyclone...
and was upgraded to a hurricane. The convection surrounding the center deepened, and a burst of thunderstorm activity within the southeastern eyewall obscured the eye on satellite imagery. Outflow was well established in all quadrants, though it was slightly restricted to the east, which was believed to have resulted from interaction with Tropical Storm Carlotta
Hurricane Carlotta (2006)
Hurricane Carlotta was a minimal hurricane that briefly affected southwestern Mexico with light rainfall in July 2006. The second hurricane and fourth tropical cyclone of the 2006 Pacific hurricane season, Carlotta developed on July 12 from a tropical wave off the southwest coast of Mexico...
. Later on July 12, Bud was upgraded to a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
The Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale , or the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale , classifies hurricanes — Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms — into five categories distinguished by the intensities of their sustained winds...
.
The storm attained major hurricane status as a Category 3 storm early on July 13. It presented a well-defined eye that was about 23 mi (37 km) in diameter, which was enveloped within by a complete ring of deep thunderstorms. A small cyclone, the area of winds contracted somewhat at around the same time. At 0600 UTC that day, the hurricane reached its peak intensity, with winds of 125 mph (205 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure
Atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure is the force per unit area exerted into a surface by the weight of air above that surface in the atmosphere of Earth . In most circumstances atmospheric pressure is closely approximated by the hydrostatic pressure caused by the weight of air above the measurement point...
of 953 mb. Subsequently encountering cooler waters and stable air, rapid weakening began. As a result of the weakening trend, Bud became a Category 2 storm at 1800 UTC. The eye became obscured, and core convective cloud tops began to warm. Early on July 14, the storm dropped below hurricane status and lost much of its convection during the day. In addition to the cooler sea surface temperatures and an unfavorable environment, southeasterly shear contributed to the weakening. By the evening, only a patch of thunderstorm activity lingered to the north of the center. On July 15, the storm was downgraded to a tropical depression, and it degenerated into a remnant low the next day. The low fully dissipated within the low-level easterly trade winds on July 17, about 750 mi (1,207 km) east-northeast of Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
Impact
As a tropical cyclone Bud did not impact land Bud remained away from land, no effects, property damage or fatalities were reported; no ships were affected, and no tropical cyclone warnings and watchesTropical cyclone warnings and watches
Warnings and watches are two levels of alert issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity. They are notices to the local population and civil authorities to make appropriate...
were issued. The remnants of Bud later brought light rainfall to the Hawaiian islands on July 19, two days after it dissipated.
See also
- 2006 Pacific hurricane season2006 Pacific hurricane seasonThe 2006 Pacific hurricane season was the most active Pacific hurricane season since 2000 producing 19 tropical storms or hurricanes. Eighteen developed within the National Hurricane Center area of warning responsibility, which is east of 140ºW, and one storm formed between 140ºW and the...
- List of Pacific hurricanes
- Pacific hurricanePacific hurricaneA Pacific hurricane or tropical storm is a tropical cyclone that develops in the northeastern part of the Pacific Ocean. For organizational purposes, the northern Pacific Ocean is divided into three regions: the eastern, , central , and western...
- Other Category 3 Pacific hurricanes
- Timeline of the 2006 Pacific hurricane seasonTimeline of the 2006 Pacific hurricane seasonThe 2006 Pacific hurricane season was the most active since the 2000 season, producing produced 21 tropical depressions; 19 of which became tropical storms or hurricanes...
- List of storms in the 2006 Pacific hurricane season
External links
- NHCNational Hurricane CenterThe National Hurricane Center , located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, is the division of the National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting weather systems within the tropics between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 30th...
's archive on Hurricane Bud.