Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/218481
Sarasota News Leader November 29, 2013 yellow and one red circle denoting Tropical Depression Eight moving ashore in eastern Mexico, things are actually quiet for now — as they say in the movies: "Too quiet." Where is all the heat going? Are the tropics supposed to just get hotter and hotter and monopolize all the moisture? The global purpose of hurricanes is to remove heat and moisture, restoring some semblance of balance to the climate. It has been a wet summer for Sarasota, perhaps the wettest in a couple of decades, as things became a bit more tropical instead of savannah-like. Even the normally bald spots are green. 9 Sept., 10 a.m.: Tropical Storm Humberto has formed just west of the African coastline, and it continues to strengthen. Right now its central pressure is 29.68 inches with its maximum winds "only" 40 mph. Page 64 tomorrow, as Humberto travels west of the Cape Verdes Islands headed north (!?) into colder waters. At the same time, under the "How weird is this?" category, Tropical Storm Gabrielle has reformed east of the Bahamas and is headed north to nowhere except colder sea temps. And yet another tropical wave is crossing the Yucatan, bringing more rain to that drenched peninsula. Is it really a hurricane season without hurricanes? If Humberto does become No. 1 this year, it will be the latest formation in about a century. I am sure the climate-change deniers will leap on that fact. 11 Sept., noon: Humberto becomes the first hurricane of the 2013 season, and it misses by only hours the record of being the latest hurricane ever to form. Hurricane Gustav in 2002 retains that record. The forecast says Humberto has all the makings of a major storm. But changing weather However, Humberto is staying on the African patterns to the northeast are expected to pull side of the Atlantic, and it is predicted to stay the storm off the normal "pipeline track" and there and turn north instead of heading west. send it north into much cooler waters. So we will see what happens. 13 Sept., 6 p.m.: Humberto's wind speed has Meanwhile, the tropical depression that dropped below the 75 mph threshold, and it is passed between Puerto Rico and the no longer considered a hurricane. It remains Dominican Republic on Sept. 6 (a one-day devoted to heading north into the eastern wonder called Gabrielle) has rejuvenated itself and is on the verge of becoming a tropi- Atlantic. cal storm. It is tracking due north about 1,000 Meanwhile, the Yucatan-crosser became a miles east of the continental U.S. depression before turning into Tropical Storm Ingrid and putting the Mexican mainland in a "tropical vice," with Hurricane Manuel sitting 10 Sept., 9:30 a.m.: This is getting crazy. on the western shore. The season is half over, and not a single hur ricane has formed. We may get the first one