posted on Mar, 28 2004 @ 06:16 PM
Here's more info, including an update and debate whether is IS a real hurricane!
"We know there hasn't been a hurricane in that area since at least the satellite era, the mid-60s at the minimum." The storm is a small one,
though, but has estimated winds near minimal hurricane strength (74-95 mph). It's quite an interesting sight, perfect for piquing the weather
curiousity that many of us have."
science.slashdot.org...
Meanwhile, a debate raged between Brazilian and U.S. meteorologists over whether the storm was a hurricane.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Florida estimated the storm was a full-fledged, Category I hurricane with central winds of between 75 mph and 80
mph (121 kph to 129 kph), making it the first hurricane ever spotted in the South Atlantic. AccuWeather, Inc., a private forecasting company in
Pennsylvania, said it also considered the storm a hurricane.
Brazilian scientists disagreed, saying the storm had top winds of 50 mph to 56 mph (80 kph to 90 kph), far below the 75 mph (121 kph) threshold of a
hurricane.
"Winds and rains will not be significant, so we don't need to alarm the population," meteorologist Dr. Gustavo Escobar of the Brazilian Center for
Weather Prediction and Climatic Studies had said on Saturday. Satellite images showed a spiral-shaped mass of clouds with an open area in the center.
Escobar called it an "extra-tropical cyclone," which is usually characterized by less intense winds.
www.cnn.com...