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Hurricane Flossie
Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS/NWS)
Hurricane Flossie near peak intensity on July 30
FormedJuly 28, 2019
DissipatedCurrently active
Highest winds1-minute sustained: 80 mph (130 km/h)
Lowest pressure990 mbar (hPa); 29.23 inHg
Areas affectedHawaii
Part of the 2019 Pacific hurricane season

Hurricane Flossie was a Category 1 hurricane which is currently threatening the Hawaiian Islands as a tropical storm. The sixth named storm and fourth hurricane of the 2019 Pacific hurricane season, Flossie originated from an area of low pressure which developed in the Eastern Pacific a few hundred miles south of the Gulf of Tehuantepec on July 26. The disturbance gradually organized over the next couple of days and became a tropical depression on July 28. The depression then strengthened into Tropical Storm Flossie early the following day. Favorable environmental conditions allowed Flossie to continue to intensify as it moved westward, and it became a hurricane on July 30. However, an increase in vertical wind shear caused the cyclone to weaken back to a tropical storm the following day. Although Flossie briefly re-intensified to near hurricane strength on August 2, unfavorable environmental conditions prevented any further intensification, and the tropical storm began to weaken once again later that day.

Meteorological history

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Map plotting the storm's track and intensity, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
Map key
  Tropical depression (≤38 mph, ≤62 km/h)
  Tropical storm (39–73 mph, 63–118 km/h)
  Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
  Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
  Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
  Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
  Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
  Unknown
Storm type
triangle Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depression

On July 22, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) began forecasting the formation of an area of low pressure several hundred miles south of the coast of southern Mexico within the next few days.[1] On July 26, an area of low pressure, accompanied by an area of disturbed weather, formed several hundred miles south of the Gulf of Tehuantepec. By that time, the NHC had marked the disturbance as having a high chance of developing into a tropical cyclone during the next five days.[2] The disturbance gradually organized over the next couple of days, and by 15:00 UTC on July 28, it had acquired a well-defined center of circulation, and was thus classified as a tropical depression, the seventh of the annual hurricane season.[3] Although environmental conditions were favorable for intensification, the depression's broad structure and rapid forward movement initially delayed intensification. However, early the following day, deep convection developed over the center of circulation, while satellite estimates and scatterometer data indicated that gale-force winds were present close to the center of the cyclone. As a result, the NHC classified the depression as Tropical Storm Flossie at 09:00 UTC that day.[4]

Preparations and impact

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Andrew S. Latto; Richard J. Pasch (July 22, 2019). Five-Day Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  2. ^ Lixion A. Avila (July 26, 2019). Five-Day Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  3. ^ Robert J. Berg (July 28, 2019). Tropical Depression Seven-E Discussion Number 1 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  4. ^ Andrew S. Latto; Richard J. Pasch (July 29, 2019). Tropical Storm Flossie Discussion Number 4 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved August 4, 2019.