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The Braer Storm of January 1993 is the most intense extratropical cyclone on record for the northern Atlantic ocean. Developing as a weak frontal wave on January 8, 1993, the system moved rapidly northeast. The combination of the absorption of a second low-pressure area to its southeast, a stronger than normal sea surface temperature differential along its path, and the presence of a strong jet stream aloft led to a rapid strengthening of the storm, with its central pressure falling to an estimated on January 10. Its strength was well predicted by forecasters in the United Kingdom, and warnings were issued before the low initially developed. Gale-force winds covered the far northern Atlantic between Western Europe and Atlantic Canada, due to the intensity of this storm, with hurricane-force winds confined near its center of circulation. After reaching its peak intensity, the system weakened as it moved into the far northeast Atlantic, dissipating by January 17. This storm caused blizzards across much of Scotland and led to the final breakup of the oil tanker MV Braer, which had been stranded in rocks off the Shetland Islands by a previous storm nearly a week beforehand. ==Meteorological history== A weak frontal wave, a low-pressure system forming along a weather front with very strong temperature contrast, developed on the afternoon of January 8 to the southeast of Newfoundland with a central pressure of The system moved at a quick pace to the east-northeast at around , deepening slowly. As the storm tracked more northeasterly, development accelerated, and early on the morning of January 9 its central pressure had fallen to . A new low pressure area formed along the system's cold front to its south. By noon, the forward motion of the main cyclone accelerated to nearly and its central pressure began to bomb, then down to as it passed through the far northern Atlantic. This strengthening was enhanced by a strong jet stream with measured winds of , and a stronger than normal sea surface temperature gradient along its path from the Grand Banks towards Iceland. The new low south of the main low strengthened quickly, and its central pressure dropped to . During the evening of January 9, the main cyclone to the north continued to bomb out, with a central pressure down to . Soon afterwards, it absorbed the deepening low to its south and this merger caused a period of extreme intensification. By early morning of January 10, the pressure at the strong cyclone's center had fallen to northwest of Great Britain as it slowed its northeast motion. Hurricane-force winds of were recorded at a weather ship just to its southeast. Towards sunrise, the center of the cyclone lay south-southeast of Iceland. The system continued to slow as it turned north-northeast, reaching its estimated lowest pressure of later that morning. Weather buoys in the region with identifiers of 44746 and 64043 were not designed to read pressures below , so when their pressures dropped to that reading, they stayed there until the storm moved away. The system's strongest winds were within of its center, and the pressure difference within that region implied that sustained wind speeds of were possible. Early during the afternoon of January 10, a tremendous pressure differential existed between the center of the cyclone and a high-pressure area over Spain, which had a central pressure of . This caused an extensive area of gale-force winds which stretched from Newfoundland to Spain, and northeastward between Greenland and northern Norway. A large area of hurricane-force winds existed within this area of gales. The center of the low transcribed a loop before resuming a slow northeast motion into the far northeast Atlantic. However, the system began to weaken, and by the evening of January, 10 its central pressure had risen to . By the evening of January 12, its central pressure rose to . During the evening of January 13, its central pressure rose to while located in the far northeast Atlantic. Within four days, the low dissipated west of Norway.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Braer Storm of January 1993」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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