|
Hurricane Lili was a relatively long-lived hurricane of the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season that affected countries from Central America to the United Kingdom. Lili formed on October 14 from a tropical wave, which emerged from the coast of west Africa on October 4. After the storm formed, further strengthening of Lili was gradual, first to tropical storm status on October 16 and then to hurricane status on October 17. The next day, Lili struck Cuba and moved across the central portion of the island, the first hurricane to hit the country since Hurricane Kate in 1985. After emerging into the Atlantic Ocean, the hurricane accelerated northeastward, briefly peaking as a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale near the Bahamas. For almost an entire week, Hurricane Lili oscillated in intensity while fluctuating several times in forward speed. About two weeks passed before Lili transitioned into an extratropical storm north of the Azores on October 27, which subsequently moved across Ireland and Great Britain. Early in its duration, Lili caused flooding in Central America that left thousands homeless and killed 14 people. Damage was heaviest in Cuba, mostly due to the hurricane's heavy rainfall which totaled 29.41 in (747 mm). The hurricane affected 11 Cuban provinces, damaging 92,542 houses and destroying another 6,369. The rains heavily damaged the sugar cane and banana crops, and overall damage in the country was estimated at $362 million (1996 USD). After 269,995 people were evacuated in advance of Lili, there were no deaths in the country. In nearby Florida, one person died after being swept into a drain during the storm's heavy rains. Moisture from Lili also fueled a storm that struck the northeastern United States, which contributed indirectly to a death when a man in Maine tried driving across a flooded roadway. Damage in the Bahamas was not severe, limited to some damaged roofs and downed trees. When the remnants of Lili struck Ireland and the United Kingdom, it produced strong winds and high seas that damaged hundreds of houses, causing $300 million in damage (1996 USD) and six deaths. ==Meteorological history== On October 4, a tropical wave exited the west coast of Africa with a large associated circulation. Unfavorable wind shear prevented any development, and the wave continued westward, entering the Caribbean Sea on October 11. Two days later, the wave axis encountered a pre-existing low pressure area in the southwest Caribbean. It quickly developed a well-defined circulation, becoming a tropical depression on October 14 off the east coast of Nicaragua. Due to an upper-level low in the Gulf of Mexico, the system tracked to the northwest, brushing Central America in its path. The depression developed banding features as the pressure gradually dropped, and intensified into Tropical Storm Lili at around 0600 UTC on October 16. During this time, the storm executed a small cyclonic loop while a few hundred miles north of the Swan Islands. By early on October 17, Lili had attained hurricane status while it was turning to the north.〔 Hurricane Lili grazed Isla de la Juventud on October 18, bringing heavy rains and strong winds to the island. Later that day, Lili made landfall in Matanzas Province, Cuba as a category 2 hurricane, with winds close to . Despite the mountainous terrain, the storm did not weaken, with the same pressure reading of being observed at landfall and when Lili reemerged into the Atlantic Ocean. After reaching warm waters, Lili further strengthened as it approached the Bahamas. The eye of the storm – reaching a width of over – passed over San Salvador Island and Great Exuma on October 19, and brushed several other islands. That day, a trough in the westerlies caused Lili to accelerate northeastward, reaching a forward speed of almost . On October 19 at 1200 UTC, Hurricane Lili attained its peak intensity for a brief time, reaching winds and pressure of , both measured by the Hurricane Hunters. This made Lili the sixth major hurricane – a category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale – of the season.〔 Within six hours, Lili had weakened below its peak intensity on October 19. The center passed to the southeast of Bermuda, and subsequently the winds gradually decreased. A mid-level ridge caused Lili to slow to an east-southeast drift on October 22. After two days, the hurricane again accelerated to the northeast, briefly re-intensifying into a category 2 hurricane. Lili again started a weakening trend soon after, and by October 26, was downgraded to a tropical storm about northwest of the Azores. On October 27, it was estimated that Lili became extratropical, which maintained gale-force winds as it approached Europe. The remnants moved across Ireland and Great Britain on October 28 with winds of about . The remnants of Lili were absorbed by a much larger extratropical system in the North Sea on October 29, which proceeded to cross over the European mainland. 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「Hurricane Lili (1996)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|