|
Tropical Storm Alma, the first named storm to develop in the 1974 Atlantic hurricane season, was a short lived tropical cyclone that made a rare Venezuelan landfall. The storm formed from the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) on August 12 well to the east of the Windward Islands, but advisories were not issued until the next day when Alma was at peak intensity. Subsequently, Alma moved at an unusually brisk pace of between to through the southeastern Caribbean Sea, causing numerous watches and gale warnings to be issued throughout the Caribbean. Alma moved quickly over Trinidad and continued westward, becoming one of only four storms to cross the Paria Peninsula of northeastern Venezuela. The storm dissipated on August 15 over the high terrain of Venezuela. The storm left heavy damage on Trinidad, amounting to about $5 million (1974 USD), making it the most destructive cyclone of the 20th century on the island at the time. Alma damaged about 5,000 buildings, leaving 500 people homeless. The storm also wrecked about of crop fields. There were two deaths on Trinidad, including one who was struck by flying debris. Alma was also responsible a plane crash on Isla Margarita offshore Venezuela, killing 49 people onboard due to heavy rainfall. ==Meteorological history== A disturbance associated with the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) left the coast of Africa on August 9, with Dakar, Senegal reporting mid-level winds of 75 mph (120 km/h). A weak circulation formed on August 10 within an area of thunderstorms. The disturbance moved slowly westward over the Atlantic Ocean, developing into a tropical depression at 18:00 UTC on August 12 around 10° north latitude,〔 a latitude it would remain around throughout its lifetime. On August 13, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Alma about 375 mi (605 km) east of Trinidad and Tobago, as indicated by a Hurricane Hunters flight reporting winds of 65 mph (105 km/h).〔 This same flight also reported a circular eye with a diameter of , the only report of an eye from this storm. The center of Alma was elongated, causing gale-force winds to extend 75 mi (120 km) to the north while extending only to the south. On August 14 the Hurricane Hunters reported gusts of 80 mph (130 km/h); however, the storm weakened after its initial peak.〔 Alma continued westward at , which National Hurricane Center (NHC) Director Neil Frank noted was unusually rapid for a tropical cyclone at this time and location.〔 Alma was able to maintain its low latitude movement to the west due to a strong subtropical ridge, which was at an unusually lower latitude than expected in August.〔 On August 14, the storm made landfall on Trinidad with winds of 55 mph (90 km/h), becoming the southernmost landfall on that island since a storm in 1933.〔 The storm moved across Trinidad in only three hours, although the circulation was disrupted. The storm crossed the Gulf of Paria and made its second and final landfall on the Paria Peninsula of Venezuela,〔 one of only four storms on record to do so; the others were in 1605, 1725, and 1933.〔 The high mountains in Venezuela took a toll on the storm, ripping the circulation and causing Alma to be downgraded to a tropical depression on August 15.〔 At around 02:00 UTC that day, the circulation passed near Caracas. The convection rapidly diminished, and the presence on satellite imagery faded, although the NHC noted the potential for redevelopment once it reached open waters. Late on August 15, the NHC issued the final advisory after the circulation dissipated near the border of Venezuela and Colombia. The remnants of Alma continued westward, reaching the Pacific Ocean where they would re-intensify, becoming Hurricane Joyce. 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「Tropical Storm Alma (1974)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|