Cape Verde-type hurricane

Cape Verde Type Hurricane

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Cape Verde-type hurricane

A Cape Verde-type hurricane is an Atlantic hurricane

Atlantic hurricane

North Atlantic tropical cyclones usually form in summer or autumn. Tropical cyclones can be broken down by intensity. Tropical storms have one-minute maximum sustained winds of at least 39 mph , while hurricanes have one-minute maximum sustained exceeding 74 mph ....
that develops near the Cape Verde

Cape Verde

The Republic of Cape Verde , is an archipelago nation located in the Macaronesia ecoregion of the North Atlantic Ocean, off the western coast of Africa....
islands, off the west coast of Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
. The average hurricane season has about two Cape Verde-type hurricanes, which are usually the most intense storms of the season because they often have plenty of warm open ocean over which to develop before encountering land.

Verde-type hurricanes typically develop from tropical wave

Tropical wave

Tropical waves, or easterly waves, also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic region, are a type of atmospheric Trough , an elongated area of relatively Low pressure area, oriented north to south, which move from east to west across the tropics causing areas of cloudiness and thunderstorms....
s which form in the African savanna

Savanna

A savanna, or savannah, is a tropical, subtropical or temperate woodland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the Canopy does not close....
during the wet season, then move into the African steppe

Steppe

In physical geography, a steppe , pronounced , is a grassland plain without trees . The prairie can be considered a steppe. It may be semi-desert, or covered with Poaceae or shrubs or both, depending on the season and latitude....
s.

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A Cape Verde-type hurricane is an Atlantic hurricane

Atlantic hurricane

Cape Verde

The Republic of Cape Verde , is an archipelago nation located in the Macaronesia ecoregion of the North Atlantic Ocean, off the western coast of Africa....
islands, off the west coast of Africa

Africa

Origin

Cape Verde-type hurricanes typically develop from tropical wave

Tropical wave

Savanna

Steppe

Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
and become tropical storms or tropical cyclones near the Cape Verde Islands, usually in August or September.

Typical tracks

A typical Cape Verde hurricane will form as a tropical depression just south of the Cape Verde islands. They normally reach hurricane strength in the mid-Atlantic, but sometimes will strengthen closer to Cape Verde or the Caribbean.

Once it begins approaching North America, a Cape Verde hurricane has several basic tracks.

It can continue to the west, and if it is far enough south, it will cross the Windward Islands
Windward Islands

The Windward Islands are the southern islands of the Lesser Antilles....
into the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea

The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean situated in the mid-latitudes of the Western Hemisphere, bounded to the south and west by the Americas, with the North Atlantic Ocean proper to the northeast and the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest....
. From there it will often continue westward into Nicaragua
Nicaragua

Nicaragua officially the Republic of Nicaragua , is a representative democracy republic. It is the largest state in Central America with an area of 130,000 km2, about the size of the state of New York....
, Honduras
Honduras

Honduras is a democratic republic in Central America. It was formerly known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras ....
, or Belize
Belize

Belize , formerly British Honduras, is a country in Central America. Once part of the Maya civilization, and very briefly the Spanish Empire, it was most recently affiliated with the British Empire, prior to gaining its independence in 1981....
.
If the storm is further north, it can travel up the Leeward Islands
Leeward Islands

The Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain of islands, part of the West Indies. They are situated where the Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean....
and into the Greater Antilles
Greater Antilles

File:LocationGreaterAntilles.pngThe Greater Antilles is one of three island groups in the Caribbean. Comprising Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico--the four largest islands of the Antilles--the Greater Antilles constitutes almost 90% of the land mass of the entire West Indies....
. In 1998, Hurricane Georges
Hurricane Georges

Hurricane Georges was the seventh tropical storm, fourth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season. The tropical cyclone made seven landfalls on its long track through the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico during September, becoming the second most destructive storm of the season....
took a track of this nature. Slightly further north, and the storm will track through the Bahamas and into Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
in the manner of 1992's Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew

Hurricane Andrew is the second most powerful, and the last of three Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale hurricanes that made U.S. landfall during the 20th century, after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and Hurricane Camille in 1969....
.
A more northerly storm will begin to have its track affected by the high pressure that generally occurs over the eastern Atlantic in late summer. As these storms pass north of the Antilles, their tracks begin to curve to the north. Often this results in the storms making landfall in North
North Carolina

North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
or South Carolina
South Carolina

South Carolina is a U.S. state in the Southern United States of the United States. It borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north....
. Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo

Hurricane Hugo was a destructive Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale hurricane that struck Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, South Carolina and North Carolina in September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season, killing 56 people and leaving 56,000 homeless....
was a typical example. If the storm's track is affected significantly, it will often curve back out to sea, where it becomes extratropical over cooler water. An example of such was Hurricane Edouard
Hurricane Edouard (1996)

Hurricane Edouard was the strongest tropical cyclone in the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season, reaching winds of 145 mph on its path. Edouard remained a major hurricane for eight days, an unusually long amount of time....
in 1996. Occasionally storms following this track can accelerate to the north and strike New England
New England

New England is a region of the United States located in the northeastern corner of the country, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and New York State, and consisting of the modern U.S....
. The New England Hurricane of 1938
New England Hurricane of 1938

The New England Hurricane of 1938 was the first major hurricane to strike New England since 1869. The storm formed near the coast of Africa in September of the 1938 Atlantic hurricane season, becoming a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale before making landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Long Island on Sep...
and Hurricane Gloria
Hurricane Gloria

Hurricane Gloria was a powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane hurricane that formed during the 1985 Atlantic hurricane season and prowled the Atlantic Ocean from September 16 to September 28....
in 1985 were two such cases.
Sometimes, the subtropical ridge is farther west than usual such that the storm recurves quickly and is driven around the east side of the ridge in the central Atlantic, generally missing land completely. An example of such was Hurricane Philippe in 2005.

Note that while these tracks are typical, Cape Verde hurricanes are not bound to follow them and often do not.

Because this type of hurricane takes a near-westward path that starts in the eastern Atlantic, they can avoid the two situations that typically end the life of a tropical cyclone: interaction with land, and movement over cool water. Since they can go for several weeks without having either affect them, Cape Verde-type hurricanes are some of the longest-lived storms. Hurricane Faith

Hurricane Faith (1966)

Hurricane Faith was a long lived Cape Verde-type hurricane hurricane during the 1966 Atlantic hurricane season. The August storm formed near the Cape Verde Islands and crossed the Atlantic Ocean, reaching Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale status as it by passed the northern Caribbean Islands and the Bahamas....
, the third longest lasting Atlantic hurricane on record, was a Cape Verde hurricane. It lasted 16 days total and was a hurricane for 13.

Major Cape Verde-type hurricanes

The category is the peak intensity of the hurricane, measured on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale

Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a classification used for most Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms, and thereby become hurricanes....

Year	Name	Category
1899	1899 Hurricane San Ciriaco 1899 Hurricane San Ciriaco 1899 Hurricane San Ciriaco, also known as the 1899 Puerto Rico Hurricane, was an intense and long-lived Atlantic Cape Verde-type hurricane which crossed Puerto Rico over the two day period August 8 to August 9, 1899....	4
1900	Galveston Hurricane of 1900 Galveston Hurricane of 1900 The Hurricane of 1900 made Landfall on the city of Galveston, Texas, Texas on September 8, 1900. . ; .It had estimated winds of 135 miles per hour at landfall, making it a Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale#Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale....	4
1926	1926 Miami Hurricane 1926 Miami Hurricane The 1926 Miami Hurricane was an intense tropical cyclone that devastated Miami, Florida in September 1926. The storm also caused significant damage in the Florida Panhandle, the U.S....	4
1928	1928 Okeechobee Hurricane 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane The Okeechobee hurricane, or Hurricane San Felipe Segundo, was a deadly tropical cyclone that struck the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Florida in September of the 1928 Atlantic hurricane season....	5
1938	New England Hurricane of 1938 New England Hurricane of 1938 The New England Hurricane of 1938 was the first major hurricane to strike New England since 1869. The storm formed near the coast of Africa in September of the 1938 Atlantic hurricane season, becoming a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale before making landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Long Island on Sep... , or the Long Island Express	5
1947	1947 Fort Lauderdale Hurricane 1947 Fort Lauderdale Hurricane The Fort Lauderdale Hurricane was an intense Category 5 hurricane that affected the Bahamas, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi in September of the 1947 Atlantic hurricane season....	5
1957	Hurricane Carrie 1957 Atlantic hurricane season The 1957 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 15, 1957, and lasted until November 15, 1957. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin....	4
1958	Hurricane Cleo 1958 Atlantic hurricane season The 1958 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 15, 1958, and lasted until November 15, 1958. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin....	5
1960	Hurricane Donna Hurricane Donna Hurricane Donna in the 1960 Atlantic hurricane season was a Cape Verde-type hurricane tropical cyclone which moved across the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispanola, Cuba, The Bahamas, and every state on the East Coast of the United States....	5
1966	Hurricane Faith Hurricane Faith (1966) Hurricane Faith was a long lived Cape Verde-type hurricane hurricane during the 1966 Atlantic hurricane season. The August storm formed near the Cape Verde Islands and crossed the Atlantic Ocean, reaching Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale status as it by passed the northern Caribbean Islands and the Bahamas....	3
1966	Hurricane Inez Hurricane Inez Hurricane Inez was a deadly and powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane that carved an erratic path through the Lesser Antilles, Hispaniola, Cuba, the The Bahamas, Florida, and Mexico in 1966....	4
1979	Hurricane David Hurricane David Hurricane David was the fourth named tropical cyclone, second hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 1979 Atlantic hurricane season. A Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, David was among the deadliest hurricanes in the latter half of the 20th century, killing over 2,000 people in its path, mostly in the...	5
1980	Hurricane Allen Hurricane Allen Hurricane Allen was the strongest hurricane of the 1980 Atlantic hurricane season. It was one of the strongest hurricanes in recorded history, one of the few hurricanes to reach Category 5 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale on three separate occasions, and spent more time as a Category 5 than any other Atlantic hurricane....	5
1985	Hurricane Gloria Hurricane Gloria Hurricane Gloria was a powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane hurricane that formed during the 1985 Atlantic hurricane season and prowled the Atlantic Ocean from September 16 to September 28....	4
1988	Hurricane Gilbert Hurricane Gilbert Hurricane Gilbert is the second most intense hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic basin behind only Hurricane Wilma of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, which was the costliest and most active Atlantic hurricane season on record....	5
1989	Hurricane Hugo Hurricane Hugo Hurricane Hugo was a destructive Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale hurricane that struck Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, South Carolina and North Carolina in September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season, killing 56 people and leaving 56,000 homeless....	5
1992	Hurricane Andrew Hurricane Andrew Hurricane Andrew is the second most powerful, and the last of three Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale hurricanes that made U.S. landfall during the 20th century, after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and Hurricane Camille in 1969....	5
1995	Hurricane Luis Hurricane Luis Hurricane Luis was the twelfth named tropical cyclone and one of the most powerful storms during the very busy 1995 Atlantic hurricane season. The rare, large and long-lived Cape Verde-type hurricane lasted for 16 days during August and September....	4
1996	Hurricane Bertha Hurricane Bertha (1996) Hurricane Bertha was a strong, early season Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale#Category 3 which impacted areas from the Leeward Islands to Atlantic Canada....	3
1996	Hurricane Edouard Hurricane Edouard (1996) Hurricane Edouard was the strongest tropical cyclone in the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season, reaching winds of 145 mph on its path. Edouard remained a major hurricane for eight days, an unusually long amount of time....	4
1996	Hurricane Fran Hurricane Fran Hurricane Fran was a powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane of the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season that made landfall near Cape Fear in North Carolina at Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale strength....	3
1998	Hurricane Bonnie Hurricane Bonnie (1998) Hurricane Bonnie was the second named storm, first hurricane and first major hurricane of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season. A major Atlantic hurricane that made landfall in North Carolina, causing extensive crop damage, Bonnie developed from a tropical wave that emerged off the coast of Africa on August 14....	3
1998	Hurricane Georges Hurricane Georges Hurricane Georges was the seventh tropical storm, fourth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season. The tropical cyclone made seven landfalls on its long track through the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico during September, becoming the second most destructive storm of the season....	4
1999	Hurricane Floyd Hurricane Floyd Hurricane Floyd was the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane in the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. Floyd triggered the third largest evacuation in US history when 2.6 million coastal residents of five states including Florida were ordered from their homes as Hurricane Floyd approached....	4
1999	Hurricane Gert Hurricane Gert (1999) Hurricane Gert was the seventh named storm and the fourth major hurricane of the moderately active 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. A hurricane, Gert formed on September 11 off the coast of Africa before heading west-northwest and reaching a peak wind speed of 150 mph by September 15 over the open central Atlantic east-northeast of the Le...	4
2000	Hurricane Alberto Hurricane Alberto (2000) Hurricane Alberto was a Cape Verde-type hurricane hurricane that formed over the Atlantic Ocean on August 3, 2000 and became extratropical on August 23....	3
2000	Hurricane Isaac Hurricane Isaac (2000) Hurricane Isaac was a tropical cyclone which was tied for the strongest tropical cyclone of the 2000 Atlantic hurricane season. Isaac formed on September 21 and merged with a low pressure area on October 4....	4
2001	Hurricane Felix 2001 Atlantic hurricane season The 2001 Atlantic hurricane season was a fairly active Atlantic hurricane hurricane season that produced 17 tropical cyclones, 15 named storms, 9 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes....	3
2001	Hurricane Erin 2001 Atlantic hurricane season The 2001 Atlantic hurricane season was a fairly active Atlantic hurricane hurricane season that produced 17 tropical cyclones, 15 named storms, 9 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes....	3
2002	Hurricane Lili Hurricane Lili Hurricane Lili was the deadliest and costliest hurricane of the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season. Lili was the twelfth named storm, fourth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season....	4
2003	Hurricane Fabian Hurricane Fabian Hurricane Fabian was a powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane that hit Bermuda in early September during the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. Fabian, the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and first Tropical cyclone#Categories and ranking of the season, developed from a tropical wave in the tropical Atlantic Ocean on August 25....	4
2003	Hurricane Isabel Hurricane Isabel Hurricane Isabel was the costliest and deadliest Atlantic hurricane in the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. The ninth named storm, fifth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the season, Isabel formed from a tropical wave on September 6 in the tropical Atlantic Ocean....	5
2004	Hurricane Frances Hurricane Frances Hurricane Frances was the sixth named tropical cyclone, the fourth tropical cyclone, and the third major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season....	4
2004	Hurricane Ivan Hurricane Ivan Hurricane Ivan was the strongest hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. It was often dubbed in the media as Ivan the Terrible. The cyclone formed as a Cape Verde-type hurricane in early September and became the ninth named storm, the sixth tropical cyclone, and the fourth major hurricane of the year....	5
2004	Hurricane Karl Hurricane Karl (2004) Hurricane Karl was a powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane during the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the eleventh tropical cyclone, eighth hurricane and sixth major hurricane of the 2004 season....	4
2005	Hurricane Emily Hurricane Emily (2005) Hurricane Emily was the fifth named tropical cyclone, third hurricane, second major hurricane, and first Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale of the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season....	5
2006	Hurricane Gordon Hurricane Gordon (2006) Hurricane Gordon was a strong Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale that crossed the Azores as a Category 1 hurricane, making it the first hurricane to directly impact the Azores since 1991....	3
2006	Hurricane Helene Hurricane Helene (2006) Hurricane Helene was the ninth tropical cyclone, fourth hurricane, and strongest hurricane of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season alongside Hurricane Gordon ....	3
2007	Hurricane Dean Hurricane Dean The name Dean was used for five tropical cyclones in the Northern Atlantic Ocean:*1983 Atlantic hurricane season#Tropical Storm Dean, which struck the coast of Virginia, causing minor erosion and flooding...	5
2008	Hurricane Bertha Hurricane Bertha (2008) Hurricane Bertha was a rare early season Cape Verde-type hurricane. It is both the longest-lived July Atlantic tropical cyclone on record, and the easternmost forming July tropical cyclone on record....	3
2008	Hurricane Ike Hurricane Ike Hurricane Ike IPA] was the third most destructive hurricane to ever make landfall in the United States. It was the ninth named storm, fifth hurricane and third major hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season....	4

Cape Verde-type hurricane

Origin

Typical tracks

Major Cape Verde-type hurricanes

See also

External links