Hurricane Gordon (2006)

Hurricane Gordon (2006)

Hurricane Gordon formed on September 10 in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. It gradually matured into a hurricane as it tracked northward, reaching its peak intensity with winds of 195 kmh early on September 14. After becoming nearly stationary, Gordon weakened to minimal hurricane status, although it re-intensified after accelerating to the east. It weakened again after moving over cooler waters, and passed through the Azores on September 20. Shortly thereafter, it became an extratropical cyclone and subsequently affected Spain, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

About Hurricane Gordon (2006) in brief

Summary Hurricane Gordon (2006)Hurricane Gordon formed on September 10 in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. It gradually matured into a hurricane as it tracked northward, reaching its peak intensity with winds of 195 kmh early on September 14. After becoming nearly stationary, Gordon weakened to minimal hurricane status, although it re-intensified after accelerating to the east. It weakened again after moving over cooler waters, and passed through the Azores on September 20. Shortly thereafter, it became an extratropical cyclone and subsequently affected Spain, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. It was the eighth tropical storm, third hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season. The only land area affected while Gordon was tropical – theAzores – sustained little damage, in spite of wind gusts’ reaching hurricane force on Santa Maria Island. The storm brought a surge of tropical air to Ireland and the UK, contributing to record warm temperatures. One NHC forecast predicted that the storm would transition to extratical within 48 hours of becoming a hurricane. It is the first tropical cyclone since 1992 to affect the Azoreas while retaining tropical characteristics.

It also was the first hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Wilma in 1961. The hurricane maintained its peakintensity for about 24 hours, during which the eye decreased in size and the eyewall convection weakened. In Spain, wind Gusts reached 183 kmH along the northwest coast and left 100,000 people without power. Five people in the country sustained storm-related injuries. In Northern Ireland, high winds left 120,000 people without power and caused one injury. On September 17, Gordon began accelerating toward the east as a building ridge caused a steady northeast motion. By that time, the convection had diminished significantly and the winds weakened to minimal hurricane-force winds. It then weakened to a minimal hurricane and became a tropical storm. It made landfall in Spain on September 19. It later weakened to tropical storm status and was a tropical depression on September 21. It became a major hurricane, specifically a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, the first of 2006. It dissipated on September 22.