Hurricane Huko (2002)
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Category 1 hurricane (SSHS) | |||
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Hurricane Huko on November 1 near peak intensity. |
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Formed | October 24, 2002 | ||
Dissipated | November 7, 2002 | ||
Highest winds |
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Lowest pressure | 965 mbar (hPa; 28.51 inHg) | ||
Fatalities | None | ||
Damage | $23,000 (2002 USD) $28,000 (2008 USD) |
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Areas affected |
Hawaiʻi, Johnston Atoll, Wake Island, California | ||
Part of the 2002 Pacific hurricane season, 2002 Pacific typhoon season |
Hurricane Huko (also known as Typhoon Huko, international designation: 0224, JTWC designation: 03C), the Hawaiian equivalent of the name Hugo, was a Central Pacific tropical cyclone that had effects in all three Pacific basins (East, Central, and West). Forming from an area of the monsoon trough that stretched as far east as Mexico, the cyclone rapidly organized to become the third Central Pacific depression of the 2002 Pacific hurricane season on October 24. The depression reached tropical storm strength on October 26 and became a minimal hurricane on October 28, but it soon weakened back into a storm due to the presence of wind shear and Tropical Storm Lowell. Eventually, Huko was able to regain Category 1 strength on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale and maintained it past the International Date Line, becoming the second storm this season to cross the line after Hurricane/Typhoon Ele. In the West Pacific, the redesignated Typhoon Huko continued to hold Category 1 intensity until November 6, when it began weakening, ultimately recurving back into the Central Pacific basin as an extratropical cyclone.
The caused high waves to hit Hawaii while in the Central Pacific and also caused heavy rains and wind gusts of 45 mi (72 km) on Wake Island. Despite never entering the East Pacific, moisture from Huko merged with a trough which moved over California, causing heavy rains that broke various 24–hour rain records along the San Joaquin Valley. A small stream flood in Bakersfield resulted in $23,000 (2002 USD) in damages, with the Tulare City Mountains reporting a winter storm caused by the trough. Despite the damages, Huko was not responsible for any casualties.
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[edit] Storm history
In late October, an active monsoon trough persisted south of Hawaii along 10°N latitude and stretching from 160°W to near the Mexican coast. An area of convection within the trough began developing on October 24 and by 1800 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the disturbance was upgraded into Tropical Depression Three-C while 850 mi (1,370 km) south-southeast of Honolulu.[1] The depression was initially poorly organized as it moved to the north while steadily strengthening and organizing,[2] becoming a tropical storm early on October 26 while making a turn to the northwest. Intensification continued, and late on October 28, the storm reached hurricane strength for the first time. However, due to the proximity of Tropical Storm Lowell less than 900 mi (1,400 km) east of the hurricane as well as a brief increase in wind shear over the hurricane due to an upper-level trough to the northwest, Huko weakened into a tropical storm on October 30.[3][2]
Shortly after making a turn to the west, conditions allowed for the storm to reach hurricane strength for the second time on October 31, passing around 140 mi (230 km) south of Johnston Atoll, with a forecast calling for intensification to 80 mph (130 km/h) before weakening due to wind shear.[2] On November 2, the hurricane passed south of a high pressure cell, causing it to accelerate and on November 3, the hurricane passed the Date Line into the West Pacific basin and was redesignated a typhoon, the predominant term for hurricane-strength cyclones in that basin and given the identification number of TY 0224 by the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA). After crossing into the West Pacific, the forward speed of the typhoon increased to 30 mph (48 km/h) in response to a mid-latitude ridge, an unusually high forward speed for a cyclone that didn't recurve in the Northern Hemisphere.[2] Despite favorable inflow patterns and warm sea surface temperatures along with a light shear environment,[2] upper-level conditions prevented the typhoon from strengthening beyond a peak of 85 mph (137 km/h). The estimated minimum pressure of the hurricane east of the Date Line was 980 mbar, although a JMA estimate puts the lowest central pressure of the typhoon at 965 mbar while west of the Date Line.[2] The typhoon began to recurve to the northeast due to a weakness in the ridge on November 5, but wind shear began increasing, weakening the typhoon once more into a tropical storm on November 6 just before completing transition into an extratropical cyclone on November 7.[1][4] The extratropical Huko reentered the Central Pacific south of Midway Island on November 9.[3] Huko travelled roughly 2,050 mi (3,300 km) while active.[5]
[edit] Impact, records, and naming
While in the Central Pacific, Huko was responsible for causing heavy waves to hit the southern beaches at the end of October.[6] and while passing near Johnston Atoll, the hurricane caused 30 mph (48 km/h) wind gusts and occasional heavy showers due to rainbands reaching the island.[3][2] During its time in the West Pacific, the typhoon brought heavy rains and gusts between 40 mph (64 km/h) to 45 mph (72 km/h) to Wake Island,[7] the only impact it would have in the West Pacific, despite some concern that Huko could possibly be a threat to the Northern Mariana Islands, The Philippines, and Taiwan.[8]
Despite Huko never entering the East Pacific while active, the hurricane contributed tropical moisture to a trough that moved over California, resulting in gusts and heavy rains and, in some locations, snow. Small stream flooding in Bakersfield caused $23,000 (2002 USD) in damage while various 24 hour rainfall records along the San Joaquin Valley were broken by the rainfall, and 23 pole fires were reported in the area, affecting 102,000 residents. In the Sierra Nevada, 46 inches of snow were reported on Volcanic Knob and Upper Burnt Corral while the foothills reported rainfall totals of 5 inches to 10 inches of rain. More snow was reported at Chagoopa Plateau, totalling 80 inches in that location.[9] The remnant circulation of the hurricane also reached northern California, where severe weather in the region was blamed on the storm.[2]
The formation of Huko made the 2002 season the fifth year on record in which three or more tropical storms formed in the Central Pacific. The other years were 1982, 1984, 1992, and 1994.[2] This was the first time a Central Pacific hurricane was named Huko. The name was not retired following this storm, and it remains on the Central Pacific name lists.[10] Due to inactivity in the basin, however, the name may not be used for a while, due to an average of about one storm forming in the basin per year.[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Joint Typhoon Warning Center (2002). 2002 ATCR: Hurricane (HUR) 03C (Huko). Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Gary Padgett (2002). Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary: October 2002. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
- ^ a b c Central Pacific Hurricane Center (2008). The 2002 Central Pacific Tropical Cyclone Season. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
- ^ UNISYS (2008). UNISYS Best Track: Typhoon Huko. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
- ^ Kitamoto Asanobu Labs (2008). Digital Typhoon: Typhoon 200224 (Huko) - Pressure and Track Charts. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
- ^ Penn State University (2002). October 2002 Weather Across the Nation. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
- ^ National Climatic Data Center (2002). Global Hazards and Significant Events: November 2002. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
- ^ Nina Ridge (2002). Weather News: 11/2/02. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
- ^ NOAA (2002). Storm Data: November 2002. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
- ^ Dennis H. McCarthy (2007). National Weather Service Instruction Tropical Cyclone Names and Pronunciation Guide. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.