In July, the oceans and land of the Northern Hemisphere have a more summery atmosphere than in June, and on July 2, high-definition satellite images showed that monsoon water vapor in East Asia has established a system of precipitation clouds that stretch from the coast of South China to the North Pacific. At the same time, a large area of clear sky over the ocean at low latitudes shows the strong existence of the subtropical high. In addition, in Siberia, Russia, large amounts of wildfire ash can already be seen pouring out, entering the most active time of the year for forest fires.
1. A super hurricane has occurred near the United States
However, in July, the western Pacific Ocean was relatively calm, with a massive subtropical high dominating the low latitudes, and few clouds over the vast western Pacific, let alone new typhoons, in contrast to the North Atlantic in July, this seemingly calm water suddenly erupted with amazing strength. With its unparalleled power, Hurricane Beryl has become the meteorological protagonist of the Northern Hemisphere.
After just passing over the Lesser Antilles and entering the eastern Caribbean Sea, Hurricane Beryl strengthened rapidly, and on July 1, local time, it had strengthened to the highest level - a Category 5 hurricane, and the maximum wind near its center has exceeded 17 according to continental standards. It's extremely rare to see a hurricane of this intensity in July, and the last time a Category 5 hurricane occurred in July was Emily in 2005.
Compared to Hurricane Emily in 2005, Hurricane Beryl was the first Category 5 hurricane in the North Atlantic that year, and became the first storm to reach Category 4 and 5 in the Atlantic wind season since records began in 1851, breaking the record set by Hurricane Emily in 2005. It became the strongest June hurricane ever recorded during the Atlantic wind season and the first North Atlantic hurricane ever to reach Hurricane Saffir-Simpson Category 5 in July.
Second, the eye of the storm is visible in space!
Beryl, whose name sounds gentle, is actually amazingly powerful. It has developed so quickly and with such intensity that many meteorologists have been taken by surprise. The eye of Hurricane Beryl is clearly visible from space, like a giant eye, watching the changes throughout the North Atlantic. The clouds around the eye of the storm seem to have been stirred vigorously by an invisible painter, forming a perfect spiral.
In the Atlantic Ocean in July 2024, the accumulation of ocean energy has reached an astonishing level, allowing Beryl to develop rapidly. The combination of warm waters, abundant humidity, and weak wind shear in the atmosphere has allowed Beryl to grow from a humble tropical cyclone to a behemoth.
The Atlantic hurricane season of 2005 was a memorable one on meteorological records. That year, a total of 28 hurricanes were formed in the Atlantic Ocean, including some of the most devastating hurricanes like Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma, especially Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the large southern city of New Orleans. Beryl in 2024 also seems to herald the arrival of an extraordinary hurricane season.
2. Netizen: Is the typhoon coming?
The formation and development of Beryl is inseparable from the current weather phenomenon. 2024 is an active year for El Niño, a phenomenon that causes sea temperatures near the equator to rise, providing more energy for hurricanes to form. At the same time, El Niño can affect global climate patterns, leading to increased precipitation in some regions and drought in others.
The reason why Beryl's eye is so pronounced is that the air in its central area sinks, causing the sky to clear and forming a "cloudless zone". The surrounding wall of clouds is formed by the condensation of a large amount of rising hot and humid air, which is the area with the highest wind speed and the most destructive part of the hurricane.
For now, it is likely that Beryl will continue to move west-northwest, possibly through the Yucatan Peninsula in Central America into the Gulf of Mexico, and possibly northward after entering the Gulf of Mexico, causing severe damage to the southern coast of the United States. However, the specific landing location and the scope of influence still need to pay close attention to the follow-up meteorological data.
Hurricanes and typhoons are both tropical cyclones, but because they are called differently due to their geographical location, they are weather systems that do not differ. The wind speed and intensity of Beryl are reminiscent of super typhoons in the Pacific Ocean. However, typhoon activity in the Northwest Pacific in 2024 appears to be somewhat "low-key". In July 2024, the activity of typhoons in the northwest Pacific decreased significantly, but ocean energy continued to accumulate. This situation raises the question of whether typhoons in the northwest Pacific will explode once the subtropical high lifts northward.
Overall, typhoons in the Northwest Pacific, although they seem to be "calm" at the moment, we still need to be vigilant. Once the subtropical high lifts northward, ocean energy will be released, and the number and intensity of typhoons are likely to increase significantly. In fact, as climate change intensifies, the frequency of extreme weather events has become a new normal. We must not only focus on hurricanes in the North Atlantic, but also in the Northwest Pacific.