A weather question about tropical cyclones?
Has a tropical depression, storm or hurricane ever blown across the Isthmus of Panama crossing either from the Atlantic to the Pacific or vice versa?
Could it happen? What would happen, if it did?
Tagged with: hurricane • isthmus of panama • tropical depression
Filed under: Weather
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
There has been several storms to cross over in the Pacific and vice verse. As soon as they cross over they become the next name on the list of the other ocean’s name. For example, if a storm forms in the Atlantic it has an Atlantic name but once it crosses over into the Pacific it’s name changes to one of the names on the Pacific list. One storm had three names. In 1961, Hurricane Hattie formed in the Atlantic, then it crossed over into the Pacific and became Tropical Storm Simone. Then it crossed over back into the Atlantic and became Tropical Storm Inga.
Yes it is possible for a storm to move from the Atlantic to the pacific and Vise Versa
Update to Mr. Burns Answer from the National Hurricane Center
The rule used to be that if the tropical storm or hurricane moved into a different basin (see F1 for more about the basins), then it was renamed to whatever name was next on the list for the area. The last time that this occurred was in July 1996 when Atlantic basin Tropical Storm Cesar moved across Central America and was renamed Northeast Pacific basin Tropical Storm Douglas. The last time that a Northeast Pacific system moved into the Atlantic basin was in June 1989 when Cosme became Allison.
However, these rules have now changed at the National Hurricane Center and if the system remains a tropical cyclone as it moves across Central America, then it will keep the original name. Only if the tropical cyclone dissipates with just a tropical disturbance remaining, will the OAR give the system a new name assuming it becomes a tropical cyclone once again in its new basin.
Here is a list of tropical cyclones that have crossed from the Atlantic basin to the Northeast Pacific and vice versa. The tropical cyclone must have been of at least tropical storm strength in both basins (i.e. sustained winds of at least 34 kt, or 18 m/s). This record only goes back to 1949. Before the advent of geostationary satellite pictures in the mid-1960s, the number of Northeast Pacific tropical cyclones was undercounted by a factor of 2 or 3. Thus the lack of many of these events during the 1960s and earlier is mainly due to simply missing the Northeast Pacific TCs.
There has not been a recorded case where the same tropical cyclone crossed into the Northeast Pacific then crossed back into the Atlantic.
Edit: Also according to a phone conversation with a contact at the NHC states that the hurricane with three names is in serious question as that the storm weekend to such a point at several locations that it was not in fact a hurricane through out it's history. Research shows that this may have actually been three separate storm systems that coincided with each other. therefore the information that is presented by the weather doctor could very well be in doubt
Atlantic Hurricane Cesar (July 1996) became Northeast Pacific Hurricane Douglas.
Atlantic Tropical Storm Bret (August 1993) became Hurricane Greg in the Northeast Pacific.
Northeast Pacific Hurricane Cosme became Atlantic Tropical Storm Allison (June 1989).
Atlantic Hurricane Joan (October 1988) became Northeast Pacific Hurricane Miriam.
Atlantic Hurricane Greta (September 1978) became Northeast Pacific Hurricane Olivia.
Atlantic Hurricane Fifi (September 1974) became Northeast Pacific Tropical Storm Orlene.
Atlantic Hurricane Irene (September 1971) became Northeast Pacific Tropical Storm Olivia.
A Northeast Pacific Tropical Storm (September-October 1949) became an Atlantic Hurricane (Storm #10) and made landfall in TX.