| Category 6 hurricane (SSHS) | |
|---|---|
| Formed | September 11 |
| Dissipated | November 17 |
| Damage | $75 billion (2044 USD) |
The meteorological history of Hurricane Emily (also known as Typhoon Emily), a long-lasting hurricane, is explained in lots of detail below.
Atlantic Ocean[]
The origions of Tropical Storm Emily was a tropical wave that exited the coast of Africa on September 9. It quickly accelerated across the Atlantic Ocean. The wave's chances of becoming a tropical cyclone rapidly increased on the National Hurricane Center (NHC)'s Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook. In fact, on September 11, before it got the "high" (60+ percent) chance of cyclogenesis, the disturbance was classified as Tropical Depression Five by the NHC. Although it didn't take long for the wave to reach tropical depression status, it had a very difficult time becoming a tropical storm due to heavy wind shear in the air. Throughout the next two weeks, many forecasts predicted the depression to become a named storm, but it did not occur. The depression's pressure dropped to 985 millibars, but the winds never met the requirement for tropical storm status. Finally, on September 26, soon after it made a direct hit on the Leeward Islands, a NHC buoy recorded 41 mph winds in the center of the storm. Thus, the depression was upgraded to a tropical storm and was named Emily. Emily's forward speed decreased to 5 miles per hour (mph), and it strengthened rapidly from 40 mph and 984 mb to 70 mph and 983 mb. Then, on September 28, the tropical storm made landfall over southern Nicaragua (around the same spot Hurricane Crystal made landfall eariler that same year) and crossed over to the Eastern Pacific Ocean the next day.
Pacific Ocean[]
Eastern Pacific[]
Emily continued to strengthen in the Eastern Pacific, reaching hurricane force winds on October 2. A large area of waters and low wind shear spawned the perfect conditions for explosive intensification. Despite this, as Emily continued west, little change occured in both wind speeds and pressure measurements, until October 10, the moment happened. A moderate Category 1 hurricane turned into an enormous, exceptionally damaging Category 6 hurricane in 12 hours. Emily strengthened from a 1 to a 3 in four hours, then from a 3 to a 5 in six hours, and from a 5 to a 6 in two hours. Meteorologists started comparing the storm to Hurricane Crystal earlier that year. Its peak intensity of 185 mph and 902 mb was reached on October 11, before it crossed into the Central Pacific Ocean.
Central Pacific[]
In the Central Pacific, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) kept Emily as a Category 6 hurricane for four days before it weakened to a Category 5 becuase of perfect conditions needed to create an intense hurricane. It weakened back down to 170 mph and 908 mb on October 16. During this time, Emily's foreward speed slowed down to 2 mph. Wind shear was picking up, and water tempratures were dropping so conditions were now only "good". Despite these changes, Emily became annular and had Category 5 winds for the next two weeks. It wasn't until October 31 till the CPHC declared Emily a weakening Category 4 hurricane. The hurricane then sped up to 8 mph and entered the Western Pacific Ocean.
Western Pacific[]
After its third basin crossing, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) redesignated Emily as a typhoon and downgraded its winds to Category 3 force. However, great conditions led to Emily reintensifying to a Category 4 on November 8. As it neared the Philippines, the typhoon regained "super typhoon" status. A super typhoon is a typhoon with windspeeds greater than or equal to 150 mph. Shortly before its Philippines landfall, Emily was once again a Category 5 strength tropical cyclone. Emily made a landfall near Manilo, Philippines on November 14 as a Category 5 super typhoon with winds of 165 mph and a pressure of 916 mb. The typhoon significantly weakened over land, and emerged into the South China Sea as a borderline severe tropical storm/Category 1 typhoon cyclone on November 16. A lack of warm waters caused Emily's dissipation the next day.