Tag Archives: St. John's

Hurricane Larry Brings Wind and Rain to Newfoundland

Hurricane Larry brought wind and rain to Newfoundland on Friday night. At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Friday the center of Hurricane Larry was located at latitude 46.8°N and longitude 54.9°W which put it about 85 miles (135 km) west of Cape Race, Newfoundland. Larry was moving toward the north-northeast at 47 m.p.h. (76 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 80 m.p.h. (130 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 95 m.p.h. (150 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 958 mb.

A Hurricane Warning was in effect for the portion of the coast from Arnold’s Cove to Jones Harbour, Newfoundland. The Hurricane Warning included St. John’s. Tropical Storm Warnings were in effect for the portions of the coast from Francios to Arnold’s Cove and from Jones Harbour to Fogo Island, Newfoundland.

Hurricane Larry brought strong winds and heavy rain to southeastern Newfoundland on Friday night. Larry was a large hurricane. Winds to hurricane force extended out 100 miles (160 km) on the eastern side of Larry. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 250 miles (400 km) from the center of Hurricane Larry. Rain was falling from Marystown to Bonavista. St. John’s International Airport was reporting heavy rain with a sustained wind speed of 42 m.p.h. (68 km/h) and wind gusts to 58 m.p.h. (94 km/h).

Hurricane Larry will move quickly across southeastern Newfoundland. Larry will make a transition to an extratropical cyclone over the Labrador Sea. The extratropical cyclone could bring heavy precipitation to parts of Greenland on Sunday.

Hurricane Larry Races Toward Newfoundland

Hurricane Larry raced toward Newfoundland on Friday morning. At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Friday the center of Hurricane Larry was located at latitude 40.0°N and longitude 60.5°W which put it about 595 miles (955 km) southwest of Cape Race, Newfoundland. Larry was moving toward the north-northeast at 29 m.p.h. (46 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 80 m.p.h. (130 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 95 m.p.h. (150 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 971 mb.

A Hurricane Warning was in effect for the portion of the coast from Arnold’s Cove to Jones Harbour, Newfoundland. The Hurricane Warning included St. John’s. Tropical Storm Warnings were in effect for the portions of the coast from Francios to Arnold’s Cove and from Jones Harbour to Fogo Island, Newfoundland.

The structure of Hurricane Larry changed as it raced toward the north-northeast. A rainband wrapped around the existing eye and eyewall and it appeared that concentric eyewalls may have formed. Microwave satellite imagery showed indications of a smaller inner eye inside a much larger outer eye. Drier air was being pulled into the circulation around Hurricane Larry. Zones of drier air with fewer clouds were beginning to appear between the rainbands.

The circulation around Hurricane Larry was large. Winds to hurricane force extended out 80 miles (130 km) from the center of Larry. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 240 miles (390 km) from the center of circulation. The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Larry was 11.5. The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 27.9 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 39.4. Hurricane Larry was about 60% of the size of Hurricane Sandy (2012).

Hurricane Larry will move through an environment that will allow Larry to maintain its intensity until it reaches Newfoundland. Larry will move over cooler water when it moves north of the Gulf Stream. An upper level trough over the eastern U.S. will produce southwesterly winds that will blow toward the top of Larry’s circulation. Those winds will cause moderate vertical wind shear. However, the southwesterly winds will also contribute to upper level divergence to the northeast of Hurricane Larry. Enhanced upper level divergence will allow the pressure at the surface to remain low. In addition, Hurricane Larry will begin to make a transformation to an extratropical cyclone when it nears Newfoundland.

The upper trough over the eastern U.S. will steer Hurricane Larry rapidly toward the northeast during the next 24 hours. On its anticipated track Hurricane Larry will reach Newfoundland on Friday night. Larry will bring strong winds and locally heavy rain to southeast Newfoundland. Widespread power outages could occur. Heavy rain could cause flash floods in some locations.