Glenda blew up quick!

[fatesown]

Has anyone been watching Glenda, off the NNW Australian coast? Last report I saw, she was 130 mph sustained, gusts to 160, and forecast to get stronger. This storm started yesterday! I'm surprised how many late-season storms are springing up Down Under, and how fast they're developing.



Tropical cyclone (tc) 20s (glenda), located approximately 295 nm
north-northeast of Port Hedland, Australia, has tracked west-
southwestward at 05 knots over the past 06 hours. Tc 20s continues
to track on the northwest periphery of a steering ridge over
Australia. The system has rapidly intensified and will continue
to intensify over the next 36 hours due to sea surface temperatures
of 30 degrees celsius or greater and a very favorable upper level
environment with an equatorward and developing poleward outflow
channels. By tau 48, tc 20s will weaken due to interaction with
land and increased vertical wind shear associated with an advancing
midlatitude trough. Maximum significant wave height at 280600z is
35 feet.

[fatesown]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060328...dmBHNlYwM3NTM-

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia was bracing for its second top-category superstorm in a week as tropical cyclone Glenda headed toward the western coast.

The storm was becoming more powerful and was likely to reach category five status as it hits the Pilbara mining area in the next few days, said Noel Puzey from the bureau of meteorology.

Emergency workers in the sparsely-populated region urged residents to batten down in order to avoid a repeat of the devastation tropical cyclone Larry wrought on the other side of Australia last week.

Larry tore into Queensland's northeastern coast, destroying buildings, wiping out crops and leaving a damage bill expected to amount to a billion dollars (707 million US) over the next several years.

It has since dissipated but the remnants of yet another tropical cyclone, Wati, have provided an unwanted headache for lifesavers along Australia's entire east coast.

Wati has whipped up massive surf along the coast, with swells of four metres (13 foot) on tourist beaches such as Sydney's Bondi.

Authorities have warned people to stay out of the water but have been forced to recue dozens of surfers determined to test their big wave riding skills in the rare conditions.

[Martin]

That image looks classic. Check out the SST's in that area.

http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/data/sst/latest_sst.gif

It even looks warm enough already for Tropical development in the Caribbean. If only the weather pattern were conducive. Maybe in 10 years from now we'll have hurricanes forming in April in the Atlantic. lol