OPC Hurricane Force Wind Events June 2017 - May 2018

From June 2017 to May 2018 (defined as one season), the Ocean Prediction Center (OPC) analyzed 47 unique hurricane force (HF) wind events across the North Atlantic basin, and 26 unique HF wind events across the North Pacific. The poster will briefly explain methodologies used by OPC forecasters to diagnose HF wind events, display heat maps and distribution graphics during the most recent OPC season, and present 10-year HF statistics for both ocean basins by season and month. The poster intends to display location hot spots of HF low pressures and wind events (Greenland Tip Jet, Kuroshio and Gulf Stream currents), and highlight a few of the more notable events from the most recent season; some possibilities include Ophelia transition to post-tropical across Ireland (October 2017), a 952 mb low across George’s Bank (January 2018), and a deep low across the Bering Sea that generated seas > 50 feet (November 2017).