Hurricane Karl was a late-season and unusual
tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depen ...
that formed within a larger extratropical cyclone. Karl was also the northernmost forming Atlantic hurricane on record in November. The fifteenth and final tropical cyclone, twelfth named storm, and ninth hurricane of the
1980 Atlantic hurricane season, Karl developed at the center of another, larger
extratropical cyclone over the North Atlantic. After being classified a
subtropical cyclone
A subtropical cyclone is a weather system that has some characteristics of both tropical and an extratropical cyclone.
As early as the 1950s, meteorologists were uncertain whether they should be characterized as tropical or extratropical cyclon ...
on November 25, it became more independent of its parent storm and grew into a full-fledged Category 1 hurricane. It peaked in intensity on November 26, and ultimately dissipated on November 29, as it merged with another system.
Karl holds the record for the northernmost formation of a November tropical or subtropical cyclone in the Atlantic Ocean. It also attained hurricane strength at an unusual latitude, and contributed to one of the most active Novembers on record in terms of tropical cyclones. However, it stayed over open waters and did not have any effects on land. It was the 11th named storm of the season.
Meteorological history
Hurricane Karl originated in a
low pressure area
In meteorology, a low-pressure area, low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclement weather (such as cloudy, windy, with possible ...
that formed along a
frontal boundary near the southeastern United States. It approached the
Canadian Maritimes the next day and strengthened to below 1000
millibars
The bar is a metric unit of pressure, but not part of the International System of Units (SI). It is defined as exactly equal to 100,000 Pa (100 kPa), or slightly less than the current average atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea lev ...
. On November 24, the broad cyclone was located south of
Newfoundland, and early the next day a mass of
convection
Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the conve ...
developed near the core.
It evolved into a separate vortex, and due to the lack of inhibiting
wind shear
Wind shear (or windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical or horizont ...
, a small cyclone developed.
It became a
subtropical storm at 00:00
UTC before executing a tight counterclockwise loop as it rotated within the larger cyclone.
About 18 hours later, the storm strengthened and gained enough tropical characteristics to be designated a hurricane,
accompanied by the formation of a pronounced
eye feature.
At the time, it was situated around 610 miles (1,110 km) west-southwest of the
Azores
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.
Although the development of a tropical cyclone within a non-tropical storm is rare, it is not unprecedented. The
"Perfect Storm" unnamed hurricane in November 1991 and
Subtropical Storm Alpha in September 2020 also formed in this manner.
After being classified as a hurricane, Karl gradually strengthened, and its circulation became more distinguished from the surrounding cloudiness. A
trough that emerged from North America steered the hurricane eastward,
and on November 26, it reached its peak intensity with
maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 km/h) and a central
barometric pressure
Atmospheric pressure, also known as barometric pressure (after the barometer), is the pressure within the atmosphere of Earth. The standard atmosphere (symbol: atm) is a unit of pressure defined as , which is equivalent to 1013.25 millibars, 7 ...
reading of 985
mbar
The bar is a metric unit of pressure, but not part of the International System of Units (SI). It is defined as exactly equal to 100,000 Pa (100 kPa), or slightly less than the current average atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea lev ...
(hPa; 29.09
inHg). Karl maintained this strength for approximately 18 hours until beginning to weaken slightly as it accelerated towards the northeast.
On November 27, the storm's eye became more ragged as the cyclone passed within 230 miles (370 km) of the Azores and started to show signs of deterioration.
The trough over the North Atlantic developed into the dominant low pressure area, and Karl turned northward around its periphery. Karl became extratropical on November 28 and later merged with another approaching system within a day, and was declared dissipated by November 29.
Records
![Karl Nov 26 1980 1115Z](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Karl_Nov_26_1980_1115Z.png)
Hurricane Karl was unusual in several aspects. It developed late in the hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through November 30, over waters colder than the standard limit for tropical cyclone formation. It marked the farthest-north development of a November tropical or subtropical cyclone on record. While the
1991 unnamed hurricane was farther north, it became a subtropical storm late on October 31, and had moved south by November 1.
Karl was reported at the time to be the farthest-east hurricane during the last 10 days of the month of November.
Additionally, it maintained hurricane intensity until reaching 45.0°N, at which point it became extratropical; only
Hurricane Lois in 1966 lasted as a hurricane farther north in the month of November.
When Karl became a hurricane on November 25, the 1980 season became notable for having two November hurricanes; the other was
Jeanne. This tied
1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hiro ...
and
1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
for the record of the most November hurricanes, which was later accomplished during the
1994 season.
Later,
2001 broke this record with three hurricanes.
See also
*
Other tropical cyclones named Karl
References
External links
Preliminary ReportAdvisory archive
{{Good article
Karl Karl may refer to:
People
* Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne
* Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer
* Karl of Austria, last Austria ...
Karl (1980)
Karl Karl may refer to:
People
* Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne
* Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer
* Karl of Austria, last Austria ...