As someone who was in hurricane Helene. Thank you for this explanation. We were extremely confused here in wnc about how we got so much destruction from a hurricane when we never get hurricanes. This makes so much sense.
The storm was able to do so much damage in Appalachia because the atmosphere is warmer now. Hurricanes are able to carry a lot more rainfall further inland than they did 50 years ago. Same reason why hurricane Sandy was able to destroy half of Vermont.
It was really a combination of factors. There was a cold front soaking the area days before Helene approached. Helene was also moving faster due to that front. The key was all the heavy rain being squeezed out by the mountains at the right angle.
there was a Predecessor Rain Event (PRE) due to a front that came over and basically stalled, dumping rain on the area. that in of itself would have already been a notable event, but then Helene added more moisture to that plume, and the low pressure center that was situated over the eastern US basically pulled the hurricane in and made it move very quickly--it was still at hurricane strength in the middle of Georgia, and brought tropical storm force winds to Asheville. the scenario that unfolded was the worst case scenario, and it was deemed possible for days but unlikely. the local NWS office (GSP) issued a statement on the Thursday before, saying how terrible it would become. and they were correct
Its called trying to hide the fact that milton was man made by democrats to destroy florida. when did hurricanes go left to right?? why so close to the election???
They don't understand how to do there jobs anymore we need to travel back 40 years then give them modern knowledge on the topic and then we will have good weather reports again 😂.
I always had an issue with hurricane weather coverage in the news, it doesn't take into consideration the public's knowledge. I grew up in Puerto Rico, and from about 4 years-old my father taught me to listen to the weather updates and how to track the eye of the storm on a map of the Caribbean. With this events being more frequent and stronger we need people to be educated. I was so shock a couple of years ago when people were feeling relieved that a storm was moving slower to their area, I guess with them equalling this to a weaker storm! From experience you don't want a slower storm not even a low category storm.
100% agree. I’m a Florida native and anytime a storm ends up hitting somewhere that they don’t usually get hurricanes I cross my fingers that people listen and evacuate if they’re told to. Can’t tell how many times I’ve tried to explain that storm surge isn’t the tide just coming in further, the est. surge heights are how “tall” the water can get in flood zones. These monsters can move water like you wouldn’t believe, like rivers running upstream instead of down levels of power. It’s why people end up drowning, your house can go from dry to underwater in minutes depending on where you are on the coast or by any water bodies really. It’s one of the (many) reasons Florida doesn’t have basements
@@DS-ub1jm You can't build a basement unless the bottom of the basement is above sea level (water table.) I live many miles away from the coast, but if I dig three feet down, I hit water.
@@runnergo1398 unless the ground is nonporous enough that you can get-by with a sump pump. I believe a lot of the PNW has basements like that, with no sump pump they’d slowly flood over a few months. (And that’s for sure how it is in, say, London clay.)
During hurricane Milton, our area had about 18 tornado warnings, one being every 3 minutes. We weren't directly in the path of Milton, but i know of two tornados that touched down in my area, one that blew off a middle school's roof and another that destroyed a gated community. I wondered why we had it so bad until now, loved how it was explained in this video.
There's a super critical oversight in this video. By definition, the "cone of uncertainty" contains 2/3 of the forecast tracks. There is 1 chance in 3 that the storm will track *outside* of the cone.
I disagree, models tend not to work like that, they all aren't equally probable. That being said, I'm sure it's still decently high that it doesn't match the cone. Just not 1/3
@@10thletter40 I revisited the method by which meteorologists use the model. It isn't accurate to say that there's a 1/3 chance the hurricane will fall outside of the cone. But they take all of the model runs and choose the 2/3 of them that are most tightly grouped and exclude the other 1/3 - the outliers. That means 1/3 of the model runs are ignored when defining the cone, but that doesn't mean there is a 1/3 probability of the hurricane going outside of the cone, but it's not zero. I'll update my original comment with this correction.
@1:56 this is not radar imagery, this is longwave infrared imagery that detects the brightness temperature of cloud tops. Colder temperatures = higher clouds.
1:57 thats actually Longwave Infrared imagery, They detect the cloud tops of a hurricane, the colder they are, the stronger the hurricane can become, In this case, the red parts are -60°C.
Something else important to note: Because the wind on the right side is pushing in, the ocean on the right side will push in, creating the devastating storm surge that the majority of hurricane damage is caused by. On the left side, the wind is pushing away, meaning that water will instead be moved away from the coast. Being hit by the eyewall is devastating regardless of which exact part hits, but being hit by the left vs. right side can be the difference between no storm surge and entire streets being inundated.
@@blkmskpvd Gonna be real with you, I didn't check to make sure they actually covered that or not. Either way, they should have explained that more just because of how significant of a role storm surge plays.
For us who grew up in “Hurricane Alley”, we KNOW! 😅 I’m not so nervous about a hurricane when it’s going above Puerto Rico (as in, we’re not even in the cone), but I am when it’s going under us, and of course, through us. But honestly, I’m still surprised by those that don’t realize any of this.
Never was this discussed back in my science class. Thank you, I learned something very important through this! I'd definitely use this knowledge especially storms in our country is frequent here in the pacific.
Very interesting. Can you also say, in the context of Hurricane paths, what is 'the _Sharpie_ of uncertainty' Apparently _Alabama_ was once in 'the _Sharpie_ of uncertainty'.
Thank you for the full explanation of a hurricane. We had multiple tornadoes hitting since we were to the right of Milton. But, the NOAA radios provided the best information and warnings.
I wish the cone diagrams would have an "area of effect" outside the cone, as some of the video shows. I think a lot of people don't know that "the cone" isn't the entire storm.
I've lived in Florida for most of my 36 years on this planet, and today I learned this. Thank you, I was wondering why Helene was so much worse than stronger storms for us, we didn't get devastation but I lost power, first time in over 10 years.
watching this and remembering the storm surge TYPHOON HAIYAN/YOLANDA brought that cause casualties more than the wind and the rain itself. Filipinos was not even aware what a STORM SURGE WAS UNTIL THAT DAY 😢😢😢
"Like look at the image of Katrina.. see how much stronger the winds are" *shows precipitation intensity map with no indication of wind speed whatsoever.
@@ShadowZephyr326 That’s okay 👌 I would refer you to Ryan Hall and Meteorologist Andy Hill as easily accessible resources. Or just do some google searches :)
Does this concept also apply to typhoons? We get a LOT of typhoons here in the Philippines every year, and I think knowing more about them will help save a lot of lives.
A typhoon is the same as a hurricane, its just that the name differ's depending on where its located. Typhoons can be found in the eastern hemisphere near the pacific and hurricanes are found in the northern hemisphere usually in the atlantic.
Sigh... Weve displayed the impacts portion of TCs for years with Wind Radi, TC Hazard maps and various other tools. Maybe include links to the NHC and SPC next time?
Raised cross walk is cheaper and more effective. But it would slow down drivers so that's a no-go because we have to baby the distracted drivers from breaking their cars.
In the last year of the first live broadcasted genocide in history, you have made 2 videos. One at the beginning, and one some time later. For me, that is the reason I don't financially support your journalism.
can someone explain to me how the winds on the left side are slowed but one the right are accelerated? isnt it all just moving counter clockwise or what am i missing here
The motion of the hurricane adds or subtracts from the wind speed. If the hurricane is moving at 20 mph and the fastest wind on the right side is 130 mph, then the wind on the left side will move as slow as 90 mph.
You have missed the story about the truck that was transporting dry ice in the Tampa Bay area and got caught up in the approaching hurricane and the driver had to abandon his vehicle. Milton destroyed many vehicles in the area including the truck which was ripped open leading to dry ice being spread throughout a residential neighborhood.
Was this word just recently adopted? Because I never once heard a meteorologist use this word when referencing a hurricane before Helene... then they all started saying it, and now there is even this video about it.
Why didn't you feature the extended cone of uncertainty that President Trump once drew with a black Sharpie marker onto a National Weather Service map for Hurricane Dorian?
I mean it is indeed the worst spot, just not in the same way people think. The spot where the eye passes through hit the eye wall twice. Sure you get some calm but it's like bouncing from one side of the washing machine to another.
If you live near hurris how do you not know this? Like just watch the new for 10 min. Im not trppin right, but they made it seem like it wasnt common sense
As someone who was in hurricane Helene. Thank you for this explanation. We were extremely confused here in wnc about how we got so much destruction from a hurricane when we never get hurricanes. This makes so much sense.
The storm was able to do so much damage in Appalachia because the atmosphere is warmer now. Hurricanes are able to carry a lot more rainfall further inland than they did 50 years ago. Same reason why hurricane Sandy was able to destroy half of Vermont.
It was really a combination of factors. There was a cold front soaking the area days before Helene approached. Helene was also moving faster due to that front. The key was all the heavy rain being squeezed out by the mountains at the right angle.
@@blkmskpvd There's no evidence to suggest that.
there was a Predecessor Rain Event (PRE) due to a front that came over and basically stalled, dumping rain on the area. that in of itself would have already been a notable event, but then Helene added more moisture to that plume, and the low pressure center that was situated over the eastern US basically pulled the hurricane in and made it move very quickly--it was still at hurricane strength in the middle of Georgia, and brought tropical storm force winds to Asheville.
the scenario that unfolded was the worst case scenario, and it was deemed possible for days but unlikely. the local NWS office (GSP) issued a statement on the Thursday before, saying how terrible it would become. and they were correct
It also rained for 2 days ahead of it if you remember. So the ground was already saturated when Helene hit!
Thank you because when the weather reporters were explaining i was so confused
Its called trying to hide the fact that milton was man made by democrats to destroy florida. when did hurricanes go left to right?? why so close to the election???
They don't understand how to do there jobs anymore we need to travel back 40 years then give them modern knowledge on the topic and then we will have good weather reports again 😂.
@@user-sj7he8mq5s This is a very real account, and not a hate bot at all!
222 👍
This was SUCH a good explainer with excellent graphics and examples.
I always had an issue with hurricane weather coverage in the news, it doesn't take into consideration the public's knowledge. I grew up in Puerto Rico, and from about 4 years-old my father taught me to listen to the weather updates and how to track the eye of the storm on a map of the Caribbean. With this events being more frequent and stronger we need people to be educated. I was so shock a couple of years ago when people were feeling relieved that a storm was moving slower to their area, I guess with them equalling this to a weaker storm! From experience you don't want a slower storm not even a low category storm.
Or even a stalled storm like Helene that just sat on top and dumped rain for a long time.
100% agree. I’m a Florida native and anytime a storm ends up hitting somewhere that they don’t usually get hurricanes I cross my fingers that people listen and evacuate if they’re told to. Can’t tell how many times I’ve tried to explain that storm surge isn’t the tide just coming in further, the est. surge heights are how “tall” the water can get in flood zones. These monsters can move water like you wouldn’t believe, like rivers running upstream instead of down levels of power. It’s why people end up drowning, your house can go from dry to underwater in minutes depending on where you are on the coast or by any water bodies really. It’s one of the (many) reasons Florida doesn’t have basements
@@DS-ub1jm You can't build a basement unless the bottom of the basement is above sea level (water table.) I live many miles away from the coast, but if I dig three feet down, I hit water.
@@runnergo1398 unless the ground is nonporous enough that you can get-by with a sump pump. I believe a lot of the PNW has basements like that, with no sump pump they’d slowly flood over a few months. (And that’s for sure how it is in, say, London clay.)
Maybe it's just your english, but saying "you don't want a low category storm" is wrong in every way possible.
During hurricane Milton, our area had about 18 tornado warnings, one being every 3 minutes. We weren't directly in the path of Milton, but i know of two tornados that touched down in my area, one that blew off a middle school's roof and another that destroyed a gated community. I wondered why we had it so bad until now, loved how it was explained in this video.
the Cartesian plane is in everything. thank you Renê Descartes
There's a super critical oversight in this video. By definition, the "cone of uncertainty" contains 2/3 of the forecast tracks. There is 1 chance in 3 that the storm will track *outside* of the cone.
yes important. people have a difficult time accepting uncertainty
That doesn’t seem like a “super critical oversight” especially since the cone of uncertainty wasn’t even the focus of the video.
@@nicholasjacobson3712 the uncertainty cone is more uncertain than ever 😮
I disagree, models tend not to work like that, they all aren't equally probable. That being said, I'm sure it's still decently high that it doesn't match the cone. Just not 1/3
@@10thletter40 I revisited the method by which meteorologists use the model. It isn't accurate to say that there's a 1/3 chance the hurricane will fall outside of the cone. But they take all of the model runs and choose the 2/3 of them that are most tightly grouped and exclude the other 1/3 - the outliers.
That means 1/3 of the model runs are ignored when defining the cone, but that doesn't mean there is a 1/3 probability of the hurricane going outside of the cone, but it's not zero.
I'll update my original comment with this correction.
@1:56 this is not radar imagery, this is longwave infrared imagery that detects the brightness temperature of cloud tops. Colder temperatures = higher clouds.
i was just about to comment that
Hurricane are very destructive, but the power they posses is quite fascinating to me. being from Louisiana, I've experienced a few.
As someone who was born at the end of Hurricane -Tortilla- Katrina,
I like to consider myself the calm _after_ the storm 😌
Well made Vox. Accurate from my Meteorologist perspective.
1:57 thats actually Longwave Infrared imagery, They detect the cloud tops of a hurricane, the colder they are, the stronger the hurricane can become, In this case, the red parts are -60°C.
As a Puerto Rican who lives in fear every hurricane season, thank you for this video🙏
Something else important to note:
Because the wind on the right side is pushing in, the ocean on the right side will push in, creating the devastating storm surge that the majority of hurricane damage is caused by. On the left side, the wind is pushing away, meaning that water will instead be moved away from the coast. Being hit by the eyewall is devastating regardless of which exact part hits, but being hit by the left vs. right side can be the difference between no storm surge and entire streets being inundated.
neat. i learned that from the video you just commented on.
@@blkmskpvd Gonna be real with you, I didn't check to make sure they actually covered that or not. Either way, they should have explained that more just because of how significant of a role storm surge plays.
Yeah, so basically what they said in the video
@@robguevara7 not exactly
Not a storms tho like Helene and Harvey are good examples.
As someone who lives in WNC, this makes a lot of sense as to why such a rare event happened here
For us who grew up in “Hurricane Alley”, we KNOW! 😅 I’m not so nervous about a hurricane when it’s going above Puerto Rico (as in, we’re not even in the cone), but I am when it’s going under us, and of course, through us. But honestly, I’m still surprised by those that don’t realize any of this.
Never was this discussed back in my science class. Thank you, I learned something very important through this! I'd definitely use this knowledge especially storms in our country is frequent here in the pacific.
Very interesting.
Can you also say, in the context of Hurricane paths, what is 'the _Sharpie_ of uncertainty'
Apparently _Alabama_ was once in 'the _Sharpie_ of uncertainty'.
Thank you for the full explanation of a hurricane. We had multiple tornadoes hitting since we were to the right of Milton. But, the NOAA radios provided the best information and warnings.
the cone of uncertainty is deceiving... visually, it looks to be more like the regions it would affect...
I love these kinds of videos from Vox, especially when they’re not politically driven.
This is true, growing up in Florida my mom always told me that the backside spin of the hurricane that's worse than the front.
Reminder: President Trump once suggested we nuke hurricanes, & that wasn't even in the 20 dumbest things he said or did as President.
Ah, yes. Quite true (you, never Trump!) and he also developed a special technique of redirecting hurricanes using a sharpie on a map......
Regrettably, he made that comment, which I attribute to his occasional lack of education.
@@oliviao2238 I'm sorry what do you mean "occasional” ???
He hasn't picked up a sharpie since.
@@oliviao2238 A little more than occasional💀
Thanks for the info guys! Never knew this…🤙
I wish the cone diagrams would have an "area of effect" outside the cone, as some of the video shows. I think a lot of people don't know that "the cone" isn't the entire storm.
wow thanks for this it's really helpful! didn't even think we learned this back in school
Thank you for your consistent informative videos.
1:59 this is actually Infrared Satellite imagery, not Radar
Literally just did a project in this exact topic. If only you posted this video a little sooner.
I've lived in Florida for most of my 36 years on this planet, and today I learned this. Thank you, I was wondering why Helene was so much worse than stronger storms for us, we didn't get devastation but I lost power, first time in over 10 years.
Wow this is a new knowledge for me thank you for sharing.
Fascinating video! I didn’t know this about hurricanes.
Thanks for your analysis
2:42 I was like, "Brooooo why are they driving during a potential storm surge risk??????"
I’m glad I’m a supporter
It's the "clean side" of a helicopter's rotor that limits it's top speed.
And why "chunky" tandem rotor choppers are faster than single rotor choppers.
I hear hurricane and get prepared. I dont care the category or side it is😂
great explanation
Great video, very informative
Hope you bring back the Darkroom series!
Great Video!😆
Great video, i learned!
watching this and remembering the storm surge TYPHOON HAIYAN/YOLANDA brought that cause casualties more than the wind and the rain itself. Filipinos was not even aware what a STORM SURGE WAS UNTIL THAT DAY 😢😢😢
JUST THE NORM HERE IN PHILIPPINES
Thank you for saying Appalachia with the appropriate local pronunciation.
Very interesting, thanks.
does tornado have a storm surge
No tornadoes don’t cause flooding it’s more of strong winds
very interesting video
I much prefer the symbology used by the JTWC in the Pacific. Way easier to understand where and how strong the winds are.
"Like look at the image of Katrina.. see how much stronger the winds are"
*shows precipitation intensity map with no indication of wind speed whatsoever.
Wild video
This video is not for Floridians. This is all common knowledge for natives.
I doubt it. Common knowledge is missing from many.
"These cone diagrams leave out something..." So that's what the sharpie was for 😆
Saying we don’t understand the eye or the eye wall is totally disingenuous.
Sorry, you didn't give any evidence so I'm forced to disagree
@@ShadowZephyr326 That’s okay 👌 I would refer you to Ryan Hall and Meteorologist Andy Hill as easily accessible resources. Or just do some google searches :)
Does this concept also apply to typhoons? We get a LOT of typhoons here in the Philippines every year, and I think knowing more about them will help save a lot of lives.
A typhoon is the same as a hurricane, its just that the name differ's depending on where its located. Typhoons can be found in the eastern hemisphere near the pacific and hurricanes are found in the northern hemisphere usually in the atlantic.
Sorry about the hurricane guys, I was messing with my leaf blower’s weather modification features and it got a little of our hand.
An attempt at a joke that was both insensitive and unfunny. Well done 👍
@@jmckendry84 I thought it was pretty funny
@@jmckendry84I, too, thought it was funny
Sigh... Weve displayed the impacts portion of TCs for years with Wind Radi, TC Hazard maps and various other tools. Maybe include links to the NHC and SPC next time?
Me: knows a bunch about hurricanes due to years of hyperfixations
Also me: I see a video about the basics of hurricane science I click like
Raised cross walk is cheaper and more effective. But it would slow down drivers so that's a no-go because we have to baby the distracted drivers from breaking their cars.
This video needs to be signal boosted
Usually love all your videos but I’ve never been so bored in my life
When you realize the media isn't there to keep you safe 😂
Bruh even the hurricane is not safe 😂
Hey Coleman, was that a Vox Dark Room Series that i saw at the last cut of the video?
I always thought the cone represented the path of the hurricane AND the expansion in physical size lol. I was way off. Pun intended,
It's time to take action against Climate change
Ok Greta
You only said Atlantic hurricanes I'm kind of offended Pacific hurricanes deserve some representation as well
1 John 1:9; Romans 10:13 🙏
“For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord [in prayer] will be saved.”
I like the bald guy with glasses more. Hes way better at explaining stuff
Ugh ty for making this for folks 🫶
Growing up in Texas, I already knew this
Even the hurricanes are not safe
So it’s the clean side that kills us?! 😭
0:07 that looks scarily similar to Mitch
As a resident of Morehead City, when Wilmington gets a direct hit we get the worst. Florence is a good example.
The only threats to human life I've heard recently have come from the Former Commander in Chief.
In the last year of the first live broadcasted genocide in history, you have made 2 videos. One at the beginning, and one some time later. For me, that is the reason I don't financially support your journalism.
Vox: it's more dangerous to be on the right 👀I see what you did there
can someone explain to me how the winds on the left side are slowed but one the right are accelerated? isnt it all just moving counter clockwise or what am i missing here
The motion of the hurricane adds or subtracts from the wind speed. If the hurricane is moving at 20 mph and the fastest wind on the right side is 130 mph, then the wind on the left side will move as slow as 90 mph.
Cool
Is the Hurricane and Typhoon Mechanics the same?
Does the reverse apply to cyclones in the southern hemisphere?
Just avoid a hurricane in its entirety
Hurricane Helene has showed you cannot move away to escape climate change. Even when they are weaken they can still carry major flooding far inland.
Is this the same for typhoons but opposite?
Does this apply to cyclones and typhoons?
does this also applies to typhoons? or just to hurricanes?
Why are they dropping dry ice into the hurricane’s been several videos of dry ice in yards
You have missed the story about the truck that was transporting dry ice in the Tampa Bay area and got caught up in the approaching hurricane and the driver had to abandon his vehicle.
Milton destroyed many vehicles in the area including the truck which was ripped open leading to dry ice being spread throughout a residential neighborhood.
Was this word just recently adopted? Because I never once heard a meteorologist use this word when referencing a hurricane before Helene... then they all started saying it, and now there is even this video about it.
Why didn't you feature the extended cone of uncertainty that President Trump once drew with a black Sharpie marker onto a National Weather Service map for Hurricane Dorian?
I do not see this in philippine television 😢 or i just dont.
Filipinos: Write that down!!!
Vox it's not journalism
Been tracking these storms for decades, this is the first time I've heard this term.
I pitty those who even in 2024 believe the eye of the storm is the worst spot. Just think how an electric fan works.
You can still delete this comment
I mean it is indeed the worst spot, just not in the same way people think. The spot where the eye passes through hit the eye wall twice. Sure you get some calm but it's like bouncing from one side of the washing machine to another.
Why is someone constantly strumming a loud guitar background. I’m trying to listen to someone talking.
Downvoted.
If you live near hurris how do you not know this? Like just watch the new for 10 min. Im not trppin right, but they made it seem like it wasnt common sense
It does not look symmetrical.
interesting
W vid
Beryl, Helene and Milton need to be retired