Photo: NASA

Since September 24, Hurricane Sam has been over the Atlantic Ocean. Also, this Tuesday (5) it was a Category 1 hurricane, on the Sapphire-Simpson scale, with winds of up to 130 kilometers per hour and operating off the coast of Canada. Sam is the most intense and long-lasting hurricane of 2021 in the Atlantic Ocean.

It has been operating for 12 days as a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean. According to satellite data, it is the region’s 12th longest hurricane since 1966. In addition, it is the longest after Hurricane Maria, which lasted 12 days in the Atlantic Ocean between 17 and 28 September 2017. (Sources: Colorado State University and NOAA).

Sam has already reached a top speed of 241 km / h

Sam formed as a tropical depression in the Atlantic Ocean on September 23, but turned into a hurricane on September 24, Category 1. However, its maximum intensity was September 26, October 1, when the wind speed was 241.4 km / h, and was classified as Category 4 on the Sapphire-Simpson scale.

Fonde: Tropical Storm Risk (TSR)

Sam’s path

Sam is heading to Iceland, where a tropical storm is expected to cause an avalanche in the country from October 6th. In addition, between today (05) and the weekend there will be rain in the UK and Ireland, which will be in the form of thunderstorms, with more than 100 mm collected in the north-northwest and north of the UK. Of Ireland.

Source: NOAA.

Hurricane Accumulated Energy (ACE)

According to Colorado State University, Sam has a cumulative cyclonic energy (ACE) of 53.8 ACE.

This is the sixth ACE site for a single Atlantic storm on the satellite since 1966. Even Hurricanes Alan (1980) and Matthew (2016) overcame it.

But what is hurricane energy (ACE) accumulated in hurricanes?

Cyclone Accumulated Energy (ACE) data is a measure of the express energy used by a tropical cyclone during its lifetime. Analyzes the maximum sustainable wind calculations of a tropical cyclone every six hours and amplifies them themselves to generate values. The sum of these values ​​is calculated as the total for a storm, and can be divided by 10,000 to make them more manageable, or added to other amounts to calculate the total number of storms given.

The figure was first created by William Gray and colleagues at Colorado State University, which estimates the maximum sustained wind speed for each hurricane above 120 km / h and increases by itself every six hours.

This index includes all tropical cyclones with winds of more than 65 km / h in NOAA 2000, and renamed Accumulated Cyclone Energy, ACE.

In the Atlantic Ocean, the NOAA ACE Index is used to classify hurricane seasons into four categories:

• Very active season – ACE index above 152.5;
• Season above average – ACE index above 111;
• Station approaches average – ACE index between 66 and 11;
• Below season or normal – ACE index below 6