The Four Florida Hurricanes of 2004 and Their Impact on the Fleet
Abstract
In 2004, four hurricanes (Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne) made landfall in the United States within 6 weeks. Each of these storms posed significant challenges to forecasters and Navy Fleet Commanders alike, particularly with respect to making sortie decisions and preparing Naval Stations for the approach of destructive weather. Sortie decisions are now based on the location of >50 kt wind and >12 ft seas, and unnecessary sorties are viewed as wasteful of resources. This Memorandum Report has two purposes: (1) to review the concerns and requirements of Naval Commanders with respect to safeguarding stations, ships, planes, and personnel from the destructive powers of tropical cyclones (TCs); and (2) to use this context as a framework to learn from the track and intensity forecasts of the four "Florida Hurricanes" of August through September 2004. In this Memorandum Report, a brief discussion of Navy Guidelines and hypothetical scenarios regarding avoidance of TCs at sea, as well as Sortie Conditions (SCs) and Tropical Cyclone Conditions of Readiness (CORs) is presented first. Review of the track and intensity forecasts in the cases of Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne follows. A Summary and Conclusions section presents lessons learned from the experience as well as suggestions on how guidance provided to the Navy for the purposes of setting CORs and ordering sorties could be improved.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 15, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA437041
Entities
People
- Peter M. Klein
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory