Many of the WDRB viewers have taken note of the interesting path of Hurricane/Tropical Storm/Tropical Depression Eta. It has been unique and many have wondered if any other storms have taken a similar path...
One storm that did take a very similar path was Hurricane Mitch in 1998. It also started in the Caribbean, moved west and made landfall in Central America and then started to progress eastward into the Caribbean Sea. Hurricane Mitch weakened to remnant low, but regained strength as a tropical storm before it crossed over Florida and continued into the north Atlantic. Mitch killed over 11 thousand people and caused 6 billion dollars in damage. The name was retired following the devastation and loss of life. Notice above that Eta may also affect southern Florida early this week. There is some uncertainty where the storm will track after that, but the current National Hurricane Center forecast has it moving into the Gulf of Mexico.
Mitch and Eta are not the only storms with funky paths. I complied a list of some storms that have so many twists and turns - it could make you dizzy! The bizarre track is usually due changing winds or weakening winds in the atmosphere above the storm.
NADINE - 2012
Nadine may be the most erratic path of the bunch. It is the fourth longest lasting storm on record. The storm never made landfall in the United States, but it did affect the U.K. and the Azores. Majority of its life cycle it was doing a twirling dance in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. You can see in the video below the track has several directional changes, loops and spins.
IVAN - 2004
Ivan was a long lasting storm that produced widespread destruction and it even made two landfalls in the United States during September 2004. It made landfall as a major hurricane between Florida and Alabama, moved NE into the mid-Atlantic, before it looped back around to make a second landfall. Ivan killed 120 people and caused 26 billion dollars in damage.
LENNY - 1999
Lenny you're going the wrong way! You don't see this every day! In fact, it had never happened before. "Wrong Way Lenny" developed and immediately maintained an unprecedented west-to-east track. The storm produce significant damage in the Caribbean and killed 17 people. The name was then retired.
GORDON - 1994
Gordon's zig-zag path led to death and destruction late in the season of 1994. Thousands were killed and the storm took aim at several locations including Florida...twice. Even though the storm caused nearly 600 million dollars in damage and killed so many people, the name was not retired. Majority of the deaths occurred in Haiti and Haiti did not send a delegate to the World Meteorological Organization's annual Spring meeting in 1995.
HARVEY - 2017
Hurricane Harvey affected Houston, TX only three years ago and I can still remember the images pouring in of flooded highways that were turned into rushing rivers. Harvey made landfall as a category 4 storm, before stalling for days which caused catastrophic flooding. It then made another landfall in Louisiana as a tropical storm. Hurricane Harvey is one of the most costly hurricanes ever and the name was retired the following spring.
KYLE - 2002
This scribbly mess is Kyle. It is one of the longest-lived tropical cyclones in the Atlantic. It brewed for 22 days while making several loops and curves. It also made two U.S. landfalls.
