This weekend a hurricane formed off the coast of Portugal - in an area of water temperatures which was believed to be too cold to support a hurricane. It was very small in size, but there could be no doubt that this was a hurricane, with sustained winds of at least 75 MPH and an well defined 'eye'.
Apparently there is record of a dying hurricane hitting Ireland in the 1960s, and of the 'Remnants' of tropical storms striking Spain and Portugal in the past. But this is the first time on record a tropical system actually maintained enough strength to strike the Iberian Peninsula.
From the National Hurricane Center:
The historical record shows no tropical cyclone ever making landfallon the iberian peninsula. Based on surface reports from FaroPortugal...the center passed just to the south of the coast ofPortugal...before becoming the first tropical cyclone to make landfall in Spain.
The area is in a severe drought so the rains were welcome, and by the time the storm hit land the winds were not strong enough to do much damage.
A 'hurricane-like' storm (like the one to hit Spain, this storm did not have all of the typical charactaristics of hurricanes) also hit Brazil this year, which is another first.
No one storm indicates a climate change, but all of these factors put together are definitely something to think about.
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