Six years after the passage of Hurricane Lorenzo, which affected the islands of Flores, Faial and Pico, in October 2019, the Azores archipelago is preparing to see the Tropical Gabrielle cyclone.
O Gabrielle should pass through the Azores as category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale (scale from 1 to 5, where 5 is the most severe category), causing a state of time aggravation from the end of the day this Thursday.
In the central group (peak, faial, graceful, third and São Jorge) predict “Strong precipitation, gust with gusts of around 200 kilometers/hour from the south, running to the northwest, and sea agitation with waves between eight and 10 meters of significant height, and the maximum wave can reach 14 to 18 meters.”
In the western group (flowers and crow) also there will be strong precipitation and gusts up to 130 kilometers/hour, with ripple identical to that of the central group.
These two groups have several red warnings do -The most serious on a scale of three-between the end of today and the Friday morning. Several municipalities activated the Municipal Emergency and Civil Protection Plan and the closing of some ports was determined, Alert region between 18:00 today and 18:00 tomorrow (19:00 in Lisbon).
Largest gust of wind registered in the Azores was in 1989
The largest gust of wind registered in the Azores archipelago It took place on December 15, 1989 on the island of Santa Maria (Eastern Group) EFHi 176 kilometers/hour, A slight difference against the record in mainland Portugal – 176.4 kilometers/hour, at Figueira da Foz, on October 13, 2018, according to IPMA data.
In 2019, the passage of Hurricane Lorenzo led to the activation of the Azores Civil Protection Regional Emergency Plan and alerts were also issued. Schools and other regional public administration services were closed, taking into account the passage of category 2 hurricane.
At dawn and the morning of October 2 of this yearLorenzo caused more than 250 occurrences and forced the resettlement of 53 people, mostly on Faial Island, without registration of victims.
According to local authorities, the losses were caused “In various areas such as port infrastructure and support for port activity, road network, public equipment, housing, fishing, agriculture and private business sector.”
O strongly conditioning maritime supply to an island with about 3,500 inhabitants, and, according to the Azores Regional Government, the
The total investment for the construction of the new Flores Commercial Port It will be about 230 million eurosa work that should be completed in 2030, 11 years after the passage of Hurricane Lorenzo.
What have weather phenomena hit the Azores in the last 20 years?
In the last two decades the Azores have lived other significant meteorological phenomenaincluding two in September 2006: First the Gordon Hurricane, which went through the central and eastern groups (St. Michael and Santa Maria), and then Hurricane Helène, which went north of the western group.
Six years later, on August 19, 2012a hurricane also called Gordon passed between the islands of São Miguel and Santa Mariacausing flooding, momentary cuts of electricity and the obstruction of roads.
In September of the same year It was the turn of the Tropical Storm Nadine to hit the archipelago twice, With winds of 80 to 90 kilometers per hour, on average, and gusts of 120 kilometers per hour.
Already in 2016, as early as January, A cyclone emerged in the Caribbean Sea moved to the south of the Azores archipelagoforming the hurricane Alex. The Regional Civil Protection and Firefighters of the Azores Service has re -alerting a red alert to the islands of the central and eastern groups and, again, all public services such as schools, courts and the University of the Azores were closed, just as the aerial and sea connections were canceled.
Bad weather has again made damage, especially in São Roque, in the municipality of Ponta Delgada (São Miguel).
Alex, the first of this nature to occur in January in almost 80 years, according to US meteorologists, LeI go to the emission of red warning, the most serious, for wind, sea agitation and rain for the central and eastern groups.
October 14, 2017, Hurricane Ophelia (category 3) went off the eastern group, But without causing damage: Tree falls, small floods and collapsed have been recorded.
In September 2018, foi the turn of the tropical storm Helène affect the archipelago, in particular flowers and crow, with 10 occurrences, but “Without human damage or material.”
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