After becoming the
first major hurricane of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season,
Hurricane Gordon underwent several fluctuations in intensity before eventually
moving through the Azores as a Category 1 hurricane.
Gordon intensified into a Category 3 storm on the night of September 13th as it
was moving northwest through the Central Atlantic. The system remained strong on
the 14th but started to slow down as steering currents weakened. Gordon became
nearly stationary on the 15th and subsequently weakened to a Category 1 storm.
The system remained stalled on the 16th, barely maintaining hurricane status.
Finally, on the 17th, an approaching mid-latitude trough began to draw Gordon
first to the north and then to the northeast.
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (or TRMM) satellite captured this image
of Gordon as it was moving north-northeastward through the Central Atlantic on
the afternoon (local time) of the 17th. The image was taken at 1736 UTC (1:36 pm
EDT) 17 September 2006. It shows an instantaneous snap shot of the rainfall
pattern within Gordon. Rain rates in the center part of the swath are from the
TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), while those in the outer swath are from the TRMM
Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from
the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). Although the eye is cloud-filled, IR
data indicate that Gordon has excellent cirrus outflow to the north and west
(white wispy areas north and west of the center). The PR shows that Gordon has
an intense eyewall in the southern semi-circle (dark red arc). The overall rain
field is fairly compact, but there is good banding (curvature) in the surrounding
rain bands. At the time of this image Gordon was a Category 1 storm with maximum
sustained winds estimated to at 70 knots (81 mph) by the National Hurricane Center
(NHC).
Gordon continued its northeastward track on the 18th and began to show signs of
strengthening. By evening the storm was moving due east after having been caught
up in the westerlies. During the nighttime hours, Gordon actually intensified
back into a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds estimated at up to 90 knots
(104 mph) by NHC. The 19th of September saw Gordon racing eastward towards the
Azores. Cooler ocean waters finally began to take their toll and Gordon began to
weaken once again but not before passing through the Azores as a Category 1 storm
during the morning of the 20th. Although rare, hurricanes do occasionally hit
the Azores, roughly once a decade. Gordon caused only minimal damage, mainly
in the form of downed trees and power lines. After passing through the Azores,
Gordon finally became caught up in a cold front and transitioned into an extra-
tropical low.
The remnants of Gordon went on to bring high winds to northwest Spain,
heavy surf to coastal areas, and torrential rain to parts of Western Europe.
