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Physic side of a Hurricane:

ACE
Definition:
Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) is a number where you can look to the strength of a
season or hurricane/tropical storm system. With these numbers you can also look to the
activity of a hurricane season. The ACE number is only in use with the hurricane season of
the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
As we concluded and give a short explanation about the ACE in one line, we can say: How
higher the ACE number is in one season, how stronger the season was. Moreover, how higher
the ACE number is with a storm system (hurricane or tropical storm) how stronger the system
was!

Formula:
ACE= (knots) ^2 / 10.000
Every 6 hours the NHC (National Hurricane Center) gives data about the wind speed in knots
of a hurricane or tropical storm how is active on the same time. If you calculate every ACE
number of every 6 hours and count these numbers together, from the moment that a storm
system reaches more than 34 knots till the moment he gets under that number, you have the
total ACE number of one system. If you count all the ACE numbers from a season, you get
the total ACE number which is very useful to look to the activity of a hurricane season.

Categories:
You can put the ACE number is different categories. These categories only counts when you
look to the total activity of one season! In the next table we are going to look to these
categories and after that I will explain something more about these categories.

Category: ACE number:


Above normal (Hyperactive) > 103
Above normal > 103
Normal All the other seasons
Below normal < 66

Also if a category is giving to a season, the scientist also looks to the number of storm system
that was produced in one season. So a season with an ACE number of 93 can be categorized
as a below normal season, because the season didn’t produced many hurricanes or tropical
storm. It can be that there was one hurricane with a very high ACE number, as hurricane Ivan
(2004). Ivan had an ACE number of 70! That can be the total number of one normal season.
The season of 2004 was a hyperactive season with 14 tropical storms, 9 hurricanes and 6
major hurricanes.

Exceptions:
Normally every storm system how reach a wind speed of 34 knots gets an ACE number. But
there are some exceptions. A subtropical storm system doesn’t get an ACE number. But as we
look for example to subtropical storm Laura (season 2008). Laura got an ACE number, but
what happened. Laura first was a tropical storm. So the only used the numbers of the time
while she was active as a tropical storm.
Example:
On this page I will gave an example how the scientist calculate the ACE of one hurricane. I
used hurricane Ike. Ike was the strongest hurricane of the season 2008 and moreover, Ike had
the highest ACE number.

Date/time: Wind speed: Category: ACE number:


(knots)
01 / 1200 35 Tropical Storm 0.1225
01 / 1800 45 Tropical Storm 0.2025
02 / 0000 45 Tropical Storm 0.2025
02 / 0600 45 Tropical Storm 0.2025
02 / 1200 50 Tropical Storm 0.25
02 / 1800 55 Tropical Storm 0.3025
03 / 0000 55 Tropical Storm 0.3025
03 / 0600 55 Tropical Storm 0.3025
03 / 1200 60 Tropical Storm 0.36
03 / 1800 75 Hurricane category 1 0.5625
04 / 0000 105 Hurricane category 3 1.1025
04 / 0600 125 Hurricane category 4 1.5625
04 / 1200 120 Hurricane category 4 1.44
04 / 1800 115 Hurricane category 4 1.3225
05 / 0000 115 Hurricane category 4 1.3225
05 / 0600 115 Hurricane category 4 1.3225
05 / 1200 105 Hurricane category 3 1.1025
05 / 1800 100 Hurricane category 3 1
06 / 0000 100 Hurricane category 3 1
06 / 0600 100 Hurricane category 3 1
06 / 1200 95 Hurricane category 2 0.9025
06 / 1800 115 Hurricane category 4 1.3225
07 / 0000 115 Hurricane category 4 1.3225
07 / 0600 115 Hurricane category 4 1.3225
07 / 1200 110 Hurricane category 3 1.21
07 / 1800 105 Hurricane category 3 1.1025
08 / 0000 115 Hurricane category 4 1.3225
08 / 0600 100 Hurricane category 3 1
08 / 1200 85 Hurricane category 2 0.7225
08 / 1800 75 Hurricane category 1 0.5625
09 / 0000 70 Hurricane category 1 0.49
09 / 0600 70 Hurricane category 1 0.49
09 / 1200 70 Hurricane category 1 0.49
09 / 1800 65 Hurricane category 1 0.4225
10 / 0000 65 Hurricane category 1 0.4225
10 / 0600 70 Hurricane category 1 0.49
10 / 1200 80 Hurricane category 1 0.64
10 / 1800 85 Hurricane category 2 0.7225
11 / 0000 85 Hurricane category 2 0.7225
11 / 0600 85 Hurricane category 2 0.7225
Date/time: Wind speed: Category: ACE number:
(knots)
11 / 1200 85 Hurricane category 2 0.7225
11 / 1800 85 Hurricane category 2 0.7225
12 / 0000 85 Hurricane category 2 0.7225
12 / 0600 90 Hurricane category 2 0.81
12 / 1200 90 Hurricane category 2 0.81
12 / 1800 90 Hurricane category 2 0.81
13 / 0000 95 Hurricane category 2 0.9025
13 / 0600 95 Hurricane category 2 0.9025
13 / 1200 85 Hurricane category 2 0.7225
13 / 1800 50 Tropical Storm 0.25
14 / 0000 35 Tropical Storm 0.1225
14 / 0600 35 Tropical Storm 0.1225
14 / 1200 40 Extra tropical 0.16
14 / 1800 50 Extra tropical 0.25
15 / 0000 50 Extra tropical 0.25
15 / 0600 40 Extra tropical 0.16
15 / 1200 35 Extra tropical 0.1225
Total: 39.87

If you look to the Wikipedia page with the ACE data of the hurricanes and tropical storms,
you can see that the wound up the number to 39. But you can explain that with the numbers of
the wind speed. The number of the ACE that the NHC gave is a number with more specific
wind speed data. Our numbers are wound up to speed with a difference of 5 knots. That is
why our ACE number is higher than that the National Hurricane Center gave.
Sources:

http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/122706main_hurricane_emily1.jpg
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Sep2008/ike_tmo_2008256_lrg.jpg
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ms-word/TCR-AL092008_Ike.doc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Season_2008

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