“Brown Ocean Effect”

by Caleb, KE0FOE

You probably know that tropical cyclones usually fall apart once they make landfall. However, there are rare exceptions when these storms can actually strengthen after moving inland.

Three conditions must exist for the Brown Ocean Effect to strengthen a tropical system over land. First, the lower level of the atmosphere must be similar to a tropical atmosphere with minimal variation in temperature. Second, soils in the vicinity of the storm must be very moist. And finally, a large amount of latent heat must be released by this moist soil.

An example of the Brown Ocean Effect happened nearby in August of 2007. Tropical Storm Erin made landfall over Texas with only 40 mile-per-hour winds. Erin then strengthened as it moved northward into Oklahoma. Wind gusts of more than 80 miles per hour and an eye-like feature developed as it approached Oklahoma City!

To learn more about the Brown Ocean Effect, please visit this article by Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_ocean_effect

Here is a radar loop of Tropical Storm Erin as it intensified over Oklahoma: