This hurricane season has been a slow one. Now the weather channel is talking about something called Invest 95L. Since this is the biggest threat to make US landfall for the entire 2013 hurricane season so far, suddenly all eyes are on Invest 95L.
Invest is short for the word Investigation. It is an investigation into a tropical disturbance that has the potential to become a tropical depression. They are labeled 90-99 . The last letter is “L” for the Atlantic basin system or and “E” for systems in the Pacific.
The name patterns rotates through 90-99 until either the Atlantic or Pacific reaches Invest 99 L or E, then it starts back with Invest 90 again.
The invest name is given to system by the National Hurricane Center. Once a system is named, it formally starts the process to begin additional research, including computer models. Other government websites like www.noaa.com (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) will begin full investigations.
There are other great websites to track Invest 95L, ones I use are www.wunderground.com and www.spaghettimodels.com. These sites are easy to navigate and show nice map models of where the Invest/Tropical system/maybe a hurricane might go.
Many things can effect what will occur to the Invest. Low pressure, high pressure, jet streams, dry air, water temperatures, landmasses, and other competing systems. As we know from past storms that the meteorologists track for days, then it will take a turn and hit a completely different area. Like in 2004 Tampa, FL was evacuated and thousands of people came inland to Orlando, FL. Just an hour or two before landfall the models were changed, and Hurricane Charley made landfall in Punda Gorda, then rushed up the state and went directly over Orlando causing major damage. Tampa went unscathed.
Moral of the story, from wave to invest to hurricane, keep all eyes on the tropics.
