Hurricane Landfalls

[Cookie]

with hurricane fay making 4 landfalls on Florida this year,

when dose it officially become a landfall?

and in fay's case when dose it come off land and then back on to land to count as another landfall?

[Somerset Squall]

with hurricane fay making 4 landfalls on Florida this year,

when dose it officially become a landfall?

and in fay's case when dose it come off land and then back on to land to count as another landfall?

I think a landfall is defined as when the circulation centre (or eye) moves onshore to strike land. Obviously a tropical cyclone can cause damage and flooding without making a landfall if it's centre doesn't move directly onto land, but instead scrapes nearby.

In answer to your last question: yes. The circulation centre moved back over water before moving inland again. Fay barely left Florida, but as the circulation emerged over water for an hour or so at a time then back inland again on her snake like path it enabled her to make a record braking four landfalls in Florida. This is the first time any US state has had four landfalls from the same storm.

Edited November 27, 2008 by Somerset Squall

[Cookie]

thanks somerset again, so another hurricane on the whiskey :lol: Im going to have get this term into meteorology guides :lol: