Meteorologist here..I got my meteorology degree here at State this past semester, worked at the National Weather Service this past summer as a SCEP, and am now in graduate school in meteorology and GIS here at MSU so I follow the models closely..My roomate is a meteorology instructor and is currently in NYC about to fly to Bermuda to chase Hurricane Igor. He has been in Katrina in Gulfport. His videos are outstanding:
http://www.youtube.com/user/LDCTSTORMCHASER<div>
</div><div>Anyway, I know Dr. Wax was my advisor for 4 years. I agree anything past 3 days is magic or as James Spann says "voodoo country." However, the pattern is changing where this could be a real possibility. Lets see first where a low forms if its near the Lesser Antilles and makes it in the Caribbean and if a massive and strong high pressure builds over the central Atlantic behind Igor and the front leaving the northern US, then the track will be to the west and likely into the Gulf. Shear is currently very low and will likely be low as we are in a very strong La Nina currently. Water and energy from the Caribbean and Gulf have not been tapped into whatsoever, and w/ the high over the eastern seaboard the pressure would fall even more over the Caribbean and Gulf, which sets up a track for a tropical wave to explode into a massive system very rapidly. The upper level pattern predicted in the GFS model he is showing has great upper level outflow, which when I say great I mean thats not a good sign because it could evacuate mass or clouds away from the center in the upper levels of the atmosphere and therefore the pressures lower at the sea surface and the mass of air at the surface has to rise upwards to fill that void of mass and its a reoccurring cycle. Anyway its been showing this for awhile w/ the GFS. European weather model has it going out to sea but I don't agree b/c the fronts will be farther north as this ridge of high pressure is going to be very amplified and large and strong. So key points: very warm water gives lower pressure and likely track toward Caribbean and Gulf, the high in the central atlantic won't break down like it has that has kept Danielle, Earl, and Igor curving out to sea, the high also will lower pressures in the Caribbean and Gulf. Shear is and will stay low over most of the region of development as we are in La Nina. And another is called the MJO or Madden Julian Oscillation. When it gets to octaves 8, 1, or 2 and outside the circle it means upward motion, over air that already wants to rise, in the western Atlantic and Caribbean. I think the pattern is very close to changing. Lets let a tropical wave get its act together and head toward the Lesser Antilles and if it makes it in the Caribbean, watch out.</div>