Hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean:

Subtropical Storm Laura

Table of Contents:

Introduction
page: 3
Subtropical Storm Laura:
• Arise of Laura page: 4
• Wind history page: 5
• Remnants page: 7
Appendix page: 8
Sources page: 9

2
Introduction:

In this summary I am going to tell you something about the only subtropical storm of this
season: Subtropical Storm Laura. If you want to know the difference between a Subtropical
storm and a normal tropical storm I refer to my summary about hurricanes. (In Dutch) Laura
didn’t live very long, but her impact was very special. In this summary you will read all this.

Subtropical Storm Laura on peak of intensity.

3
Arise of Laura:

Laura arose in the open area of the Atlantic Ocean. She arose from a low pressure system
from Africa. This system moved further on the Atlantic Ocean, but didn’t show any signs of
convection. But after the low pressure system came in warmer water of the Atlantic Ocean, it
began to develop and show some convection signs. After a couple of hours the low pressure
system was declared as a new subtropical storm with the name Laura. This was the first and
only subtropical storm of the season of 2008. Laura couldn’t develop any further by the wind
fields in the area. After she moved further on the Atlantic Ocean, she became a Tropical
Storm, but this didn’t last very long, because a cold air area began to interact with Tropical
Storm Laura and the system began to show some extra-tropical signs. After this happened,
Laura quickly turned into an extra tropical storm, but she lost her power and weakened. She
was absorbed by the Atmosphere and moved further to Europe.

Subtropical Storm Laura on the Atlantic Ocean.

4
Wind history:

This table gives you a small impression about the wind history of Subtropical storm Laura.
The time she was active on 29 September till the second of October.
Date/Time Latitude Longitude Pressure Wind Speed
Category
(North) (West) (mbar) (knots)
29/1100 37.2 47.3 993 52 Subtropical
Storm
29/1700 37.4 47.8 995 52 Subtropical
Storm
29/2300 38.3 48.4 995 52 Subtropical
Storm
30/0500 39.0 48.4 995 52 Subtropical
Storm
30/1100 40.3 49.0 996 52 Subtropical
Storm
30/1700 41.2 48.8 996 52 Tropical
Storm
30/2300 42.3 48.6 996 52 Tropical
Storm
01/0500 43.6 48.0 1000 43 Tropical
Storm
01/1100 44.8 47.6 1001 39 Tropical
Storm
01/1700 46.5 46.5 995 39 Tropical
Storm

The picture here below shows the track that Subtropical Storm Laura has made in her time as
an active storm system.

5
Anyhow, Laura didn’t last for very long. The wind that she brought was heavy enough to
reach Canada, and Canada had just been hit by hurricane Kyle a few days earlier. The
remnants of Kyle were in the Atmosphere and there was a small chance that the two systems
would interact (the remnants of Kyle and Subtropical Storm Laura).
The picture here below shows the wind direction and the wind speed in knots of subtropical
storm Laura. In this picture you can perfectly see that Laura has formed a sort of eye. There
were definitely signs of further development of the convection, and if the cold air had
interacted with Laura, maybe she would have been even heavier than she was now.

6
Remnants:

Subtropical storm Laura

absorbed in the atmosphere after
2 October. But she moved
further, not a tropical storm, but a
large low pressure area. This
system reaches England, the
Netherlands and part of Norway.
The remnants of subtropical
storm Laura caused rainfall in the
Netherlands, which caused the
flooding of streets. In Norway
10.000 people lost their
electricity because of the storm
front, where the remnants of
Subtropical storm Laura
absorbed in.

In the picture on the right, you

can see the Netherlands. This
picture shows the rainfall of 1
October till 6 October. The
numbers represent the rainfall in
mm. As you can see there are
numbers of 124 mm rainfall on
one spot. That is almost a month rainfall for that area! Also the heavy rainfall caused, as I said
earlier, the flooding of streets, but the lands of the farmers where heavy damaged by the heavy
rainfall as well.

7
Appendix:

This summary gives you a little more information about the short life that Subtropical Storm
Laura lived. This storm was also amazing, because it came ashore (even if Laura was
absorbed by the atmosphere) in the Netherlands and England. This is very special and few
storms have made it so far. But in this season there was only one storm that made it to
Europe, and that was Laura!

8
Sources:

http://199.9.2.143/tcdat/tc08/ATL/12L.LAURA/vis/modis/hkm/20080930.1655.aqua.x.vishk
m.12LLAURA.50kts-996mb-406N-489W.99pc.jpg
http://www.stormpulse.com/tropical-storm-laura-2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Laura_2008_track.png
http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/images/112536_m.jpg
http://www.weer.nl/index.php?eID=tx_cms_showpic&file=uploads%2Fpics%2FRRR_1-
6_okt_08.png&width=500m&height=500&bodyTag=%3Cbody%20bgColor%3D%22%23ffff
ff%22%3E&wrap=%3Ca%20href%3D%22javascript%3Aclose%28%29%3B%22%3E%20%
7C%20%3C%2Fa%3E&md5=0ec302ccdf0ccedffafb0374874b7cf6
http://www.weer.nl/index.php?eID=tx_cms_showpic&file=uploads%2Fpics%2FJannes_Wier
sema.jpg&width=500m&height=500&bodyTag=%3Cbody%20bgColor%3D%22%23ffffff%2
2%3E&wrap=%3Ca%20href%3D%22javascript%3Aclose%28%29%3B%22%3E%20%7C%
20%3C%2Fa%3E&md5=3e2c91843a2390b9ebfceaa65918fcf5
http://www.weer.nl/nl/home/weer/weer_in_het_nieuws/weernieuws/archive/2008/october/ch/f
2d584b038/article/de_noord_hollandse_zondvloed_nader_bekeken.html
http://www.eosnap.com/public/media/2008/09/laura/20080929-laura-full.jpg
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/280166main_Laura_20081001_lg.jpg