the-french-artist/wikipedia_20220301.simple_sentence_split huggingface dataset:
Deep convection continued to develop to the south of the center, and the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Wilma at 0600 UTC on October 17, while about 200 miles (320 km) southeast of Grand Cayman.
Right after becoming a tropical storm, the National Hurricane Center predicted Wilma to track west-northwestward, reaching winds of 105 mph (170 km/h) before striking the northeastern portion of the Yucatán Peninsula.
The storm continued to the southwest while deep convection laid near the center.
National Hurricane Centner forecaster James Franklin said, "Confidence at the later ranges [of the forecast track] was unusually low", because of wide divergences between computer models.
Late on October 17, a Hurricane Hunters flight into Wilma recorded winds of 50 mph (80 km/h), but an unusually low pressure of 989 mbar (29.21 inHg), which would be more typical of a minimal hurricane.
This was because of a number of unusual low pressures across the region, which resulted in a lesser pressure gradient and thus lighter winds.
Convection continued to develop near the center and became much more symmetrical.
Tropical Storm Wilma began to turn to the west-northwest on October 18, during which the storm developed a small, intermittent and ragged eye feature as well as a mid-level eye feature.
It continued to strength, and at 1200 UTC on October 18, Wilma strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane while about 225 miles (360 km) south-southeast of Grand Cayman.
Shortly after reaching hurricane strength, the hurricane began undergoing explosive deepening, subsequent to the development of a "pinhole" eye 9 miles (14 km) in diameter.
This small eye was surrounded by a ring of deep convection, with cloud-top temperatures of about -125 °F (-87 °C).
Early on October 19, Wilma attained major hurricane status while continuing to rapidly intensify, and by 0600 UTC, the storm's maximum sustained winds increased to 170 mph (275 km/h), making Wilma a dangerous Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.
In the span of just 24 hours, Wilma had intensified from a 70-mph (110-km/h) tropical storm to a 175-mph (280-km/h) Category 5 hurricane, an event that has never happened before for an Atlantic hurricane.
The eye continued to contract to a diameter of about 3 miles (5 km), the smallest known eye in an Atlantic hurricane, and at 1200 UTC on October 19, Wilma reached peak winds of 185 mph (300 km/h).
The central pressure quickly dropped 54 mbar (1.65 inHg) from 0000 to 0600 UTC.
At 0800 UTC, a Hurricane Hunters flight recorded a minimum central pressure of 884 mbar (26.10 inHg) in a dropsonde near the center of the extremely small eye.
As the dropsonde did not reach the calm winds in the center, the pressure was estimated at 882 mbar (26.05 inHg), the lowest pressure in an Atlantic hurricane on record.
The pressure continued to fall as the Hurricane Hunters left the hurricane, and it is possible the pressure was a little bit lower.
Operationally, the peak intensity was estimated at 175 mph (280 km/h).
At the time of its peak intensity, hurricane-force winds extended only 50 miles (85 km) from the small center of Wilma, with tropical storm force winds extending only about 160 miles (260 km).
Shortly after peaking in intensity, the coldest cloud tops surrounding the eye warmed a little bit and an outer eyewall began to form, meaning that an eyewall replacement cycle was happening.
By late on October 19, the winds in Hurricane Wilma decreased to 160 mph (260 km/h) as the inner 5 mile (8 km) wide eye weakened and the wind field expanded.
Early on October 20 the hurricane weakened to Category 4 status after the small, inner eye dissipated and the 45 mile wide outer eyewall became the new eye.
At the time, the pressure measured 892 mbar (26.34 inHg), the lowest known pressure for a Category 4 hurricane, and Wilma retained the large eyewall as it turned northwestward.
Originally, the hurricane was forecasted to re-intensify into a Category 5 hurricane, with one forecast predicting it to make landfall on the Yucatán Peninsula with winds of 165 mph (265 km/h), though Wilma remained a strong Category 4 hurricane as it tracked northwestward.
Steering currents stayed weak, though a series of troughs eroded the high pressure system across the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in a turn towards the north-northwest.
Environmental conditions remained favorable, with the eye becoming more distinct early on October 21.
At about 2145 UTC on October 21, Wilma made landfall on the island of Cozumel with winds of 150 mph (240 km/h).
It weakened a little bit as it continued northwestward, and struck the Mexican mainland near Puerto Morelos at 0330 UTC on October 22, with winds of 135 mph (215 km/h) and gusts of up to 170 mph (270 km/h).
Second landfall and demise
On October 22, the mid-level ridge to the north of Wilma later dissipated, leaving the hurricane moving northward across the northeastern Yucatán Peninsula.
As the hurricane moved farther inland, the eye became cloud-filled as the deepest convection began to warm, and the winds slowly weakened during its passage over land.
About 26 hours after making landfall on Cozumel, Wilma emerged into the southern Gulf of Mexico near Cabo Catoche with winds of about 100 mph (160 km/h).
After reaching open waters, Reconnaissance Aircraft reported the remains of an inner eyewall and an outer eyewall measuring between 70 and 90 miles (110 to 145 km) in diameter.
Convection deepened around the eyewalls, and the inner core of convection, which had previously become disrupted over land, became a little bit more organized.
A powerful eastward-moving mid-level trough across the central United States turned the hurricane northeastward and caused it to gradually speed up.
Vertical wind shear increased as strong upper-level southwesterly flow increased, though in spite of the shear Wilma continued to intensify.
Early on October 24, Wilma re-gained major hurricane status while about 120 miles (195 km) west-southwest of Key West, Florida.
It slowly became better organized, with the large 50 mile (80 km) eye becoming very distinct on satellite and radar imagery.
Wilma was able to retain its strength because large eyes in tropical cyclones are more stable and more resistant to vertical wind shear.
Despite wind shear values of about 30 mph (48 km/h), Wilma strengthened further to reach winds of 125 mph (200 km/h).
It weakened a little bit as it approached Florida, and made landfall at Cape Romano with winds of 120 mph (195 km/h) at around 1030 UTC on October 24.
Hurricane Wilma crossed the Florida peninsula in about 4.5 hours while continuing to speed northeastward, and entered into the Atlantic Ocean as a weakened 110 mph (175 km/h) hurricane near Jupiter.
A vigorous cold front associated with the mid-level trough moved across the area to the west of Wilma, yet the cooler and drier air behind the front could not fully penetrate the inner core of the hurricane to weaken it.
Shortly after exiting the Florida coastline, Wilma began to re-intensify, believed to be due to a reduction of friction of the eyewall and warm waters of the Gulf Stream.
Early on October 25, the hurricane reached a secondary peak intensity of 125 mph while about 340 miles (545 km) east of Jacksonville, Florida.
During the time, the large circulation of Wilma absorbed smaller Tropical Depression Alpha over the Bahamas.
Shortly thereafter, the wind shear combined with its rapid forward motion of 50 mph (80 km/h) resulted in a slow weakening trend.
The overall cloud pattern began to be disorganized, with the eye becoming less visible and the convection less symmetric.
By 1170 UTC on October 25, the center was to the northwest of the primary convection as cold air from the southwest disturbed the circulation.
The remaining convection continued to diminish, and early on October 26 Wilma turned into an extratropical cyclone while about 230 miles (370 km) southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The extratropical remnant continued east-northeast before being absorbed by another extratropical storm on October 27.
Tropical Cyclone Report  on Hurricane Wilma.
The NHC's archive on Hurricane Wilma.
Top Chef is a television reality competition show.
It is shown on Bravo Television on cable.
The first season was hosted by Katie Lee Joel.
Other seasons were hosted by Padma Lakshmi.
Tom Colicchio is the head judge.
Every episode, they invite a 'guest judge' to come and help judge the dishes with Padma Lakshmi (or Gail Simmons, when Padma cannot be there) and Tom Colicchio.
Gail Simmons is a judge.
Tim Allen was a judge.
Some past guest judges are: Anthony Bourdain, Rocco DiSpirito, and many others.
Wilma is a female given name.
It is a short form of the German name Wilhelmina.
The name means protector.
The male version of the name is Will, short for William.
Wilma Mankiller, principal chief of the Cherokee Nation
Wilma Rudolph, American athlete
Wilma de Faria, Brazilian politician
Cozumel (Mayan: Island of the Swallows) is an island in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen.
It is one of the eight municipalities (municipios) of the state of Quintana Roo.
Cozumel is a popular tourist destination renowned for its scuba diving.
The main town on the island is San Miguel de Cozumel.
The island is about 48 km (30 miles) north-south and 16 km (10 miles) east-west, and is the largest Atlantic island of Mexico.
It is about 20 km (12 miles) from the mainland, and some 60 km (36 miles) south of Cancún.
The vast majority of the population of Cozumel lives in the town of San Miguel (pop.
71,401 in 2005), which is on the western shore.
The rest of the island is low, flat, and densely vegetated.
Ayuntamiento de Cozumel Official website
Cozumel Parks and Museums  official site for the Quintana Roo State Foundation that manages Chankanaab Park, Punta Sur, San Gervasio and the Island Museum
Cozumel Mexico - latest news and information.
Viva Cozumel  - Maps & Multimedia for the virtual tourist.
Cozumel, Mexico vacation information, news and photos
Atlantic islands
Islands of North America
Cape Romano is a cape at the southern end of Caxambas Island, just south of Marco Island and northwest of the Ten Thousand Islands in Collier County, Florida.
Cape Romano was also the spot where Hurricane Wilma made its first U.S. landfall in October 2005.
Calusa Indians declared-ownership of the area and called it Manataca.
Juan Ponce de León made a short stop at Manataca on his first visit from Puerto Rico to Florida, but the Indians tried to fight him off.
Cape Romano was the spot where Hurricane Wilma first reached land in the U.S. October 2005.
Tropical Storm Fay also reached land here in 2008.
Jupiter is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA.
It is named after the Roman god Jupiter.
The town is a suburb of Miami.
According to the United States census, there were 55,156 people living in Jupiter in 2010.
Some famous people who were born in or lived in Jupiter are: Tori Amos, Celine Dion, and Burt Reynolds.
Jupiter official website
Jupiter Florida Online Guide
Jupiter Tequesta Juno Beach Chamber of Commerce
Jupiter Courier Newspaper
Jupiter GIS Map
Jupiter Lighthouse Pictures
Jupiter Florida
Towns in Florida
Atlantic Canada, also known as the Atlantic provinces, is the region of Canada which is made up of four provinces on the Atlantic coast: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island – and Newfoundland and Labrador.
The population of the Atlantic provinces was 2,324,893 in 2007.
Atlas of Canada - Atlantic Region
ECanuck Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canadian cities and Surrounding areas
Atlantic Canada Portal/Portail du Canada Atlantique
Atlantic Canada - A Profitable Place to do Business
A tomb is a place built to bury dead bodies, usually more elaborate and expensive than a grave.
It is often intended to honor the dead, and be visited by the living.
A tomb (from Greek "τύμβος" - tumbos) is generally any structurally enclosed space or chamber used for housing the remains of the dead, and sometimes their possessions.
The word is used in a broad sense to encompass a number of such types of places of burial.
Ferdinand is the farthest retrograde non-spherical moon of Uranus.
It was found by Matthew J. Holman, John J. Kavelaars, Dan Milisavljevic, and Brett J. Gladman on August 13, 2001 and given the designation S/2001 U 2.
Despite being seen again on September 21 and November 15 and even a year later on August 13 and September 5, 2002, it was eventually lost.
It was finally refound on September 24, 2003 by Scott S. Sheppard on images taken by David C. Jewitt and himself on August 29-30 and September 20 of that year.
Confirming observations were made by Holman on September 30.
Designated Uranus XXIV it was named after the son of the King of Naples in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.
Ferdinand is the farthest known moon of Uranus.
It follows a retrograde, fairly inclined but very eccentric orbit.
Ferdinand Profile  by NASA's Solar System Exploration
Nix is a non-spherical moon of Pluto.
It was found along with Hydra in June 2005 by the Hubble Space Telescope Pluto Companion Search Team.
The discovery images were taken on May 15, 2005 and May 18, 2005; the moons were independently found by Max J. Mutchler on June 15, 2005 and Andrew J. Steffl on August 15, 2005.
The discoveries were announced on October 31, 2005, after confirmation from photographs archived in 2002.
The moon were designated S/2005 P 1 (Hydra) and S/2005 P 2 (Nix).
The moon follows a circular orbit in the same plane as Charon.
It takes 24.9 days to circle around Pluto.
Before its size was directly measured, the moon was calculated to have a diameter of between 46 km, if its reflectivity is similar to Charon's 35%, and 137 km, if it had a reflectivity of 4%, like the darkest Kuiper belt objects.
Nix is slightly fainter than Hydra, suggesting that it is somewhat smaller in size.
In the discovery image, Nix is 6,300 times fainter than Pluto.
Nix was visited along with Pluto by the New Horizons mission in 2015.
The formal name "Nix", from the Greek goddess of darkness and night, and mother of Charon, was announced on June 21, 2006 on IAU Circular 8723, where the designation Pluto II is also given.
Together with Hydra, Pluto's third moon, the initials are those of the New Horizons probe.
The initial proposal was to use the Classical spelling Nyx, but to avoid confusion with the asteroid 3908 Nyx, this was changed to "the Egyptian spelling of the Greek name".
Nix Profile  by NASA's Solar System exploration
Background information regarding our two newly discovered satellites of Pluto – The discoverers' website
NASA's Hubble reveals possible new moons around Pluto – Hubble press release
Two more moons discovered orbiting Pluto (SPACE.com)
Pluto's newest moons named Hydra and Nix (SPACE.com)
[(Final preprint)
In meteorology, an anticyclone (that is, opposite to a cyclone) is a weather event where there is a downward movement of  air and a high pressure area over the part of the planet's surface affected by it.
It usually indicates clear skies.
It has steady and calm wind moving away from its eye (cyclone).
Intertropical Convergence Zone photo  - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
The Dvorak technique (developed in 1974 by Vernon Dvorak) is a widely used system to subjectively estimate tropical cyclone intensity based solely on visible and infrared satellite images.
Several agencies issue Dvorak numbers for cyclones of sufficient intensity.
These include the National Hurricane Center's Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB), the NOAA/NESDIS Satellite Analysis Branch (SAB), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center at the Naval Pacific Meteorology and Oceanography Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and the Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA).
Agencies issuing Dvorak intensity estimates
UW-CIMSS (Advanced Dvorak Technique)
NOAA/NESDIS Satellite Analysis Branch
Air Force Weather Agency
About the TAFB
Tropical Cyclone Intensity Analysis and Forecasting from Satellite Imagery Dvorak, 1974. (
PDF, 1.3 MB)
Dvorak Tropical Cyclone Wind Speed Biases Determined from Reconnaissance-based "Best Track" Data (1997-2003) Franklin and Brown
The Dvorak Technique Through Time Dr. Jack Beven. (
WRF File.
Requires WebEx player)
Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands at about 196 km² and contains the capital George Town.
Towns on the island are referred to as "districts".
The island is a popular tourist spot because of its coral reefs.
Snorkeling and scuba diving are popular activities.
Owen Roberts International Airport serves the island with domestic and international flights.
Cayman Islands Government
Grand Cayman on Google Maps.
Tägerwilen is a municipality of the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.
Thundorf is a municipality of the district of Frauenfeld in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.
Tobel-Tägerschen is a municipality of the district of Münchwilen in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.
Uesslingen-Buch is a municipality of the district of Frauenfeld in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.
Hydra is the farthest moon of Pluto.
It was found along with Nix in June, 2005 by the Hubble Space Telescope's Pluto Companion Search Team, which is composed of Hal A. Weaver, Alan Stern, Max J. Mutchler, Andrew J. Steffl, Marc W. Buie, William J. Merline, John R. Spencer, Eliot F. Young, and Leslie A. Young.
The discoveries were announced on October 31, 2005, after confirmation by precoveries from 2002.
The moons were provisionally designated S/2005 P 1 (Hydra) and S/2005 P 2 (Nix).
The moon orbits the barycenter of the system in the same plane as Charon and Nix, at a distance of about 65,000 km.
Unlike other moons of Pluto, its orbit is only nearly circular; its eccentricity of 0.0052 is small, but significantly non-zero.
Its orbital period of 38.2 days.
Although its size has not been directly measured, calculations based on its brightness give it a diameter of between 61 km, if its reflectivity is similar to Charon's 35 percent, and about 167 km, if it has a reflectivity of 4 percent like the darkest Kuiper belt objects (KBOs).
At the time of discovery, Hydra was about 25 percent brighter than its sister moon Nix, which led to the assumption that its diameter was some 10 percent bigger.
Pre-discovery data from Hubble observations in 2002-3 inferred that Nix was the brighter moon.
However, Hubble observations in 2005-6, specifically targeting the dim moons, once again showed Hydra to be a little brighter.
Hydra appears to be grey like Charon and Nix, though Pluto is reddish.
Hydra was to be visited along with Pluto by the New Horizons mission in 2015.
The name Hydra was announced on June 21, 2006, in IAU Circular 8723, along with the formal designation Pluto III.
It was named after Hydra, the monster who guarded the waters of Pluto/Hades's underworld in Greco-Roman mythology.
<li value="8"> (Final preprint)
Hydra Profile  by NASA's Solar System Exploration
NASA's Hubble Reveals Possible New Moons Around Pluto – Hubble press release
Two More Moons Discovered Orbiting Pluto (SPACE.com)
Pluto's Newest Moons Named Hydra and Nix (SPACE.com)
Hydra at ESA/Hubble
5 Astraea (written Astræa in the early literature) is a big main belt asteroid.
Its surface is very reflective (bright) and what it's made of is probably a mixture of nickel-iron with magnesium- and iron-silicates.
The adjectival form of the name, although unused, would be Astraean (which also designates a genus of star corals).
Astraea was the fifth asteroid found, on December 8, 1845 by K. L. Hencke.
The second was 6 Hebe.
An amateur astronomer and post office employee, Hencke was looking for 4 Vesta when he stumbled on Astraea.
The King of Prussia awarded him with an annual pension of 300 US$ (1968 dollars) for the discovery.
Photometry indicates prograde rotation, that the north pole points in the direction of right ascension 9 h 52 min, declination 73° with a 5° uncertainty.
This gives an axial tilt of about 33°.
Astrea is physically unremarkable but notable mainly because for 38 years (after the discovery of Vesta in 1807) it had been thought that there were only four asteroids.
In terms of maximum brightness, it is indeed only the seventeenth brightest main belt asteroid, being fainter than 192 Nausikaa and even, at rare near-perihelion oppositions, the highly eccentric carbonaceous 324 Bamberga.
Indeed, the discovery of Astrea proved to be the starting point for the eventual demotion of the four original asteroids (which were regarded as planets at the time) to their current status, as it became apparent that these four were only the biggest of a whole new type of celestial body.
AN 23 (1846) 393 (in German)
MNRAS 7 (1846) 27
Fred and George Weasley are characters in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.
They are twins and brothers of Harry Potter's best friend Ron Weasley; younger than Bill, Charlie, and Percy, but older than Ginny and Ron.
They're in the middle of the seven Weasley children.
They have red hair and are proud to be Weasleys.
In the movies, both twins are tall and skinny.
In the books they are described as shorter and stockier than Ron.
Although these two are not very big characters in the seven-book installment, they play some big roles in a few books.
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the twins show Harry the Marauder's Map that they found that leads to many useful and helpful things.
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (their seventh year), the two escape Hogwarts and the new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, Professor Umbridge and left a fantastic fireworks show and a giant "W".
The students found it amusing and use the phrase "rolling a Weasley" to describe disappointment at something and wanted to go away.
Fred and George are also involved in Harry's big study group that is called D.A. (Dumbledore's Army).
In the beginning of Half-Blood Prince, Ron, Hermione, and Harry, followed by Ginny, Mrs. and Mr. Weasley, visit the twins in their new joke shop.
They are excited to see them and show all their new joke shop supplies.
In Deathly Hallows, Fred Weasley gets killed outside the room of requirement by an explosion presumably by Augustus Rookwood, breaking the hearts of many Harry Potter fans.
George gets his ear accidentally cut off by Severus Snape using Sectumsempra.
George marries Angelina Johnson.
Fred and George are usually described as determined, mischievous, and very sneaky.
They get scolded by their mother, Molly Weasley for many things that they  do (for example, Apparating right in front of her eyes in Order of the Phoenix.)
The actors who portrayed Fred and George are James and Oliver Phelps respectively.
Oliver is actually the older twin, but Fred is older than George.
Two differences between the Phelps twins is that Oliver has a mole on the right side of his neck, while James does not and James has a slightly deeper voice than Oliver.
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is one of the two largest public universities in Singapore.
It is a fast-rising, research-intensive university with the biggest campus in Singapore and the world’s largest engineering college.
Its 200-hectare Yunnan Garden campus was the Youth Olympic Village for the first Youth Olympics in 2010.
NTU’s main Yunnan Garden campus is in the western part of Singapore.
It has world-class resources for teaching and research.
It also has 16 halls of residence and housing for faculty, staff and postgraduate students, as well as Olympic-training-standard sporting facilities.
Announced in 2010, NTU’s Campus Master Plan will transform the grounds into a “univer-city” with a bustling campus centre, new residential halls and trendy spaces for learning, research and play.
Besides the Yunnan Garden campus, NTU also has a satellite campus in Singapore’s science and technology hub, one-north.
The university is also setting up a third campus in Novena, Singapore’s medical district.
Colleges, schools and institutes
NTU has 33,500 students in the Colleges of Engineering, Business, Science and Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences.
It also has many renowned researchers among its professors.
In 2013, NTU will accept its first batch of medical undergraduates at its medical school with Imperial College London, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine.
School  of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering (SCBE)
School of Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE)
School of Computer Engineering (SCE)
School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering (EEE)
School of Materials Science & Engineering (MSE)
School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (MAE)
School of Biological Sciences (SBS)
School of Physical & Mathematical Sciences (SPMS)
Nanyang Business School (NBS)
School of Art, Design & Media (ADM)
School of Humanities & Social Sciences (HSS)
Wee Kim Wee School of Communication & Information (SCI)
Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS)
National Institute of Education (NIE)
S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)
Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE)
NTU has more than 70 institutes and centres.
Confucius Institute
Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management
Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N)
Institute for Media Innovation (IMI)
Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS)
Lien Chinese Enterprise Research Centre
Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute (NEWRI)
Nanyang Technopreneurship Center (NTC)
NTU has programmes with institutions from around the world.
Key partners include Caltech, Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and the University of Washington in the United States; leading Asian institutions such as Peking University, the Indian Institute of Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Waseda University; and European institutions like Cambridge University, ETH Zurich, Imperial College London, Karolinska Institutet and Technische Universität München.
NTU is also a partner of choice for leading companies and government agencies.
Its major industrial partners include Infineon, Robert Bosch, Rolls-Royce, Thales, Siemens and Toray Industries.
In 2011, QS World University Rankings ranked NTU among the top 100 universities in the world.
The university rose 16 places from its 2010 ranking to occupy the 58th position.
This makes it one of the fastest-rising universities in the top 100 on the ranking, as well as the fastest-rising Asian university.
On this ranking, NTU is the 12th leading Asian university globally.
In 2011, NTU became the first university in Asia to receive the maximum five stars under the QS Stars rating system.
Other universities with a 5-star rating include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and the University of Cambridge.
NTU’s College of Engineering is the world’s largest, with research output among the top five globally.
It is also the sixth most cited engineering college in the world.
Its business school’s MBA is ranked among the top 35 globally.
The S Rajaratnam School of International Studies is ranked first among university-related think-tanks in Asia and 13th globally.
Lim Jim Koon: Pioneer editor of the Lianhe Zaobao daily
Joanne Peh: MediaCorp actress
Stefanie Sun: Award-winning singer
Tan Swie Hian: Renowned artist
Dr Hew Choy Sin: Leading horticulturalist
Dr Liew Choong-Chin: Leader in disease-specific genomics research
Dr Ong Beng Soon: Inventor extraordinaire
NTU website
NTU President’s Office
20th-century establishments in Asia
Musical groups from Virginia
Uttwil is a municipality of the district of Arbon in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.
8 Flora is a big, bright, main belt asteroid.
It is the closest big asteroid: no asteroid closer to the Sun has a diameter above 25 kilometres or two-elevenths that of Flora itself, and not until the tiny 149 Medusa was found was a single asteroid orbiting at a closer mean distance known.
It is the seventh brightest asteroid with a mean opposition magnitude of +8.7.
Flora can reach a magnitude of +7.9 at a favorable opposition near perihelion, such as will occur in mid November 2007.
Flora was found by J. R. Hind on October 18, 1847.
It was his second asteroid discovery after 7 Iris.
Flora is the parent body of the Flora family of asteroids, and by far the biggest member, having about 80% of the total mass of this family.
But Flora was almost certainly disrupted by the impact(s) that formed the family, and is probably an aggregate of most of the pieces.
Flora's spectrum indicates that its surface is made of a mixture of silicate rock (including pyroxene and olivine) and nickel-iron metal.
Flora, and the whole Flora family generally, are good candidates for being the parent bodies of the L chondrite meteorites.
This meteorite type comprises about 38% of all meteorites impacting the Earth.
Notable facts
During an observation on March 25, 1917, 8 Flora was mistaken for the star TU Leonis, which led to that star's classification as a U Geminorum cataclysmic variable star.
This mistake was uncovered only in 1995.
shape model deduced from lightcurve
"Announcement of discovery of Flora", MNRAS 8 (1848) 82
8 Flora at opposition Nov 15th, 2007 (0.89AU from Earth)
— Horizons can be used to obtain a current ephemeris.
Central Nacional de Televisão or CNT is a television network in Curitiba, Brazil.
It was created by Paraná state for all Brazil on March 15, 1979.
http://www.cnt.com.br/
Brazilian television networks
1970s establishments in Brazil
A dropsonde is a weather reconnaissance device created by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), designed to be dropped from an aircraft at altitude to more accurately measure (and therefore track) tropical storm conditions as the device falls to the ground.
The dropsonde contains a GPS receiver, along with pressure, temperature, and humidity (PTH) sensors to capture atmospheric profiles and thermodynamic data.
The device's descent is usually slowed by a parachute, allowing for more readings to be taken before it reaches the water beneath.
Home page of NOAA's Aircraft Operations Center--includes info on dropsondes and the missions where dropsondes are used
Site about the development of a dropsonde
Company that makes them
In atmospheric sciences (meteorology, climatology and related fields), the pressure gradient (typically of air, more generally of any fluid) is a physical quantity that describes in which direction and at what rate the pressure changes the most rapidly around a particular location.
The pressure gradient is a dimensional quantity expressed in units of pressure per unit length.
The SI unit is pascal per metre (Pa/m).
IPCC Third Assessment Report
The Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) is a laboratory in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR).
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
NOAA GFDL ranking among the Top 500 Supercomputer Sites
There are two parts to Puerto Morelos.
The original coastal fishing village is now a laid-back, mixed-use neighborhood of private homes, hotels, condominiums, restaurants, and tourist shops.
The second part is about 2 km inland and adjacent to Highway 307, on the western side.
The inland portion is mainly single level dwellings for the local workers.
Cabo Catoche or Cape Catoche, in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, is the northernmost point on the Yucatán Peninsula.
It is about 53 km (33 miles) north of the city of Cancún.
Key West is a city and an island of the same name near the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys.
It is the county seat of Monroe County, Florida, United States.
Chamber of Commerce Website
Monroe County School District Key West Public Schools
Oldest Hotel in Key West
Key West Art Galleries
A photographic tour of Key West
Getting to Key West, the road down US1
Sanborn Insurance Historical Maps of Key West
The Servicio Meteorologíco Nacional (SMN) is Mexico's national weather organization.
It collects data and issues forecasts, advisories, and warnings for the entire country.
Servicio Meteorologico Nacional
The meteorological history of Hurricane Ivan, the longest tracked tropical cyclone of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season, lasted from late August through late September.
The hurricane developed from a tropical wave that moved off the coast of Africa on August 31.
Moving westward from the effects of a ridge, favorable conditions allowed it to develop into Tropical Depression Nine on September 2 in the deep tropical Atlantic Ocean.
The cyclone slowly intensified until September 5, when it underwent rapid deepening and reached Category 4 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale; at the time Ivan was the southernmost major hurricane on record.
Ivan quickly weakened because of dry air, but it slowly reorganized itself, passing just south of Grenada as a major hurricane on September 7.
The hurricane strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane while in the central Caribbean Sea.
Over next the days its intensity changed largely due to eyewall replacement cycles, and Ivan passed just south of Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and western Cuba with winds at or slightly below Category 5 status.
Turning northward and encountering unfavorable conditions, Ivan slowly weakened before making landfall just west of Gulf Shores, Alabama, on September 16 with winds of 120 mph (195 km/h).
The cyclone quickly weakened to tropical depression status as it turned to the northeast, and Ivan transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on September 18.
The remnant low of Ivan turned to the south and southwest, and after crossing Florida on September 21 it began to regain tropical characteristics.
It became a tropical depression again on September 22 to the southeast of Louisiana, and Ivan reached winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) before weakening and moving ashore along southwestern Louisiana as a tropical depression; the circulation of Ivan dissipated after crossing into Texas on September 25.
The cyclone broke several intensity records, and its duration was the tenth longest on record for an Atlantic hurricane.
Formation and intensification
On August 31, a large tropical wave moved off the west coast of Africa.
A tropical system along the wave axis contained a low pressure area as well as an impressive outflow pattern, though originally its convection was disorganized and limited.
By September 1 a cyclonic circulation with a diameter of 690 mile (1115 km) was seen on satellite imagery, well to the southeast of the Cape Verde Islands, and several hurricane forecast models expected development and strengthening.
As it moved quickly westward, the convection organized and developed into rainbands–bands of showers and thunderstorms that move in a spiral direction towards the center of the storm–and late on September 1 meteorologists began tracking the system using the Dvorak technique.
Low amounts of wind shear and favorable outflow allowed strong deep convection to develop and persist near the center, and by 1800 UTC on September 2 the system developed into Tropical Depression Nine about 450 miles (730 km) southwest of Praia, Cape Verde.
After being classified as a tropical cyclone, the depression was embedded within a deep easterly steering current provided by a ridge to its north.
Expected to move across sea surface temperatures greater than 82 °F (28 °C), the cyclone was forecasted to slowly strengthen and within four days become a hurricane; the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory predicted the depression to reach Category 4 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale within three days.
Increased northeasterly wind shear shifted the center to the northeastern edge of the deep convection, and despite the shear and its relatively low latitude of 9.7° N, the depression strengthened to attain tropical storm status early on September 3; upon reaching the intensity, the National Hurricane Center classified the system as Tropical Storm Ivan.
Tropical Storm Ivan slowly became more organized as wind shear decreased, and its outflow expanded in all quadrants.
Satellite imagery late on September 3 showed a well-defined curved band wrapping around much of the circulation.
The next day, the deep convection temporarily became disorganzied, before reorganizing and developing an eye feature.
Convection strengthened further as the feature transitioned into an eye, and Ivan became a hurricane at around 0600 UTC on September 5.
After reaching hurricane status, Ivan began to rapidly intensify with continued favorable conditions, and in an 18 hour period the pressure dropped 39 mbar (1.15 inHg) as the winds increased by 60 mph (95 km/h); early on September 6 Ivan reached its first peak intensity of 135 mph (215 km/h) while about 825 miles (1330 km) east of the island of Tobago in the southern Lesser Antilles.
While at major hurricane status, Ivan kept very strong convection in its core with a well-defined eye.
Operationally, the probability for further rapid strengthening was considered nearly nine times the average of a normal hurricane.
Accordingly, Ivan was forecasted to pass near Barbados with winds of about 150 mph (240 km/h).
Shortly after becoming a Category 4 hurricane, the outer convection of the hurricane became ragged.
Hurricane Hunters found a Saharan Air Layer in the northern portion of the eye, leaving the eyewall eroded which caused a marked decrease in winds; by late on September 6 Ivan weakened to winds of 105 mph (165 km/h).
The inner eyewall died out as a 23 mile (37 km) outer eyewall became took over, and at the same time, the overall organization of the hurricane improved.
Ivan then re-gained major hurricane status as it approached the Lesser Antilles, and at 2130 UTC on September 7 the cyclone passed 7 miles (11 km) south-southwest of the southern tip of Grenada, its closest approach to the island.
At the time, the hurricane maintained an eye diameter of 12 miles (19 km), with the northern portion of the eyewall producing strong winds on the island.
Hurricane Ivan again reached Category 4 status as it entered the Caribbean Sea.
Subsequently, it underwent another eyewall replacement cycle, and for about 18 hours the intensity stayed the same as it paralleled the northern coast of Venezuela offshore.
Another period of rapid deepening began late on September 8 as its motion turned to the west-northwest.
Hurricane Hunters recorded flight-level sustained winds of 180 mph (290 km/h) to the north and northeast of the eye, and a dropsonde about 630 feet (190 m) above the surface recorded winds of 200 mph (325 km/h) and an extrapolated pressure of 916 mbar (27.05 inHg).
Based on the reports, it is estimated Ivan attained Category 5 status at 0600 UTC on September 9, while about 90 miles (145 km) north of Aruba.
At the time, the cyclone was forecasted to strike southern Florida as a major hurricane.
After maintaining Category 5 status for about 12 hours, Ivan began a steady weakening trend because of another eyewall replacement cycle until reaching winds of 140 mph (225 km/h) on September 10.
Early next day, the hurricane reorganized as it reached winds just al little bit below of Category 5 status.
However, the storm weakened again beause of another eyewall replacement cycle, and at 0330 UTC on September 11 Ivan passed 23 miles (37 km) south of Portland Point, Jamaica, its closest approach, with winds of 150 mph (240 km/h).
The hurricane was previously forecasted to make landfall on the island, though the weakening and a turn to the west kept the strongest winds offshore; the last-minute turn to the west was due to a mid-level high pressure system over the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
A slight weakening trend continued, due to its northern outflow being disrupted by an upper-level low over the Bahamas.
As it tracked further away from Jamaica, Ivan again rapidly intensified to Category 5 status, and early on September 12 it reached its peak intensity of 165 mph (265 km/h) with a pressure of 910 mbar (26.87 inHg).
Shortly after peaking in intensity, the hurricane again weakened as it underwent an eyewall replacement cycle.
At 1415 UTC on September 12 Ivan passed 25 miles (40 km) south-southwest of George Town, Cayman Islands, with winds of 150 mph (240 km/h).
After its eyewall became re-established Ivan attained Category 5 status for a third time early on September 13.
Shortly thereafter, a trough created a weakness in the ridge to its north, causing the hurricane to turn to the northwest.
The combination of the combination of enhanced outflow from the trough and very warm waters allowed Ivan to maintain Category 5 status for 30 hours.
Early on September 14 the hurricane passed through the Yucatán Channel about 17 miles (28 km) southwest of Cabo San Antonio, Cuba, with the eastern portion of the eyewall crossing the western portion of the island.
Gulf of Mexico and Alabama landfall
After entering the southern Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Ivan weakened to Category 4 status by 0600 UTC on September 14.
As it slowly turned to the north, southwesterly flow from a large trough over the central United States increased wind shear over the hurricane.
An eyewall replacement cycle, along with dry air and restricted outflow, contributed to the weakening.
By late on September 14 the weakening trend ceased as the eyewall became better defined, and Ivan was expected to restrengthen a little bit over an area of warmer water temperatures.
The eye diameter expanded to 60 miles (95 km/h), though concurrently westerly wind shear and dry continued to increase.
As Ivan approached the Gulf Coast of the United States, Hurricane Hunters reported erosion of the southern portion of the eyewall, and cooler waters just offshore contributed to further weakening.
At around 0650 UTC on September 16, Hurricane Ivan made landfall just west of Gulf Shores, Alabama, with winds of 120 mph (195 km/h); the strongest winds occurred over a narrow area near the southern Alabama and western Florida border.
Upon moving ashore, the National Hurricane Center expected the forward path of Ivan to be blocked, and accordingly forecasted the hurricane to stall in the southern Appalachian Mountains before dissipating.
As the hurricane crossed Mobile Bay it turned to the north-northeast, and within twelve hours Ivan rapidly weakened to tropical storm status.
The circulation became less-defined, and early on September 17 the cyclone weakened into a tropical depression over northeastern Alabama.
Ivan accelerated to the northeast ahead of an approaching cold front, dropping heavy rainfall along its path.
Late on September 18, the remnants of Ivan became an extratropical low as it merged with the cold front over the Delmarva Peninsula.
Redevelopment and demise
After becoming an extratropical low, the remnants of Ivan turned to the southeast and entered into the Atlantic Ocean, due to the building of an upper-level ridge to its east.
As an extratropical cyclone, Ivan remained identifiable in both surface and upper-level data, and the system turned south and southwestward over the next few days.
By September 20, the system was off the east coast of Florida, creating scattered thunderstorms; unfavorable wind shear stopped tropical redevelopment, though forecasters mentioned the possibility for more favorable conditions a few days later.
On September 21 the low crossed southern Florida and emerged into the Gulf of Mexico, and as it moved across the warm waters of the region the low began to re-acquire tropical characteristics; the low-level circulation became increasingly better defined, and convection redeveloped over the center.
Based on reports from Hurricane Hunters, it is estimated the low redeveloped into Tropical Depression Ivan late on September 22 while about 175 miles (280 km) south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River.
In its first advisory on the re-developed cyclone, the National Hurricane Center classified the system Ivan after considerable and sometimes animated in-house discussion of [its demise]... in the midst of a low-pressure and surface frontal system over the eastern United States... based primarily on the reasonable continuity observed in the analysis of the surface and low-level circulation.
In spite of unfavorable wind shear and its disorganized cloud structure, the cyclone strengthened to tropical storm status early on September 23, based on Hurricane Hunter reports.
As an area of deep convection developed over the center, Ivan reached winds of 60 mph (95 km/h), though the winds decreased as thunderstorm activity diminished.
Ivan weakened to a tropical depression at 0000 UTC on September 24, and two hours later it moved ashore near Holly Beach, Louisiana.
At first, computer models forecasted the low-level circulation to turn southwestward and re-emerge into the Gulf of Mexico.
However, the storm rapidly weakened over land, and by 1200 UTC on September 24 Ivan degenerated into a remnant low pressure area over southeastern Texas.
The low turned to the south and the circulation dissipated early on September 25.
The remnant trough reached the northwestern Gulf of Mexico later that day, producing scatter thunderstorms for a short time, before it diminished.
Ivan became the southernmost major hurricane on record after reaching Category 3 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale at 10.2° N. Additionally, the hurricane reached Category 4 and Category 5 status further south than any other Atlantic hurricane.
At the time, Ivan was the sixth most intense Atlantic hurricane on record; but has now dropped to the tenth most intense Atlantic hurricane.
Throughout its existence, Ivan kept winds of major hurricane status or greater for a total of 10 days, establishing an Atlantic hurricane record.
Lasting as a tropical cyclone for a total of 450 hours, Ivan was the tenth longest tracked Atlantic hurricane on record.
After making its first landfall in the United States, the hurricane spawned a total of 117 tornadoes, which is the largest tornado outbreak caused by a tropical cyclone; this broke the previous record of 115 set by Hurricane Beulah in 1967.
NHC Tropical Cyclone Report for Hurricane Ivan
NHC advisory archives for Hurricane Ivan
Tropical cyclones are ranked according to their maximum winds using several scales.
These scales are provided by several bodies, including the World Meteorological Organization, the National Hurricane Center, and the Bureau of Meteorology.
The National Hurricane Center uses the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale for hurricanes in the eastern Pacific and Atlantic basins.
Australia uses a difference set of tropical cyclone categories for their region.
Many basins have different names for storms of hurricane/typhoon/cyclone strength.
The use of different definitions for maximum sustained wind creates additional confusion into the definitions of cyclone categories worldwide.
Gulf Shores is a coastal city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States.
As of the 2000 census, the population was 5,044.
However, since the year 2000, Baldwin County, Alabama as a whole, has experienced the second fastest rate of population growth in the state, behind only Shelby County, Alabama.
City of Gulf Shores
Live Weather for Gulf Shores/Orange Beach:
At the time it was the sixth most intense Atlantic hurricane on record.
Ivan caused great damage to Grenada, which it struck directly at Category 3 strength, and heavy damage to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and the western tip of Cuba.
After peaking in strength, it moved north-northwest across the Gulf of Mexico to make landfall as a strong Category 3 storm in the United States, in Orange Beach, Alabama, causing very heavy damage there.
Ivan dropped heavy rains on the southeastern United States as it looped across Florida and back into the Gulf of Mexico.
The remnant low from the storm regenerated into a new tropical system, which moved into Louisiana and Texas, causing minimal damage.
Ivan caused an estimated $13 billion worth of damage in the United States, making it the fifth costliest hurricane to ever strike the United States.
Meteorological History
On September 2, Tropical Depression Nine started.
The next day it became a tropical storm and was called "Ivan".
Tropical Storm Ivan moved to the west and on September 5 it became a hurricane.
Ivan strengthened fast and by the end of the day on September 5 it became a category 3 hurricane.
Hurricane Ivan weakened a little bit because of wind shear.
Ivan strengthened back and became a category 2 and later on, a category 3 hurricane.
On September 7, while Ivan was a category 3 hurricane, it passed very close to Grenada.
Ivan entered the Caribbean Sea and again strengthened very fast.