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What is a Vortcane. I heard this on The Weather Channel?

Recently Dr. Steve Lyons called Hurricane Palermo a Vortcane. I never heard such a thing. What is a Vortcane?

Update:

Stronger is an understatement, from a Cat 2 to now a Cat 4

4 Answers

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  • UALog
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    I also have never heard of this term used in the field of meteorology. I have checked with the American Meteorological Society and the World Meteorological Organization and to this date, neither have recognized "vortcane" as a meteorological term. So, I would say this is a made up term for now.

    Sometimes, somebody would come up with a word or phrase and would start to use it often. If the term is later accepted by others in the meteorological community, it may by added to the official list of weather terms. Over the 50 past years, we have witness the birth of new weather or climate terms. These would include the following phrases like "Pineapple Express", "Panhandle Hook", "BWER" (Bounded Weak Echo Region) and the "Madden-Julian Oscillation". So it is possible that this may become an official weather term in the future.

  • 1 decade ago

    I have never heard that term. Hurricanes contain vorticity, and are a type of vortex, but there is no such term as a "vortcane". Paloma is a strong hurricane, but otherwise it is just like any other hurricane.

    Source(s): I'm a meteorologist.
  • 1 decade ago

    I'm not quite sure what it is, but it sounds like a cross between a vortex and a hurricane.

  • 1 decade ago

    Boy, that sure sounds like he just made up a word!

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