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[Phys-l] hurricane question



Hi all,
Sorry for any repetition among the same people at physhare and phys- l. I wonder if the physics people here can answer this question or direct it to your colleagues in the meteorology department who might know the answer.
Hurricanes usually begin as tropical depressions in the Atlantic off the coast of Africa, and then work their way westward to the Caribbean or Gulf, hitting Florida or the Gulf coast, with some heading north toward the Carolinas or Bermuda before ending up in New England, etc. Lately in this season, however, we have seen two hurricanes in a row (Omar and Paloma) starting in the Caribbean as depressions, developing quickly into category 3 storms hitting the islands from the south and west and then heading out into the Atlantic. Why does this reverse pattern occur? Does it have anything to do with colder weather patterns and ocean temperatures in the Atlantic?
This is of interest because while my wife and I were on a cruise several weeks ago the ship was right on the edge of Omar the whole way down from San Juan to Barbados, and back up the Caribbean to St. Thomas, and we had to avoid several ports-o-call because of winds and damage to the docks at some islands. It was exciting to watch the track of the storm on the ship's closed circuit tv., but because of the sheer size and speed of these huge cruise ships nowadays there was no danger, being on the edge of the storm the way we were. (not to mention a skillful captain and crew, with plenty of food and entertainment to keep us occupied!)
Hopefully someone on the physics lists can answer but if no one here knows the answer please forward to someone in the discipline who can shed some light on this for me. Thanks.

Marty