What is Accumulated Cyclone Energy?

Accumulated cyclone energy, or "ACE," is used to express the activity and destru
ctive potential of individual tropical cyclones and entire tropical cyclone seas
ons. ACE is calculated as the square of the wind speed every 6 hours, and is the
n scaled by a factor of 10,000 for usability. The ACE of a season is the sum of
the ACE for each storm and takes into account the number, strength, and duration
of all the tropical storms in the season. The caveat to using ACE as a measure
of the activity of a season is that it does not take the size of the hurricane o
r tropical storm into account. The damage potential of a hurricane is proportion
al to the square or cube of the maximum wind speed, and thus ACE is not only a m
easure of tropical cyclone activity, but a measure of the damage potential of an
individual cyclone or a season.
Jeff Masters' Blog
New England Intense Hurricanes Much More Numerous 340 to 1800 Years Ago
By Dr. Jeff Masters
Numerous Category 3 and 4 hurricanes frequently pounded New England during the f
irst millennium, from the peak of the Roman Empire into the height of the Middle
Ages, according to a new study. Lead author Jeff Donnelly said, We hope this stu
dy broadens our sense of what is possible and what we should expect in a warmer
climate. We may need to begin planning for a category 3 hurricane landfall every
decade or so rather than every 100 or 200 years.
Read This Entry