La Duradero

La Duradero is a tropical weather event that happens when strong western tropical winds meet northern easterly winds in a low pressure zone in the mid Atlantic. Circular winds form around the low, encasing it and holding it in one place. Moisture and heat get easily trapped inside, creating a tropical hotspot ranging from 1,000- 2,500 miles wide. The event often causes intense hurricanes all year round, even in off season (December-May) many major hurricanes can form.

The name La Duradero is Spanish for "The Everlasting or durable". It was called this back in the 1600s when the Spaniards charted extremely active hurricane activity. The name now reverts to the actual low pressure system creating the increased activity.

The La Duradero uses a scale of intensity, which can effect how long the event lasts, how intense its storm are, how frequent its storms are, and how many storms there will be. The scale is known as the DDS or the Darren-Duradero-Scale. You can see the scale below.

La Duradero Category Size

Tropical La Duradero >500 miles in size

Category 1 La Duradero 500-1000 miles in size

Category 2 La Duradero 1000-1500 miles in size

Category 3 La Duradera 1500-2000 miles in size

Category 4 La Duradero 2000-2500 miles in size

Category 5 La Duradero <2500 miles in size

Meteorologists also use a separate list of names for storms that form in a La D​uradero. The lists are developed by several weather centers including but not limited to the BNWC, SMWC, KMC, etc. When a La Duradero occurs, these weather centers hold a meeting to agree upon names of storms that develop in a La Duradero. If an Atlantic storm with a name passes through a La Duradero and gains intensity, it will not be renamed. Also, if an Atlantic storm is given a name but downgrades to a tropical depression, but re-intensifies in a La Duradero, it will not be given a name on the La Duradero list, but retain its former name when it was a tropical storm or higher.

A La Duradero usually occurs around every 10 years. In some instances it can occur every 5 years, or even every 15 years. Strong La Duradero with pressure around 915 mb, only tend to occur every 50 years. The most recent La Duradero, the 2016 La Duradero, was a moderate one that lasted 11 months and produced 29 named storms.

The No Duradero is a rare occurrence that hasn't happened in over 120 years. It it is the opposite of a La Duradero. It forms the name way, but with high pressure and cold waters, but instead affectes the whole Atlantic.