We have a warm-core ring in the Gulf

"Hey, diaper lady! Here's my diaper. I think I might have pinched one off too soon. Oh... I left a rosebud in there for you."
--Fat Bastard

So, it's geared toward showing features like the warm-core ring pinching off from the Gulf loop.

The northernmost portion of the loop current is breaking off into a stand-alone vortex ("ring"). The vortex is a body of deep, warm water. The 26C isotherm goes down to nearly 150 feet in the center of the ring.

This is going to be a really interesting hurricane season.

They predicted that this season would be less favorable, due to wind shear and the expected location of tropical waves. So far, those predictions appear to be panning out. The implication is that we will have fewer storms than last year, but the storms that we do have are likely to remain unusually powerful, due to the high SSTs. Hard to say, I guess. We're only a month into the season.

I note with interest that it doesn't take a major hurricane, or even a tropical storm, to wreak major havoc. The past week's flooding in the northeast was the result of an non-tropical system. It never achieved tropical storm status, but it sure did a number on you guys up there anyway.

and haul some of this away for your rosebushes.

We're still waiting.

New Jersey had to close its State Offices today because the Capital City is partially under water.

As I understand it, Arizonans need water. You could help us by helping yourself.

That is one camel whose nose you may not want to let in your tent. Ask the Great Lake states...
:evilgrin:

...at least until the next drought.

As for those lakes, the US needs to ask itself whether it needs Arizona golf courses or great lakes.

Anticipating the answer to that question, I guess the bright side of draining Lake Superior will be the elimination of the Zebra Mussel.

or wing the operators.

I'm from the Lakes although I don't live there now. However, I'm ready to go back and take my very senior mother's place!

Is this a salient feature that implies massive hurricanes? Was it present last year? Is it always present during hurricane season?

From the context, I assume this is the case, but is this unusual in some way, or a certain portent?

If, in another context, someone said "we have a warm core in the Gulf," I would have no idea if that was a permanent structure.

Many (all?) of those unusually rapid intensifications from last year (and this year's Alberto), were the result of storms passing over regions of deep warm water. Alberto passed over the ring in this map, although it had not quite calved off at that time.

They are a sort of quasi-periodic event. They aren't unique to the last couple years, although their intensity may be. Good question. The timing of their formation is also important. Last year, a warm-core ring calved off the loop current just in time for September. This ring calved earlier. Supposedly that may be a good thing. This will be the first time I've ever tracked one. We'll see what it does.