MONTHLY GLOBAL TROPICAL CYCLONE SUMMARY
SEPTEMBER, 2005
First Installment
(For general comments about the nature of these summaries, as well as
information on how to download the tabular cyclone track files, see
the Author's Note at the end of this summary.)
NOTE: The September summary will be issued in three installments. The
first will cover the Atlantic basin plus contain an extra feature. The
second will cover the Northeast Pacific and North Indian Ocean basins,
plus take a brief look at a couple of Southern Hemisphere systems. The
third and final installment will cover the Northwest Pacific basin.
*************************************************************************
SEPTEMBER HIGHLIGHTS
--> Above-normal Atlantic activity continues with five hurricanes
--> Another Category 5 Gulf of Mexico hurricane
--> Outbreak of activity in Eastern Pacific nets two major hurricanes
--> Western Pacific active--several typhoons and tropical storms strike
China and Vietnam
*************************************************************************
***** Extra Feature *****
SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE TROPICAL CYCLONE NAMES
2005 - 2006 SEASON
TROPICAL CYCLONE NAMES for the AUSTRALIAN REGION
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology maintains three Tropical
Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWC): Perth, Western Australia; Darwin,
Northern Territory; and Brisbane, Queensland. Each centre is allotted
a separate list of tropical cyclone names for tropical cyclones forming
within its area of responsibility (AOR). In addition a TCWC located at
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG)--a former Australian territory--
maintains a list of native names to assign to the very rare tropical
cyclones which form within its AOR.
The AORs of the respective centres are:
(1) Perth - 125E westward to 90E and south of 10S. Currently, and for
at least the next few years, the Perth TCWC will issue warnings for
any systems north of 10S and south and west of the Indonesian
islands.
(2) Darwin - 125E eastward to 138E and extending northward to the
equator. There is a little irregularity with the eastern border
in the Gulf of Carpentaria. The Darwin TCWC issues High Seas
Warnings for the entire Gulf of Carpentaria, but Brisbane issues
Tropical Cyclone Advices and names cyclones in the eastern portion
of the Gulf. Also, currently, and for at least the next few years,
the Darwin TCWC will issue warnings for any systems west of 125E
and within the Indonesian archipelago in the Banda, Flores, and
Java Seas.
(3) Brisbane - 138E eastward to 160E and generally south of 10S. The
northern border with the Port Moresby AOR is somewhat irregular.
(4) Port Moresby, PNG - immediate vicinity of the island of New Guinea
and eastward to 160E generally north of 10S although the southern
border is somewhat irregular.
Names for the 2005-2006 season (** indicates name has already been
assigned as of 30 January 2006):
Perth Darwin Brisbane Port Moresby
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bertie ** George Jim ** Alu
Clare ** Helen Kate Buri
Daryl ** Ira Larry Dodo
Emma Jasmine Monica Emau
Floyd Kim Nelson Fere
Glenda Laura Odette Guba
Hubert Matt Pierre Hibu
Isobel Narelle Rebecca Ila
Jacob Oswald Sandy Kama
Kara Penny Tania Lobu
Lee Vernon
Melanie Wendy
Nicholas Alfred
Ophelia Blanch
Pancho Charles
TROPICAL CYCLONE NAMES for the SOUTHWEST INDIAN OCEAN
and the SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN
The Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre (TCWC) at Nadi, Fiji, has
tropical cyclone warning responsibility for the South Pacific east of
160E and from the equator to 25S. The Meteorological Service of New
Zealand at Wellington has warning responsibility for waters south of
25S, but almost all tropical cyclones in this basin form north of 25S.
When a rare cyclone forms in the Wellington area of responsibility
(AOR), it usually will be assigned a name from the Fiji list (such as
was done for Tropical Cyclone Gita in February, 1999.)
Tropical cyclone warning responsibility for South Indian waters west
of 90E are shared by several TCWCs. The Regional Specialty
Meteorological Centre (RSMC) for the region is the office of Meteo
France on the island of La Reunion. However, following a long-standing
practice, the Sub-regional Tropical Cyclone Advisory Centres at Mauritius
and Madagascar share the responsibility for actually naming tropical
storms with Mauritius naming systems east of 55E and Madagascar covering
the area west of 55E. RSMC La Reunion issues warnings for the basin
independently of Mauritius and Madagascar, but only advises regarding
when or when not to assign a name to a developing cyclone.
Names for the 2005-2006 season (** indicates name has already been
assigned as of 30 January 2006):
Southwest Indian South Pacific
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Alvin ** Nadety Tam ** Daman
Boloetse ** Otile Urmil ** Elisa
Carina Pindile Vaianu Funa
Diwa Quincy Wati Gene
Elia Rugare Xavier Hettie
Farda Sebina Yani Innis
Guduza Timba Zita Joni
Helio Usta Arthur Ken
Isabella Velo Becky Lin
Jaone Wilby Cliff Mick
Kundai Xanda
Lindsay Yuri
Marinda Zoelle
***********************************************************************
***********************************************************************
ACTIVITY BY BASINS
ATLANTIC (ATL) - North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico
Activity for September: 1 tropical depression **
3 hurricanes
2 intense hurricanes
** - depression formed late on 30 September and will be treated as an
October cyclone
Sources of Information
----------------------
Most of the information presented below was obtained from the
various tropical cyclone products issued by the Tropical Prediction
Center/National Hurricane Center (TPC/NHC) in Miami, Florida:
discussions, public advisories, forecast/advisories, tropical weather
outlooks, special tropical disturbance statements, etc. Some
additional information may have been gleaned from the monthly
summaries prepared by the hurricane specialists and available on
TPC/NHC's website. All references to sustained winds imply a
1-minute averaging period unless otherwise noted.
Atlantic Tropical Activity for September
----------------------------------------
Tropical cyclone activity continued at a high level during the month
of September. Five systems were named as tropical storms, and all five
became hurricanes. Early in the month Hurricane Maria briefly reached
Category 3 status while recurving in the mid-Atlantic, and Hurricane Nate
became a strong Category 1 hurricane as it sped into the central Atlantic
after passing harmlessly south of Bermuda. Philippe and Ophelia were
also Category 1 hurricanes. Whereas Philippe pursued an uneventful track
northward from its genesis east of the Lesser Antilles, Ophelia followed
a very erratic track just off the southeastern U. S., eventually brushing
the North Carolina Outer Banks with hurricane-force winds. The most
significant September cyclone was Hurricane Rita, which formed in the
Bahamas and moved through the Florida Straits, paralleling the Keys as
it rapidly intensified to hurricane intensity. Once into the Gulf of
Mexico, Rita rapidly strengthened into almost a carbon copy of August's
Hurricane Katrina, becoming the second Category 5 hurricane of the
season. Rita followed a generally west-northwesterly track across the
Gulf and made a devastating strike in the western Louisiana/eastern
Texas region.
The average numbers of NS, H and IH for September (1950-2004) are 3.5,
2.5 and 1.3, respectively, so the month of September, 2005, exceeded the
mean in all categories. Over the period 1950-2004, the average NTC for
the month of September has been 48%--the September, 2005, cyclones
generated a NTC of 70%. All the September named cyclones represent the
earliest formation dates for Atlantic NS with ordinal numbers 13 - 17.
All the previous record setters occurred during the 1933 season. The
following table lists the dates the cyclones reached tropical storm
intensity during the 2005 and 1933 seasons:
Number Name 2005 Date 1933 Date
---------------------------------------------
13 Maria 2 Sep 8 Sep
14 Nate 6 Sep 10 Sep
15 Ophelia 7 Sep 16 Sep
16 Philippe 18 Sep 27 Sep
17 Rita 18 Sep 28 Sep
Reports on all the named storms follow. Another tropical depression
formed in the Cape Verde region late on September 30. That system never
reached tropical storm intensity and will be covered briefly in the
October summary.
HURRICANE MARIA
(TC-14)
1 - 12 September
------------------------------------
A. Introduction and Storm Origins
---------------------------------
Maria was one of the few tropical cyclones of the record-breaking
2005 Atlantic hurricane season which formed in the so-called Main
Development Region: the zone south of 20N and east of the Lesser
Antilles. The cyclone pursued a long trajectory which took it from its
birthplace in the central tropical Atlantic to a point of recurvature
several hundred miles east of Bermuda, and thence northeastward into the
far North Atlantic south of Iceland. Maria briefly became a Category 3
hurricane on the Saffir/Simpson scale as its winds reached 100 kts for
a six-hour period on 5 September when the cyclone was centered a few
hundred miles east of Bermuda.
Maria's progenitor was a well-organized tropical wave which moved off
the western coast of Africa on 27 August, and on the 28th an associated
area of low pressure was located about 390 nm southeast of the Cape Verde
Islands. The system gradually became better organized over the next
few days as it moved west-northwestward, and advisories were initiated on
Tropical Depression 14 at 1500 UTC on 1 September. The depression was
then centered approximately 970 nm east of the northern Leeward Islands,
moving west-northwestward at 14 kts. The first visible satellite images
of the day revealed a well-defined LLCC with an area of deep convection
to the north. However, an upper-level LOW to the southwest was producing
some shear over the depression, so further strengthening was hindered a
bit.
B. Track and Intensity History
------------------------------
The depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Maria at 1500 UTC on
2 September, being located about 765 nm east-northeast of the Leeward
Islands and approximately 1030 nm southeast of Bermuda. The MSW was
estimated at 35 kts, based on T-numbers of 2.5 from all three satellite
agencies, plus a QuikScat pass showing several uncontaminated 35-kt
wind vectors with a couple peaking at 45 kts. Maria was moving slowly
west-northwestward at 8 kts, and this motion continued, gradually
becoming northwesterly as the cyclone was guided by a strong subtropical
ridge to the east and a broad trough over the western Atlantic. Maria
steadily intensified and was upgraded to a 65-kt hurricane at 04/0900
UTC when located about 560 nm east-southeast of Bermuda. The upgrade
was based upon T4.0 Dvorak ratings from TAFB and SAB. SSMI and AMSU
overpasses near 04/0000 UTC had indicated nearly closed eyewall features,
and the central convection had increased significantly in depth and
organization with cloud tops colder than -80 C near the center.
Steady intensification continued as the hurricane turned to the north
while nearing the subtropical ridge axis. Maria reached its peak
intensity of 100 kts at 0300 UTC on 6 September while moving north-
northeastward about 420 nm east of Bermuda. Deep convection had become
more symmetric about the eye, and subjective Dvorak intensity estimates
were 102 kts and 90 kts from TAFB and SAB, respectively, while objective
estimates from CIMSS were near 100 kts. However, Maria was not to
remain a Category 3 hurricane for long. Six hours later the eye had
become more ragged and open to the west and cloud tops had warmed
significantly. The MSW at 0900 UTC was correspondingly reduced to
90 kts. The hurricane had by this time rounded the subtropical ridge
axis and was moving north-northeastward at 6 kts.
Hurricane Maria weakened rather quickly on 6 September as it moved
into an environment of unfavorable westerly shear. Only 24 hours after
peaking at 100 kts, Maria was downgraded to a 60-kt tropical storm at
07/0300 UTC. The cyclone at the time was centered about 550 nm east-
northeast of Bermuda. A surprise was in store, however. A QuikScat
pass at 07/0850 UTC indicated that Maria was stronger than Dvorak
intensity estimates alone would suggest with many wind vectors greater
than hurricane force. Thus, Maria was re-upgraded to hurricane status
at 07/1500 UTC with 70-kt winds. The NHC discussion noted that it was
difficult to know whether or not Maria had re-intensified due to a trough
interaction, or had been stronger all along than its satellite signature
had suggested. In any case, the trough which had been producing the
shearing had become indistinguishable from Maria and the cyclone was
taking on a comma-like appearance, indicative of the first stages of
impending extratropical transition.
Maria's second round as a hurricane lasted 36 hours before the storm
was downgraded again at 09/0300 UTC. Deep convection was decreasing
again and the cyclone was over 25 C water and moving into progressively
cooler SSTs, and all satellite intensity estimates were below hurricane
strength. The weakening cyclone was located about 525 southeast of
Cape Race, Newfoundland, and was moving northeastward at 8 kts--a rather
slow translational speed for those latitudes. The resilient Maria
continued to exist as a tropical cyclone for another 36 hours following
its second downgrading. The 09/1500 UTC NHC discussion noted that
an eye-like feature continued to come and go with bursts of deep
convection occasionally trying to wrap around the center. It was felt
that a combination of cool upper-air temperatures and SSTs holding
steady around 24-25 C had helped to delay extratropical transition of
Maria. However, by 10/0300 UTC Maria was beginning to lose its tropical
characteristics as it interacted with a mid and upper-level westerly
trough, and by 0900 UTC the process was complete. The final advisory on
Maria issued by NHC placed the 50-kt extratropical cyclone about 625 nm
northwest of the Azores. After extratropical transition, the former
hurricane turned more north-northeastward, and late on 12 September
reached Iceland.
A graphic depicting the track of Hurricane Maria to the point of
extratropical transition may be found at the following link:
<http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/atlantic/BT-IMAGES/2005-14
L-MARIA.gif>
A graphic with slightly lower resolution depicting the entire track
of Maria may be accessed the following link:
<http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/atlantic/BT-IMAGES/2005-14
L-MARIA-B.gif>
C. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
No damage or casualties are known to have resulted from Hurricane
Maria.
(Report written by Gary Padgett)
HURRICANE NATE
(TC-15)
5 - 12 September
------------------------------------
A. Introduction and Storm Origins
---------------------------------
Hurricane Nate's origins lay within a zone of disturbed weather
which was associated with a broad surface trough that stretched from
near Bermuda southwestward to the Bahamas. Two centers of action
formed within this trough, the easternmost one becoming Nate and the
westernmost one developing into Hurricane Ophelia. The afternoon STWO
issued by TPC/NHC on 2 September mentioned this area of disturbed
weather, but noted that upper-level winds were unfavorable for tropical
cyclone development at the time. Little change occurred on the 3rd,
but by the morning of 4 September a well-defined surface low pressure
system had formed about 350 nm northeast of the Turks and Caicos
Islands and was drifting slowly northward. Convection was increasing
and upper-level winds were gradually becoming more favorable for tropical
cyclone development. By the morning of 5 September the low pressure
system was located approximately 250 nm south-southwest of Bermuda and
convective activity was increasing. By afternoon satellite data
indicated that the system had acquired enough organization to be
classified as a tropical depression; hence, advisories were initiated
on Tropical Depression 15 at 05/2100 UTC. The depression was centered
about 300 nm south-southwest of Bermuda and was essentially stationary
after having meandered in a cyclonic loop during the previous few hours.
B. Track and Intensity History
------------------------------
Tropical Storm Nate was christened on the second advisory due to
the presence of a well-defined and robust circulation with convective
tops to -80 C, Dvorak intensity estimates of 30-35 kts, and a recent
buoy report to 30 kts west of the center and outside the convection.
At 06/0300 UTC Nate was centered about 275 nm south-southwest of Bermuda
and was essentially stationary. The tropical cyclone remained quasi-
stationary over the next day and a half while slowly increasing to
hurricane strength. Visible satellite images on the morning of the 7th
showed a ragged eye and Dvorak intensity estimates were averaging about
70 kts, so Nate was upgraded to a 70-kt hurricane at 1500 UTC while
located about 200 nm south-southwest of Bermuda. The storm was moving
very slowly northward, but the track became northeasterly at a slightly
increased pace as the day wore on. The only reconnaissance mission into
Hurricane Nate was early on the 8th, and the aircraft found a peak 700-mb
FLW of 85 kts, thus confirming the 75-kt satellite based intensity used
in the previous two advisories.
Nate reached its peak intensity of 80 kts at 0300 UTC on 9 September,
based on intensity estimates of 77 kts from SAB and AFWA and 90 kts from
TAFB. Nate had passed about 125 nm south of Bermuda around 0900 UTC
on the 8th, and by the time of peak intensity was located about 235 nm
east of the island, moving east-northeastward at 17 kts. Even as Nate
reached its estimated peak intensity, the cloud pattern was beginning
to show the tell-tale signs of increasing upper-level westerly flow,
and a recent SSM/I pass revealed the presence of very dry air just to
the north of the hurricane. Nate's demise was very rapid: only 12 hours
after peaking in intensity the storm was almost devoid of any deep
convection and was downgraded to a 60-kt tropical storm. Visible
satellite imagery depicted a badly-sheared cyclone with an exposed LLCC
resulting from the 25-30 kts of southwesterly shear. By 1500 UTC on
10 September Nate's radius of maximum winds had expanded to 90 nm with
an asymmetric wind distribution. This, in conjunction with the absence
of any significant deep convection, was the basis for classifying Nate
as extratropical. The final TPC/NHC advisory at this time placed the
center of Nate about 880 nm west of the Azores and scooting eastward
at 20 kts. After extratropical transition the remnants of Nate turned
northeastward and continued to race into the colder waters of the North
Atlantic as the winds slowly decreased.
A graphic depicting the track of Hurricane Nate may be found at the
following link:
<http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/atlantic/BT-IMAGES/2005-15
L-NATE.gif>
C. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
No damage or casualties are known to have resulted from Hurricane
Nate.
(Report written by Gary Padgett)
HURRICANE OPHELIA
(TC-16)
6 - 20 September
-------------------------------------
A. Introduction and Storm Origins
---------------------------------
The most erratically-moving tropical cyclone of the remarkable 2005
Atlantic hurricane season had its origins in a large, stationary trough
of low pressure which stretched from Florida eastward to near Bermuda
in early September. Two areas of concentrated showers and thunder-
storms formed within this trough, and both were destined to become
hurricanes. Ophelia formed from the westernmost disturbance while the
easternmost system became Hurricane Nate. Ophelia meandered off the
southeastern U. S. coast for more than a week on a very erratic track,
one which rivaled those of Hurricane Ginny of 1963 and Hurricane Kara
of 1969 in the same region. The storm also has the distinction of
being the first Atlantic tropical cyclone on record to have been upgraded
to hurricane status on four separate occasions.
A graphic depicting the entire track of Hurricane Ophelia may be found
at the following link:
<http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/atlantic/BT-IMAGES/2005-16
L-OPHELIA.gif>
John Diebolt has prepared five smaller-scale maps showing various
portions of Ophelia's track. These will be referenced in Section B as
each phase in the cyclone's history is described.
The parent trough in which Ophelia developed was first mentioned in
a TPC/NHC STWO on the afternoon of 2 September. By the morning of
4 September a STWO noted that cloudiness and thunderstorms were
becoming a little more concentrated over the northwestern and central
Bahamas, the Florida Straits and southeastern Florida. (At the same
time the pre-Nate system was beginning to take shape a few hundred miles
northeast of the Turks and Caicos Islands.) By the next morning a broad
area of low pressure was located just off the southeastern coast of
Florida and was stationary. Little change in organization had been
noted and upper-level winds were only marginally favorable for further
development. By early on the 6th satellite and radar data, along with
nearby surface observations, indicated that the system was becoming
better-defined and convection had increased. Advisories were begun
on Tropical Depression 16 at 06/1500 UTC, then centered just east of
Freeport on Grand Bahama Island and about 155 nm southeast of Cape
Canaveral, Florida. Even though the initial advisory intensity was
only 25 kts, due to the proximity to the coast and the forecast for
further strengthening, a tropical storm warning was issued with the first
advisory for portions of the Florida east coast and for the northwestern
Bahamas.
B. Track and Intensity History
------------------------------
Phase 1 - Just off Florida's East Coast
---------------------------------------
The graphic depicting this phase of Ophelia's life may be found at
the following link:
<http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/atlantic/BT-IMAGES/2005-16
L-OPHELIA-A.gif>
Tropical Depression 16 tracked northward across Grand Bahama Island
and continued in this general direction, paralleling the Florida coast.
Little strengthening occurred during the first 18 hours, but at 0600 UTC
on 7 September the depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Ophelia,
located approximately 100 nm east-southeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida,
and moving north-northwestward at about 4 kts. The intensity of 35 kts
was based on a blend of surface reports of 33 kts from drifting buoy
41542, located just northeast of the center, and Doppler radar velocities
of 36-44 kts between 3050 and 3650 meters. The highest reconnaissance
wind report was 42 kts in the northwestern quadrant. Ophelia steadily
intensified as it meandered just off Florida's East Coast. Steering
currents were weak and the storm described a small counter-clockwise
loop between 07/1800 and 09/0600 UTC less than 100 nm east of Cape
Canaveral.
During this period vertical shear which had been inhibiting the
cyclone's intensification lessened and Ophelia responded by increasing
to hurricane intensity at 08/2100 UTC. At this time the storm was
stationary about 60 nm east-northeast of Cape Canaveral. The upgrade
to hurricane strength was based primarily on Doppler radar velocities
of 80-85 kts in the southern eyewall at an elevation of about 1980 meters
along with a reconnaissance-measured CP of 985 mb. Ophelia exhibited
well-defined outflow in all quadrants except the southeast. By 0600 UTC
on 9 September the storm was drifting north-northeastward and had
completed the small loop. However, the radar signature of Ophelia had
deteriorated significantly and the highest dropsonde wind measured by
a reconnaissance aircraft was 58 kts near the surface, so Ophelia was
downgraded to a 55-kt tropical storm at 0900 UTC. A shortwave trough
to the west was helping to lift Ophelia to the northeast, but all the
model guidance indicated that the cyclone would be left behind as high
pressure built over the eastern U. S. This is exactly what happened.
Phase 2 - Loop off the Georgia and South Carolina Coasts
--------------------------------------------------------
The graphic depicting this phase of Ophelia's life may be found at
the following link:
<http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/atlantic/BT-IMAGES/2005-16
L-OPHELIA-B.gif>
Ophelia did not remain below hurricane intensity for long. At 2100
UTC on 9 September the cyclone was upgraded to hurricane status for the
second time. This was supported by subjective intensity estimates from
all agencies and objective T-numbers, a NOAA reconnaissance measurement
of 72-kt winds at 700-mb along with a CP of 983 mb, SFMR winds near the
surface of 62 kts, and a 10-nm diameter circular eye. Ophelia's center
at this time was located about 150 nm east-northeast of Daytona Beach,
Florida, and was moving northeastward near 6 kts. However, during the
evening hours Ophelia's satellite signature became less impressive
with a significant decrease in both the coverage and intensity of the
convection, so at 0900 UTC on 10 September Ophelia was downgraded to
a 60-kt tropical storm. The 0600 UTC Dvorak numbers had come down a bit
to T3.5, and the highest 850-mb FLW was 70 kts--corresponding to about
56 kts at the surface. Re-strengthening was forecast, however, and this
verified. Only six hours later, at 10/1500 UTC, Ophelia was upgraded to
hurricane intensity for the third time based on a CP of 976 mb measured
by a reconnaissance plane and a peak 700-mb FLW of 78 kts.
After the third upgrade the yoyoing in intensity leveled off somewhat
and Ophelia remained a hurricane for over two days, reaching an initial
peak intensity of 75 kts at 11/1200 UTC in spite of light to moderate
westerly shear and dry air to the west of the cyclone. During this time
Ophelia's northeasterly motion slowed as the storm was blocked by high
pressure to the north. Between around 10/0600 and 12/0600 UTC the
hurricane described a small clockwise loop. The easternmost point of
the loop came around 11/1200 UTC when the hurricane was centered about
220 nm east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, and a like distance
south of Cape Hatteras. After this, Ophelia drifted to the southwest,
then took off toward the west-northwest, completing the loop and getting
into a position to pose a threat to the southeastern U. S. coastline.
Indeed, a hurricane watch for portions of the coast had been issued as
early as 1800 UTC on the 10th in the anticipation that Ophelia would
eventually move in that direction.
Phase 3 - Close Approach to the North Carolina Coast
----------------------------------------------------
The graphic depicting this phase of Ophelia's life may be found at
the following link:
<http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/atlantic/BT-IMAGES/2005-16
L-OPHELIA-C.gif>
Shortly after completing the clockwise loop, Ophelia weakened once
more to below hurricane intensity. At 12/1500 UTC the cyclone was down-
graded to a 60-kt tropical storm. The latest reconnaissance flight had
found a peak 700-mb FLW of only 63 kts, and the discussion bulletin noted
that 60 kts might be generous given the current lack of deep convection.
Given that Ophelia had moved little over the previous couple of days, it
was thought that upwelling and cooling of the SSTs was the most likely
reason for the storm's temporary decline. Ophelia's slow northwesterly
motion continued through 13/0600 UTC, after which the storm took an
abrupt northward jog. By the afternoon of the 13th Ophelia was once
more becoming better organized with inner core convection increasing in
both coverage and intensity as it continued trekking northward toward the
North Carolina coast.
The discussion bulletin accompanying the 13/2100 UTC advisory noted
that a peak 700-mb FLW of 76 kts had been found in the northwestern
quadrant with Doppler velocity data from Wilmington indicating winds as
high as 80 kts at 3000 m in the same quadrant. Normally, these winds
would support hurricane force at the surface, but the observations had
been made in the vicinity of NOAA buoy 41004, which had been reporting
sustained surface winds of only 43 kts. However, at 2130 UTC a special
advisory was issued, upgrading Ophelia to a hurricane for an
unprecedented fourth time. This was based on SFMR winds of 63-66 kts
north-northwest of the center beneath 1220 m FLWs of 83 kts. The center
of Hurricane Ophelia was then located about 95 nm south of Wilmington,
North Carolina, moving north-northwestward at 3 kts. The hurricane
continued to approach the coast on the 14th, but the track began to
increasingly turn toward the northeast.
Hurricane Ophelia reached its peak intensity of 75 kts for the second
time at 14/1800 UTC when the 50-nm diameter eye was centered only about
35 nm southeast of Wilmington. The storm's motion had by this time
become north-northeasterly at 6 kts. The center of the hurricane was
forecast to make landfall near Cape Lookout, but Ophelia's track
continued to bend eastward and the center never actually made landfall
(defined as the exact center of the eye crossing a coastline).
Nonetheless, the northern eyewall did sweep across the Outer Banks as
Ophelia's center passed to the south. Late on the 14th Cape Lookout
reported a 10-min mean wind of 64 kts. The peak MSW of 75 kts was
maintained for 18 hours, then began to slowly decline. Ophelia was
downgraded to tropical storm status for the fourth time at 0000 UTC on
16 September while moving erratically eastward about 40 nm south-
southeast of Cape Hatteras. A few hours later the storm was drifting
northward about 35 nm east of Cape Hatteras, but by 1200 UTC Ophelia's
track had become north-northeasterly as it slowly began to accelerate
away from the North Carolina Outer Banks.
During the hour preceding 15/0100 UTC Cape Lookout reported a
10-min avg wind of 58 kts with a peak gust of 75 kts. Between 1400
and 1500 UTC on the 15th there was an unofficial report of a sustained
wind of 57 kts with a peak gust of 72 kts at Cape Hatteras, while
nearby Hatteras Village reported a sustained wind of 56 kts with a
peak gust of 83 kts around the same time. Ophelia at the time was
centered less than 30 nm south-southwest of Cape Hatteras. Later,
during the evening, a NOAA buoy located at Diamond Shoals reported
a gust of 74 kts.
Phase 4 - North Carolina to Nova Scotia
---------------------------------------
The graphic depicting this phase of Ophelia's life may be found at
the following link:
<http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/atlantic/BT-IMAGES/2005-16
L-OPHELIA-D.gif>
As Ophelia began to move away from the North Carolina coast it was
becoming embedded in the westerlies, and as a high-pressure system to
the east was forecast to weaken, the storm was correspondingly forecast
to accelerate toward the northeast. By 17/0000 UTC the storm's motion
had become northeasterly at 14 kts and twelve hours later Ophelia had
accelerated to 18 kts. The MSW was decreased to 50 kts at 16/1200 UTC
since the cyclone presented a sheared appearance with deep convection
mainly in the northeastern quadrant. Also, a reconnaissance plane
found a peak 850-mb FLW of 61 kts. However, during the afternoon Ophelia
had become better organized once more with convection making attempts
to wrap around the west side of the LLCC. The CP had fallen to 993 mb
(from 996 mb earlier in the day) and a NOAA plane measured 73-kt winds
at 700 mb and the SFMR measured 59-kt surface winds. Furthermore,
the first-ever successful aerosonde flight into the core of a tropical
cyclone reported 74-kt winds at 760 meters. So based on all this data,
the intensity was increased slightly to 55 kts at 16/2100 UTC.
At that time the storm was centered about 310 nm south-southwest of
Nantucket Island, and Ophelia made its closest approach to the Massa-
chusetts coast around 1200 UTC on 17 September when it passed about
83 nm south of Nantucket. By late morning of the 17th Ophelia had
moved north of the Gulf Stream and was beginning to slowly lose tropical
characteristics as it sped toward Nova Scotia. By 2100 UTC the cyclone's
center was about 180 nm southwest of Halifax and moving northeastward
at 21 kts. NHC issued their final advisory on Ophelia at 18/0300 UTC
with the center located about 40 nm south-southwest of Halifax and
moving northeastward at 25 kts. By this time there was no deep
convection within 120 nm of the center and SSTs were around 16-17 C,
so the system was classified as an extratropical cyclone with peak
winds of around 45 kts.
Phase 5 - Extratropical Ophelia
-------------------------------
The graphic depicting this phase of Ophelia's life may be found at
the following link:
<http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/atlantic/BT-IMAGES/2005-16
L-OPHELIA-E.gif>
Based upon information released by the Canadian Hurricane Centre and
sent to the author by Chris Fogarty, the center of Ophelia tracked just
south of western Nova Scotia and Halifax and made landfall as a post-
tropical storm near Sheet Harbour, Halifax County, with a MSW over water
of 45 kts. The center went over Sydney and then moved through south-
eastern Newfoundland during the evening of 18 September. The remnants
of Ophelia continued to track eastward across the North Atlantic as they
slowly weakened, being located several hundred miles west of Ireland
when referenced for the last time in OPC marine warnings at 20/1200 UTC.
Following is an extended track for the cyclone as it crossed the
Canadian Maritimes, prepared by Chris Fogarty of the Canadian Hurricane
Centre. This was not available to the author when the companion cyclone
tracks file was prepared--the extratropical portion of Ophelia in that
file was based strictly on the OPC warnings. John Diebolt's graphic
for the post-tropical Ophelia were based upon the OPC positions and
does not depict the center crossing Nova Scotia as it actually did.
LAT LON mmddhh MSW MSLP
---------------------------------------------------
43.90 -64.00 091803 45 998 Tropical storm
44.50 -62.90 091806 45 999 Extratropical
45.20 -61.80 091809 45 999 "
46.15 -60.10 091812 40 999 "
46.80 -58.00 091815 45 999 "
47.40 -56.00 091818 45 998 "
47.90 -54.70 091821 45 998 "
48.40 -53.40 091900 45 998 "
Chris Fogarty has prepared a rather thorough report on Ophelia which
can be accessed at the following link:
<http://www.novaweather.net/Hurricane_Ophelia/Ophelia_report_CHC.pdf>
Additional information can be found at the following site:
<http://projects.novaweather.net/work.html>
C. Rainfall Information
-----------------------
A graphic prepared by David Roth of the Hydrometeorological Prediction
Center depicting rainfall amounts recorded in association with Hurricane
Ophelia may be found at the following link:
<http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/ophelia2005.html>
D. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
One fatality was attributed to Hurricane Ophelia--a drowning along
the southeastern Florida coast. The storm caused $1.6 billion in
damages in the United States with significant beach erosion from North
Carolina southward to the central Florida coast.
(Report written by Gary Padgett)
HURRICANE PHILIPPE
(TC-17)
17 - 24 September
--------------------------------------
A. Introduction and Storm Origins
---------------------------------
Philippe was an inconsequential hurricane which formed east of the
Lesser Antilles in mid-September and pursued an unusual almost due
northward track. The most noteworthy fact concerning Philippe was that
after Hurricane Emily in July, it was the only other tropical cyclone of
the 2005 season to reach hurricane intensity east of the Lesser Antilles
and south of latitude 20N--the zone usually considered to be the primary
formation region for major Atlantic hurricanes in active seasons.
The precursor of Philippe was a tropical wave which, by the morning
of 14 September, was showing signs of organization about 1000 nm east-
southeast of the Windward Islands. Upper-level winds had not been
particularly favorable for development during the previous few days,
but the environment was forecast to become more conducive for tropical
cyclogenesis over the next couple of days. The wave continued to very
slowly become better-organized as it trekked westward. By the afternoon
of 16 September it was located about 390 nm east-southeast of the
southern Windward Islands and a surface low-pressure center appeared
to be forming. The system was by now moving west-northwestward and the
development of a tropical depression was considered a distinct
possibility over the next day or so as upper-level winds had become much
more favorable. The first advisory on Tropical Depression 17 was issued
at 1500 UTC on 17 September, placing the center approximately 265 nm
east of the island of Barbados and moving northwestward at 8 kts.
B. Track and Intensity History
------------------------------
The depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Philippe on the third
advisory, issued at 17/0300 UTC. The 35-kt initial intensity was a
blend of 45 kts from TAFB, 35 kts from SAB and 25 kts from AFWA. A
burst of deep convection had developed over and south of the LLCC,
which was estimated to be located about 255 nm east-northeast of
Barbados. Philippe was moving slowly north-northwestward at only
4 kts, roughly parallel to the Lesser Antilles chain, and strengthened
slowly during the first 24 hours after becoming a tropical storm. The
MSW had reached 45 kts by 18/2100 UTC, although the discussion bulletin
noted that a burst of deep convection with cloud tops colder than
-80 C had developed near the circulation center during the previous
two hours. A USAF Hurricane Hunters' plane reached the cyclone around
19/0000 UTC and measured a peak 850-mb FLW of 83 kts in the northeast
eyewall. Also, a dropsonde measured a surface pressure of 988 mb in
the eye, but since the wind was 17 kts, the CP was estimated to be
slightly lower. Based on these findings, Philippe was upgraded to
the season's eighth hurricane at 19/0300 UTC with 65-kt winds. The
cyclone's center was then located about 340 nm east of the Leeward
Islands, still continuing its north-northwestward motion at 7 kts as
it trekked toward a weakness in the subtropical ridge along 60W.
Philippe reached its peak intensity of 70 kts at 20/0300 UTC. Even
though the storm's appearance in satellite imagery had not improved
all that much and banding features were not particularly well-defined,
Dvorak intensity estimates indicated that Philippe had strengthened a
bit. However, the hurricane had no sooner reached its peak than it
began to come under the influence of some westerly shearing due to the
flow at the base of a broad upper-tropospheric trough associated with
the outflow of the intensifying Hurricane Rita to the west. By 1500 UTC
on the 20th the LLCC was becoming exposed and the winds were lowered to
65 kts, and at 2100 UTC Philippe was downgraded to a 55-kt tropical
storm, then located about 265 nm east-northeast of the Leeward Islands.
Philippe's intensity remained pegged at 55 kts for 18 hours, but
eventually westerly shear and subsidence from a large upper-level cyclone
to the west-northwest of the storm led to further weakening. The MSW was
reduced to 45 kts at 21/1500 UTC and continued to fall, reaching minimal
tropical storm intensity by 22/0900 UTC. Philippe's poorly-organized
center at this time was located about 450 nm northeast of the Leeward
Islands, moving toward the north at 10 kts.
Philippe remained a minimal tropical storm for the next 30 hours as
it moved northward at an accelerating pace. By 2100 UTC on the 22nd
the storm was centered about 470 nm southeast of Bermuda and moving
northward at 15 kts. By this time Philippe was a small tropical cyclone
embedded within a broad non-tropical area of low pressure. Indeed, there
was some question as to whether or not Philippe still had a closed
surface wind circulation. During the night of 22-23 September Philippe
made a sharp turn toward the northwest and temporarily accelerated up
to 20-22 kts. By 23/0900 UTC the cyclone's motion had become west-
northwesterly--in the direction of Bermuda--but had slowed a bit to
16 kts. Philippe's center at the time was located about 255 nm east-
southeast of Bermuda. Satellite intensity estimates were 35 kts from
TAFB and 25 kts from SAB. Interestingly, AFWA came in with a 45-kt
subtropical cyclone intensity estimate using the center of the large
LOW much farther to the south.
A precautionary tropical storm watch had been issued for Bermuda, but
this was discontinued at 23/2100 UTC when Philippe was downgraded to
a tropical depression, located about 150 nm south of Bermuda. The
system's track had turned to the west-southwest as it continued to rotate
around the northern periphery of the broader cyclonic circulation to the
south. By 24/0300 UTC all that remained of Philippe was a small swirl
of low clouds and the final advisory was issued.
A graphic depicting the track of Hurricane Philippe may be found at
the following link:
<http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/atlantic/BT-IMAGES/2005-17
L-PHILIPPE.gif>
C. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
No damage or casualties are known to have resulted from Tropical Storm
Philippe.
(Report written by Gary Padgett)
HURRICANE RITA
(TC-18)
18 - 26 September
-------------------------------------
A. Introduction and Storm Origins
---------------------------------
Boasting measurements of 150 kts and 897 mb, Hurricane Rita became
the second Category 5 hurricane of the 2005 season, the first occasion
since 1961 that two storms reached the superlative classification of
the Saffir/Simpson scale. Rita was in several aspects very similar
to the earlier Katrina: both formed in the Bahamas region, both passed
over or near South Florida, both reached Category 5 intensity in the
central Gulf of Mexico, and both made landfall along the northern Gulf
of Mexico coastline. Rita passed through the Florida Straits just
south of the Keys while Katrina had crossed the southern portion of
the Peninsula, and Rita's landfall occurred farther west than the
earlier hurricane, striking extreme western Louisiana and southeastern
Texas. The 897-mb central pressure measured on 21 September was the
third lowest (at the time) ever measured in an Atlantic hurricane,
exceeded only by Hurricane Gilbert of 1988 (888 mb) and the Florida
Keys hurricane of 1935 (892 mb). However, slightly over one month
later Hurricane Wilma would set a new low-pressure record for the
Atlantic basin of 882 mb.
On 15 September an area of disturbed weather was located a couple
hundred miles northeast of Puerto Rico, moving westward at around 9 to
13 kts with no imminent signs of tropical cyclone development. By the
next afternoon a sharp trough of low pressure was producing a large area
of convection north of the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the
Leeward Islands, extending northward into the Atlantic for a few hundred
miles. Thunderstorm activity had become more concentrated about 175 nm
north of the northern Leewards and upper-level winds were gradually
becoming more favorable for development. By midday on the 17th a broad
area of low pressure had developed about 225 nm east of the Turks and
Caicos Islands. During the afternoon and evening the system's organi-
zation continued to improve as it moved west-northwestward at about
9 kts, and the first advisory on Tropical Depression 18 was issued by
TPC/NHC at 0300 UTC on 18 September. The depression, with peak winds
estimated at 25 kts, was centered about 85 nm east-northeast of Grand
Turk Island. In anticipation of the system's intensifying, tropical
storm warnings and a hurricane watch were issued for portions of the
Bahamas.
B. Track and Intensity History
------------------------------
Gradual organization of the depression continued through the night of
17-18 September, and a reconnaissance plane around midday on the 18th
found a CP of 1005 mb and peak FLWs of 45 kts well to the northeast of
the center. These observations, along with ship reports of 30-35 kts,
were the basis for upgrading TD-18 to Tropical Storm Rita at 2100 UTC.
An upper-level LOW over eastern Cuba was causing some southerly shear
which was displacing all the convection to the north of the center.
Rita's center was then located about 310 nm east-southeast of Nassau,
moving west at 9 kts. Based on the track and intensity forecasts, a
hurricane watch was issued for the Florida Keys. The cyclone's
convective organization continued to improve early on 19 September with
convection wrapping to the northwest of the center with more banding
evident. Later in the morning substantial inner core convection had
developed and Rita's winds had reached 60 kts--just shy of hurricane
intensity--by 1800 UTC. The storm at that time was centered only
about 25 nm south-southwest of Georgetown on Great Exuma Island and
about 330 nm east-southeast of Key West, moving west-northwestward
at 12 kts.
Rita remained a strong 60-kt tropical storm for 18 hours as it
continued generally west-northwestward toward the Florida Straits. The
cyclone was upgraded to the season's ninth hurricane at 20/1500 UTC
when the center was located about 65 nm southeast of Key West, Florida.
Doppler radar peak winds at 1500-3000 m were oscillating between 90
and 95 kts with an isolated peak of 100 kts, and dropsondes in the
eyewall supported an intensity of 75 kts with a CP of 982 mb. Rita at
the time was moving due westward at 13 kts south of a deep-layer ridge.
The hurricane wasted no time in intensifying--a special advisory was
issued at 1800 UTC upping the MSW to 85 kts, making Rita a Category 2
hurricane located only about 45 nm south of Key West. A reconnaissance
mission scheduled for early on 21 September was scrubbed due to
electronics problems, but before Rita's eye had moved out of range of
the Key West WSR-88D, winds of 100-115 kts were seen between 2750 and
3960 m, and with a consensus satellite intensity of 115 kts from TAFB,
AFWA and SAB, the intensity was upped to 100 kts at 21/0600 UTC and to
105 kts three hours later. The 21/0900 UTC discussion bulletin noted
that, based on the satellite signature, that figure might be
conservative.
Three hours later, at 21/1200 UTC, Rita had become a very dangerous
Category 4 hurricane with 115-kt winds about 170 nm west of Key West.
Objective T-numbers from both TAFB and CIMSS were already reaching
T7.0, or 140 kts. A reconnaissance plane reached the hurricane around
midday and found that the pressure had fallen significantly, reaching
920 mb around 1753 UTC. A peak 700-mb FLW of 161 kts was measured along
with a surface wind of 146 kts from the SFMR. Thus, at 2100 UTC Rita
was upgraded to the season's second Category 5 hurricane with the MSW
estimated at 145 kts. The extremely dangerous hurricane was then
centered south of the western Florida Panhandle or about 520 nm east-
southeast of Galveston, Texas. Rita was still moving west at 11 kts,
but a gradual turn toward the west-northwest and then northwest was
forecast to occur over the next few days. A hurricane watch was issued
for the western Louisiana coast and portions of the Texas coastline.
Rita's pressure continued to fall--a reconnaissance flight measured
a CP of 899 mb at 21/2309 UTC. However, the surface wind was 32 kts,
indicating that the dropsonde had not hit the center of the eye. Any
CP measurement with the surface wind less than 10 kts is usually
considered valid, but the general rule of thumb is to decrease the CP
by 1 mb for every 10 kts of wind above that value. Hence, Rita's minimum
pressure was estimated at 897 mb--at the time the third lowest ever
measured in an Atlantic hurricane. (As noted earlier, before the season
was over this would be nudged to fourth lowest.) Even though the highest
700-mb FLW around this time was only 157 kts, with ODT values averaging
around T7.3-T7.4 (149 to 152 kts), the intensity was bumped up to
150 kts. At the time of its peak intensity Hurricane Rita was centered
approximately 500 nm east-southeast of Galveston, moving west at 8 kts.
Hurricane force winds extended outward from the center 60 nm in the
eastern quadrants while gales covered a zone 300 nm in diameter.
Both Katrina and Rita intensified into strong Category 5 hurricanes
while nearing and passing over the Loop Current, a region of high oceanic
heat content with SSTs of 30-31 C. In the case of Rita, the upper-level
outflow pattern was just about perfect with a poleward outflow channel
converging into an upper-level LOW northeast of the Lesser Antilles,
and equatorward outflow channel converging into an upper-level LOW over
the Bay of Campeche, and a third weak outflow channel developing to
the northwest. Further intensification was considered a possibility
during the next 12 hours or so while Rita would be still be located
over the Loop Current unless inhibited by an eyewall replacement cycle.
A reconnaissance plane around 22/0600 UTC found that the CP had remained
near the 897-mb minimum with the peak FLW being 165 kts in the northeast
eyewall, which correlates with a 150-kt surface MSW. However, by late
morning of the 22nd the CP had risen to 915 mb and the winds were brought
down to 145 kts. The dangerous hurricane by this time had turned to
the anticipated west-northwesterly track toward the upper Texas coast.
A hurricane warning was issued at 1500 UTC for the coast from Port
O'Connor, Texas, to Morgan City, Louisiana.
Extremely intense hurricanes rarely maintain their peak intensity for
very long, and Rita was no exception. The MSW was lowered to 130 kts
at 22/1800 UTC, making Rita a Category 4 hurricane once more, and the
cyclone continued to slowly weaken as it left the "bath water" of the
Gulf Loop Current and moved further west-northwestward into a less
optimum environment. Initial landfall forecasts called for the hurricane
to move inland near the Galveston-Houston area, and thousands of
residents evacuated, causing massive traffic jams on the freeways.
Fortunately, however, Rita's course shifted ever so slightly more to the
northwest, taking aim on the Texas-Louisiana border, thus averting the
specter of yet another major U. S. metropolitan area being devastated
by a hurricane. The central pressure continued to slowly rise on the
23rd, reaching 931 mb around midday. The 23/1800 UTC intermediate
advisory reduced the MSW to 110 kts, making Rita an upper-end Category 3
hurricane. The storm was large, however. During the morning a dropsonde
released by a reconnaissance aircraft measured a 56-kt surface wind
about 120 nm west of the eye. Hurricane-force winds now covered an area
about 120 nm in diameter.
The eye of large, severe Hurricane Rita moved onshore near Sabine Pass
around 0900 UTC on 24 September with the MSW estimated at 105 kts and
with a CP of 937 mb. Once inland Rita predictably began to weaken
rapidly. The cyclone was downgraded to a 55-kt tropical storm at 1800
UTC while passing between Shreveport, Louisiana, and Lufkin, Texas.
Following landfall, Rita's track became northerly, then began to bend
toward the north-northeast. NHC issued their final advisory, downgrading
Rita to a tropical depression at 0300 UTC on 25 September with the center
located about 65 km north of Shreveport. HPC continued to track the
weakening cyclone as it moved up the Mississippi River valley and then
across Illinois into Indiana. The final HPC advisory at 0900 UTC on the
26th placed Rita's remnants about 130 km north-northwest of Indianapolis,
Indiana. The system was forecast to be absorbed by a frontal wave within
a few hours.
A graphic depicting the track of Hurricane Rita may be found at the
following link:
<http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/atlantic/BT-IMAGES/2005-18
L-RITA.gif>
C. Meteorological Observations
------------------------------
Around 23/2000 UTC an elevated station at Marsh Island, Louisiana,
reported sustained winds of 51 kts with gusts to 68 kts. During the
late afternoon of the 23rd, Galveston, Texas, reported winds of 32 kts
with gusts to 47 kts. Shortly before 0500 UTC on 24 September an AWS
at Sea Rim State Park, Texas, reported sustained winds of 61 kts with a
peak gust of 72 kts, and an AWS at Calcasieu Pass, Louisiana, reported
a gust of 85 kts. During the succeeding hour this same station reported
sustained winds of hurricane force with a gust to 97 kts. Shortly before
24/0700 UTC the AWS at Sea Rim State Park reported sustained winds of
68 kts gusting to 88 kts. Between 0800 and 0900 UTC an instrumented
tower in Port Arthur, Texas, run by the Florida Coastal Monitoring
Program, reported sustained winds of 79 kts with a gust of 101 kts.
Following landfall, around 1200 UTC, a ham radio report indicated that
Jasper, Texas, had recently measured a wind gust of 74 kts.
While Rita was passing just south of the Florida Keys as it was
intensifying to hurricane intensity, Sombrero Key reported sustained
winds of 51 kts with gusts to 63 kts around 20/1500 UTC. During the
afternoon of the 20th Sand Key reported sustained winds of 52 kts with
a gust of 80 kts, while Varadero, Cuba, measured gusts to 52 kts as Rita
passed to the north. During the hour preceding 21/0000 UTC a gust to
61 kts was reported at Key West International Airport while Dry Tortugas
reported sustained winds of 46 kts, gusting to 54 kts. Winds continued
to increase over Dry Tortugas during the succeeding hours. The 21/0600
UTC intermediate advisory noted that the AWS there had reported winds
of 57 kts with a gust to 76 kts before contact with the station was lost.
A graphic prepared by David Roth of the Hydrometeorological Prediction
Center depicting rainfall amounts recorded in association with Hurricane
Rita may be found at the following link:
<http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/rita2005.html>
D. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
As Rita passed south of the Florida Keys it downed trees and produced
storm tides of up to 1.5 meters in portions of the island chain, flooding
portions of U. S. Highway 1 and many other streets, as well as several
homes and businesses.
Rita was very destructive to southwestern Louisiana and southeastern
Texas. Storm surge flooding and wind damage were responsible for damage
estimated in excess of $9 billion. Many small communities south of
Lake Charles, Louisiana, were essentially wiped out. There were six
fatalities attributed to Hurricane Rita.
(Report written by Gary Padgett)
*************************************************************************
NORTHEAST PACIFIC (NEP) - North Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 180
Activity for September: 2 tropical storms
2 hurricanes
2 intense hurricanes
NOTE!!! The Northeast Pacific basin will be covered in the second
installment of the September summary.
*************************************************************************
NORTHWEST PACIFIC (NWP) - North Pacific Ocean West of Longitude 180
Activity for September: 3 tropical depressions **
1 tropical storm
3 typhoons
1 super typhoon
** - these systems were treated as tropical depressions by various Asian
warning agencies but not by JTWC
NOTE!!! The Northwest Pacific basin will be covered in the third
installment of the September summary.
*************************************************************************
NORTH INDIAN OCEAN (NIO) - Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea
Activity for September: 2 depressions **
1 cyclonic storm **
** - no warnings were issued for any of these systems by JTWC
NOTE!!! The North Indian Ocean basin will be covered in the second
installment of the September summary.
*************************************************************************
SOUTHWEST INDIAN OCEAN (SWI) - South Indian Ocean West of Longitude 90E
Activity for September: 1 tropical disturbance
NOTE!!! The Southwest Indian Ocean basin will be covered in the second
installment of the September summary.
*************************************************************************
NORTHWEST AUSTRALIA/SOUTHEAST INDIAN OCEAN (AUW) - From 90E to 135E
Activity for September: No tropical cyclones
*************************************************************************
NORTHEAST AUSTRALIA/CORAL SEA (AUE) - From 135E to 160E
Activity for September: No tropical cyclones
*************************************************************************
SOUTH PACIFIC (SPA) - South Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 160E
Activity for September: No tropical cyclones
NOTE!!! The South Pacific basin will be covered in the second
installment of the September summary.
*************************************************************************
SPECIAL FEATURE - SOURCES OF TROPICAL CYCLONE INFORMATION
The purpose of this section is to list some websites where many and
varied types of tropical cyclone information are archived. Many readers
will know about these already, but for the benefit of those who don't,
I wanted to include them.
(1) Aircraft Reconnaissance Information
---------------------------------------
Various types of messages from reconnaissance aircraft may be
retrieved from the following FTP site:
<ftp://ftp.nhc.noaa.gov/pub/products/nhc/recon/>
Information regarding how to interpret the coded reconnaissance
messages may be found at the following URL:
<http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/reconlist.shtml>
Links are also included to websites with further information about the
U. S. Air Force 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron and the NOAA Air-
craft Operations Center.
(2) Archived Advisories
-----------------------
All the advisory products (public advisories, forecast/advisories,
strike probabilities, discussions, various graphics) issued by TPC/NHC
are archived on TPC's website. For the current year (using 2004 as an
example), the archived products can be found at:
<http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2004/index.shtml>
Links to tropical products archives for earlier years are available at
the following URL:
<http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastall.shtml>
JTWC warnings for past storms are archived on the NRL Monterry website:
<http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/tc_pages/tc_home.html>
On the NRL site, the link to past years can be found in the upper left
corner of the screen.
I am not aware at the moment of any other TCWC which archives all
its tropical cyclone warning/advisory products for public access, but
if I learn of any, I will add them to this list.
(3) Satellite Imagery
---------------------
Satellite images of tropical cyclones in various sensor bands are
available on the NRL Monterrey and University of Wisconsin websites,
courtesy of Jeff Hawkins and Chris Velden and their associates. The
links are:
<http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/tc_pages/tc_home.html>
<http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/tropic/tropic.html>
On the NRL site, the link to past years can be found in the upper left
corner of the screen. For the CIMSS site, a link to data archives is
located in the lower left portion of the screen.
Additional tropical satellite imagery, along with looping ability for
composite microwave imagery for the Western Hemisphere north of the
equator, can be found at:
(1) For the Eastern North Pacific:
<http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/trop-epac.html>
(2) For the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea:
<http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/trop-atl.html>
I'm sure there are other sites with available imagery available, and
as I learn of them, I will add the links to this list.
*************************************************************************
EXTRA FEATURE
In order to shorten the amount of typing in preparing the narrative
material, I have been in the habit of freely using abbreviations and
acronyms. I have tried to define most of these with the first usage
in a given summary, but I may have missed one now and then. Most of
these are probably understood by a majority of readers but perhaps a
few aren't clear to some. To remedy this I developed a Glossary of
Abbreviations and Acronyms which I first included in the August, 1998
summary. I don't normally include the Glossary in most months in
order to help keep them from being too long. If anyone would like to
receive a copy of the Glossary, please e-mail me and I'll be happy
to send them a copy.
*************************************************************************
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This summary should be considered a very preliminary
overview of the tropical cyclones that occur in each month. The cyclone
tracks (provided separately) will generally be based upon operational
warnings issued by the various tropical cyclone warning centers. The
information contained therein may differ somewhat from the tracking and
intensity information obtained from a "best-track" file which is based
on a detailed post-seasonal analysis of all available data. Information
on where to find official "best-track" files from the various warning
centers will be passed along from time to time.
The track files are not being sent via e-mail. They can be retrieved
from the archive sites listed below. (Note: I do have a limited e-mail
distribution list for the track files. If anyone wishes to receive
these via e-mail, please send me a message.)
Both the summaries and the track files are standard text files
created in DOS editor. Download to disk and use a viewer such as
Notepad or DOS editor to view the files.
The first summary in this series covered the month of October,
1997. Back issues can be obtained from the following websites
(courtesy of Michael Bath, Michael V. Padua, Michael Pitt, Chris
Landsea, and John Diebolt):
<http://australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/>
<http://www.typhoon2000.ph>
<http://mpittweather.com>
<ftp://ftp.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/pub/landsea/padgett/>
<http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/>
Another website where much information about tropical cyclones may
be found is the website for the UK Meteorological Office. Their site
contains a lot of statistical information about tropical cyclones
globally on a monthly basis. The URL is:
<http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/tropicalcyclone>
TROPICAL CYCLONE REPORTS AVAILABLE
JTWC now has available on its website the Annual Tropical Cyclone
Report (ATCR) for 2004 (2003-2004 season for the Southern Hemisphere).
ATCRs for earlier years are available also.
The URL is: <http://199.10.200.33/jtwc.html>
Also, TPC/NHC has available on its webpage nice "technicolor"
tracking charts for the 2004 Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific
tropical cyclones; also, storm reports for all the 2004 Atlantic
and Eastern North Pacific cyclones are now available, as well as
track charts and reports on storms from earlier years. Additionally,
some of the storm reports for the 2005 season are now available.
The URL is: <http://www.nhc.noaa.gov>
A special thanks to Michael Bath of McLeans Ridges, New South Wales,
Australia, for assisting me with proofreading the summaries.
PREPARED BY
Gary Padgett
E-mail: garyp@alaweb.com
Phone: 334-222-5327
Kevin Boyle (Eastern Atlantic, Western Northwest Pacific, South
China Sea)
E-mail: newchapelobservatory@btinternet.com
John Wallace (Assistance with Eastern North Pacific)
E-mail: dosidicus@aol.com
Huang Chunliang (Assistance with Western Northwest Pacific, South
China Sea)
E-mail: huangchunliang@hotmail.com
Simon Clarke (Northeast Australia/Coral Sea, South Pacific)
E-mail: saclarke@iprimus.com.au
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
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