MONTHLY GLOBAL TROPICAL CYCLONE SUMMARY
SEPTEMBER, 2005
Second 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
*************************************************************************
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
NOTE!!! The Atlantic basin was covered in the first installment of the
September summary.
ADDENDUM to Hurricane Ophelia Report
------------------------------------
After disseminating Part 1 of the September summary which contained
the report on Hurricane Ophelia, I received an e-mail from Steve Miller
of the Canadian Hurricane Centre informing me that Ophelia was blamed
for one death in Nova Scotia. A man died from injuries sustained when
he fell off his roof while checking for leaks during rain associated
with the passage of Ophelia. The fatality was described by local
policemen as a "weather-related death". (Thanks to Steve for sending
me this information.)
NEWS FLASH!!! TPC/NHC has officially announced that last July's
Tropical Storm Cindy has been upgraded briefly to
hurricane status. This brings the number of
hurricanes in the record-breaking 2005 season to 15.
Another item which may be of interest to many: in
post-storm analysis the peak MSW in Hurricane Wilma
was raised to 160 kts.
*************************************************************************
NORTHEAST PACIFIC (NEP) - North Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 180
Activity for September: 2 tropical storms
2 hurricanes
2 intense hurricanes
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 (or the
Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) in Honolulu, Hawaii, for
locations west of longitude 140W): 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.
Northeast Pacific Tropical Activity for September
-------------------------------------------------
The Northeast Pacific basin came very much alive during September.
No fewer than six tropical storms developed with four reaching hurricane
intensity. Of the four hurricanes, two became major hurricanes--Jova
in the Central North Pacific and Kenneth east of 140W. The September
averages over the period 1971-2004 are 3.5 NS, 2.2 H, and 1.1 IH with
an average NTC of 25%. The NTC generated by the September, 2005, storms
was 49% (this includes a slight amount of NTC generated by Otis during
the first few days of October). None of the cyclones made landfall,
either in Mexico or Hawaii. The remnants of Jova and Kenneth contributed
to above-normal rainfall in Hawaii, and late in the month Hurricane Otis
posed a threat to the southern Baja California Peninsula, but the storm
eventually weakened to a depression and remained offshore.
Reports follow on the cyclones. The reports on Jova, Kenneth, Lidia
and Max were written by Kevin Boyle. A special thanks to Kevin for
his assistance.
HURRICANE JOVA
(TC-10E)
12 - 25 September
-------------------------------------
Hurricane Jova was the first of two quite long-lived hurricanes that
co-existed in the Northeast Pacific Basin during the month of September.
The pre-Jova disturbance was initially mentioned in NHC's Tropical
Weather Outlook issued at 2231 UTC 8 September as a disorganized area of
showers and thunderstorms located about 400 nm south-southwest of
Acapulco, Mexico. The disturbance gradually became better organized and
developed into Tropical Depression 10E at 12/0300 UTC while located
about 550 nm south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of
the Baja California Peninsula. Movement was predominantly towards the
west, south of a deep-layer ridge. The surrounding environment was not
wholly conducive for intensification and, as a result, TD-10E was not
upgraded to Tropical Storm Jova until 15/0300 UTC. By this time the
cyclone had moved several hundred miles to the west and was centred
roughly 1150 nm southwest of Cabo San Lucas. Tropical Storm Jova
continued to intensify and became a 65-kt hurricane at 16/0900 UTC, the
fifth of the season. At this time, Jova was centred approximately
1475 nm west-southwest of Cabo San Lucas. Continuing on a west to
west-southwesterly track, Jova strengthened with the MSW reaching
90 kts by 1500 UTC on 17 September. This intensity was maintained for
the next two days.
Hurricane Jova turned sharply to a northwesterly track just prior to
entering CPHC's area of responsibility at 0900 UTC 18 September. The
storm finally reached its maximum intensity of 100 kts, with an estimated
minimum CP of 960 mb, at 19/2100 UTC. Hurricane Jova maintained its
peak strength for the next 2 1/2 days but began to weaken markedly on
22 September as it continued northwestward over progressively cooler SSTs
and into an increasingly hostile wind shear environment. Jova was
downgraded to a tropical storm at 23/0300 UTC and by late on 23 September
the strong mid and upper-level southwesterly winds had completely
exposed the LLCC. Jova was downgraded to a tropical depression at
24/0300 UTC as it changed to a more westerly heading and became
increasingly influenced by the low-level easterly flow. The final CPHC
advisory was issued at 25/0300 UTC and Jova dissipated later that same
day a little over 200 nm northeast of Honolulu, Hawaii.
A graphic depicting the track of Hurricane Jova may be found at the
following link:
<http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/e_pacific/BT-IMAGES/2005-1
0E-JOVA.gif>
There were no damages or casualties associated with Hurricane Jova.
However, swells from the hurricane produced some high surf on the east-
facing shores of the Hawaiian Islands. Also, the remnants of Jova
brought some locally heavy rainfall to parts of Oahu on 24 September.
(Report written by Kevin Boyle)
HURRICANE KENNETH
(TC-11E)
14 - 30 September
-------------------------------------
A. Storm History
----------------
Hurricane Kenneth was the second of two long-lived tropical cyclones
which existed simultaneously in the Northeast Pacific during September.
Kenneth's progenitor was first mentioned as an area of disturbed weather
in NHC's Tropical Weather Outlook issued at 0429 UTC 14 September. At
that time it was located about 850 nm south-southwest of the southern
tip of Baja California and just a little over 435 nm east-southeast of
Tropical Depression 10E. The disturbance quickly became better organized
and became Tropical Depression 11E at 14/2100 UTC while located about
800 nm southwest of Cabo San Lucas. Strengthening continued, and TD-11E
was upgraded to Tropical Storm Kenneth at 15/0900 UTC. Moving west-
northwestwards south of a mid-level ridge, Kenneth was upgraded to a
65-kt hurricane at 0300 UTC 16 September while centred approximately
875 nm southwest of Cabo San Lucas.
Despite some northerly shear, Kenneth continued to strengthen with
its winds reaching 110 kts at 17/0900 UTC. This made Kenneth the first
Northeast Pacific cyclone to reach Category 3 status this season, and
the only major hurricane east of 140W. (Jova's reign as a major
hurricane occurred west of 140W in the Central North Pacific). The
intensification trend leveled off slightly later on the 17th, but resumed
on the 18th with Kenneth reaching its maximum intensity of 115 kts at
1500 UTC 18 September. The CP at this time was estimated at 948 mb, and
the Category 4 hurricane was centred approximately 1225 nm west-southwest
of Cabo San Lucas. Kenneth began to weaken on 19 September as a result
of northerly shear emanating from Hurricane Jova's upper-level anti-
cyclone. In addition, Kenneth had drifted into a col, resulting in the
storm becoming virtually stationary. A very slow west-northwestward
drift began on 20 September, and after further weakening occurred,
Kenneth was downgraded to a 55-kt tropical storm at 20/2100 UTC.
Tropical Storm Kenneth underwent several fluctuations in intensity
over the next four days while drifting slowly westward. However, the
vertical wind shear that had been plaguing Kenneth lessened, and the
tropical cyclone was able to reach hurricane strength for the second
time at 0300 UTC 25 September. Kenneth was at that time positioned
very close to the 140th meridian about 925 nm east-southeast of Hilo,
Hawaii, but due to its slow, erratic south-southwesterly movement, it
took another day for the storm to finally cross into the CPHC's area of
warning responsibility.
The first advisory issued by CPHC at 0900 UTC 26 September was the
last classifying Kenneth as a hurricane, and the storm was downgraded
to a tropical storm at 26/1500 UTC. The system turned to a northwesterly
course on 27 September before changing back to a west or west-
northwesterly track on 29 September. During this period, Kenneth
weakened further and was downgraded to a tropical depression at
29/1500 UTC. Kenneth dissipated just east of Big Island of Hawaii on
30 September with CPHC issuing the final advisory at 2100 UTC.
A graphic depicting the track of Hurricane Kenneth may be found at
the following link:
<http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/e_pacific/BT-IMAGES/2005-1
1E-KENNETH.gif>
The remnants of Kenneth brought some locally heavy rainfall to eastern
parts of the Big Island. The heavy rains spread to other parts of
Hawaii on 1 October, notably the islands of Oahu and Kauai. There were
no reports of damages or casualties related to Hurricane Kenneth.
B. Hawaiian Rainfall Report
---------------------------
The information below was extracted from the following link:
<http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/hydro/pages/oct05sum.html>
The first significant heavy rain event of the month was a
continuation of heavy rains that began on 30 September resulting from
the low-level remnant of Hurricane Kenneth passing beneath a strong
upper-level low pressure system. Very intense rains fell over portions
of the Koolau Range on Oahu during the night of 1 October, causing flash
flooding on Kaukonahua Stream and the overflow of Lake Wilson at Wahiawa
Dam. Sufficient water came over the spillway to force the evacuation of
Otake Camp in Waialua. The heavy rains shifted southeastward and focused
on Nuuanu and Kalihi Valleys, producing 6 to 12 inches of flowing water
on Pali Highway and a few reports of homes flooded by heavy runoff.
Damage estimates from the flooding were not available. Notable Oahu
rain totals included just over 7 inches at Mililani and Waiawa and
10.25 inches at Nuuanu. At one point the Nuuanu gauge recorded
1.6 inches in 15 minutes and 4.11 inches in one hour. Thunderstorms
over eastern and central Kauai also produced very heavy rains during the
night of 1 October with a peak 6-hour total of 6.17 inches recorded at
Mount Waialeale. Flash flooding occurred on Hanalei River which forced
the closure of Kuhio Highway at the Hanalei Bridge. Rapid water level
rises also occurred on the Wailua River and the Hanapepe River, though no
significant damages were reported along these waterways. (Note: To
convert rainfall amounts in inches to millimetres, multiply by 25.4.)
(Report written by Kevin Boyle)
TROPICAL STORM LIDIA
(TC-12E)
17 - 19 September
----------------------------------------
AND
HURRICANE MAX
(TC-13E)
18 - 22 September
-------------------------------------
A. Tropical Storm Lidia
-----------------------
Tropical Storm Lidia formed from an area of disturbed weather located
approximately 750 nm south of Baja California on 16 September. The
disturbance became better organized and the first advisory package was
issued on Tropical Depression 12E at 1500 UTC 17 September, placing
the centre about 700 nm south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas. The system
was upgraded to Tropical Storm Lidia at 17/2100 UTC, but because Lidia
formed in close proximity to the larger pre-Max disturbance located at
that time roughly 400 nm to the northeast, further development was never
deemed likely. A maximum intensity of 40-kt was briefly attained at
18/1500 UTC before Tropical Storm Lidia began to weaken. The tropical
cyclone was downgraded to a tropical depression at 18/2100 UTC, and Lidia
had been incorporated into the circulation of Tropical Storm Max by early
on 19 September.
B. Hurricane Max
----------------
Hurricane Max emanated from the large tropical disturbance located a
few hundred miles to the northeast of the much smaller circulation of
Tropical Storm Lidia. TPC/NHC issued a special advisory on Tropical
Depression 13E at 1800 UTC 18 September, locating the centre
approximately 525 nm south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, and upgraded the
system to Tropical Storm Max three hours later. The tropical cyclone
initially moved towards the west-northwest before turning to a north-
westerly heading. After absorbing Tropical Storm Lidia early on
19 September, Max strengthened and became a hurricane at 20/0300 UTC,
peaking at 70 kts at 20/1500 UTC while located approximately 550 nm
west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja. However, its north-
westward track southwest of a large HIGH centred near Texas soon brought
the tropical cyclone over progressively cooler SSTs, and Max was down-
graded to a tropical storm at 21/0900 UTC. As steering currents
slackened, the system slowed and turned westward. Max ceased to exist
as a tropical cyclone at 22/1500 UTC after NHC downgraded it to tropical
depression intensity. The final TPC/NHC advisory, issued at this time,
placed the remnant LOW about 700 nm west of Cabo San Lucas.
Graphics depicting the tracks of Tropical Storm Lidia and Hurricane
Max may be found at the following links:
<http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/e_pacific/BT-IMAGES/2005-1
2E-LIDIA.gif>
<http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/e_pacific/BT-IMAGES/2005-1
3E-MAX.gif>
There were no damages or casualties reported from either Tropical
Storm Lidia or Hurricane Max.
(Report written by Kevin Boyle)
TROPICAL STORM NORMA
(TC-14E)
23 - 27 September
----------------------------------------
The origins of the fifth tropical storm of the great September out-
break can be traced to an area of disturbed weather which formed on
19 September several hundred miles south of Acapulco, Mexico. Conditions
were not particularly favorable for development initially but were fore-
cast to improve as the system moved west-northwestward over the next
few days. By early on the 22nd convective activity had become better
organized and a tropical depression appeared to be forming. A special
advisory package was issued at 23/0500 UTC, upgrading the disturbance
to Tropical Depression 14E. The system was then located about 350 nm
southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, moving northwestward at about 7 kts.
A large burst of convection had developed near and to the west of the
tight LLCC, and Data-T numbers using a shear pattern were at least
T2.5. The depression continued to become better organized and was
upgraded to Tropical Storm Norma at 0900 UTC.
A large mid-level HIGH centered over Texas provided the steering for
Norma throughout its lifetime. Norma struggled with persistent
easterly shear and was unable to attain hurricane intensity as had its
predecessor, Hurricane Max. The cyclone intensified slowly and reached
its peak intensity of 55 kts at 1800 UTC on 24 September while centered
approximately 400 nm slightly west of due south of the southern tip of
the Baja California Peninsula. Banding had improved and the LLCC was
estimated to be closer to the middle of the cold convective cloud mass.
Dvorak ratings from both TAFB and SAB had also increased to T3.5--55 kts.
However, six hours later the easterly shear had resulted in a decrease
in Norma's organization and the MSW was reduced to 50 kts. The slow
decline in intensity continued as Norma passed about midway between
Clarion Island and Socorro Island early on the 26th. Norma was down-
graded to a tropical depression at 26/2100 UTC, and the final advisory
was issued at 0600 UTC on 27 September, placing the remnant LOW's center
about 350 nm west-southwest of Cabo San Lucas.
A graphic depicting the track of Tropical Storm Norma may be found
at the following link:
<http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/e_pacific/BT-IMAGES/2005-1
4E-NORMA.gif>
No damage or casualties are known to have resulted from Tropical
Storm Norma.
(Report written by Gary Padgett)
HURRICANE OTIS
(TC-15E)
28 September - 3 October
--------------------------------------------
The final tropical cyclone of September, and the final named storm of
the 2005 Eastern North Pacific season, had its origins within an area of
low pressure on 24 September which was producing showers and thunder-
storms along the Mexican coast from Acapulco northwestward to Manzanillo
and adjacent Pacific waters. No imminent tropical cyclone formation was
expected due to the close proximity to land, but locally heavy rainfall
was considered a possibility in the nearby mountainous areas. The
disturbance moved very slowly westward over the next few days, and in
addition to the inhibiting influence of the Mexican landmass, upper-level
winds were strong and unfavorable for tropical cyclone development. By
the morning of the 27th, however, the system was showing signs of
increased organization and was beginning to pull away from the coast to
the south-southeast of Manzanillo. (Note: According to TPC/NHC's
end-of-season summary, the pre-Otis disturbance was related to a tropical
wave which had left the coast of Africa on 9 September and may have been
the same wave which spawned Atlantic Hurricane Philippe.)
Organization had improved enough by early morning of 28 September that
advisories were begun on Tropical Depression 15E, located about 140 nm
south-southwest of Manzanillo. The depression gradually became better
organized while moving slowly westward, and was upgraded to Tropical
Storm Otis at 29/0900 UTC while located approximately 200 nm southwest
of Manzanillo. A QuikScat pass at 29/0130 UTC had supported 30 kts with
a couple of uncertain 35-kt vectors in convection west of the center.
There had subsequently been an increase in deep convection over the
center, and the 0600 UTC classifications from TAFB and SAB were T2.5/2.5.
Shortly after being upgraded, Otis began to move on a northwesterly track
around the southwestern periphery of a large mid-level ridge located over
northern Mexico.
Otis gradually intensified and was upgraded to a hurricane at 0900 UTC
on 30 September while located roughly 135 nm south-southwest of Cabo San
Lucas on the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula. The upgrade
was based on objective and subjective Dvorak ratings of T4.0 as well as
the appearance of a ragged eye in infrared and microwave imagery. Otis
reached its peak intensity of 90 kts at 0900 UTC on 1 October while
centered about 125 nm west-southwest of Cabo San Lucas. By this time
steering currents had become weak and Otis was drifting slowly northwest-
ward. For a few days the track forecasts consistently recurved Otis and
carried it inland across the western Baja California Peninsula, but this
never materialized. The storm drifted erratically for a couple of days
but eventually a north-northwesterly motion set in which carried the
slowly weakening cyclone parallel to the western Baja coastline.
Following its peak intensity early on 1 October, Hurricane Otis began
to slowly weaken as it encountered cooler SSTs and increasing south-
westerly shear. Otis was downgraded to a 60-kt tropical storm at
1200 UTC on 2 October while located about 105 nm west-southwest of Cabo
San Lucas. Otis continued to slowly spin down as it moved further
northward into increasingly cooler waters, and the former hurricane was
reduced to tropical depression status at 1500 UTC on 3 October. The
final TPC/NHC advisory on Otis was issued at 03/2100 UTC and placed the
dissipating center about 160 nm southeast of Punta Eugenia on the western
Baja California Peninsula coastline.
A graphic depicting the track of Hurricane Otis may be found at
the following link:
<http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/e_pacific/BT-IMAGES/2005-1
5E-OTIS.gif>
No damage or casualties are known to have resulted from Hurricane
Otis. Due to the potential threat to Mexico, tropical storm and
hurricane warnings were issued for portions of the coastline by the
Mexican government at various times during Otis' lifetime.
(Report written by Gary Padgett)
*************************************************************************
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
Sources of Information
----------------------
Most of the information presented below is based upon tropical
cyclone warnings and significant tropical weather outlooks issued
by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center of the U. S. Air Force and
Navy (JTWC), located at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Occasionally some
information may be gleaned from the daily tropical weather outlooks
and other bulletins issued by the Indian Meteorological Department
(IMD), which is the World Meteorological Organization's Regional
Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC) for the basin.
The reported maximum sustained winds (MSW) are based on a 1-minute
averaging period, which is used by all U. S. civilian and military
weather services for tropical cyclone warnings. For synoptic
observations in the North Indian Ocean region, both 10-minute and
3-minute average winds are employed, but IMD makes no attempt to
modify the Dvorak scale for estimating tropical cyclone intensity;
hence, a 1-minute average MSW is implied. In the North Indian Ocean
basin JTWC usually does not initiate warnings until a system has
become well-organized and likely to attain tropical storm status
within 48 hours.
North Indian Ocean Tropical Activity for September
--------------------------------------------------
Three tropical cyclonic systems were classified by IMD during the
month of September. Two systems were treated as depressions, while
one became a named cyclonic storm. JTWC issued no warnings for any
of these systems. Cyclonic Storm Pyarr's origins lay in the South
China Sea when a tropical depression formed on 12 September and moved
westward into Vietnam without attaining tropical storm intensity. The
depression subsequently tracked westward across Southeast Asia and
eventually entered the Bay of Bengal. It then moved northwestward to
the head of the Bay, then turned west-southwestward toward India's East
Coast. Just offshore it strengthened and was named Pyarr by the IMD.
A report on this cyclonic storm follows.
A low-pressure area formed over the south-central Bay of Bengal on
6 September and moved northwestward toward coastal Andhra Pradesh on
the 7th. The system persisted in the region for several days, and
finally concentrated into a depression on the morning of 12 September
(Indian time) while located about 80 nm east of Paradip. The depression
moved west-northwestward and crossed the Orissa coast later that day
and continued moving further inland into central India. It weakened
into a low-pressure area on the 14th, but was briefly re-upgraded to
a depression on the 16th while centered near Agra. By the 17th it had
weakened once more over western Uttar Pradesh. This system's NRL Invest
number was 94B, and it was carried in JTWC's STWO's for the North Indian
Ocean as an area with 'poor' development potential.
Another low-pressure area formed in the northwestern Arabian Sea
near the southern Gujurat coast on 13 September. This system had become
concentrated enough to be classified as a tropical depression by early
on the 14th (Indian time) while located about 110 nm southwest of
Veraval, Gujurat. It persisted in the same area until the 15th and
weakened into a low-pressure area on the morning of the 16th. The system
then moved northward and inland into Gujurat state on the 17th. This
system's NRL Invest number was 95A, and it was given a 'fair' potential
for development by JTWC for a short time on the 13th/14th.
A special thanks to Huang Chunliang for compiling and sending me the
information on these depressions. Most of the above information was
obtained from the IMD's India Weekly Weather Reports. Following are
some rainfall amounts associated with these weather systems which were
also compiled by Chunliang. Only daily amounts >= 20 cm are listed.
(1) Bay of Bengal Depression
============================
Nawarangpur, ORISSA 30 cm [11/03-12/03Z]
Bhawanipatna, ORISSA 25 cm [12/03-13/03Z]
Hindol, ORISSA 23 cm [12/03-13/03Z]
Narsinghpur, ORISSA 22 cm [12/03-13/03Z]
Junagarh, ORISSA 21 cm [12/03-13/03Z]
Nayagarh, ORISSA 21 cm [12/03-13/03Z]
Phulbani, ORISSA 21 cm [12/03-13/03Z]
Bareilly, UTTAR PRADESH 27 cm [16/03-17/03Z]
Bareilly (FM), UTTAR PRADESH 21 cm [16/03-17/03Z]
Srinagar, UTTARANCHAL 24 cm [16/03-17/03Z]
Shantipuri, UTTARANCHAL 24 cm [16/03-17/03Z]
Nainital, UTTARANCHAL 20 cm [16/03-17/03Z]
(2) Arabian Sea Depression
==========================
Mangrol, GUJARAT 20 cm [12/03-13/03Z]
Pindwara, RAJASTHAN 20 cm [18/03-19/03Z]
CYCLONIC STORM PYARR
(BOB0502)
12 - 21 September
----------------------------------------
A. South China Sea Origin
-------------------------
A STWO issued by JTWC at 0600 UTC on 12 September indicated that an
area of convection had persisted in the South China Sea about 430 nm
west-southwest of Manila. QuikScat data depicted a broad, LLCC with
most of the deep convection confined equatorward of the center. JTWC
ranked this as a 'poor' development area and never issued any warnings.
Several of the Asian TCWCs, however, did classify this system as a
tropical depression, including JMA, HKO, the CWB of Taiwan, the
Guangzhou Regional Meteorological Centre (GRMC), and the Thai Meteor-
ological Department (TMD). All these warning agencies estimated peak
10-min avg winds of 30 kts associated with the depression. It seems
likely that this system had some pronounced monsoon depression
characteristics, and therefore JTWC did not initiate warnings, whereas
in general the Asian warning centers do not make such a sharp distinction
between monsoon depressions and "classic" tropical depressions.
The depression subsequently moved westward and inland into central
Vietnam around 13/0000 UTC. Following landfall the system took a turn
toward the northwest, reaching southern Laos by 13/1200 UTC, then
abruptly returned to a westerly track across central Thailand. While
in the South China Sea the system's Monterrey NRL Invest number was
93W, but upon entering the Bay of Bengal region it was renumbered as
96B. By 15/0000 UTC the weak depression's center was emerging into
the northern Andaman Sea.
B. Bay of Bengal History
------------------------
As tracked by the TMD, the depression moved westward, crossing the
southern tip of Myanmar (formerly Burma), thence turning northwestward
up the Bay of Bengal proper. The system moved erratically while south of
the delta of the Ganges River, then turned west-southwestward toward the
eastern coast of India. The TMD had maintained this disturbance as a
tropical depression all along, but the India Meteorological Department
(IMD) first classified it as a depression on the morning of the 17th
when it was centered approximately 215 nm southeast of Balasore. The
system moved in a generally westward direction and had reached deep
depression status (i.e., 30 kts) by the morning of 18 September when
centered about 55 nm east of Paradeep. The depression then began to
move in a west-southwesterly direction and intensified into Cyclonic
Storm Pyarr around 18/1200 UTC while located about 45 nm east-southeast
of Puri. The maximum winds estimated by the IMD were around 35-45 kts.
Cyclonic Storm Pyarr subsequently crossed the north Andhra Pradesh
coast near Kalingapatnam early on the 19th. It then moved westward
and lay centered about 50 km west of Kalingapatnam on the evening of
the 19th. It had weakened to a deep depression by around 19/2100 UTC
and to a depression by 1200 UTC on 20 September when it was located
about 150 km west of Jagdalpur. The system then moved northwestward
as it continued to weaken, passing near Chandrapur in Vidarbha early
on 21 September. The remnants continued to moved on into the region
of northwestern India before completely washing out on the 26th. (Some
of the above information was taken from the IMD India Weekly Weather
Reports, compiled and sent to the author by Huang Chunliang.)
JTWC did not issue any warnings on Pyarr, it being treated as a 'poor'
area in a couple of STWOs. However, satellite classifications from SAB
justified tropical storm intensity, remaining at T2.5/2.5 or higher for
over 24 hours prior to landfall, and peaking at T3.0/3.0 at 18/0230 UTC.
A graphic depicting the track of Cyclonic Storm Pyarr may be found
at the following link:
<http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/indian/BT-IMAGES/2005-93W-
96B-PYARR.gif>
C. Rainfall Reports by Huang Chunliang
--------------------------------------
Following are rainfall observations compiled and sent to the author
by Huang Chunliang. A special thanks to Chunliang for his assistance.
(1) Observations from Thailand (only daily amount(s) >= 100 mm listed):
=======================================================================
SUPHAN BURI (14.47N/100.13E) 104.0 mm [12/12-13/12Z]
KO SICHANG (13.17N/100.80E) 137.6 mm [13/00-14/00Z]
KHLONG YAI (11.77N/102.88E) 134.2 mm [13/00-14/00Z]
CHANTHABURI (12.60N/102.12E) 133.1 mm [13/00-14/00Z]
CHANTHABURI (12.60N/102.12E) 172.1 mm [13/06-14/06Z]
KO SICHANG (12.60N/102.12E) 147.9 mm [13/06-14/06Z]
KHLONG YAI (11.77N/102.88E) 144.9 mm [13/06-14/06Z]
SUPHAN BURI (14.47N/100.13E) 128.4 mm [13/06-14/06Z]
BANGKOK (13.67N/100.62E) 116.4 mm [13/06-14/06Z]
CHON BURI (13.37N/100.98E) 115.5 mm [13/06-14/06Z]
LOP BURI (14.80N/100.62E) 111.3 mm [13/06-14/06Z]
DON MUANG (13.92N/100.60E) 109.3 mm [13/06-14/06Z]
SUPHAN BURI (14.47N/100.13E) 238.1 mm [13/12-14/12Z]
LOP BURI (14.80N/100.62E) 185.1 mm [13/12-14/12Z]
PRACHIN BURI (14.05N/101.37E) 181.8 mm [13/12-14/12Z]
CHANTHABURI (12.60N/102.12E) 170.7 mm [13/12-14/12Z]
KO SICHANG (13.17N/100.80E) 156.2 mm [13/12-14/12Z]
DON MUANG (13.92N/100.60E) 145.1 mm [13/12-14/12Z]
KHLONG YAI (11.77N/102.88E) 143.9 mm [13/12-14/12Z]
CHON BURI (13.37N/100.98E) 128.0 mm [13/12-14/12Z]
BANGKOK (13.67N/100.62E) 125.2 mm [13/12-14/12Z]
KANCHANABURI (14.02N/99.53E) 110.7 mm [13/12-14/12Z]
KABINBURI (13.98N/101.70E) 106.0 mm [13/12-14/12Z]
SUPHAN BURI (14.47N/100.13E) 263.6 mm [13/18-14/18Z]
LOP BURI (14.80N/100.62E) 180.4 mm [13/18-14/18Z]
PRACHIN BURI (14.05N/101.37E) 141.9 mm [13/18-14/18Z]
DON MUANG (13.92N/100.60E) 138.7 mm [13/18-14/18Z]
CHANTHABURI (12.60N/102.12E) 136.3 mm [13/18-14/18Z]
BANGKOK (13.67N/100.62E) 122.1 mm [13/18-14/18Z]
SUPHAN BURI (14.47N/100.13E) 190.4 mm [14/00-15/00Z]
LOP BURI (14.80N/100.62E) 119.5 mm [14/00-15/00Z]
KANCHANABURI (14.02N/99.53E) 119.0 mm [14/00-15/00Z]
THONG PHA PHUM (14.75N/98.63E) 100.3 mm [14/00-15/00Z]
SUPHAN BURI (14.47N/100.13E) 142.4 mm [14/06-15/06Z]
THONG PHA PHUM (14.75N/98.63E) 118.9 mm [14/06-15/06Z]
THONG PHA PHUM (14.75N/98.63E) 100.5 mm [14/12-15/12Z]
(2) Observations from India (only daily amount(s) >= 20 cm listed):
===================================================================
Jeypore, ORISSA 20 cm [18/03-19/03Z]
Kalingapatnam, ANDHRA PRADESH 35 cm [18/03-19/03Z]
Kakinada, ANDHRA PRADESH 28 cm [19/03-20/03Z]
Rajahmundry, ANDHRA PRADESH 20 cm [19/03-20/03Z]
Khammam, ANDHRA PRADESH 24 cm [19/03-20/03Z]
Valpoi, GOA 31 cm [21/03-22/03Z]
Mapusa, GOA 22 cm [21/03-22/03Z]
Bhatsa, MAHARASHTRA 21 cm [21/03-22/03Z]
Vyara, GUJARAT 22 cm [22/03-23/03Z]
Halol, GUJARAT 21 cm [22/03-23/03Z]
Sankheda, GUJARAT 21 cm [22/03-23/03Z]
Nainital, UTTARANCHAL 22 cm [24/03-25/03Z]
(Report written by Gary Padgett with significant contributions by
Huang Chunliang)
*************************************************************************
SOUTHWEST INDIAN OCEAN (SWI) - South Indian Ocean West of Longitude 90E
Activity for September: 1 tropical disturbance
Sources of Information
----------------------
The primary sources of tracking and intensity information for
Southwest Indian Ocean tropical cyclones are the warnings issued by
the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre on La Reunion Island, part of
Meteo France (MFR), and the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre
for the basin. However, tropical cyclones in this region are named
by the Sub-regional Tropical Cyclone Advisory Centres in Mauritius and
Madagascar with longitude 55E being the demarcation line between their
respective areas of naming responsibility. The La Reunion centre only
advises these agencies regarding the intensity of tropical systems.
References to sustained winds imply a 10-minute averaging period unless
otherwise stated.
In the companion tropical cyclone tracks file, I occasionally
annotate positions from warnings issued by the Joint Typhoon Warning
Center (JTWC) of the U. S. Air Force and Navy, located at Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii, when they differ from MFR's coordinates by usually
40-50 nm or more. The JTWC warnings are also the source of the
1-minute average maximum sustained wind values included in the
tracks file. Additionally, information describing details of
satellite imagery and atmospheric circulation features included in
the narratives is often gleaned from the JTWC warnings.
Southwest Indian Ocean Tropical Activity for September
------------------------------------------------------
The first numbered (by MFR) tropical disturbance of the 2005-2006
season in the Southwest Indian Ocean appeared early in the month very
deep in the tropics and in the eastern extremity of the basin, being
located near 2.9S/88.7E at 0600 UTC on 5 September. The disturbance
moved to the southwest, and the final MFR bulletin, issued at 06/1200
UTC, placed it near 8.0S/83.5E, or far to the east of Diego Garcia.
The maximum winds were estimated at 25 kts (10-min avg) with locally
stronger winds to the south of the center. JTWC issued two TCFAs for
this system on the 5th and 6th which estimated maximum winds at 30 to
35 kts, yet no warnings were issued by that agency. A track for this
system was included in the accompanying cyclone tracks file for
September.
*************************************************************************
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
South Pacific Tropical Activity for September
---------------------------------------------
There were no tropical cyclones in the South Pacific east of 160E
during September. The Nadi, Fiji, TCWC did issue some gale warnings
on the 4th and 5th for a LOW located east of the Dateline and to the
south of Tonga. This system was referred to as a depression in the
gale warnings, but the latitude and time of year suggest that it was
non-tropical or hybrid at best. No track was included for this LOW
in the September tropical cyclone tracks file.
*************************************************************************
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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