_____
From: Gary Padgett [mailto:garyp@alaweb.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 22, 2006 4:43 PM
To: Alexandre Aguiar; Alipate Waqaicelua; Brent Reynolds (WX); Bruno
Benjamin; David A. Marshall; David C. Worrall; David Roth; Douglas Jones;
Fred Joines; Jack A. Cross III; Jason McDonald; Jay K. Moyer; Jean Marc de
Maroussem; Jim Parsons; Joel W. Newton (Work); John K. Webb; Karl Hoarau;
Kevin Boyle; Leon K. Curenton; Luiz E. Gava; Mark Kersemakers; Michael V.
Padua (TCDG); Pablo G. Dejesus; Patrick Hoareau; Philip Garrett; Richard B.
Risner; Robert F. Boyle; Todd R. Tuckey; Walt Peterson
Subject: August TC Summary - Part 3
MONTHLY GLOBAL TROPICAL CYCLONE SUMMARY
AUGUST, 2006
Third Installment
SPECIAL NOTE: The August summary is being issued in three installments.
The first one covered the Atlantic basin and contained an extra feature
while the second covered the Northeast Pacific basin. This third and
final installment covers the Northwest Pacific and North Indian Ocean
basins.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Almost two years ago I began including links to
track graphics prepared by John Diebolt of Tucson, Arizona, and archived
on his tropical cyclone website. A few months back John experienced a
disk crash which resulted in a error. He had to request assistance from
the programmer who had written the map-generation software, but so far
has not been able to get the problem solved. As a convenience to users,
I've also recently been including links to the individual tabular tracks,
prepared by myself, which John had archived on his website. Now, due to
family issues, John has not had time to place the tracks for the August
cyclones on the website. I have checked the websites listed at the end
of the summaries and found that the entire August track file has been
archived on two of them. The links are:
http://australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/2007/trak0608.htm
http://www.typhoon2000.ph/garyp_mgtcs/aug06tks.txt
(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.)
*************************************************************************
AUGUST HIGHLIGHTS
--> Atlantic rather quiet--tropical storm affects Haiti, Cuba, Florida
and U. S. Eastern Seaboard
--> Eastern North Pacific very active--one hurricane adversely affects
the Baja California Peninsula
--> Extremely long-lived Central and Western Pacific major hurricane/
super typhoon strikes both Johnston and Wake Islands
--> Western North Pacific very active--China experiences very rare
strike by a destructive super typhoon
--> Several weak depressions in Bay of Bengal
*************************************************************************
ACTIVITY BY BASINS
ATLANTIC (ATL) - North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico
Activity for August: 2 tropical storms
1 hurricane
NOTE!!! The Atlantic basin was covered in the first installment of the
August summary.
*************************************************************************
NORTHEAST PACIFIC (NEP) - North Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 180
Activity for August: 2 tropical storms
2 hurricanes
3 major hurricanes **
** - one of these formed in Central North Pacific and became a Western
Pacific super typhoon
NOTE!!! The Northeast Pacific basin was covered in the second installment
of the August summary.
*************************************************************************
NORTHWEST PACIFIC (NWP) - North Pacific Ocean West of Longitude 180
Activity for August: 3 tropical depressions **
3 tropical storms
2 typhoons ++
2 super typhoons &&
** - two of these were classified as weak depressions by JMA only
++ - one of these formed in late July and continued into early August
&& - one of these was a visitor from the Central North Pacific and
continued into early September
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. In the companion
tropical cyclone tracks file, I normally annotate track coordinates
from some of the various Asian warning centers when their center
positions differ from JTWC's by usually 40-50 nm or more. All
references to sustained winds imply a 1-minute averaging period
unless otherwise noted.
Michael V. Padua of Naga City in the Philippines, owner of the
Typhoon 2000 website, normally sends me cyclone tracks based upon
warnings issued by the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) and the
Philippines' Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services
Administration (PAGASA). A very special thanks to Michael for the
assistance he so reliably provides.
In the title line for each storm I have referenced all the cyclone
names/numbers I have available: JTWC's depression number, the
JMA-assigned name (if any), JMA's tropical storm numeric designator,
and PAGASA's name for systems forming in or passing through their
area of warning responsibility.
Northwest Pacific Tropical Activity for August
----------------------------------------------
The tropical Western Pacific was very active during the first half
of August with five named storms forming within a 9-day period. In
addition, during the first few days of the month Typhoon Prapiroon,
which had formed at the end of July, was active in the northern South
China Sea where it made landfall in southern China on the 3rd. The
complete report on Prapiroon may be found in the July summary.
Maria was a storm of higher-latitude origin which managed to reach
minimal typhoon intensity (per JTWC's analysis). Maria later recurved
sharply just south of Honshu and brushed the southern coast of that
island as it accelerated northeastward. Super Typhoon Saomai and
Tropical Storm Bopha both formed in the monsoon trough at about the same
time of Maria's genesis, and all three cyclones operated concurrently
for a few days. Bopha remained a fairly weak tropical storm as it moved
westward toward Taiwan. The large, intense Saomai gave the weakening
Bopha a push which sent it moving southwestward into the northern South
China Sea. Saomai followed a classic 'straight-runner' track from deep
in the tropics west-northwestward through the Marianas, passing just
north of Taiwan, and finally smashing into eastern China still at super
typhoon intensity. Saomai was reported to be the strongest typhoon to
strike the Chinese mainland in modern times. More than 400 persons lost
their lives with damage in the billions of yuan.
Wukong and Sonamu were two tropical storms spawned by a large
monsoon gyre. Wukong, the stronger of the two, formed just west of
the Marianas and followed a generally northwesterly, albeit erratic,
track toward Japan. The storm eventually crossed the island of Kyushu
and moved up the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula. Tropical Storm
Sonamu formed just east of northern Luzon and moved fairly rapidly
northeastward, later swinging to the north as it underwent a Fujiwhara
interaction with Wukong. As it neared Japan, Sonamu weakened and was
absorbed into Tropical Storm Wukong.
On 27 August a visitor from the Central North Pacific, Category 5
Hurricane Ioke, entered the Northwest Pacific basin. Designated as
Super Typhoon Ioke, the large, intense cyclone continued on a west-
northwesterly track toward tiny Wake Island. Ioke passed just north
of the island on the 31st and continued moving in the general direction
of Japan as it slowly began to weaken. The cyclone eventually recurved
east of Honshu and became extratropical on 5 September with the remnants
later affecting the Aleutian Islands and Alaska. The complete report
on Ioke was contained in the second installment of the August summary
covering the Northeast Pacific basin.
There were three weaker systems during the month classified as
tropical depressions by the various warning agencies. Two of these
were mentioned only in JMA's high seas bulletins as weak systems. Both
formed and moved north of 30N, suggesting that they were likely
subtropical in nature. The first was located near 30.0N/174.0E at
15/0600 UTC and moved very slowly westward, being last referenced near
31.0N/170.0E at 17/1800 UTC. The second system was located at 21/1800
UTC near 33.0N/155.0E. Twenty-four hours later the final reference to
this system placed it near 34.0N/152.0E. Winds in these systems likely
did not exceed 20-25 kts and no tracks were given in the companion
cyclone tracks file.
The final system of August was a short-lived tropical depression
designated as TD-13W by JTWC and carried by JMA and some of the other
warning offices. The depression formed in the northern South China
Sea on 23 August and moved generally northward, moving inland in
China between Hainan and Hong Kong around 24/1800 UTC. The peak MSW
estimated by JTWC was 30 kts at 24/1800 UTC, shortly before the center
made landfall. In JMA's high seas bulletins the depression was
referenced only in the summary section, implying 10-min avg winds of
probably no higher than 25 kts. A track was included for TD-13W in
the cyclone tracks file.
Reports for Typhoon Maria, Super Typhoon Saomai, and Tropical Storms
Bopha, Wukong and Sonamu, all written by Kevin Boyle, follow. Reports
on Typhoon Prapiroon and Super Typhoon Ioke may be found elsewhere, as
noted above.
The online Wikipedia reports for the Northwest Pacific cyclones may
be accessed at the following URL:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Pacific_typhoon_season
A more detailed report is available for Super Typhoon Saomai/Juan.
The link is included in the report for that cyclone.
TYPHOON MARIA
(TC-09W / STS 0607)
4 - 12 August
---------------------------------------
Maria: contributed by the United States, is the Latin/Hispanic form
of Mary and is popular as a Chamorro woman's name
A. Storm Origins
----------------
The second of six tropical cyclones during the month of August, Maria
was a TUTT-induced tropical cyclone that formed at a fairly high
latitude. After its initial mention in JTWC's STWO on 3 August, the
system slowly developed over the next two days while drifting towards
the west-northwest, and at 1630 UTC 5 August a TCFA was issued. (JMA
had started the system as a weak tropical depression at 04/0000 UTC
while located approximately 400 nm east-northeast of the northern
Mariana Islands and had upped the MSW to 30 kts six hours later.)
Remarks in JTWC's TCFA include: ". . . recent animated satellite imagery
depicts a dramatic flare-up in deep convection slightly east of a
well-defined low level circulation center. Further satellite analysis
indicates that despite this increase in convective organization this
system still exhibits characteristics of a subtropical cyclone. Upper-
level analysis reveals low to moderate vertical wind shear and
favourable diffluence aloft. . ." The first warning on Tropical
Depression 09W was issued at 1800 UTC 5 August with the centre located
approximately 150 nm east-northeast of Iwo Jima. The system had been
named Maria at 05/1200 UTC when JMA raised their 10-min avg MSW to
35 kts.
B. Synoptic History
-------------------
Continuing west-northwestwards along the southwestern flank of a
broad subtropical ridge east of Japan, Maria was quickly upgraded to
a 40-kt tropical storm at 06/0000 UTC and relocated to a position
150 nm north-northeast of Iwo Jima. Tropical Storm Maria intensified
as it moved northwestwards and reached 60 kts at 06/0600 UTC. A
06/1045 UTC SSMI pass depicted a symmetric banding eye with deep
convection over the eastern semicircle. Maria was upgraded to a 65-kt
typhoon at 07/1200 UTC while located approximately 305 nm south-southwest
of Tokyo, Japan, but maintained this intensity for only six hours.
Turning northward on 8 August, Maria began to weaken as it encountered
drier air and increasing wind shear. After recurving sharply just shy
of the southeastern coast of Honshu, the weakening tropical cyclone
passed just south of Tokyo early on 9 August. JTWC issued the final
warning at 09/0000 UTC while JMA maintained Maria's identity as a
tropical cyclone until 11/0000 UTC when that agency issued their final
bulletin. The system was then located about 450 nm east-northeast of
Tokyo. The remnant extratropical gale continued slowly east-
northeastward, and was last referenced in JMA's high seas bulletins at
12/1200 UTC when located several hundred miles east of Hokkaido.
The maximum 10-min avg MSW assigned by JMA for Maria was 60 kts and
the estimated minimum CP was 975 mb.
C. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
There were no reports of damages or casualties associated with Maria.
A tidbit of information obtained from the Hong Kong Observatory's
Overview of Tropical Cyclones in August, 2006, indicated that five
passengers were injured when an aircraft heading for Tokyo encountered
turbulence associated with Maria.
(Report written by Kevin Boyle)
SUPER TYPHOON SAOMAI
(TC-08W / TY 0608 / JUAN)
4 - 11 August
---------------------------------------------
Saomai: contributed by Vietnam, is the Vietnamese name for the planet
Venus
A. Introduction and Storm Origins
---------------------------------
Super Typhoon Saomai co-existed with two other tropical cyclones in
the Northwest Pacific during the first part of August and was by far
the most intense. Forming in the eastern portion of the monsoon trough
on 4 August, Saomai followed a "straight-runner" style track across the
Northwest Pacific basin and underwent a binary interaction with Tropical
Storm Bopha (TC-10W). Saomai, much larger than Bopha, was little
affected by this interaction, and continued its west-northwestward track
into China on 10 August. It was described as the most powerful typhoon
ever to make landfall over mainland China, and was the strongest to hit
the country since Typhoon Wanda in 1956. Its impact was devastating,
especially in the areas already badly hit by Tropical Storm Bilis and
Typhoon Kaemi in July.
First mention of this monstrous storm was in JTWC's STWO issued at
0600 UTC 2 August when an area of convection persisted approximately
125 nm south-southeast of Pohnpei. This statement in part: "Animated
multi-spectral imagery reveals a strong band of convergent westerly
flow on the southern periphery of an elongated low-level circulation
center. This convergent axis has been the focal point for deep
convection over the last 12 hours. The disturbance is located on the
equatorward side of an upper-level ridge axis in a region of favorable
divergence aloft and moderate vertical wind shear." The system slowly
organized as it drifted steadily northwestwards, and after the issuance
of a TCFA on 4 August, the first warning on Tropical Depression 08W was
issued at 1800 UTC 4 August. It was upgraded to a 35-kt tropical storm
at 05/0600 UTC, and named Saomai six hours later when JMA raised their
10-min avg MSW to 35 kts. At the time Tropical Storm Saomai was
located 135 nm southeast of Guam, moving northwestward at 11 kts.
B. Synoptic History
-------------------
Drifting northwestwards, Tropical Storm Saomai slowly intensified and,
after passing just north of Guam late on 5 August, was upgraded to a
65-kt typhoon at 1200 UTC 6 August. Changing onto a west-northwesterly
track, Saomai continued to gradually strengthen, reaching an intensity
of 75 kts on 7 August. As Typhoon Saomai approached the southern Ryukyu
Islands late 8 August, it began to intensify more rapidly, reaching its
peak intensity of 140 kts at 09/1200 UTC and becoming the third super
typhoon of 2006 in the Northwest Pacific basin. Remarkably, Saomai
maintained its maximum intensity until early on 10 August before slowly
beginning to weaken. Turning westward, Typhoon Saomai passed north of
Taiwan and crossed the Chinese coast near Fu'an at 10/0923 UTC (based on
an AMSU pass) with the MSW estimated at 130 kts. Once inland, the
tropical cyclone weakened quickly. The final warnings were issued by
JTWC and JMA at 10/1800 UTC and 11/0000 UTC, respectively.
During the time that Typhoon Juan was in PAGASA's AOR, the peak MSW
(10-min avg) assigned by that agency was 75 kts from 09/0000 to 09/0600
UTC. JMA estimated a peak intensity of 95 kts (10-min avg) with a
minimum CP of 925 mb.
C. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
As was the case with Tropical Storm Bilis in July, the outer
rainbands from Saomai affected portions of the Philippines. Over 400
homes were reported destroyed by storm surge, and there were two
fatalities with seven others reported missing.
The strong core of Super Typhoon Saomai passed to the north of
Taiwan, but the island still experienced heavy rain and wind that
disrupted traffic and resulted in cancelled airline flights.
By far the biggest impact of the typhoon was felt on the Chinese
mainland where 441 deaths were reported and damage exceeding $1.5
billion (USD) was sustained. In advance of Saomai's arrival over 1.5
million people were evacuated to storm shelters in Zhejiang and Fujuan
Provinces. Even though the storm's center made landfall in Zhejiang
Province, the neighboring province of Fujian sustained even greater
damage and experienced more fatalities. Two persons were reported
killed in Jiangxi Province.
Much more information on the effects of Typhoon Saomai in China
may be found in the online Wikipedia report at the following URL:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Saomai_%282006%29
(Report written by Kevin Boyle and Gary Padgett)
TROPICAL STORM BOPHA
(TC-10W / STS 0906 / INDAY)
5 - 11 August
-----------------------------------------------
Bopha: contributed by Cambodia, is the name of a flower which is used
as a little girl's name
A. Storm Origins
----------------
Tropical Storm Bopha was one of three tropical cyclones co-existing
in the Northwest Pacific basin during the first week of August. It
reached a peak intensity of 50 kts before crossing Taiwan on 8 August.
Interaction with Super Typhoon Saomai caused Bopha to dip sharply
southwestwards before it dissipated on 10 August. (Editor's Note: The
other two simultaneous TCs in addition to Bopha were Super Typhoon Saomai
and Typhoon Maria. Interestingly, in September, 2000, Tropical Storm
Bopha and Super Typhoon Saomai were also part of a simultaneous three-
storm outbreak, but in that year the third member of the party was
Typhoon Wukong.)
An area of convection developed and persisted about 560 nm
southeast of Okinawa on 4 August. The flare-up of convection was
association with surface troughing, and an upper-level anticyclone was
located over the disturbance with low vertical shear over the region.
The system was first referenced in JTWC's STWO at 2200 UTC 4 August, and
JMA classified the system as a weak tropical depression in their high
seas bulletin issued at 05/0600 UTC. A later STWO issued at 06/0600 UTC
remarked: "Recent multi-spectral imagery and a 05/2330 UTC SSMI pass
depict a well-defined low-level circulation center with deep convection
located 90 nm east of the center. Upper-level analysis indicates a
favourable environment with weak (5-10 kts) vertical wind shear. A
synoptic ship report 120 nm southwest of the center indicated a 1002 mb
SLP". The first warning on Tropical Depression 10W closely followed
this statement at 06/0600 UTC and located the centre approximately
320 nm southeast of Naha, Okinawa. At the same time JMA raised their
10-min MSW to 35 kts and named the system Bopha.
B. Synoptic History
-------------------
Drifting west-northwestward at 8 kts, Tropical Depression Bopha was
upgraded to a 40-kt tropical storm at 06/1200 UTC. After further
intensification, Bopha reached its maximum intensity of 50 kts at 0600
UTC 7 August while passing 200 nm south of Naha, Okinawa. At this time,
Typhoon Saomai was tracking steadily west-northwestward and was located
a little over 600 nm to the east of Bopha.
Embedded in the steering flow south of a deep-layer ridge to the
north, Bopha continued westward and began to gradually weaken due to
increasing wind shear. By the time the storm made landfall over Taiwan
late on 8 August, the MSW had dropped to 35 kts. After clearing Taiwan,
Bopha was downgraded to a tropical depression at 09/0600 UTC.
Influenced by the larger circulation of Super Typhoon Saomai, the weak
tropical cyclone then made a sharp southwestward turn a little over
100 nm east-southeast of Hong Kong, China. The fully-exposed LLCC then
began to meander slowly westwards on 10 August. The final JTWC warning
on the dissipating system was issued at 10/1200 UTC, while JMA continued
to follow the weakening depression through 11/0000 UTC when it was
located very near Hong Kong.
The highest MSW and lowest CP estimated by JMA were 50 kts and 985 mb,
respectively. During the time that Bopha was within PAGASA's AOR, where
it was known as Tropical Storm Inday, the peak 10-min avg MSW estimated
by that agency was 45 kts.
C. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
Even though Bopha affected Taiwan, there were no reports of damage or
casualties.
(Report written by Kevin Boyle)
TROPICAL STORM WUKONG
(TC-11W / TS 0610)
12 - 21 August
-----------------------------------------
Wukong: contributed by China, is the king of the monkeys. Featured in
the classic novel 'Journey to the West'.
A. Introduction and Storm Origins
---------------------------------
Tropical Storm Wukong was one of two tropical cyclones generated by a
monsoon gyre in the northwest Pacific during mid-August. After peaking
at 50 kts and interacting with Tropical Storm Sonamu and absorbing its
remnants, Wukong made landfall over Kyushu. It took over 24 hours for
the tropical cyclone's circulation to cross the Japanese island.
Tropical Storm Wukong stemmed from a disturbance located in the
monsoon cloud band which had wrapped around the northern side of a gyre.
Remarks in JTWC's TCFA at 0230 UTC 12 August include: "Recent animated
multi-spectral imagery reveals a consolidating low-level circulation
center (LLCC), and a 12/0000 UTC synoptic ship observation report
indicates winds associated with the LLCC to be at least 20 knots.
Upper-level analysis indicates favorable outflow into a Tropical Upper-
Tropospheric Trough (TUTT) cell to the northwest of the LLCC, as well
as low vertical wind shear." The system was moving northwestward at
9 kts with a MSW of 20 to 25 kts. The first warning on Tropical
Depression 11W at 12/1200 UTC positioned the centre approximately 75 nm
south of Iwo Jima. Tracking north-northwestward, TD-11W was upgraded
to a 35-kt tropical storm at 13/0000 UTC and named Wukong six hours
later when JMA raised their 10-min avg MSW to 35 kts.
B. Synoptic History
-------------------
Tropical Storm Wukong slowed dramatically on 13 August as a ridge
built eastward over Japan. Slow, erratic movement persisted through
14 August as the tropical cyclone gradually strengthened to its peak
intensity of 50 kts at 14/1800 UTC while located approximately 545 nm
southeast of Sasebo, Japan. Wukong began to accelerate to the north-
northwest on 15 August while commencing a binary interaction with
Tropical Storm Sonamu (TC-12W). This interaction caused Wukong to
drift west-southwestwards on 16 August. After the demise of TS Sonamu,
Wukong turned back to the northwest as a weakness developed in the
steering ridge. The system maintained a MSW of 45 kts for two days as
it continued slowly northwestwards towards Japan. Tropical Storm Wukong
made landfall near Miyazaki city and trudged slowly across the Japanese
island of Kyushu on 18 August. The storm remained over land for over
24 hours and did not emerge into the Sea of Japan until 19 August. JTWC
downgraded Wukong to a tropical depression at 18/0600 UTC and issued the
last warning at 19/0000 UTC. JMA maintained tropical storm intensity on
19 August as Wukong brushed the eastern coasts of North/South Korea,
downgrading it to tropical depression status at 20/1200 UTC. The weak
residual depression drifted northeastwards across the Sea of Japan and
was last referenced at 21/1800 UTC when located west of extreme
southern Hokkaido.
The maximum 10-min avg MSW and minimum CP estimated by JMA were
45 kts and 980 mb, respectively.
C. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
On 18 August Tropical Storm Wukong brought torrential rains to
Kyushu, resulting in at least three deaths, disruption of air flights,
and power outages.
(Report written by Kevin Boyle)
TROPICAL STORM SONAMU
(TC-12W / TS 0611 / KATRING)
13 - 16 August
------------------------------------------------
Sonamu: Korean word for pine tree, contributed by the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)
A. Introduction and Storm Origins
---------------------------------
Tropical Storm Sonamu was a relatively short-lived tropical cyclone
which was generated on the southern flank of a monsoon gyre. Embedded
in a rather strong steering flow, Sonamu raced northeastwards and
peaked at 45 kts. Interaction with Tropical Storm Wukong (TC-11W)
caused the tropical cyclone to weaken and dissipate several hundred
miles southeast of Japan.
A Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert issued at 1730 UTC 13 August noted
that the area of convection was located approximately 430 nm east-
northeast of Manila, Philippines, and moving slowly eastward at 4 kts.
Animated infrared imagery revealed enhanced convection consolidating
near an elongated LLCC. Upper-level analysis indicated favourable
divergence and low to moderate wind shear. Accelerating eastwards, the
system developed into Tropical Depression 12W at 13/1800 UTC. It was
named Sonamu at 14/0000 UTC after JMA raised their MSW estimate to
35 kts. JTWC upgraded Sonamu to a 40-kt tropical storm six hours later
when the system was centred approximately 500 nm south-southeast of
Okinawa.
B. Synoptic History
-------------------
Tropical Storm Sonamu was steered northeastwards around the periphery
of the monsoon gyre and strengthened to its peak intensity of 45 kts at
1800 UTC 14 August while located approximately 485 nm southeast of
Naha, Okinawa. The storm began to weaken on 15 August as it turned
northeastward and began to interact with the almost stationary
Tropical Storm Wukong (TC-11W), located to the north-northwest. After
satellite imagery revealed that shear associated with the outflow of
Wukong had dramatically decreased the deep convection over Sonamu, JTWC
downgraded the system to a tropical depression at 15/1800 UTC. JTWC
issued the final warning at 16/0000 UTC on the dissipating tropical
cyclone which was racing north at 32 kts and about to be absorbed into
the circulation of Tropical Storm Wukong just south of Japan.
JMA estimated a maximum intensity of 40 kts (10-min avg) and a minimum
CP of 992 mb while PAGASA issued warnings on Tropical Storm Katring
(the PAGASA name) from 13/1800 UTC to 15/0000 UTC and estimated a peak
intensity of 35 kts (10-min avg).
C. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
No damage or casualties are known to have resulted from Tropical
Storm Sonamu.
(Report written by Kevin Boyle)
*************************************************************************
NORTH INDIAN OCEAN (NIO) - Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea
Activity for August: 3 depressions
1 deep depression
North Indian Ocean Tropical Activity for August
-----------------------------------------------
The month of August normally is one of the quietest in the Bay of
Bengal and Arabian Sea, falling in between the more active periods of
the spring and fall transition seasons. Nonetheless, four systems were
classified as depressions by the India Meteorological Department (IMD)
during the month. The first was classified as a deep depression,
implying winds of 30 kts, whereas the other three were referred to as
simply depressions, implying winds no greater than 25 kts. A brief
synopsis of each system follows:
(1) Deep Depression of 1 - 5 August
-----------------------------------
A STWO issued by JTWC at 1800 UTC on 1 August noted that an area of
convection had persisted a couple hundred miles south-southeast of
Calcutta. Animated multi-spectral imagery and a 01/1248 UTC QuikScat
pass revealed that the LLCC of a monsoon depression had moved over
water in the northern Bay of Bengal. Strong northeasterly winds aloft
were inducing high vertical shear over the area, but were also providing
a good outflow mechanism for convective development. The system moved
westward across the northern Bay, and the IMD had classified it as a
depression by 02/0300 UTC when the center was located approximately
55 nm east-southeast of Chandbali. At 02/1200 UTC the IMD had upped
the system's classification to 'deep depression', implying winds of
30 kts. Around the same time JTWC upped the potential for development
to 'fair'. The center of the deep depression was near the Indian
coastline at that time, and by 0300 UTC the next day was moving inland
on the South Orissa coast between Puri and Gopalpur.
IMD followed the system inland for a couple of days as it moved into
central India. The peak winds were maintained at 30 kts for 24 hours
after the center had crossed the coast, suggesting that the system had
maintained much of its monsoon depression characteristics throughout
its lifetime. A track for this system was included in the companion
cyclone tracks file.
(2) Depression of 12 - 13 August
--------------------------------
The second depression formed on 12 August and at 0300 UTC lay centered
about 55 nm east-southeast of Balasore. The system moved in a west-
northwesterly direction and crossed the North Orissa coast near Balasore
around 1500 UTC. By 13/0300 UTC it had weakened into a low-pressure area
near Chattisgarh. This system was not referenced in any of JTWC's STWOs.
(3) Depression of 16 - 18 August
--------------------------------
The third depression of August formed on 16 August in the same general
area as the previous one, being centered at 16/0300 UTC about 80 nm
southeast of Balasore. The system subsequently moved westward and crossed
the North Orissa coast near Chandbali around 16/1450 UTC. After moving
inland the depression gradually weakened and was last referenced by
IMD at 0300 UTC on 18 August. JTWC mentioned this system in their STWOs,
assigning a 'fair' potential for development at one point, but this was
downgraded to 'poor' at 16/1800 UTC when the broad center was observed
to be moving inland.
(4) Depression of 29 August - 1 September
-----------------------------------------
The final depression to form in the northwestern Bay of Bengal during
August was located at 29/0300 UTC about 55 nm east-southeast of
Chandbali. The system moved rapidly west-northwestward and by 1200 UTC
had crossed the Orissa coast near Parandip. IMD continued following the
LOW inland across eastern and central India, last referencing it on
1 September when it was in the vicinity of Agra.
In the companion global cyclone tracks file prepared by the author,
a track was included for only the first of the NIO depressions. The
primary criterion for inclusion in the tracks file is reasonable evidence
of the existence of 1-min avg sustained winds of 30 kts or higher, either
reported by a warning agency or else a consensus of Dvorak ratings of
T2.0 or higher. IMD classified the latter three systems only as
'depressions', implying winds no higher than 25 kts.
*************************************************************************
SOUTHWEST INDIAN OCEAN (SWI) - South Indian Ocean West of Longitude 90E
Activity for August: No tropical cyclones
*************************************************************************
NORTHWEST AUSTRALIA/SOUTHEAST INDIAN OCEAN (AUW) - From 90E to 135E
Activity for August: No tropical cyclones
*************************************************************************
NORTHEAST AUSTRALIA/CORAL SEA (AUE) - From 135E to 160E
Activity for August: No tropical cyclones
*************************************************************************
SOUTH PACIFIC (SPA) - South Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 160E
Activity for August: No tropical cyclones
*************************************************************************
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 Monterrey 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://www.typhoon2000.ph/>
http://mpittweather.com <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: https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.html
Also, TPC/NHC has available on its webpage nice "technicolor"
tracking charts for the 2005 Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific
tropical cyclones; also, storm reports for all the 2005 Atlantic
and Eastern North Pacific cyclones are now available, as well as
track charts and reports on storms from earlier years.
The URL is: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov <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 (Northwest Pacific)
E-mail: newchapelobservatory@btinternet.com
Simon Clarke (Northeast Australia/Coral Sea, South Pacific)
E-mail: scla4255@bigpond.net.au
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
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