MONTHLY GLOBAL TROPICAL CYCLONE SUMMARY
MAY, 2007
(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.)
SPECIAL NOTE - CYCLONE TRACKING INFORMATION
There is a U. S. Navy site that tracks tropical cyclones at 6-hourly
intervals which often includes pre and post-advisory positions. The
link to the site is:
http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/atcf_web/doc_archives/
These tracks are often updated as further analysis occurs and may be
considered as sort of a working "best track".
Steve Young has compiled many of these tracks onto a single webpage
which is very user-friendly:
http://home.earthlink.net/~shy9/tc1.htm
(I have also included the above information in the Sources of Tropical
Cyclone Information section following the coverage of the various basins
and will not repeat it here in subsequent summaries.)
*************************************************************************
MAY HIGHLIGHTS
--> Subtropical storm forms off Southeast U. S. Coast
--> Two tropical storms form in Northeast Pacific basin
--> Strong typhoon in Northwest Pacific strikes Iwo Jima
--> Cyclonic storm in Bay of Bengal strikes Bangladesh
--> Short-lived weak cyclone near New Guinea concludes Southern
Hemisphere season
*************************************************************************
CYCLONE TRACK GRAPHICS
John Diebolt of Tucson, Arizona, produces track graphics of all the
tropical and subtropical systems for which I prepare a tabular track in
the companion cyclone tracks file. These can be accessed at the
following URL:
http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/
Scroll down the chart to the month of interest and click on the green
bar under "Operational Track Image" for the desired system.
The tabular track of positions and intensities may also be obtained
from the above website, or from the other archival sites listed in
the Author's Note in the closing section of this summary.
*************************************************************************
WIKIPEDIA TROPICAL CYCLONE REPORTS
Short reports with satellite pictures and small-scale maps for all
tropical cyclones may be found at the following links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Atlantic_hurricane_season
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Pacific_hurricane_season
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Pacific_typhoon_season
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_North_Indian_cyclone_season
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006-07_Southern_Hemisphere_tropical_cyclone_se
ason
For some storms more detailed reports have been prepared. In those cases
I will include the specific links in the reports for the applicable
tropical cyclones.
*************************************************************************
!!!!!!!!!!!! EXTRA FEATURE !!!!!!!!!!!
GLOSSARY of ABBREVIATIONS and ACRONYMS
AOML/HRD - Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory/
Hurricane Research Division, located on Virginia Key, Miami,
Florida, U.S.A.
AOR - area of responsibility
BoM - Australia's Bureau of Meteorology
CDO - central dense overcast
CI - current intensity
CIMSS - Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies
(University of Wisconsin-Madison)
CP - central pressure
CPHC - Central Pacific Hurricane Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A.
CWBT - Central Weather Bureau of Taiwan
FLW - flight level wind (or winds)
FTP - file transfer protocol
H - hurricane, a tropical cyclone with a peak 1-min avg
MSW >= 64 kts
HD - hurricane day, four 6-hour periods in which a H is operating
HKO - Hong Kong Observatory
hPa - hectopascal, numerically equivalent to millibar
HPC - Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, Camp Springs,
Maryland
IH - intense hurricane, a tropical cyclone with a peak 1-min avg
MSW >= 96 kts
IHD - intense hurricane day, four 6-hour periods in which an IH is
operating
IMD - India Meteorological Department (RSMC New Delhi, India)
JMA - Japanese Meteorological Agency (RSMC Tokyo, Japan)
JTWC - Joint Typhoon Warning Center, formerly on Guam, now at
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
km - kilometer, or kilometre
kt - knot = 1 nautical mile per hour
LLCC - low-level circulation center
m - meter, or metre
mb - millibar, numerically equivalent to hectopascal (hPa)
MFR - Meteo France on Reunion Island
mm - millimeter
MSW - maximum sustained wind(s) (either 1-min avg or 10-min avg)
nm - nautical mile = 6076.12 feet or 1852.0 meters
NMCC - National Meteorological Center of China
NPMOC - Naval Pacific Meteorological and Oceanographic Center, Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii, U.S.A.
NS - named storm, a tropical or subtropical cyclone with a peak
1-min avg MSW >= 34 kts (Note: Term frequently used for
systems occurring prior to formal naming of TCs and for
unnamed systems analyzed to be TCs in post-season analysis.)
NSD - named storm day, four 6-hour periods in which a NS is operating
NTC - net tropical cyclone activity, and index of overall tropical
cyclone activity, comprised of an average of the averages of
the six parameters NS, NSD, H, HD, IH, and IHD calculated for
some specified period of record
PAGASA - Philippines' Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services
Administration
RSMC - Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre
SLP - sea level pressure
SST - sea surface temperature
STS - severe tropical storm (MSW greater than 47 kts)
STWO - Significant Tropical Weather Outlook - bulletin issued
daily by JTWC giving information about various areas of
disturbed weather and the potential for tropical cyclone
development
TC - tropical cyclone
TCFA - Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert - issued by JTWC when a
tropical cyclone is expected to develop within the next
24 hours
TCWC - Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre (generic term)
TD - tropical depression
TPC/NHC - Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center, Miami,
Florida, U.S.A.
TS - tropical storm
WMO - World Meteorological Organization, headquartered at Geneva,
Switzerland
UTC - Universal Time Coordinated, equivalent to Greenwich Mean Time
or Zulu (Z)
*************************************************************************
ACTIVITY BY BASINS
ATLANTIC (ATL) - North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico
Activity for May: 1 subtropical storm
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 May
----------------------------------
An extratropical LOW off the southeastern U. S. coast in early May
subsequently evolved into Subtropical Storm Andrea--the first named
storm in the month of May in the Atlantic basin since Tropical Storm
Arlene in 1981. Andrea did not make the transition into a fully
tropical storm, so 26 seasons have now elapsed without a tropical storm
in May--the longest such period since prior to 1932. Since 1932, the
pervious longest period without a tropical storm in May has been
11 years: from 1959 to 1970, and from 1970 to 1981. May tropical storms
have formed in 1932, 1933, 1934, 1940, 1948, 1951, 1953, 1959, 1970 and
1981. No officially-recognized subtropical storms have occurred in May
since 1976, but there are some candidates which may be added to the
Atlantic Best Tracks database during the ongoing re-analysis. Andrea
is the fifth subtropical storm to be named since a change in operational
procedure in late 2001 led to the practice of naming subtropical storms
from the list of tropical cyclone names. A report on Subtropical Storm
Andrea follows.
An area of disturbed weather in the Northwest Caribbean Sea late in
the month spawned an area of low pressure near western Cuba which moved
northward into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. On the first day of
June a tropical depression formed which later in the day became Tropical
Storm Barry--the first fully tropical storm of the season. A report on
Barry will be included in the June summary.
The official TPC/NHC storm report on Andrea (as well as Barry) is
already available at the following link:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/2007atlan.shtml
SUBTROPICAL STORM ANDREA
(TC-01)
6 - 14 May
--------------------------------------------
A. General Information
----------------------
1. Identification
a. RSMC - Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center
(NHC), Miami, Florida
b. NHC - Subtropical Cyclone 01
c. NAME - Andrea (named by NHC at May 09/1500 UTC)
2. Overview
a. Basins Affected: Atlantic Ocean (ATL)
b. Dates: 6 - 14 May, 2007
c. Max Sust Winds: 40 kts (1-min avg per NHC)
d. Min Cent Press: 1002 hPa (estimate per NHC)
Note: The MSW and CP above are for the subtropical portion of
Andrea's history. Based on OPC's High Seas Forecasts, the parent
extratropical storm had winds to 70 kts with an estimated pressure
998 hPa before transition to a subtropical storm occurred.
3. Beginning of Track: May 06/1200 UTC, near 35.0N/74.0W, or about
75 nm east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
4. Peak Intensity: May 09/1200 UTC, near 30.8N/79.1W, or about 120 nm
southeast of Savannah, Georgia. (It should be noted that NHC's MSW
was at 40 kts from 09/1200 through 10/1200 UTC. Also, see note
above under sub-section A.2.)
5. Size: At Andrea's peak as a subtropical storm, gales extended
outward from the center 100 nm in the eastern semicircle and 60 nm
in the western semicircle.
6. End of Track: May 14/1200 UTC, near 32.0N/64.0W, or about 50 nm
east-southeast of Bermuda.
B. Synoptic History
-------------------
1. Origin: Subtropical Storm Andrea was the first named Atlantic system
to form in the month of May since Tropical Storm Arlene in 1981, which
developed in the Northwestern Caribbean during the first week of the
month. The system was also the first pre-season storm to form since
April, 2003, when Tropical Storm Ana formed in the same general area.
Andrea's origin lay with an extratropical cyclone which formed in
association with an upper-level trough over the western Atlantic
Ocean. Models were calling for a closed low-pressure area to form,
and by 1200 UTC on 6 May a frontal LOW with gale-force winds had
formed and lay centered about 75 nm east-southeast of Cape Hatteras,
North Carolina. Due mainly to a very tight pressure gradient with
a strong HIGH to the north, the LOW quickly strengthened and within
12 hours was producing 70-kt winds, as reported in OPC's High Seas
Forecasts. Over the next few days the LOW drifted generally in a
southerly direction off the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia.
As the pressure gradient weakened, the winds slowly lessened. The
LOW from the first had been accompanied by some scattered convection,
and by the 8th the convection had increased to the point that NHC
began to mention the possibility of tropical or subtropical storm
genesis. The system became stationary for awhile on the 8th, then
began to drift slowly westward on the 9th. An Air Force
reconnaissance plane investigated the LOW on the morning of 9 May for
several hours. The plane found a rather flat temperature profile with
neither a discernible warm nor cold core at any vertical level.
Satellite imagery indicated that convection had consolidated closer to
the center as compared to the previous day, and there was also a hint
of upper-level outflow, which had been completely absent the previous
day. Also, the radius of maximum winds had contracted to about
50-60 nm from more than 100 nm on the 8th. All this indicated that
the LOW had acquired a hybrid structure; hence, advisories were
initiated on Subtropical Storm Andrea at 09/1500 UTC. Andrea's
center was located about 120 nm southeast of Savannah, Georgia, and
was drifting very slowly westward. Even though the storm had made
the transition from an extratropical to a subtropical cyclone, the
peak winds had weakened, and the initial advisory estimated the
MSW at 40 kts, which turned out to be the peak for the subtropical
portion of Andrea's history.
2. General Description of Track: By the afternoon of 9 May Andrea had
embarked on a slow, almost due south, track off the northeastern
Florida coast. Almost immediately after being named the subtropical
storm's appearance in satellite imagery began to deteriorate. A
combination of dry air, some northwesterly shear, and SSTs of 25 C
or less created an environment which was certainly not conducive for
strengthening of a tropical or subtropical storm. The NHC discussion
at 10/0300 UTC noted that Andrea consisted of several small swirls
embedded within a larger circulation. Most of the associated weather
was located in the eastern half of the circulation within a band of
moderate convection. By 1500 UTC the deep convection was disappearing
quickly with only a few thunderstorms remaining in the northeastern
quadrant. Since the strongest flight-level winds measured by a
reconnaissance plane at 300 m were less than 40 kts, Andrea was down-
graded at 10/1500 UTC to a subtropical depression. The final NHC
advisory on Andrea was issued at 11/0300 UTC, placing the remnant
LOW about 70 nm northeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Andrea's remnant LOW continued to drift southward for another day or
so, then began to track generally toward the northeast. As the system
continued to pull away from the U. S. coast, environmental shear
decreased and deep convection began to flare up, helping to regenerate
a rather tight, tropical-like, circulation center. A visible image
taken at 1645 UTC on 13 May shows a small eye-like feature, and a
BYU QuikScat/Hires wind speed product at 13/0938 UTC also gave
indications of a tight circulation center with estimated winds of
over 40 kts. It seems possible that Andrea may have made the
transition to a more tropical system on the 12th and 13th and possibly
even briefly reached tropical storm intensity. It will be
interesting to see if such a determination is made during post-storm
analysis. Andrea continued to accelerate east-northeastward ahead
of an approaching front and apparently was absorbed by another
extratropical LOW center around 1200 UTC on 14 May about 50 nm east-
southeast of Bermuda.
The Wikipedia report on Subtropical Storm Andrea may be accessed at
the following URL:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subtropical_Storm_Andrea_%282007%29
C. Meteorological Data
----------------------
Most of the significant weather felt along the southeastern U. S.
coastline occurred during the early extratropical stage of Andrea.
According to the Wikipedia report, winds reached 45 kts in Norfolk,
Virginia, with an unofficial report of 50 kts near Virginia Beach.
A storm tide of 2.43 m was recorded at St. Simons Island, Georgia.
With most of the convection east of the center, rainfall amounts were
generally rather light, which was unfortunate due to the extremely
dry conditions and widespread wildfires prevalent across northeastern
Florida and southeastern Georgia.
D. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
High waves generated by both the extratropical LOW and Subtropical
Storm Andrea caused significant beach erosion and damage to boats and
shore structures from Virginia to Florida. In Virginia and the Outer
Banks of North Carolina there was some wind damage to roofs and trees
with some power outages resulting from tree limbs being blown onto
power lines. There was hope that Andrea might produce enough rainfall
to help douse the extensive wildfires burning in southern Georgia and
northern Florida. However, rainfall was light, and the gusty winds
instead fanned the flames, helping to spread the fires and interfering
with firefighting efforts. The winds spread smoke from the fires all
the way to Miami.
A boat off the Outer Banks with four occupants aboard was reported
missing and remained so after twelve days. Rough waves from the parent
extratropical LOW left two kayakers missing near Seabrook Island, South
Carolina. One was found the next day, but the other was found dead a
week later. One surfer drowned in the rough seas at New Smyrna Beach,
Florida.
More details regarding the impacts of Subtropical Storm Andrea may be
found in the online Wikipedia report, from which most of the information
in the preceding two sections was taken.
(Report written by Gary Padgett)
*************************************************************************
NORTHEAST PACIFIC (NEP) - North Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 180
Activity for May: 2 tropical storms
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 May
-------------------------------------------
Two tropical storms formed in the Eastern North Pacific during May
for the first time since 1984. The only other such occasion was in
1956. Over the period 1971-2006, the May averages for the Northeast
Pacific basin are:
NS - 0.56 NSD - 1.85
H - 0.29 HD - 0.49
IH - 0.06 IHD - 0.08
Neither storm reached hurricane intensity, and the two cyclones combined
yielded a total of 2.75 NSD (during May, that is--Barbara generated an
additional 1.25 NSD in early June). So, all things considered, tropical
cyclone activity during May was about average. Reports on Tropical
Storms Alvin and Barbara follow.
The official TPC/NHC report on Tropical Storm Alvin is already
available at the following link:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/2007epac.shtml
TROPICAL STORM ALVIN
(TC-01E)
27 - 31 May
----------------------------------------
A. General Information
----------------------
1. Identification
a. RSMC - Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center
(NHC), Miami, Florida
b. NHC - Tropical Cyclone 01E
c. NAME - Alvin (named by NHC at May 29/0300 UTC)
2. Overview
a. Basins Affected: Northeast Pacific Ocean (NEP)
b. Dates: 27 - 31 May, 2007
c. Max Sust Winds: 35 kts (1-min avg per NHC)
d. Min Cent Press: 1004 hPa (estimate per NHC)
3. Beginning of Track: May 27/0000 UTC, near 12.6N/110.6W, or about
550 nm southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico.
4. Peak Intensity: May 29/0000 UTC, near 12.6N/113.4W, or about
650 nm southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. (It should be noted that
NHC's MSW was at 35 kts from 29/0000 through 30/0600 UTC.)
5. Size: At its peak Tropical Storm Alvin was a rather small tropical
cyclone with gales extending outward from the center 50 nm in all
quadrants.
6. End of Track: May 31/1800 UTC, near 12.8N/116.0W, or about 450 nm
southwest of Socorro Island.
B. Synoptic History
-------------------
1. Origin: Over the 30-year period 1970-1999, the first Eastern North
Pacific tropical storm appeared in May thirteen times, or in 43% of
the years. However, beginning in 2000, the first named NEP system
has formed in late May every year, and 2007 was no exception. A
tropical wave entered the Eastern North Pacific on 18 May and moved
westward over the next few days with little development. By 24 May
a broad area of low pressure had formed along the wave about 475 nm
south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. Organization gradually
increased and the system was classified as Tropical Depression 01E
early on 27 May while centered about 550 nm southwest of Manzanillo.
The depression struggled in a less-than-optimum thermodynamic
environment, and later on the 27th the convection weakened and the
system was barely classifiable as a tropical depression. Also, TD-01E
was competing for inflow with another disturbance to its southeast
(which ultimately developed into Tropical Storm Barbara). Convection
began to redevelop on the 28th and the depression was upgraded to
Tropical Storm Alvin early on the 29th while located approximately
650 nm southwest of Manzanillo.
2. General Description of Track: Throughout its existence Tropical Storm
Alvin moved on a generally slow westerly track. The cyclone did not
intensify beyond minimal tropical storm intensity, and by late on the
29th convection was diminishing again. Alvin was downgraded back to
tropical depression status at 0900 UTC on 30 May and continued to
slowly weaken as it plodded westward. By the morning of 31 May Alvin
had lost all its deep convection, and at 2100 UTC that afternoon NHC
issued its final advisory on the system, downgrading it to a remnant
LOW located about 450 nm southwest of Socorro Island. The remnant
LOW subsequently drifted westward for the better part of a week with
convection intermittently flaring up within the circulation. By
early on 4 June convection had increased to the point that NHC
considered redevelopment a possibility. However, by the 6th the
thunderstorm activity had diminished and further development was not
anticipated.
C. Meteorological Data
----------------------
No observations taken in association with Tropical Storm Alvin are
available.
D. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
No damage or casualties are known to have resulted from Tropical
Storm Alvin.
(Report written by Gary Padgett)
TROPICAL STORM BARBARA
(TC-02E)
29 May - 2 June
------------------------------------------
A. General Information
----------------------
1. Identification
a. RSMC - Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center
(NHC), Miami, Florida
b. NHC - Tropical Cyclone 02E
c. NAME - Barbara (named by NHC at May 30/1500 UTC)
2. Overview
a. Basins Affected: Northeast Pacific Ocean (NEP)
b. Dates: 29 May - 2 June, 2007
c. Max Sust Winds: 45 kts (1-min avg per NHC)
d. Min Cent Press: 1000 hPa (estimate per NHC)
3. Beginning of Track: May 29/1800 UTC, near 14.2N/97.7W, or about
200 nm southwest of Salina Cruz, Mexico.
4. Peak Intensity: June 01/1800 UTC, near 13.3N/94.1W, or about
200 nm south-southeast of Salina Cruz, Mexico. (It should be noted
that NHC's MSW was at 45 kts from 01/1800 through 02/1800 UTC.)
5. Size: At its peak Tropical Storm Barbara was a rather small tropical
cyclone with gale radii of 60 nm in the eastern semicircle and around
40 nm in the western quadrants. However, shortly before landfall in
Mexico the gale radii were estimated at only 30 nm in all quadrants.
6. End of Track: June 02/2100 UTC, near 15.5N/92.2W, or inland in
extreme southeastern Mexico near the Guatemalan border.
B. Synoptic History
-------------------
1. Origin: A slow-moving tropical wave emerged from Central America
into the Eastern North Pacific on 24 May, producing disorganized
showers and thunderstorms for the next couple of days. On 28 May
a small area of low pressure formed a couple hundred miles southwest
of the Gulf of Tehuantepec as the wave interacted with the ITCZ.
Convection became better organized on the 29th and advisories on
Tropical Depression 02E were initiated at 2100 UTC with the center
located approximately 200 nm southwest of Salina Cruz, Mexico, or
about 100 nm southwest of Puerto Angel. The development of this
system in fairly close proximity to Tropical Storm Alvin was one of
the factors which helped to inhibit Alvin from strengthening by
competing with the storm for inflow. TD-02E moved slowly south-
eastward and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Barbara at 1500 UTC
on 30 May while located about 180 nm southwest of Salina Cruz.
The formation of two tropical storms during the month of May has not
occurred in the Eastern North Pacific basin since 1984, when Alma and
Boris both formed during the latter part of May. Tropical Storm Alma
formed on 17 May very deep in the tropics far to the south of Acapulco
and became a tropical storm the next day, peaking at 50 kts on 19 May.
Alma followed an extremely straight westerly track, dissipating far
to the southwest of Baja California. Remarkably, the center of
Tropical Storm Alma remained below 10N, the northernmost latitude of
its entire track being 9.6N.
The second May storm of 1984, Hurricane Boris, formed on 28 May south
of the Gulf of Tehuantepec in the same general region that this year's
Barbara developed. Boris quickly reached tropical storm intensity as
it moved west-northwestward roughly parallel to the Mexican coastline,
and very briefly became a 65-kt hurricane on the 30th while southeast
of Acapulco. The storm then began to weaken and was downgraded to a
tropical depression south of Acapulco on 1 June. Boris spent almost
two weeks as a weak depression (at times only 20 kts), describing a
counter-clockwise loop south of Acapulco, then embarking on a slow
westerly course just south of the 15th parallel. Finally, on 13 June
while located several hundred miles south of the tip of the Baja,
Boris regained tropical storm intensity and turned to a north-
northwesterly track, peaking at 50 kts on the 14th. Upon reaching
the 20th parallel on 17 June, Boris turned back to the west-northwest
and quickly dissipated. The entire lifespan of Hurricane Boris
extended from 28 May through 18 June, making it certainly one of the
longer-lived Eastern North Pacific cyclones on record, especially
among those storms whose entire tracks lay east of longitude 140W.
2. General Description of Track: Tropical Storm Barbara moved initially
south-southeastward and later eastward due to the steering influence
of an upper-level trough over the Gulf of Mexico. A ridge extended
southeastward from the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, and after Barbara
had tracked eastward to just east of the 95th meridian, a weakness
developed in the ridge which allowed the tropical cyclone to track
northeastward toward the Central American coast. Barbara reached an
initial peak intensity of 40 kts at 1800 UTC on 30 May. However, an
increase in vertical shear and a decrease in low-level inflow on the
31st resulted in some weakening and Barbara was downgraded to a
tropical depression early on 1 June. Later in the day, however,
banding features began to redevelop and a QuikScat overpass indicated
the existence of a well-defined circulation.
Barbara was re-upgraded to tropical storm status at 01/1500 UTC, and
in a relatively favorable environment, soon reached its peak intensity
of 45 kts. The storm took aim at the border between Mexico and
Guatemala, moving inland shortly after 1200 UTC on 2 June. Satellite
imagery indicated that a low-level eye feature developed shortly
before landfall. Once inland, the cyclone began to quickly weaken
over the mountainous terrain and NHC issued the final advisory on
the system at 02/2100 UTC with the center located about 65 km north-
northeast of Tapachula, Mexico. The exact point of landfall appeared
to be in Mexico about 25 nm west of the Guatemalan border.
The Wikipedia report on Tropical Storm Barbara may be accessed at
the following URL:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_Storm_Barbara_%282007%29
C. Meteorological Data
----------------------
As Barbara moved inland an automated surface observation from the
Mexican Navy at Puerto Madero reported 31-kt winds with gusts to 46 kts
and a pressure of 1003.4 mb. An observation at Tapachula reported a
pressure of 1005.1 mb.
D. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
According to the online Wikipedia report, damage from Barbara was
minor, limited to downed light poles, damaged roofs, and a brief power
outage. In Ocos, Guatemala, near the border, the roofs of about a dozen
palm huts were destroyed and heavy rainfall led to some flooding--the
island of Ocos was separated from the mainland after a bridge was washed
away.
(Report written by Gary Padgett)
*************************************************************************
NORTHWEST PACIFIC (NWP) - North Pacific Ocean West of Longitude 180
Activity for May: 1 typhoon
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 May
-------------------------------------------
Only one tropical cyclone came to life in the Northwest Pacific basin
during May, but it became a very impressive storm. Typhoon Yutu followed
a typical recurving track from deep in the tropics, passing near Yap,
and recurving approximately halfway between Luzon and the Marianas.
Yutu peaked at 125 kts (per JTWC's analysis), only 5 kts shy of super
typhoon status. As the storm began to accelerate northeastward, it
passed very near the tiny island of Iwo Jima. A report on Typhoon Yutu,
authored by Kevin Boyle, follows.
TYPHOON YUTU
(TC-02W / TY 0702 / AMANG)
15 - 25 May
----------------------------------------------
A. General Information
----------------------
1. Identification
a. RSMC - Japanese Meteorological Agency, Tokyo (JMA)
b. JMA - Typhoon 0702
c. JTWC - Tropical Cyclone 02w
d. NAME - Yutu (named by JMA at May 17/0600 UTC; name contributed
to the regional list by China, and is the Jade Hare.
The hare which lives on the moon. Chang'e, wife of Yi
(a tribal chief in ancient China), stole her husband's
elixir of immortality, and fled to the moon together
with the hare. They are said to be still living there
in a palace.)
e. PAGASA - Typhoon Amang
2. Overview
a. Basins Affected: Northwest Pacific Ocean (NWP)
b. Dates: 15 - 25 May, 2007
c. Max Sust Winds: 125 kts (1-min avg per JTWC)
95 kts (10-min avg per JMA)
d. Min Cent Press: 935 hPa (estimate per JMA)
3. Beginning of Track: May 15/0600 UTC, near 8.8N/146.5E, or about
300 nm south-southeast of Guam, as referenced in a High Seas bulletin
issued by JMA.
4. Peak Intensity: May 20/1200 UTC, near 19.8N/135.3E, or about
450 nm southwest of Iwo Jima.
5. Size: At its peak Typhoon Yutu was an average-sized cyclone with
gale radii averaging between 120-140 nm.
6. End of Track: May 25/0600 UTC, near 37.0N/173.0W, or about 575 nm
north-northeast of Midway Island.
B. Synoptic History
-------------------
1. Origin: Typhoon Yutu was first mentioned as a disturbance in JTWC's
STWO at 1300 UTC 13 May, located approximately 120 nm southwest of
Chuuk. The system passed 260 nm south of Guam on 15 May, and a TCFA
was issued at 15/1030 UTC, based on significant consolidation of the
system over the previous 12 hours. Convection was mostly confined to
the northern periphery of the disturbance with weak, convective
banding developing in the western and southern quadrants. Remarks in
a 2nd TCFA at 16/1030 UTC included: "Recent enhanced infrared
satellite imagery indicates an increasingly well-defined LLCC also
evident in a 16/0807 UTC microwave satellite pass. The disturbance
continues to organize slowly, with the strongest convection persisting
in a zone of low-level convergence east of the LLCC. Upper-level
analysis reveals good poleward and equatorward diffluence associated
with ridging aloft.
2. General Description of Track: The first warning on Tropical
Depression 02W at 1200 UTC 16 May placed the centre approximately
320 nm east of Yap. Drifting westwards south of a subtropical ridge,
TD-02W intensified and was upgraded to a tropical storm by both JMA
and JTWC at 0600 UTC 17 May while passing near Yap, the name being
assigned by JMA. Turning west-northwestward, Yutu continued to
strengthen and became a typhoon on 18 May. On 19 May Yutu veered
northwards into a weakness in the subtropical ridge induced by a
mid-latitude trough over Korea and northeastern China. The typhoon
continued to intensify and reached its peak intensity of 125 kts at
20/1200 UTC, around 24 hours after reaching its recurvature point.
Continuing northeast, Yutu began to slowly weaken, passing very near
Iwo Jima on 21 May. Extratropical transition was completed by 22 May.
The remnant extratropical gale moved quickly east-northeastward across
the North Pacific, crossing the Dateline around 1800 UTC on 24 May.
By 25/0600 UTC the system had weakened to 30 kts near 37.0N/173.0W.
C. Meteorological Data
----------------------
1. The highest wind gust reported on Iwo Jima was 104 kts at 1500 UTC
21 May with a sustained wind of 68 kts at 21/1440 UTC. The lowest
pressure was 976 mb at 21/1500 UTC.
2. A peak wind gust of 34 kt was observed on Yap at 1353 UTC 17 May.
D. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
There were no reports of damage or casualties associated with Typhoon
Yutu.
(Report written by Kevin Boyle)
*************************************************************************
NORTH INDIAN OCEAN (NIO) - Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea
Activity for May: 1 depression **
1 cyclonic storm
** - not treated as a tropical depression 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.
NOTE ON WIND AVERAGING TIMES IN THE NORTH INDIAN OCEAN
------------------------------------------------------
As a result of some discussion with one of the Wikipedia writers who
covers many Indian Ocean cyclones, I revisited the wind averaging issue
with Dr. O. P. Singh, formerly associated with RSMC New Delhi but now the
new Director of Satellite Meteorology in IMD. Dr. Singh reconfirmed what
is stated above--that IMD does not modify the Dvorak scale when
estimating the peak winds in tropical cyclones. This was very apparent
in some of the advisories on Super Cyclonic Storm Gonu in June which
gave the analyzed Dvorak CI number as well as the estimated maximum
sustained wind.
However, another party within IMD stated to the Wikipedia writer that
their cyclone winds were assumed to be 3-minute averages. Therefore, the
Wikipedia reports for the North Indian Ocean cyclones have been modified
to indicate that the official RSMC wind estimates are 3-minute averages.
Obviously, the difference between a peak 1-minute average and a peak
3-minute average would be negligible--far less than the average error
inherent in estimating tropical cyclone intensity using the Dvorak
method.
North Indian Ocean Tropical Activity for May
--------------------------------------------
The North Indian Ocean basin, encompassing the Bay of Bengal and the
Arabian Sea, is the least active of the world's tropical cyclone basins,
averaging about 5 NS per year. (This is based on the period 1981-2002.)
November is the most active month (1.5 NS) while October is the second-
most active (1.0 NS). Most activity occurs in the spring and autumn
transition seasons when the ITCZ is moving northward and southward
through the region. The months of October-December produce about 61% of
all NS, while about 27% form during the months of May and June. The
2007 season began right on schedule when Cyclonic Storm Akash formed in
mid-May in the Bay of Bengal and tracked steadily northward toward a
landfall in Bangladesh. A report on this system follows.
Earlier, another system was classified as a depression by the Thai
and Indian Meteorological Services. This system formed late in April
east of the Malay Peninsula (actually in the Northwest Pacific basin)
and drifted westward, crossing the Peninsula and entering the Andaman
Sea. IMD designated the disturbance as a depression on 3 May after it
had strengthened slightly. The depression subsequently moved northward
and made a second landfall in Myanmar on 5 May. This system brought
significant rainfall to portions of Thailand. JTWC mentioned this
system in the daily STWOs for a few days, and assigned a development
potential of 'fair' on 1 May, but no TCFA was ever issued. JTWC
estimated the maximum intensity at 20-25 kts, which corroborates well
with IMD's classification as a depression (as opposed to a 'deep
depression'). More information on this system can be found in the
Wikipedia report, from which some of the above information was obtained.
CYCLONIC STORM AKASH
(TC-01B)
12 - 15 May
----------------------------------------
A. General Information
----------------------
1. Identification
a. RSMC - India Meteorological Department (IMD), New Delhi
b. JTWC - Tropical Cyclone 01B
c. NAME - Akash (named by IMD at May 14/0000 UTC; name contributed
to the regional list by India)
2. Overview
a. Basins Affected: North Indian Ocean (NIO)
b. Dates: 12 - 15 May, 2007
c. Max Sust Winds: 65 kts (1-min avg per JTWC)
45 kts (1-min avg per IMD)
d. Min Cent Press: 988 hPa (estimate per IMD)
3. Beginning of Track: May 12/1800 UTC, near 14.4N/90.6E, or about
500 nm south-southwest of Chittagong, Bangladesh, as referenced
in a satellite bulletin from JTWC.
4. Peak Intensity: May 14/1800 UTC, near 21.4N/92.1E, or about 65 nm
south-southeast of Chittagong, Bangladesh.
5. Size: At its peak Cyclonic Storm Akash was a fairly small tropical
cyclone with gale radii of 55-65 nm to the north and 70 nm in the
southern semicircle.
6. End of Track: May 15/0000 UTC, near 22.4N/92.4E, or inland about
45 km east-southeast of Chittagong, Bangladesh.
B. Synoptic History
-------------------
1. Origin: Cyclonic Storm Akash, the first tropical cyclone of tropical
storm or hurricane intensity in the North Indian Ocean during 2007,
had its origins within an area of convection which developed in the
Bay of Bengal and at 12 May 1000 UTC was located about 320 nm west-
southwest of Yangon, Myanmar. A LLCC was consolidating with
convection present along the periphery. Vertical shear was moderate
and divergence aloft was weak but improving. JTWC initially assessed
the development potential as 'poor', but this was upped to 'fair' at
1800 UTC as the disturbance was showing some signs of increased
organization. The system exhibited some of the characteristics of
a monsoon depression with the strongest winds located on the outer
periphery of the circulation, as revealed in a 12/1141 UTC QuikScat
pass.
The LOW remained quasi-stationary until early on the 13th when a
pronounced northerly motion commenced. The LLCC continued to
consolidate and a 13/0419 UTC TRMM microwave image revealed convection
wrapping into the LLCC from the northern and southwestern quadrants.
IMD classified the disturbance as a depression at 13/0300 UTC, and
JTWC issued a TCFA for the system at 13/1100 UTC. The environment had
become extremely conducive for development with a mid-latitude trough
over northeastern India aiding poleward outflow and an anticyclone
developing over the disturbance at 200 hPa. JTWC issued the first
warning on TC-01B at 13/1800 UTC with the center located approximately
300 nm west of Yangon, Myanmar, and moving northward at 7 kts. The
system was being steered northward along the western periphery of a
mid-level ridge extending from the South China Sea into eastern
Myanmar. The initial warning intensity was 35 kts. At 13/2100 UTC
IMD upgraded the depression to deep depression status, implying peak
1-min avg winds of 30 kts.
2. General Description of Track: TC-01B continued to steadily intensify;
by 14/0000 UTC winds had reached 50 kts based on satellite bulletins
from AFWA, SAB and JTWC. At 14/0000 UTC IMD upgraded the system to
cyclonic storm status, assigning the name Akash. Cyclonic Storm Akash
never deviated from its track which was very slightly east of due
north. A 14/0202 UTC SSMI/S microwave image revealed deep convection
fully wrapping around the LLCC. At 14/0600 UTC Akash was located
about 255 nm south of Chittagong, Bangladesh, and the northerly motion
had increased to 15 kts.
Cyclonic Storm Akash reached its estimated peak intensity of 65 kts
at 14/1800 UTC when it was centered only 60 nm south-southeast of
Chittagong and moving inland into extreme southeastern Bangladesh.
Tightly-curved banding was evident in satellite imagery and a 14/1539
UTC AMSU image indicated a developing eye. Dvorak estimates from
AFWA and JTWC had reached T4.0/4.0 by this time, while the final
estimate from SAB at 14/1430 UTC was T3.5/3.5. However, IMD's peak
MSW for Akash was only 45 kts with an attendant estimated minimum
CP of 988 hPa. The cyclone's forward motion had accelerated to 17 kts
by the time of landfall as it was under the steering influence of the
deep-layer anticyclone centered over Southeast Asia and the
mid-latitude shortwave trough to the northwest of the storm. After
landfall Akash began to quickly weaken; JTWC issued their final
warning at 15/0000 UTC with the winds down to 50 kts and the center
located about 65 km east-northeast of Chittagong. IMD, however, down-
graded Akash to a deep depression at this time and further to a 25-kt
depression at 15/0300 UTC. By 1200 UTC the former tropical cyclone
had degenerated into a low-pressure area over the extreme eastern
Indian state of Assam.
The Wikipedia report on Cyclonic Storm Akash may be accessed at the
following URL:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Akash
C. Meteorological Data
----------------------
According to the online Wikipedia report, Sittwe, Myanmar, experienced
a storm tide of 3 m which flooded coastal areas. Near its landfall
location Akash produced a storm tide of 1.5 m. One station (name or
location unknown) recorded 53 mm of rainfall in association with Akash.
Chittagong, about 60 nm north of the point of landfall, reported peak
winds of only 20 kts with a minimum SLP of 996.8 hPa.
D. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
Near the point of landfall 30 businesses were destroyed, and the
cyclone also destroyed 205 houses with 845 damaged. Akash caused
moderate crop damage near the coast, destroying 2 ha (4.9 acres) of
shrimp farms. The Cox's Bazar District experienced power outages due
to strong winds, and 200 trees were downed on St. Martin's Island.
Reports indicated that 10 boats were missing with a total of 50
fishermen aboard. On St. Martin's Island three fatalities were
confirmed. More information can be obtained from the Wikipedia report.
(Report written by Gary Padgett)
*************************************************************************
SOUTHWEST INDIAN OCEAN (SWI) - South Indian Ocean West of Longitude 90E
Activity for May: No tropical cyclones
*************************************************************************
NORTHWEST AUSTRALIA/SOUTHEAST INDIAN OCEAN (AUW) - From 90E to 135E
Activity for May: No tropical cyclones
*************************************************************************
NORTHEAST AUSTRALIA/CORAL SEA (AUE) - From 135E to 160E
Activity for May: 1 tropical cyclone of gale intensity
Sources of Information
----------------------
The primary sources of tracking and intensity information for
Northeast Australia/Coral Sea tropical cyclones are the warnings
and advices issued by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres at
Brisbane, Queensland, and Darwin, Northern Territory, and on very
infrequent occasions, by the centre at Port Moresby, Papua New
Guinea. 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 the Australian centres' coor-
dinates 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.
Northeast Australia/Coral Sea
Tropical Activity for May
---------------------------
After lying dormant for over two months, the Coral Sea managed to
produce one more tropical cyclone during the 2006-2007 season. Tropical
Cyclone Pierre was a minimal, short-lived system in mid-May which formed
to the east of southeastern Papua New Guinea. After existing as a
tropical cyclone for less than two days, the remnant LOW moved westward
across the southeastern tip of New Guinea into the Torres Strait, finally
dissipating near the northern tip of Australia's Cape York Peninsula.
Following is a report on Pierre, written by Simon Clarke.
TROPICAL CYCLONE PIERRE
(TC-24P)
16 - 21 May
-------------------------------------------
A. General Information
----------------------
1. Identification
a. RSMC - BoM Brisbane
b. JTWC - Tropical Cyclone 24P
c. NAME - Pierre (named by BoM Brisbane at May 17/0000 UTC)
2. Overview
a. Basins Affected: Northeast Australia/Coral Sea (AUE)
b. Dates: 16 - 21 May, 2007
c. Max Sust Winds: 40 kts (10-min avg per BoM Brisbane)
35 kts (1-min avg per JTWC)
d. Min Cent Press: 992 hPa (estimate per BoM Brisbane)
3. Beginning of Track: May 16/0000 UTC, near 10.3S/157.2E, or about
175 nm west-southwest of Honiara, Guadalcanal, as referenced in
initial gale warning issued by BoM Brisbane.
4. Peak Intensity: May 17/0000 UTC, near 10.7S/156.6E, or about 215 nm
west-southwest of Honiara, Guadalcanal. (It should be noted that
BoM Brisbane's MSW was at 40 kts from 17/0000 through 18/0600 UTC.)
5. Size: Based on BoM Brisbane's warnings, at its peak Tropical Cyclone
Pierre was an average-sized cyclone with gales extending outward
about 100 nm from the center.
6. End of Track: May 21/1800 UTC, near 11.0S/143.0E, or over the
extreme northern tip of the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland.
B. Synoptic History
-------------------
1. Origin: Pierre originated from a tropical LOW embedded in the inter-
tropical convergence zone. The LOW was clearly visible as a
diurnally 'flaring' westward-moving depression in the Solomon Sea
several days prior to consolidation into a cyclone. With good upper-
level outflow to the north and south and low vertical wind shear,
thunderstorm activity concentrated around the LLCC, leading to
intensification into a tropical cyclone at 17/00600 UTC near
10.7S/156.6E (or approximately 215 nm WSW of Honiara, Guadalcanal).
The cyclone was named by BoM Brisbane. However, the onward track was
into Port Moresby's AOR.
2. General Description of Track: Despite being located in a fairly
favourable environment for further intensification, Pierre remained a
weak, minimal Category 1 cyclone. Disorganised deep convection
persisted at the periphery of the LLCC as the system drifted in a
general westerly direction at 5 kts along the northern edge of the
subtropical ridge anchored to the south over the Coral Sea. Peak
intensity was achieved soon after the time of naming (40 kts 10-min
avg MSW / CP of 992 hPa).
As the cyclone approached the southeastern tip of Papua New Guinea,
another weak low pressure circulation could be seen in visible
satellite imagery to the near north of Pierre. This LLCC appeared to
interrupt the inflow of tropical moisture into Pierre, particularly
from the north. A wedge of dry air wrapped into Pierre's weak
circulation from the northwest, severely disorganising the cyclone's
convective structure. Pierre was downgraded at 18/1200 UTC while
located approx 110 nm ENE of the southeastern tip of Papua New
Guinea as stronger upper-level wind shear blew away the remaining
areas of convection to the southeast.
Ex-Pierre's circulation appeared to merge with the secondary LLCC to
its near north, and the combined system continued on a tack over
southeastern Papua New Guinea, eventually emerging into the Gulf of
Papua close to Port Moresby (at approximately 20/000 UTC). Despite
some convection re-wrapping into the remnant LLCC as it moved
westward across the Gulf, SSTs were too cool for any significant
re-intensification. The LLCC continued to drift to the west,
eventually dissipating as it approached the northern tip of Cape
York Peninsula, Australia, at 21/1800 UTC.
C. Meteorological Data
----------------------
No meteorological observations are available.
D. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
There were no reports of any significant damage associated with
Pierre. Severe Weather Warnings were issued by BoM, Brisbane, for
potentially heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts
as the remnant LLCC approached the far northern tip of Cape York.
However, the system weakened significantly on its approach to Cape
York and no significant weather impacts were reported.
(Report written by Simon Clarke)
*************************************************************************
SOUTH PACIFIC (SPA) - South Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 160E
Activity for May: 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
(4) Cyclone Tracking Information
--------------------------------
There is a U. S. Navy site that tracks tropical cyclones at 6-hourly
intervals which often includes pre and post-advisory positions. The
link to the site is:
http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/atcf_web/doc_archives/
These tracks are often updated as further analysis occurs and may be
considered as sort of a working "best track".
Steve Young has compiled many of these tracks onto a single webpage
which is very user-friendly:
http://home.earthlink.net/~shy9/tc1.htm
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 2005 (2004-2005 season for the Southern Hemisphere).
ATCRs for earlier years are available also.
The URL is: https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php
Also, TPC/NHC has available on its webpage nice "technicolor"
tracking charts for the 2006 Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific
tropical cyclones; also, storm reports for all the 2006 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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