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000
ABNT30 KNHC 011356
TWSAT 
MONTHLY TROPICAL WEATHER SUMMARY 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 
8 AM EDT SUN OCT 01 2000 
  
SUMMARY OF TROPICAL CYCLONE ACTIVITY FOR SEPTEMBER 2000 
  
FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO... 
 
THE TROPICAL CYCLONE ACTIVITY IN SEPTEMBER WAS CONSIDERABLY ABOVE
AVERAGE.

THERE WERE SEVEN TROPICAL STORMS...FIVE OF WHICH REACHED HURRICANE
STATUS.  HURRICANES ISAAC AND KEITH WERE MAJOR HURRICANES.  THE LAST
TIME THAT SEVEN STORMS FORMED IN SEPTEMBER WAS 1988 AND FIVE
HURRICANES LAST FORMED IN SEPTEMBER 1998.  ON AVERAGE...ABOUT THREE
OR FOUR TROPICAL STORMS FORM IN SEPTEMBER OF WHICH TWO REACH
HURRICANE STATUS.  

ERNESTO FORMED ABOUT 840 MILES EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES ON THE
1ST AND STRENGTHENED INTO A TROPICAL STORM ON THE 2ND.  STRONG
VERTICAL WIND SHEAR WEAKENED THE STORM AND ERNESTO DETERIORATED INTO
A TROPICAL WAVE ON THE 3RD.

TROPICAL DEPRESSION NINE FORMED IN THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO ON
THE 8TH ABOUT 95 MILES SOUTH OF CAMERON LOUISIANA.  IT MOVED SLOWLY
NORTHWARD BUT QUICKLY DISSIPATED EARLY ON THE 9TH BEFORE MAKING
LANDFALL.  HOWEVER...THE DEPRESSION PRODUCED HEAVY RAINFALL OVER
EAST TEXAS AND LOUISIANA AS THE REMNANTS MOVED ASHORE.

FLORENCE DEVELOPED ABOUT 380 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF CAPE HATTERAS
NORTH CAROLINA ON THE 11TH.  AIR FORCE RECONNAISSANCE INDICATED THAT
IT REACHED TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH THE NEXT DAY.  THE STORM BRIEFLY
ATTAINED HURRICANE STATUS ON THE 12TH BEFORE WEAKENING TO A TROPICAL
STORM THE NEXT DAY.  FLORENCE MOVED LITTLE FOR THREE DAYS...THEN
TRAVELED NORTHEASTWARD QUICKLY AND REGAINED HURRICANE STATUS ON THE
15TH.  THE HURRICANE THREATENED BERMUDA AND BROUGHT TROPICAL STORM
FORCE WINDS TO THE ISLAND.  FLORENCE MERGED WITH AN EXTRATROPICAL
CYCLONE SOUTH OF NEWFOUNDLAND ON THE 17TH.

GORDON WAS THE FIRST U.S. LANDFALLING TROPICAL STORM OF THE SEASON. 
IT FORMED NEAR THE NORTHERN COAST OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA ON THE
14TH AND DRIFTED NORTHWARD INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO...DEVELOPING INTO
A TROPICAL STORM THE NEXT DAY.  GORDON MOVED NORTHEASTWARD AND
INTENSIFIED STEADILY...BECOMING A MINIMAL HURRICANE WITH PEAK WINDS
OF 75 MPH ON THE 19TH ABOUT 300 MILES SOUTH OF APALACHICOLA FLORIDA.
VERTICAL WIND SHEAR WEAKENED GORDON TO TROPICAL STORM INTENSITY
BEFORE IT MADE LANDFALL NEAR CEDAR KEY FLORIDA WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF
65 MPH ON THE EVENING OF THE 17TH.  THE STORM DUMPED HEAVY RAIN IN
THE SOUTHEAST U.S. AS IT CONTINUED NORTHEASTWARD WITH A FEW
TORNADOES REPORTED ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDA.  GORDON BEGAN
TO MERGE WITH A COLD FRONT OVER THE SOUTHEAST U.S. AND BECAME
EXTRATROPICAL ON THE 18TH.  19 DEATHS WERE REPORTED IN GUATEMALA DUE
TO FLOODING.  DAMAGE ESTIMATES ARE NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.

THE TROPICAL DEPRESSION THAT SPAWNED HELENE FORMED ABOUT 470 MILES
EAST OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS ON THE 15TH.  THE DEPRESSION WEAKENED
INTO A STRONG TROPICAL WAVE THE NEXT DAY BEFORE IT REACHED THE
CARIBBEAN.  HOWEVER...THE NORTHEASTERN LEEWARD ISLANDS REPORTED
HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS AS THE WAVE MOVED WESTWARD ACROSS THE
CARIBBEAN ON THE 17TH.  A TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMED ON THE 19TH
ABOUT 60 MILES NORTHEAST OF GRAND CAYMAN ISLAND.  THE WEAK
DEPRESSION MOVED NORTHWEST AND AIR FORCE RECONNAISSANCE ON THE 22ND
INDICATED THAT A TROPICAL STORM HAD FORMED.  HELENE ACCELERATED
TOWARD THE NORTH AND REACHED A MAXIMUM INTENSITY OF 65 MPH LATER
THAT DAY OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO.  HOWEVER...THE STORM WEAKENED
BEFORE LANDFALL AND HELENE MOVED INLAND NEAR FORT WALTON BEACH
FLORIDA ON THE MORNING OF THE 23RD WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS OF
45 MPH.  FLOODING WAS REPORTED ACROSS THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND
GEORGIA WITH 8-10 INCHES OF RAIN RECORDED IN THE TALLAHASSEE AREA. 
THE STORM WEAKENED TO A DEPRESSION SOON AND MOVED NORTHEAST INTO
GEORGIA WHILE DISSIPATING.  THERE WERE NO DIRECT DEATHS ASSOCIATED
WITH HELENE.  DAMAGE FIGURES ARE NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.

ISAAC WAS THE SECOND MAJOR HURRICANE OF THE SEASON...DEVELOPING
ABOUT 225 MILES SOUTH OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS ON THE 21ST.  THE
DEPRESSION STRENGTHENED INTO A TROPICAL STORM THE NEXT DAY AS IT
MOVED TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST.  ISAAC RAPIDLY BECAME A HURRICANE
ON THE 23RD AND STRENGTHENED FURTHER INTO A MAJOR HURRICANE LATER
THAT EVENING.   THE STORM REMAINED A POWERFUL HURRICANE AS IT BEGAN
TO TURN MORE TOWARD THE NORTHWEST...REACHING A MAXIMUM INTENSITY OF
140 MPH ON THE 28TH.  THE HURRICANE RECURVED OUT TO SEA WELL EAST OF
BERMUDA AND IS CURRENTLY MOVING NORTHEAST OVER THE NORTH ATLANTIC.

JOYCE FORMED ABOUT 570 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS ON
THE 25TH.  IT BECAME A TROPICAL STORM LATER THAT DAY AS IT MOVED TO
THE WEST.  SATELLITE ESTIMATES INDICATED THAT JOYCE BECAME A
HURRICANE ON THE 27TH WITH A PEAK INTENSITY OF 90 MPH.  THE STORM
TURNED WEST-SOUTHWEST AND WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL STORM ON THE 29TH. 
JOYCE IS CURRENTLY MOVING THROUGH THE SOUTHERN WINDWARD ISLANDS AS A
MINIMAL TROPICAL STORM.

KEITH DEVELOPED ABOUT 60 MILES NORTHEAST OF CAPE A DIOS HONDURAS ON
THE 28TH.  AIRCRAFT RECONNAISSANCE ON THE 29TH INDICATED THAT THE
DEPRESSION HAD BECOME A TROPICAL STORM AS IT MOVED SLOWLY NORTHWEST.
KEITH RAPIDLY INTENSIFIED DURING THE DAY ON THE 30TH AND IS
CURRENTLY A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE OFF THE EAST COAST OF YUCATAN.

                             SUMMARY TABLE 
 
  NAME         DATES           WIND (MPH)   DEATHS   U.S. DAMAGE 
---------   ---------------   -----------   ------  ------------- 
 ERNESTO    SEP 1 - 3             40           0
 TD 9       SEP 8 - 9             35           0
 FLORENCE   SEP 11 - 17           80           2
 GORDON     SEP 15 - 18           75          19         *
 HELENE     SEP 15 - 22           65           0         *
 ISAAC      SEP 21 -             140           0
 JOYCE      SEP 25 -              90           0
 KEITH      SEP 29 -             135           0

* -- DAMAGE ESTIMATES NOT AVAILABLE

BLAKE/AVILA/BEVEN/FRANKLIN/LAWRENCE/PASCH/STEWART