424 ABNT30 KNHC 181951 PAA TWSAT MONTHLY TROPICAL WEATHER SUMMARY NWS/TPC NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 3 PM EST THU DEC 18 2003 ...UPDATED FOR DECEMBER TROPICAL STORMS ODETTE AND PETER AND A FEW OTHER CHANGES... FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO... THERE WERE 16 NAMED TROPICAL CYCLONES IN THE ATLANTIC BASIN IN 2003...OF WHICH SEVEN BECAME HURRICANES. THESE TOTALS COMPARE TO LONG-TERM AVERAGES OF 10 NAMED TROPICAL CYCLONES AND SIX HURRICANES. THERE HAVE BEEN SIX SEASONS WITH 16 OR MORE NAMED TROPICAL CYCLONES IN THE 118 SEASONS SINCE 1886...SO THIS SEASON RANKS IN THE UPPER FIVE PERCENTILE OF SEASONAL NUMBER OF NAMED TROPICAL CYCLONES. SEVEN HURRICANES IS CLOSE TO THE LONG-TERM AVERAGE VALUE OF SIX...BUT BOTH FABIAN AND ISABEL WERE EXCEPTIONALLY LONG-LIVED AND INTENSE HURRICANES AND FABIAN... ISABEL...AND KATE WERE MAJOR HURRICANES...WITH WIND SPEEDS OF 111 MPH OR HIGHER...OR CATEGORY THREE OR HIGHER ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. IN ADDITION...THERE WERE FIVE TROPICAL DEPRESSIONS THAT DID NOT REACH STORM STRENGTH. EIGHT NAMED TROPICAL CYCLONES HAD SOME EFFECT ON THE THE UNITED STATES. SWELLS FROM EARLY-SEASON TROPICAL STORM ANA CAUSED TWO DROWNING DEATHS IN FLORIDA...TROPICAL STORM BILL MADE LANDFALL IN LOUISIANA...CLAUDETTE HIT TEXAS NEAR MATAGORDA ISLAND AS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE...HURRICANE ERIKA MADE LANDFALL IN MEXICO...BUT BROUGHT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS TO SOUTH TEXAS...GRACE MADE LANDFALL IN TEXAS AS A WEAKENING TROPICAL STORM...SWELLS FROM HURRICANE FABIAN CAUSED A RIP-CURRENT DROWNING IN NORTH CAROLINA...TROPICAL STORM HENRI MADE LANDFALL ON THE CENTRAL FLORIDA GULF COAST AS A TROPICAL DEPRESSION...AND ISABELS LANDFALL ON THE OUTER BANKS BROUGHT HURRICANE CONDITIONS TO PORTIONS OF NORTH CAROLINA AND VIRGINIA AND RECORD FLOOD WATER LEVELS IN THE UPPER CHESAPEAKE BAY. ELSEWHERE...CLAUDETTE MADE LANDFALL ON THE YUCATAN PENINSULA AS A TROPICAL STORM...ERIKA MADE LANDFALL ON MEXICOS NORTHERN GULF COAST AS A MINIMAL HURRICANE...FABIAN WAS THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE HURRICANE TO HIT BERMUDA IN OVER 75 YEARS...JUAN WAS THE WORST HURRICANE TO HIT HALIFAX NOVA SCOTIA IN ITS MODERN HISTORY...TROPICAL STORM LARRY MADE LANDFALL ON THE BAY OF CAMPECHE COAST OF MEXICO...AND TROPICAL STORM ODETTE DUMPED HEAVY RAIN ON HISPANIOLA. AN EARLY-SEASON APRIL TROPICAL STORM ANA AND TWO LATE-SEASON DECEMBER TROPICAL STORMS...ODETTE AND PETER...STRETCHED THE SEASON WELL BEYOND THE USUAL JUNE-THROUGH NOVEMBER TIME PERIOD. ANA IS THE FIRST APRIL TROPICAL STORM ON RECORD AND THE ONLY OTHER YEAR ON RECORD WITH TWO DECEMBER TROPICAL CYCLONES IS 1887. IN THE BRIEF INDIVIDUAL SUMMARIES BELOW...DATES ARE BASED ON UNIVERSAL COORDINATED TIME AND DISTANCES ARE GIVEN IN STATUTE MILES. MORE DETAILED ACCOUNTS OF INDIVIDUAL STORMS ARE CONTAINED IN TROPICAL CYCLONE REPORTS AVAILABLE ON THE TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER INTERNET SITE AT HTTP://WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/2003ATLAN.SHTML. ANA HAS THE DISTINCTION OF BEING THE FIRST ATLANTIC TROPICAL STORM ON RECORD IN THE MONTH OF APRIL. IT FORMED AS A SUBTROPICAL CYCLONE ABOUT 250 MILES WEST OF BERMUDA ON 20 APRIL...AND SOON BECAME TROPICAL. ANA MOVED GENERALLY TOWARD THE EAST ACROSS THE CENTRAL NORTH ATLANTIC WITH MAXIMUM WINDS REACHING 60 MPH... BEFORE BECOMING EXTRATROPICAL ON 24 APRIL. TWO DEATHS ARE ATTRIBUTED TO ANA...WHEN A BOAT CAPSIZED AT JUPITER INLET FLORIDA ON 20 APRIL...DUE TO A COMBINATION OF INCOMING SWELLS FROM ANA AND THE OUTGOING TIDE. SHORT-LIVED TROPICAL DEPRESSION TWO DEVELOPED IN THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC ON 10 JUNE...ONLY THE THIRD TROPICAL CYCLONE TO FORM EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES IN JUNE SINCE 1967. THE DEPRESSION MOVED QUICKLY WESTWARD AND DEGENERATED INTO A TROPICAL WAVE ONLY ONE DAY AFTER IT FORMED. TROPICAL STORM BILL FORMED OVER THE SOUTHERN GULF OF MEXICO ON 29 JUNE...FROM THE INTERACTION OF A TROPICAL WAVE WITH AN UPPER-LEVEL LOW. IT MOVED NORTHWARD AND MADE LANDFALL IN SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA WITH WINDS TO 60 MPH LATE ON THE NEXT DAY. BILL PRODUCED AT LEAST FIVE TORNADOES...COASTAL FLOODING...AND HEAVY RAIN. ONE TORNADO STRUCK RESERVE LOUISIANA...DAMAGING 20 MOBILE HOMES AND INJURING FOUR PERSONS. BILL WAS ABSORBED BY A FRONTAL SYSTEM OVER VIRGINIA ON 3 JULY...AFTER PRODUCING LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODS OVER MUCH OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. BILL WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR FOUR DEATHS AND ABOUT 50 MILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGE. HURRICANE CLAUDETTE DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE OVER THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA ON 8 JULY. CLAUDETTES WINDS BRIEFLY REACHED 80 MPH ON 10 JULY...BEFORE THE STORM MADE LANDFALL AND MOVED ACROSS THE YUCATAN PENINSULA WITH 60-MPH WINDS ON 11 JULY. CLAUDETTE THEN MOVED SLOWLY NORTHWESTWARD TO WEST-NORTHWESTWARD ACROSS THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO FOR SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE MAKING LANDFALL AT MATAGORDA ISLAND JUST EAST OF PORT OCONNOR TEXAS ON 15 JULY AS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE WITH 90-MPH WINDS. CLAUDETTE TURNED WESTWARD AFTER LANDFALL AND MOVED ACROSS SOUTHERN TEXAS AND NORTHERN MEXICO...BEFORE DISSIPATING OVER THE HIGH TERRAIN OF NORTHWESTERN MEXICO ON 17 JULY. CLAUDETTE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ONE DIRECT DEATH AND 180 MILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGE IN TEXAS. MINOR DAMAGE WAS REPORTED FROM ST. LUCIA IN THE WINDWARD ISLANDS FROM THE PRE-CLAUDETTE TROPICAL WAVE. HURRICANE DANNY DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE ABOUT 625 MILES EAST OF BERMUDA ON 16 JULY. DANNY MOVED NORTHWARD AND THEN EASTWARD ACROSS THE NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN ON A LENGTHY CLOCKWISE LOOP AND STRENGTHENED TO A 75-MPH HURRICANE ON 18 AND 19 JULY. ON 21 JULY...DANNY WEAKENED TO A NON-CONVECTIVE REMNANT LOW THAT CONTINUED ON THE CLOCKWISE TRACK...WITH A SMALLER LOOP SUPERIMPOSED ON THE LARGER-SCALE TRACK...FOR SIX MORE DAYS. THE REMNANT LOW FINALLY DISSIPATED ON 27 JULY ABOUT 1250 MILES EAST OF BERMUDA AND ONLY 650 MILES EAST OF WHERE DANNY ORIGINATED. TROPICAL DEPRESSION SIX WAS SHORT-LIVED. IT FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE ON 19 JULY OVER THE CENTRAL TROPICAL ATLANTIC AND MOVED QUICKLY WESTWARD. THE DEPRESSION DEGENERATED INTO AN OPEN TROPICAL WAVE ON 21 JULY WHILE LOCATED JUST EAST OF THE CENTRAL LESSER ANTILLES. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ACCOMPANIED THE WAVE AS IT MOVED THROUGH THE ISLANDS AND THE DEPRESSION DISSIPATED COMPLETELY ON 23 JULY OVER THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA. TROPICAL DEPRESSION SEVEN...WHICH FORMED FROM THE SAME TROPICAL WAVE THAT SPAWNED TROPICAL DEPRESSION SIX...DEVELOPED ON 25 JULY JUST EAST OF DAYTONA BEACH FLORIDA. THE DEPRESSION MOVED INLAND ON THE CENTRAL GEORGIA COAST WITH 30-MPH WINDS ON 26 JULY AND DISSIPATED OVER CENTRAL GEORGIA ON THE NEXT DAY. THE DEPRESSION PRODUCED TWO TO THREE INCHES OF RAIN OVER PORTIONS OF EASTERN GEORGIA AND SOUTH CAROLINA. HURRICANE ERIKA WAS FIRST DETECTED AS A WEAK SURFACE LOW DETACHED FROM A DECAYING FRONTAL SYSTEM ABOUT 1150 MILES EAST OF BERMUDA ON 8 AUGUST. THIS LOW INTERACTED WITH AN UPPER-LEVEL COLD LOW AND THE COMBINED SYSTEM MOVED ACROSS THE BAHAMAS AND SOUTH FLORIDA...BEFORE DEVELOPING INTO A TROPICAL CYCLONE IN THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO ON 14 AUGUST. ERIKA BRIEFLY STRENGTHENED TO A 75-MPH HURRICANE AS IT MADE LANDFALL ALONG THE NORTHEASTERN COAST OF MEXICO...ABOUT 45 MILES SOUTH OF BROWNSVILLE TEXAS ON 16 AUGUST. EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS EXPERIENCED TROPICAL-STORM FORCE WINDS. ERIKA DISSIPATED ON THE NEXT DAY OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN MEXICO. TWO PERSONS DIED IN MONTEMORELOS MEXICO WHEN THEIR TRUCK WAS SWEPT AWAY BY FLOOD WATERS AS THEY TRIED TO CROSS A PARTIALLY-SUBMERGED BRIDGE. DAMAGE IN MEXICO CONSISTED OF ROOF AND AUTOMOBILE DAMAGE...AS WELL AS NUMEROUS HIGHWAYS BLOCKED BY MUD SLIDES. INTERESTINGLY...ERIKA WAS NOT OPERATIONALLY UPGRADED TO A HURRICANE...BUT A POST-STORM REVIEW OF BROWNSVILLE DOPPLER RADAR DATA INDICATES THAT ERIKA WAS A HURRICANE AT LANDFALL. TROPICAL DEPRESSION NINE WAS A SHORT-LIVED TROPICAL CYCLONE THAT DEVELOPED FROM A FAST-MOVING TROPICAL WAVE IN THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN SEA ON 21 AUGUST. THE DEPRESSION MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AND DEGENERATED INTO A TROPICAL WAVE SOUTH OF HISPANIOLA ON THE NEXT DAY. HURRICANE FABIAN DEVELOPED ON 27 AUGUST FROM A TROPICAL WAVE OVER THE FAR EASTERN TROPICAL ATLANTIC OCEAN. ITS TRACK FOLLOWED A CLOCKWISE PATH AROUND THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF A SUBTROPICAL HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE UNTIL IT BECAME EXTRATROPICAL OVER THE FAR NORTH ATLANTIC TO THE EAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND ON 8 SEPTEMBER. FABIAN MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD ACROSS THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC FROM 27 AUGUST UNTIL 3 SEPTEMBER...WHILE GRADUALLY STRENGTHENING TO ITS PEAK SUSTAINED WINDS OF 145 MPH...CATEGORY FOUR INTENSITY...ON 1 SEPTEMBER. FLUCTUATING IN STRENGTH FOR SEVERAL DAYS...BUT REMAINING AT LEAST CATEGORY THREE INTENSITY...THE HURRICANE TURNED NORTHWARD ON 4 SEPTEMBER...AND HIT BERMUDA ON THE NEXT DAY WITH WINDS NEAR 115 MPH. FABIAN CAUSED FOUR DEATHS IN BERMUDA AS WELL AS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE ESTIMATED NEAR 300 MILLION U.S. DOLLARS. THE TOTAL DEATH TOLL OF EIGHT INCLUDES THREE FISHERMEN WHO DROWNED NEAR NEWFOUNDLAND AND A RIP CURRENT DROWNING NEAR CAPE HATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA. TROPICAL STORM GRACE DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE. THE WAVE BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION AND THEN A 40-MPH TROPICAL STORM ON 30 AUGUST OVER THE WEST-CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO. GRACE MOVED NORTHWESTWARD TO THE TEXAS COAST NEAR GALVESTON ON 31 AUGUST AS A DISORGANIZED AND WEAKENING TROPICAL STORM. IT WEAKENED TO A DEPRESSION SHORTLY AFTER MOVING INLAND AND EVENTUALLY MERGED WITH A FRONTAL SYSTEM OVER ARKANSAS ON 2 SEPTEMBER. UP TO EIGHT INCHES OF RAIN FELL OVER EASTERN TEXAS AND SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA. TROPICAL STORM HENRI FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE ON 3 SEPTEMBER OVER THE EAST-CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO. IT MOVED SLOWLY EASTWARD AND WINDS REACHED THEIR PEAK VALUE OF 60 MPH ON 5 SEPTEMBER. WHILE WEAKENING...HENRI ACCELERATED NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS NORTH-CENTRAL FLORIDA AS A TROPICAL DEPRESSION WITH 30-MPH WINDS. HENRI DISSIPATED ON 8 SEPTEMBER ABOUT 150 MILES SOUTH OF CAPE HATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA WHILE BECOMING EXTRATROPICAL. HENRI DUMPED UP TO TEN INCHES OF RAIN OVER PORTIONS OF WEST-CENTRAL FLORIDA. ISABEL WAS A LONG-LIVED CAPE VERDE HURRICANE THAT FORMED AS A TROPICAL CYCLONE OVER THE EASTERN TROPICAL ATLANTIC OCEAN ON 6 SEPTEMBER. IT MOVED IN A GENERAL WEST-NORTHWESTWARD DIRECTION AND STRENGTHENED TO A CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE BY 11 SEPTEMBER WITH 165 MPH WINDS. ISABEL'S MAXIMUM WINDS REMAINED BETWEEN 150 AND 160 MPH FOR FIVE DAYS FROM 11 TO 15 SEPTEMBER. WEAKENING BEGAN ON 16 SEPTEMBER AS THE HURRICANE TURNED NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD. ISABEL MADE LANDFALL ON THE OUTER BANKS OF NORTH CAROLINA ON 18 SEPTEMBER AS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF 105 MPH AND HIGHER GUSTS. PORTIONS OF EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA EXPERIENCED HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS. TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS SPREAD INLAND OVER A LARGE AREA FROM EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA NORTHWARD TO THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES AND WESTERN NEW ENGLAND...AS WELL AS SPREADING NORTHWARD ALONG THE ATLANTIC COAST TO NEW YORK. STORM SURGE FLOODING ALONG THE ATLANTIC COAST WAS 6 TO 8 FEET ABOVE NORMAL NEAR THE POINT OF LANDFALL AND ABOVE NORMAL TIDES EXTENDED TO LONG ISLAND. OVER 10 FEET OF SURGE WAS REPORTED ON NORTH CAROLINAS NEUSE RIVER. SURGE VALUES OF 6 TO 8 FEET WERE OBSERVED IN THE UPPER REACHES OF CHESAPEAKE BAY AND IN MANY OF THE RIVERS THAT NORMALLY DRAIN INTO THE BAY...INCLUDING THE POTOMAC AND JAMES RIVERS. WATER LEVELS IN WASHINGTON D.C....BALTIMORE...AND ANNAPOLIS EXCEEDED THE PREVIOUS RECORD LEVELS ESTABLISHED BY THE 1933 CHESAPEAKE-POTOMAC HURRICANE. DELAWARE BAY AND DELAWARE RIVER ALSO HAD A SIGNIFICANT STORM SURGE FLOOD. RAINFALL WAS IN THE 4 TO 7 INCH RANGE OVER PORTIONS OF NORTH CAROLINA...VIRGINIA...AND MARYLAND. HIGHER AMOUNTS UP TO 11 INCHES OCCURRED IN THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY. ISABEL WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR 16 DIRECT DEATHS...TEN IN VIRGINIA AND ONE EACH IN MARYLAND...NEW JERSEY...NORTH CAROLINA...PENNSYLVANIA ...RHODE ISLAND...AND FLORIDA. THE FLORIDA AND RHODE ISLAND DEATHS WERE DROWNING DEATHS IN HIGH SURF GENERATED BY ISABEL. THE TOTAL DAMAGE CAUSED BY ISABEL IS CURRENTLY ESTIMATED AT 3.37 BILLION U.S. DOLLARS. TROPICAL DEPRESSION FOURTEEN DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE ON 8 SEPTEMBER OVER THE FAR EASTERN TROPICAL ATLANTIC OCEAN. THE DEPRESSION QUICKLY ENCOUNTERED UNFAVORABLE UPPER-LEVEL WINDS AND DISSIPATED ON 10 SEPTEMBER AS IT PASSED THROUGH THE WESTERN CAPE VERDE ISLANDS. HURRICANE JUAN HAD A COMPLEX FORMATION...DEVELOPING FROM THE INTERACTION OF A TROPICAL WAVE WITH A LARGE UPPER-LEVEL LOW ABOUT 300 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA ON 25 SEPTEMBER. JUAN INITIALLY APPEARED TO HAVE SUBTROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS...BUT BECAME FULLY TROPICAL AS IT MOVED NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD TO NORTHWARD. CONTINUING NORTHWARD...THE CENTER PASSED ABOUT 200 MILES EAST OF BERMUDA AND JUANS WINDS INCREASED TO 105 MPH ON 27 SEPTEMBER. HURRICANE JUAN MADE LANDFALL IN NOVA SCOTIA BETWEEN SHAD BAY AND PROSPECT EARLY ON 29 SEPTEMBER AS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE WITH 100-MPH WINDS. THE HURRICANE WEAKENED SOME OVER NOVA SCOTIA AND ARRIVED IN PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND AS A 75-MPH HURRICANE. TWO DEATHS HAVE BEEN ATTRIBUTED DIRECTLY TO JUAN AND THE CANADIAN HURRICANE CENTRE REPORTED THAT JUAN WAS THE MOST DAMAGING STORM IN MODERN HISTORY FOR HALIFAX. HURRICANE KATE DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE IN THE CENTRAL TROPICAL ATLANTIC OCEAN ON 25 SEPTEMBER. THE TROPICAL CYCLONE BECAME A HURRICANE ON 29 SEPTEMBER AND...AFTER TEMPORARILY WEAKENING...REACHED AN ESTIMATED 125-MPH WIND SPEED...CATEGORY THREE INTENSITY...ON 4 OCTOBER. KATE'S TRACK WAS RATHER UNUSUAL. IT MOVED NORTHWESTWARD AND THEN NORTHEASTWARD FOR SEVERAL DAYS. THEN IT MADE A SHARP TURN AND MOVED WESTWARD ACROSS THE CENTRAL NORTH ATLANTIC FOR FIVE DAYS BEFORE ACCELERATING NORTHEASTWARD INTO THE FAR NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN. KATE BECAME A POWERFUL EXTRATROPICAL LOW EAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND ON 8 OCTOBER AND MERGED WITH ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM NEAR NORWAY ON 10 OCTOBER. TROPICAL STORM LARRY DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE THAT INTERACTED WITH A FRONTAL SYSTEM. THE SYSTEM BECAME A TROPICAL STORM OVER THE BAY OF CAMPECHE ON 1 OCTOBER. WINDS REACHED 65 MPH ON THE NEXT DAY AS THE TROPICAL STORM DRIFTED SLOWLY AND ERRATICALLY SOUTHWARD. MAINTAINING THE SAME INTENSITY...LARRY MOVED INLAND ON 5 OCTOBER ...WITH WINDS OF 60 MPH...ALONG THE COAST OF THE STATE OF TABASCO MEXICO AND DISSIPATED INLAND OVER THE STATE OF VERA CRUZ ON THE TWSAT NEXT DAY. HEAVY RAIN AFFECTED PORTIONS OF SOUTHEASTERN MEXICO AND FIVE DEATHS FROM FRESH WATER FLOODS ARE ATTRIBUTED TO LARRY. TROPICAL STORM MINDY ORIGINATED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE AND BECAME A 45-MPH TROPICAL STORM ON 10 OCTOBER NEAR THE NORTHEASTERN TIP OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. MINDY MOVED NORTHWESTWARD TO NORTHWARD FOR TWO DAYS...GRADUALLY WEAKENED TO A DEPRESSION BY 12 OCTOBER...AND THEN TURNED EASTWARD AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING MID-LEVEL TROUGH. THE DEPRESSION DISSIPATED ON 14 OCTOBER WHILE LOCATED ABOUT 500 MILES NORTH OF PUERTO RICO. MINDY PASSED NEAR THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS ON 11 OCTOBER...BUT HEAVY RAIN AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS REMAINED TO THE EAST OF THESE ISLANDS. MINDY PRODUCED PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN OVER PORTIONS OF PUERTO RICO AND EASTERN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. TROPICAL STORM NICHOLAS FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE ON 13 OCTOBER OVER THE CENTRAL TROPICAL ATLANTIC OCEAN. NICHOLAS REACHED ITS PEAK INTENSITY OF 70 MPH ON 17 OCTOBER...WHILE LOCATED SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES. NICHOLASXTRACK AS A TROPICAL CYCLONE LASTED TEN DAYS AND WAS SLOW AND GENERALLY NORTHWESTWARD. THE CYCLONE DEGENERATED INTO A REMNANT LOW CLOUD SWIRL ON 23 OCTOBER SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES NORTHEAST OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS...WITH THE REMNANT LOW MEANDERING ERRATICALLY OVER THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN FOR SEVERAL MORE DAYS. TROPICAL STORM ODETTE FORMED FROM AN AREA OF DISTUBED WEATHER THAT ORIGINATED ALONG A FRONTAL ZONE AND THEN LINGERED OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA FOR SEVERAL DAYS. THE DISTURBED WEATHER BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION AND THEN A TROPICAL STORM ON 4 DECEMBER ABOUT 325 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF JAMAICA. WINDS INCREASED TO 65 MPH BY 6 DECEMBER...AS ODETTE MOVED SLOWLY NORTHEASTWARD. LATER ON THE SAME DAY...AFTER WEAKENING SLIGHTLY ...ODETTE MADE LANDFALL ON THE BARAHONA PENINSULA OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC WITH WINDS ESTIMATED AT 60 MPH. ODETTE DUMPED COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF RAINFALL OVER PORTIONS OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND HAITI. EIGHT FRESH-WATER FLOOD-RELATED DEATHS HAVE BEEN REPORTED FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. ODETTE THEN MOVED OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN ON 7 DECEMBER AND BECAME EXTRATROPICAL AS IT MERGED WITH A FRONTAL TROUGH. TROPICAL STORM PETER FORMED FROM A LARGE EXTRATROPICAL GALE CENTER OVER THE FAR EASTERN NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN. MOVING SOUTHWARD...THE LOW GRADUALLY ACQUIRED ORGANIZED CONVECTION AND BECAME SUBTROPICAL STORM PETER ON 7 DECEMBER WHILE LOCATED ABOUT 925 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS. PETER COMPLETED ITS TRANSITION TO A TROPICAL STORM AND ALSO REACHED ITS MAXIMUM INTENSITY OF 70 MPH ON 9 DECEMBER. AT THE SAME TIME...PETER REVERSED ITS SOUTHWARD MOTION AND MOVED NORTHWARD AHEAD OF A STRONG APPROACHING FRONTAL TROUGH. PETER QUICKLY WEAKENED AS IT LOST DEEP CONVECTION AND MOVED OVER COLDER SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES. IT BECAME EXTRATROPICAL ON 11 DECEMBER AND WAS ABSORBED BY A COLD FRONT SOON THEREAFTER. SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWED A SHORT-LIVED BANDING EYE FEATURE ON 9 DECEMBER...SUGGESTING THAT PETER MAY HAVE BRIEFLY REACHED HURRICANE FORCE. 2003 ATLANTIC BASIN HURRICANE SEASON SUMMARY TABLE NAME DATES MAX WIND DEATHS U.S. DAMAGE MPH $MILLION ----------------------------------------------------------- TS ANA 20-24 APR 60 2 TS BILL 29 JUN-2 JUL 60 4 50 H CLAUDETTE 8-17 JUL 90 1 180 H DANNY 16-21 JUL 75 H ERIKA 14-17 AUG 75 2 H FABIAN 27 AUG-8 SEP 145 8 TS GRACE 30 AUG-2 SEP 40 TS HENRI 3-8 SEP 60 H ISABEL 6-19 SEP 165 16 3370 H JUAN 24-29 SEP 105 2 H KATE 25 SEP-7 OCT 125 TS LARRY 1-6 OCT 65 5 TS MINDY 10-14 OCT 45 TS NICHOLAS 13-23 OCT 70 TS ODETTE 4-7 DEC 65 8 TS PETER 7-11 DEC 70 ----------------------------------------------------------- FORECASTER LAWRENCE/AVILA/BEVEN/FRANKLIN/PASCH/STEWART
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Page last modified: Monday, 07-Feb-2005 16:50:30 UTC