| HOME | ARCHIVES | FORECASTS | IMAGERY | ABOUT NHC | RECONNAISSANCE |

Tropical Weather Summary (Text)



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
 


Standard version of this page

Alternate Formats
About Alternates - E-Mail Advisories - RSS Feeds

Cyclone Forecasts
Latest Advisory - Past Advisories - About Advisories

Marine Forecasts
Latest Products - About Marine Products

Tools & Data
Satellite Imagery - US Weather Radar - Aircraft Recon - Local Data Archive - Forecast Verification - Deadliest/Costliest/Most Intense

Learn About Hurricanes
Storm Names Wind Scale - Prepare - Climatology - NHC Glossary - NHC Acronyms - Frequently Asked Questions - AOML Hurricane-Research Division

About Us
About NHC - Mission/Vision - Other NCEP Centers - NHC Staff - Visitor Information - NHC Library

Contact Us


NOAA/ National Weather Service
National Centers for Environmental Prediction
National Hurricane Center
11691 SW 17th Street
Miami, Florida, 33165-2149 USA
nhcwebmaster@noaa.gov
Disclaimer
Privacy Policy
Credits
About Us
Glossary
Career Opportunities
Page last modified: Monday, 07-Feb-2005 16:50:30 UTC