000 ABNT30 KNHC 012040 TWSAT MONTHLY TROPICAL WEATHER SUMMARY...CORRECTED NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 8 AM EST WED DEC 1 2004 ...CORRECTED SIXTEEN TO FIFTEEN BELOW... FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO... FIFTEEN TROPICAL OR SUBTROPICAL STORMS FORMED IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC DURING THE 2004 HURRICANE SEASON. NINE OF THESE BECAME HURRICANES ...WITH SIX BECOMING MAJOR HURRICANES...CATEGORY THREE OR HIGHER ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. THE STRONGEST HURRICANE WAS IVAN...WHICH REACHED CATEGORY FIVE STATUS. THERE WAS ONE ADDITIONAL TROPICAL DEPRESSION. SIX HURRICANES...ALEX...CHARLEY...FRANCES...GASTON...IVAN...AND JEANNE...STRUCK THE UNITED STATES IN 2004. THREE TROPICAL STORMS ALSO HIT THE UNITED STATES. CHARLEY ALSO HIT WESTERN CUBA...WHILE FRANCES AND JEANNE ALSO HIT THE BAHAMAS...ALL AS MAJOR HURRICANES. IVAN HIT GRENADA AND HAD SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON JAMAICA...GRAND CAYMAN...AND WESTERN CUBA. JEANNE ALSO HIT THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AS A HURRICANE AND PUERTO RICO AS A STRONG TROPICAL STORM. ATLANTIC TROPICAL CYCLONES WERE DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE THAN 3000 DEATHS IN 2004. THE VAST MAJORITY OF THESE WERE IN HAITI DUE TO RAINS FROM JEANNE. UNADJUSTED PROPERTY DAMAGE IN THE U.S. IS ESTIMATED AT MORE THAN 42 BILLION DOLLARS...MAKING 2004 THE COSTLIEST HURRICANE SEASON ON RECORD. CHARLEY IS THE SECOND COSTLIEST U. S. HURRICANE ON RECORD...WHILE IVAN IS THE THIRD COSTLIEST. ALEX ORIGINATED FROM A LOW PRESSURE AREA AND BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION OFF THE NORTHEAST FLORIDA COAST ON 31 JULY. IT DRIFTED ERRATICALLY FOR 2 DAYS...BECAME A TROPICAL STORM ON 1 AUGUST...AND ON 2 AUGUST...BEGAN MOVING NORTHEASTWARD ALONG THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S. COAST. ALEX BECAME A HURRICANE ON 3 AUGUST AND THE CENTER PASSED WITHIN ABOUT 10 MILES OF CAPE HATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA THAT AFTERNOON WITH MAXIMUM WINDS NEAR 100 MPH...THUS ALEX IS CONSIDERED A HURRICANE STRIKE IN NORTH CAROLINA BUT DID NOT TECHNICALLY MAKE LANDFALL. ALEX THEN ACCELERATED NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. ALEX REACHED ITS PEAK INTENSITY OF 120 MPH...CATEGORY 3...ON 5 AUGUST AT IT WAS PASSING A FEW HUNDRED MILES SOUTH OF THE CANADIAN MARITIMES. ALEX BECAME EXTRATROPICAL IN THE FAR NORTH ATLANTIC THE NEXT DAY. THE HURRICANE BROUGHT CATEGORY 1 CONDITIONS TO THE OUTER BANKS OF NORTH CAROLINA...AND RIP CURRENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE STORM RESULTED IN ONE DEATH OFF OF NAGS HEAD NORTH CAROLINA. DAMAGE IS ESTIMATED TO BE LESS THAN $5 MILLION. BONNIE FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE AND BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON 3 AUGUST OVER THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES. THE DEPRESSION MOVED ACROSS THE CENTRAL LESSER ANTILLES THE NEXT DAY AND THEN DEGENERATED INTO A TROPICAL WAVE. THE WAVE MOVED WESTWARD TO NORTHWESTWARD FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND REDEVELOPED INTO A TROPICAL STORM ON 9 AUGUST...JUST NORTH OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA IN THE GULF OF MEXICO. BONNIE TURNED NORTHWARD AND NORTHEASTWARD ON 10 AND 11 AUGUST AND ITS WINDS REACHED 65 MPH. THEREAFTER...BONNIE GRADUALLY WEAKENED BUT MOVED INLAND NEAR APALACHICOLA IN THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AS A TROPICAL STORM ON 12 AUGUST. AS A DEPRESION...BONNIE MOVED NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE EASTERN UNITED STATES AND FINALLY BECAME A REMNANT LOW JUST SOUTH OF CAPE COD ON 14 AUGUST. THERE WERE THREE DEATHS IN PENDER COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA FROM A TORNADO SPAWNED BY BONNIE. CHARLEY ORIGINATED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE AND BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON 9 AUGUST A SHORT DISTANCE SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF BARBADOS. IT MOVED QUICKLY WEST-NORTHWESTWARD ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN AND GRADUALLY STRENGTHENED. CHARLEY MOVED JUST SOUTH OF JAMAICA ON 11 AUGUST SHORTLY AFTER IT BECAME A HURRICANE...AND IT PASSED JUST NORTH OF GRAND CAYMAN THE NEXT DAY. THE HURRICANE TURNED TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST AND ITS EYE PASSED JUST EAST OF THE ISLE OF YOUTH EARLY ON 13 AUGUST. THE HURRICANE MADE LANDFALL NEAR PLAYA DEL CAJIO WITH CATEGORY 3 WINDS OF 120 MPH AND THEN CROSSED WESTERN CUBA. CHARLEY WEAKENED SOME OVER THE LOWER STRAITS OF FLORIDA. TURNING NORTHWARD...THE HURRICANE PASSED OVER THE DRY TORTUGAS AS A CATEGORY 2 HURRICANE. CHARLEY THEN TURNED NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD AND ACCELERATED TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST COAST OF FLORIDA...INTENSIFYING RAPIDLY JUST PRIOR TO LANDFALL. CHARLEY MADE LANDFALL ON THE SOUTHWEST COAST OF FLORIDA NEAR CAYO COSTA...JUST NORTH OF CAPTIVA DURING THE EVENING OF 13 AUGUST WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR 150 MPH...CATEGORY 4 INTENSITY. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE EYEWALL IMPACTED PUNTA GORDA AND NEIGHBORING PORT CHARLOTTE WITH DEVASTATING RESULTS. THE HURRICANE TRAVERSED THE CENTRAL FLORIDA PENINSULA...RESULTING IN A SWATH OF DESTRUCTION ACROSS THE STATE. THE CENTER PASSED NEAR KISSIMMEE AND ORLANDO EARLY ON 14 AUGUST...BY WHICH TIME THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAD DECREASED TO AROUND 85 MPH. CHARLEY WAS STILL OF HURRICANE INTENSITY WHEN THE CENTER RE-EMERGED OVER WATER NEAR DAYTONA BEACH. AFTER MOVING INTO THE ATLANTIC...CHARLEY CAME ASHORE AGAIN NEAR CAPE ROMAIN SOUTH CAROLINA MIDDAY ON 14 AUGUST WITH HIGHEST WINDS OF ABOUT 80 MPH. THE CENTER THEN MOVED JUST OFFSHORE AND MADE ANOTHER LANDFALL AT NORTH MYRTLE BEACH WITH WINDS NEAR 75 MPH. CHARLEY SOON WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL STORM OVER SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA. ON 15 AUGUST CHARLEY BECAME EXTRATROPICAL OVER VIRGINIA WHILE EMBEDDED IN A FRONTAL ZONE. CHARLEY'S EXTRATROPICAL REMNANTS MOVED RAPIDLY NORTHEASTWARD...AND WERE ABSORBED BY THE FRONTAL ZONE NEAR SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS. CHARLEY WAS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR 10 DEATHS IN THE UNITED STATES...9 IN FLORIDA AND 1 IN RHODE ISLAND. THERE WERE ALSO 4 DIRECT DEATHS IN CUBA AND 1 IN JAMAICA. AN ADDITIONAL 20 U.S. DEATHS ARE INDIRECTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO CHARLEY. THE PROPERTY CLAIMS SERVICE REPORTS INSURED DAMAGES OF 6.755 BILLION DOLLARS IN FLORIDA...25 MILLION DOLLARS IN NORTH CAROLINA AND 20 MILLION DOLLARS IN SOUTH CAROLINA...FOR A TOTAL OF 6.8 BILLION DOLLARS IN INSURED LOSSES. THE INSURANCE INFORMATION INSTITUTE REPORTS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 7.4 BILLION DOLLARS IN INSURED LOSSES. A ROUGH ESTIMATE OF THE TOTAL DAMAGE IS 14 BILLION DOLLARS. THIS MAKES CHARLEY THE SECOND COSTLIEST TROPICAL CYCLONE IN U.S. HISTORY...BEHIND ONLY HURRICANE ANDREW OF 1992. DANIELLE DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE INTO A DEPRESSION ABOUT 240 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS ON 13 AUGUST. IT BECAME A TROPICAL STORM LATER THAT DAY. DANIELLE MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AND BECAME A HURRICANE THE FOLLOWING DAY. IT SPENT THE REST OF ITS EXISTENCE OVER THE OPEN WATERS OF THE FAR EASTERN ATLANTIC...REACHING A PEAK INTENSITY OF 105 MPH...BEFORE DISSIPATING ON 21 AUGUST ABOUT 855 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF THE AZORES. EARL WAS A SHORT-LIVED TROPICAL STORM THAT FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE ON 13 AUGUST OVER THE CENTRAL TROPICAL ATLANTIC OCEAN. IT MOVED QUICKLY WESTWARD...BECAME A TROPICAL STORM ON 14 AUGUST...AND THEN CROSSED THE CARIBBEAN WINDWARD ISLANDS ON 15 AUGUST WITH BRIEF BUT HEAVY RAINS AND WINDS UP TO 50 MPH. EARL DEGENERATED TO AN OPEN TROPICAL WAVE LATER THAT DAY OVER THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN SEA. FRANCES FORMED FROM A AFRICAN WAVE AND BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION OVER THE FAR EASTERN TROPICAL ATLANTIC OCEAN EARLY ON 25 AUGUST. MOVING WEST-NORTHWEST TO NORTHWESTWARD...THE DEPRESSION BECAME A TROPICAL STORM LATER THAT DAY...A HURRICANE ON 26 AUGUST...AND A MAJOR HURRICANE ON 27 AUGUST OVER THE CENTRAL TROPICAL ATLANTIC. FRANCES TURNED WESTWARD ON 30 AUGUST. FRANCES PASSED ABOUT 125 MILES NORTH OF PUERTO RICO ON 31 AUGUST...THEN IT TURNED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD ON 1 SEPTEMBER. THIS BROUGHT THE HURRICANE NEAR THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS ON 2 SEPTEMBER. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REACHED 145 MPH ON 31 AUGUST AND 2 SEPTEMBER...CATEGORY FOUR ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. FRANCES TURNED NORTHWESTWARD AND WEAKENED TO A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE AS IT PASSED OVER SAN SALVADOR ISLAND LATER ON 2 SEPTEMBER. IT MOVED SLOWLY WEST-NORTHWESTWARD THROUGH THE NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS ON 3-4 SEPTEMBER WHILE WEAKENING TO A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE. THE CENTER OF FRANCES REACHED THE FLORIDA EAST COAST OVER THE SOUTHERN END OF HUTCHINSON ISLAND EARLY ON 5 SEPTEMBER...THEN MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD ACROSS THE CENTRAL FLORIDA PENINSULA TO THE NORTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO BY EARLY ON 6 SEPTEMBER. FRANCES WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL STORM OVER FLORIDA...AND IT WAS STILL A TROPICAL STORM WHEN IT MADE ITS FINAL LANDFALL IN THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE NEAR THE MOUTH OF AUCILLA RIVER ON 6 SEPTEMBER. FRANCES MOVED GENERALLY NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE EASTERN UNITED STATES...BECOMING EXTRATROPICAL OVER WEST VIRGINA ON 9 SEPTEMBER AND DISSIPATING OVER SOUTHEASTERN CANADA THE NEXT DAY. FRANCES IS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR 7 DEATHS...6 IN THE U.S. AND ONE IN THE BAHAMAS. IT LEFT A BROAD TRAIL OF DAMAGE THROUGH THE BAHAMAS AND FLORIDA INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. GASTON DEVELOPED SLOWLY FROM AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE ASSOCIATED WITH A DECAYING FRONTAL ZONE AND BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON 27 AUGUST ABOUT 130 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA. DRIFTING ERRATICALY...THE DEPRESSION BECAME A TROPICAL STORM THE NEXT DAY AND CONTINUED TO STRENGTHEN AS IT BEGAN TO MOVE TOWARD THE COAST. GASTON REACHED HURRICANE STRENGTH JUST BEFORE MAKING LANDFALL ON THE MORNING OF 29 AUGUST BETWEEN CHARLESTON AND MCCLELLANVILLE SOUTH CAROLINA...WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF 75 MPH. GASTON WEAKENED AS IT MOVED ACROSS NORTHEASTERN SOUTH CAROLINA... BECOMING A TROPICAL DEPRESSION LATE IN THE DAY. GASTON MOVED NORTHEASTWARD OVER NORTH CAROLINA AND ACROSS THE THE DELMARVA PENINSULA ON 30 AUGUST...AND LATE IN THE DAY RESTRENGTHENED TO A TROPICAL STORM AS IT MOVED BACK OVER WATER. GASTON ACCELERATED EAST-NORTHEASTWARD AND BECAME EXTRATROPICAL ON ON 1 SEPTEMBER SOUTH OF THE CANADIAN MARITIMES. GASTON PRODUCED WIDESPREAD FLOODING ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA...NORTH CAROLINA...AND VIRGINIA...WITH RAINFALL TOTALS EXCEEDING 12 INCHES IN THE RICHMOND AREA. FLASH FLOODS IN RICHMOND KILLED 8 PEOPLE. TOTAL U.S. DAMAGE IS ESTIMATED TO BE NEAR $130 MILLION. HERMINE FORMED ON A FRONTAL ZONE ON 27 AUGUST OVER THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC ABOUT 230 MILES SOUTH OF BERMUDA. IT MOVED WEST-NORTHWEST AND THEN NORTHWARD OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS AND REACHED ITS PEAK INTENSITY OF 60 MPH ON 30 AUGUST. THEREAFTER...HERMINE WEAKENED AND REACHED THE SOUTHERN COAST OF MASSACHUSETTS NEAR NEW BEDFORD AS A 40 MPH TROPICAL STORM ON 31 AUGUST. IT CONTINUED NORTHWARD AND BECAME EXTRATROPICAL LATER ON THAT DAY. IVAN WAS A CLASSIC LONG-LIVED CAPE VERDE HURRICANE THAT MADE TWO LANDFALLS ALONG THE U.S. COAST AND REACHED CATEGORY 5 STRENGTH THREE TIMES. IVAN DEVELOPED FROM A VIGOROUS TROPICAL WAVE THAT MOVED ACROSS THE WEST COAST OF AFRICA ON 31 AUGUST. THE SYSTEM QUICKLY STRENGTHENED AND BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON 2 SEPTEMBER...A TROPICAL STORM THE NEXT DAY...A HURRICANE EARLY ON 5 SEPTEMBER...AND A MAJOR HURRICANE LATER THAT DAY. IVAN MOVED WESTWARD FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS AND PASSED OVER THE SOUTHERN WINDWARD ISLANDS WHERE IT CAUSED CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE AND LOSS OF LIFE...GRENADA BEING PARTICULARLY HARD HIT. IVAN THEN MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD ACROSS THE SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN SEA...PASSING JUST NORTH OF VENEZUELA AND THE NETHERLANDS ANTILLES. IVAN REACHED CATEGORY 5 STRENGTH WHILE OVER THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA EARLY ON 9 SEPTEMBER...BUT WEAKENED BACK TO CATEGORY 4 BEFORE PASSING JUST SOUTH OF JAMAICA ON 11 SEPTEMBER AND JUST SOUTH OF GRAND CAYMAN THE NEXT DAY. IVAN MOVED THROUGH THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN WITH ITS STRENGTH OSCILLATING BETWEEN CATEGORIES 4 AND 5...AND PASSED THROUGH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL ON 14 SEPTEMBER. FOR THE NEXT 3 DAYS...IVAN MOVED NORTHWESTWARD TO NORTHWARD OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO AND SLOWLY WEAKENED UNTIL IT MADE LANDFALL NEAR GULF SHORES ALABAMA AS A CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE EARLY ON 16 SEPTEMBER. AFTER LANDFALL...IVAN GRADUALLY WEAKENED...MOVING NORTHEASTWARD OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S. AND EMERGING OFF THE DELMARVA PENINSULA ON 19 SEPTEMBER AS AN EXTRATROPICAL LOW. A PORTION OF THIS CIRCULATION THEN MOVED SOUTHWESTWARD JUST OFF THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S. COAST AND PASSED OVER SOUTH FLORIDA AND INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO ON 21 SEPTEMBER. THIS REMNANT OF IVAN BECAME A TROPICAL STORM AGAIN ON 23 SEPTEMBER AND THE BORN-AGAIN STORM MADE A SECOND LANDFALL OVER EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA ON 24 SEPTEMBER. IVAN FINALLY DISSIPATED INLAND OVER EAST TEXAS LATER THAT DAY. IVAN IS DIRECTLY BLAMED FOR 95 DEATHS...INCLUDING 39 IN GRENADA AND 26 IN THE UNITED STATES. DAMAGE IN THE UNITED STATES IS ESTIMATED TO BE $13 BILLION. TROPICAL DEPRESSION TEN FORMED FROM AN AREA OF DISTURBED WEATHER ASSOCIATED WITH A TROPICAL WAVE THAT CROSSED THE COAST OF AFRICA ON 29 AUGUST. THE WEATHER AREA MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD TO WESTWARD FOR SEVERAL DAYS UNDER STRONG VERTICAL SHEAR CONDITIONS BEFORE TURNING NORTHWARD AND NORTHEASTWARD OVER THE EASTERN ATLANTIC. ON 7 SEPTEMBER...THE DISTURBED AREA FORMED INTO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ABOUT 725 SOUTHWEST OF THE WESTERNMOST AZORES. THE CYCLONE MOVED NORTHEASTWARD FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS AND DID NOT STRENGTHEN SIGNIFICANTLY. ON 9 SEPTEMBER...THE MOTION BECAME SLOW AND ERRATIC WHILE VERTICAL SHEAR REDUCED THE SYSTEM TO A REMNANT LOW. THE CYCLONE TURNED SOUTHEASTWARD BEFORE DISSIPATING LATER THAT DAY...ABOUT 300 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE AZORES. JEANNE ORIGINATED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE AND BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON 13 SEPTEMBER WHILE LOCATED OVER THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC OCEAN JUST EAST OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS. JEANNE MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD OVER THE LEEWARD ISLANDS ON 14 SEPTEMBER WHILE STRENGTHENING TO A TROPICAL STORM. IT MOVED SLOWLY OVER THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO THE NEXT DAY AND THEN SLOWLY OVER THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND HAITI ON 16 AND 17 SEPTEMBER...ACCOMPANIED BY TORRENTIAL RAINS AND WINDS TO NEAR HURRICANE FORCE. JEANNE BRIEFLY WAS A HURRICANE OVER THE MONA PASSAGE BUT THEN WEAKENED WHILE INTERACTING WITH THE HIGH TERRAIN OF HISPANIOLA. JEANNE TURNED NORTHWARD ON 18 SEPTEMBER AND MOVED OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS AS A TROPICAL STORM. JEANNE DRIFTED NORTHWARD AND STRENGTHENED... BECOMING A HURRICANE ON 20 SEPTEMBER WHILE LOCATED ABOUT 400 MILES EAST OF FREEPORT IN THE BAHAMAS. THE HURRICANE MOVED ALONG A SLOW CLOCKWISE LOOP FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND STRENGTHENED TO A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE. THE LOOP WAS COMPLETED BY 23 SEPTEMBER AND JEANNE BEGAN A TRACK JUST NORTH OF DUE WESTWARD. ON 25 SEPTEMBER...JEANNE DIRECTLY HIT ABACOS ISLAND AND THEN GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND IN THE NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS WHILE STRENGTHENING TO A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE. EARLY ON 26 SEPTEMBER...JEANNE MADE LANDFALL ON THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA NEAR STUART AS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE. IT IS NOTABLE THAT HURRICANE FRANCES MADE LANDFALL AT THIS SAME LOCATION JUST 3 WEEKS EARLIER AND ALSO MOVED OVER THE SAME ISLANDS IN THE NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS. JEANNE WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL STORM OVER CENTRAL AND NORTHWESTERN FLORIDA WHILE TURNING NORTHWARD. JEANNE WEAKENED TO A DEPRESSION OVER GEORGIA ON 27 SEPTEMBER. STILL ACCOMPANIED BY HEAVY RAIN...THE DEPRESSION MOVED OVER THE CAROLINAS...VIRGINIA AND THE DELMARVA PENINSULA. IT MERGED WITH A FRONTAL ZONE AND BECAME EXTRATROPICAL ON 29 SEPTEMBER WHILE MOVING EASTWARD OFF OF THE U.S. MID-ATLANTIC COAST. THE DEATH TOTALS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND HAITI MAY NEVER BE KNOWN PRECISELY. AT LEAST 3000 DEATHS ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE OCCURRED IN HAITI FROM INLAND FLOODING. ONE DIRECT DEATH WAS REPORTED IN PUERTO RICO...TWO IN FLORIDA...ONE IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND ONE IN VIRGINIA...FOR A TOTAL OF FIVE DIRECT U.S. DEATHS. THE U.S. DAMAGE ESTIMATE IS $6.5 BILLION. KARL DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE...BECOMING A DEPRESSION ABOUT 410 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE SOUTHERN CAPE VERDE ISLANDS ON 16 SEPTEMBER. INITIALLY MOVING WESTWARD...THE CYCLONE TURNED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AS IT BECAME TROPICAL STORM KARL ON 17 SEPTEMBER. KARL THEN MOVED GENERALLY WEST-NORTHWESTWARD TO NORTHWESTWARD ON 18-20 SEPTEMBER...BECOMING A HURRICANE ON 18 SEPTEMBER AND A MAJOR HURRICANE THE NEXT DAY. MAXIMUM SUSTIANED WINDS REACHED AN ESTIMATED 145 MPH ON 21 SEPTEMBER AS KARL TURNED NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD. KARL TURNED NORTHWARD ON 22 SEPTEMBER AND NORTHEASTWARD THE NEXT DAY WHILE SHOWING FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH. IT THEN TURNED NORTHWARD AND LOST TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS ABOUT 755 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE WESTERN AZORES EARLY ON 25 SEPTEMBER. LISA DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE...BECOMING A DEPRESSION ON 19 SEPTEMBER ABOUT 520 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS. THE DEPRESSION BECAME A TROPICAL STORM THE NEXT DAY. LISA MOVED WESTWARD FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS...AND THEN INTERACTED WITH ANOTHER TROPICAL WAVE DISTURBANCE APPROACHING LISA FROM THE EAST. THE DISTURBANCE AND LISA LOOPED ABOUT EACH OTHER ON 22 AND 23 SEPTEMBER UNTIL THE DISTURBANCE WAS ABSORBED INTO LISA'S CIRCULATION. LISA THEN CONTINUED WESTWARD ON 24 SEPTEMBER BEFORE TURNING NORTHWARD IN THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC. ITS STRENGTH OSCILLATING...LISA MOVED SLOWLY NORTHWARD FOR NEARLY A WEEK BEFORE TURNING NORTHEASTWARD AHEAD OF A STRONG UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH IN 1 OCTOBER. LISA STRENGTHENED...BRIEFLY MAINTAINING MINIMAL HURRICANE INTENSITY ON 2 OCTOBER BEFORE WEAKENING BACK TO A TROPICAL STORM THAT AFTERNOON DUE TO VERY COLD WATERS AND INCREASING VERTICAL SHEAR. LISA BECAME EXTRATROPICAL EARLY ON 3 OCTOBER ABOUT 1150 MILES EAST OF CAPE RACE NEWFOUNDLAND...AND WAS ABSORBED BY A LARGER EXTRATROPICAL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM SHORTLY THEREAFTER. MATTHEW FORMED ON 8 OCTOBER ABOUT 200 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BROWNSVILLE TEXAS...FROM THE INTERACTION OF A TROPICAL WAVE WITH AN UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH. THE DEPRESSION STRENGTHENED INTO A TROPICAL STORM LATER THAT DAY AND REACHED ITS PEAK INTENSITY OF 45 MPH ON 9 OCTOBER. THE CYCLONE MOVED EAST TO EAST-NORTHEASTWARD... BUT THEN GRADUALLY TURNED TO THE NORTHEAST AND NORTH AND MADE LANDFALL JUST WEST OF COCODRIE EARLY ON THE 10TH WITH 40 MPH WINDS. MATTHEW WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION SHORTLY AFTER MOVING INLAND AND THEN WAS ABSORBED BY A FRONTAL SYSTEM ON 11 OCTOBER. IN TERREBONE PARISH... ABOUT 20 HOMES WERE FLOODED BY THE COMBINATION OF RAIN AND STORM SURGE. NICOLE WAS A SHORT-LIVED SUBTROPICAL CYCLONE THAT DEVELOPED FROM AN EXTRATROPICAL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WITH GALE FORCE WINDS. THE LOW MEANDERED NEAR BERMUDA FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS...BEFORE ACQUIRING ENOUGH THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY TO BE DECLARED A SUBTROPICAL STORM EARLY ON 10 OCTOBER ABOUT 140 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BERMUDA. LITTLE CHANGE IN INTENSITY OCCURRED AS NICOLE MOVED SLOWLY NORTHWARD AND THEN NORTHEASTWARD...PASSING ABOUT 60 MILES NORTHWEST OF BERMUDA LATE ON 10 OCTOBER. BY EARLY ON 11 OCTOBER...NICOLE CAME UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A STRONG UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH APPROACHING FROM THE WEST AND ACCELERATED NORTHEASTWARD. THE SUBTROPICAL STORM WAS ABSORBED LATER THAT DAY BY A LARGER EXTRATROPICAL LOW WHILE LOCATED ABOUT 400 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF HALIFAX NOVA SCOTIA. OTTO FORMED FROM A NON-TROPICAL AREA OF LOW PRESSURE ON 30 NOVEMBER...THE LAST DAY OF THE NOMINAL HURRICANE SEASON...ABOUT 800 MILES EAST OF BERMUDA. CURRENTLY OTTO IS LOCATED ABOUT 850 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA...MOVING SLOWLY SOUTHEASTWARD WITH WINDS OF 45-50 MPH...AND APPEARS TO BE WEAKENING. SUMMARY TABLE - 2004 NAME DATES MAX WIND DEATHS U.S. DAMAGE (MPH) ($MILLIONS) ------------------------------------------------------------- H ALEX 31 JUL - 6 AUG 120 1 5 TS BONNIE 3-12 AUG 65 H CHARLEY 9-14 AUG 150 15 14,000 H DANIELLE 13-21 AUG 105 TS EARL 13-15 AUG 50 H FRANCES 25 AUG - 8 SEP 145 7 8,860 H GASTON 27 AUG - 1 SEP 75 8 130 TS HERMINE 29-31 AUG 40 H IVAN 2 -24 SEP 165 95 13,000 TD TEN 7 - 9 SEP 35 H JEANNE 13-29 SEP 120 3000+ 6,500 H KARL 16-24 SEP 145 H LISA 19 SEP - 3 OCT 75 TS MATTHEW 8-10 OCT 45 N/A STS NICOLE 10-11 OCT 50 TS OTTO 30 NOV - 50 ------------------------------------------------------------- N/A = NOT AVAILABLE FORECASTER AVILA/BEVEN/FRANKLIN/LAWRENCE/PASCH/STEWART $$
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Page last modified: Wednesday, 01-Dec-2004 21:18:52 UTC