000 ABNT30 KNHC 011219 TWSAT MONTHLY TROPICAL WEATHER SUMMARY NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 8 AM EDT SAT OCTOBER 1 2005 FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO... SIX TROPICAL CYCLONES... FIVE HURRICANES AND ONE TROPICAL DEPRESSION... FORMED DURING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. THUS FAR IN 2005... THERE HAVE BEEN 17 NAMED STORMS... OF WHICH 9 HAVE BECOME HURRICANES. THESE NUMBERS ARE ROUGHLY DOUBLE THE LONG-TERM AVERAGES OF 8 STORMS AND 4.5 HURRICANES THAT WOULD TYPICALLY HAVE FORMED BY THIS DATE. IN ONLY ONE OTHER YEAR...1933... HAVE THIS MANY STORMS FORMED BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER. THE RECORD FOR MOST HURRICANE FORMATIONS BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER IS 10... SET IN 1893. TROPICAL STORM LEE FORMED IN AUGUST... BUT DISSIPATED ON 1 SEPTEMBER SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES NORTHEAST OF BERMUDA. MARIA DEVELOPED FROM A VIGOROUS TROPICAL WAVE THAT CROSSED THE WEST COAST OF AFRICA ON 27 AUGUST. THE SYSTEM BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON 1 SEPTEMBER WHILE CENTERED ABOUT 1100 MILES EAST OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS. MOVING WEST-NORTHWESTWARD TO NORTHWESTWARD... THE CYCLONE STRENGTHENED INTO A TROPICAL STORM ON 2 SEPTEMBER. MARIA TURNED NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD AND BECAME A HURRICANE ON 4 SEPTEMBER. PEAK INTENSITY...115 MPH... WAS REACHED EARLY ON 6 SEPTEMBER WHEN THE CYCLONE WAS CENTERED ABOUT 470 MILES EAST OF BERMUDA. MARIA RECURVED NORTHEASTWARD AND WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL STORM BEFORE REGAINING HURRICANE INTENSITY ON 7 SEPTEMBER. OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS THE CYCLONE'S INTENSITY SLOWLY DECREASED... AND IT WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL STORM EARLY ON 9 SEPTEMBER. MARIA BECAME A POWERFUL EXTRATROPICAL STORM OVER THE NORTH ATLANTIC ABOUT 730 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF CAPE RACE NEWFOUNDLAND ON 10 SEPTEMBER. THIS STORM CAUSED A LANDSLIDE AND 1 DEATH IN NORWAY. HURRICANE NATE FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE THAT EXITED THE COAST OF AFRICA ON 30 AUGUST. THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE WAVE BROKE AWAY AND MOVED NORTHWESTWARD AS IT INTERACTED WITH A WEAK UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH NEAR BERMUDA. A TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMED LATE ON 5 SEPTEMBER ABOUT 300 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BERMUDA... AND THE SYSTEM QUICKLY STRENGTHENED INTO A TROPICAL STORM JUST 6 HOURS LATER. NATE DRIFTED NORTHEASTWARD FOR THE NEXT 2 DAYS AND RAPIDLY INTENSIFIED INTO A HURRICANE BY 7 SEPTEMBER. EARLY ON 8 SEPTEMBER... NATE QUICKLY ACCELERATED EAST-NORTHEASTWARD AND BRIEFLY THREATENED BERMUDA. HOWEVER...THE HURRICANE PASSED WELL TO THE SOUTHEAST OF THE ISLAND AND GRADUALLY WEAKENED BACK TO A TROPICAL STORM ON 9 SEPTEMBER. SLOW WEAKENING CONTINUED AS UPPER-LEVEL SHEAR INCREASED AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING FRONTAL SYSTEM... AND NATE TRANSFORMED INTO A STRONG EXTRATROPICAL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ON 10 SEPTEMBER ABOUT MIDWAY BETWEEN BERMUDA AND THE AZORES ISLANDS. EXTRATROPICAL LOW NATE CONTINUED TO MOVE QUICKLY TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST AND MERGED WITH A FRONTAL SYSTEM LATER THAT DAY ABOUT 900 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF THE AZORES. ERRATIC HURRICANE OPHELIA FORMED FROM AN AREA OF DISTURBED WEATHER ALONG THE WESTERN END OF AN OLD FRONTAL SYSTEM. THE CYCLONE BEGAN TO ORGANIZE ON 4 SEPTEMBER OVER THE CENTRAL AND NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS... AND A TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMED ON 6 SEPTEMBER NEAR GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND. THE DEPRESSION MOVED ERRATICALLY NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD AND BECAME TROPICAL STORM OPHELIA ON 7 SEPTEMBER ABOUT 115 MILES EAST- SOUTHEAST OF CAPE CANAVERAL FLORIDA. OPHELIA MEANDERED OFF THE CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS... BRIEFLY BECOMING A HURRICANE ON 8 SEPTEMBER. OPHELIA BEGAN A NORTHEASTWARD MOTION LATE ON 9 SEPTEMBER... WHICH CONTINUED UNTIL IT AGAIN STALLED ON 11 SEPTEMBER ABOUT 235 MILES SOUTH OF CAPE HATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA. DURING THAT TIME... IT TWICE REACHED HURRICANE STRENGTH BEFORE WEAKENING BACK TO A TROPICAL STORM. OPHELIA MADE A SLOW LOOP ON 12-13 SEPTEMBER... MOVING SOUTHWESTWARD AND NORTHWESTWARD BEFORE BEGINNING A NORTHWARD MOTION TOWARD THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST. THE CYCLONE BECAME A HURRICANE YET AGAIN LATE ON 13 SEPTEMBER... AND MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REACHED 85 MPH BY THE TIME THE NORTHERN EYEWALL REACHED THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST NEAR CAPE FEAR ON 14 SEPTEMBER. OPHELIA TURNED SLOWLY EAST-NORTHEASTWARD WITH THE CENTER PASSING SOUTH OF CAPE LOOKOUT AND CAPE HATTERAS ON 15 SEPTEMBER. IT THEN WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL STORM EARLY ON 16 SEPTEMBER WHILE AGAIN STALLING ABOUT 45 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF CAPE HATTERAS. OPHELIA ACCELERATED TO THE NORTHEAST LATER ON 16 SEPTEMBER AND PASSED EAST OF CAPE COD THE NEXT DAY. THE STORM TRANSFORMED INTO AN EXTRATROPICAL LOW NEAR NOVA SCOTIA EARLY ON 18 SEPTEMBER... PASSED OVER NEWFOUNDLAND ON 19 SEPTEMBER... AND REACHED THE EASTERN ATLANTIC ON 21 SEPTEMBER. EXTRATROPICAL OPHELIA WAS ABSORBED BY A LARGER LOW ON 22 SEPTEMBER. ONE DEATH WAS ATTRIBUTED TO OPHELIA... A DROWNING ALONG THE SOUTHEASTERN COAST OF FLORIDA. THE STORM CAUSED AN ESTIMATED $50 MILLION IN DAMAGE ALONG THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST... WITH SIGNIFICANT BEACH EROSION NOTED FROM THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST SOUTHWARD TO THE CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST. PHILIPPE FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE... BECOMING A DEPRESSION ON 17 SEPTEMBER ABOUT 305 MILES EAST OF BARBADOS. THE DEPRESSION BECAME A TROPICAL STORM LATER THAT DAY. PHILIPPE MOVED NORTH- NORTHEASTWARD TO THE EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES AND STRENGTHENED... BECOMING A HURRICANE ON 19 SEPTEMBER ABOUT 390 MILES EAST OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS. PHILIPPE REACHED ITS PEAK INTENSITY OF 80 MPH EARLY THE FOLLOWING DAY. CONTINUING TO THE NORTH- NORTHWEST OVER OPEN WATERS... PHILIPPE WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL STORM LATE ON 20 SEPTEMBER. THE CYCLONE TURNED NORTHWARD AND ITS CIRCULATION BECAME EMBEDDED WITHIN A LARGER NON-TROPICAL AREA OF LOW PRESSURE ON 22 SEPTEMBER. ROTATING COUNTER-CLOCKWISE WITHIN THE LARGER LOW... PHILIPPE TURNED TO THE WEST AND SOUTH... AND WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION THE NEXT DAY. THE CIRCULATION OF PHILIPPE WAS ABSORBED BY THE NON-TROPICAL LOW EARLY ON 24 SEPTEMBER. RITA WAS AN INTENSE... DESTRUCTIVE... AND DEADLY HURRICANE THAT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED THE FLORIDA KEYS AND DEVASTATED PORTIONS OF SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS AND SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. RITA BECAME A DEPRESSION JUST EAST OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS LATE ON 17 SEPTEMBER. IT MOVED WESTWARD AND BECAME A TROPICAL STORM THE FOLLOWING AFTERNOON. CONTINUING ON THROUGH THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS ON 19 SEPTEMBER... RITA APPROACHED HURRICANE STRENGTH WITH 70 MPH WINDS. WHILE RITA DID NOT STRENGTHEN DURING THE FOLLOWING NIGHT... IT RAPIDLY INTENSIFIED ON 20 SEPTEMBER WHILE MOVING THROUGH THE FLORIDA STRAITS. IT REACHED CATEGORY TWO INTENSITY AS THE CENTER PASSED ABOUT 50 MILES SOUTH OF KEY WEST. EVEN THOUGH THE CENTER DID NOT MAKE LANDFALL IN THE FLORIDA KEYS... IT DOWNED TREES AND PRODUCED STORM TIDES OF UP TO FIVE FEET IN PORTIONS OF THE ISLAND CHAIN... FLOODING SECTIONS OF U.S. HIGHWAY 1 AND MANY OTHER STREETS... AS WELL AS SEVERAL HOMES AND BUSINESSES. AFTER ENTERING THE GULF OF MEXICO... RITA INTENSIFIED AT AN ASTOUNDING RATE... FROM CATEGORY TWO TO CATEGORY FIVE IN ABOUT 24 HOURS... WITH WINDS REACHING 165 MPH ON THE AFTERNOON OF 21 SEPTEMBER. THE HURRICANE STRENGTHENED FURTHER AND REACHED A PEAK INTENSITY OF 175 MPH EARLY ON 22 SEPTEMBER ABOUT 570 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF GALVESTON TEXAS. THE CENTRAL PRESSURE FELL TO 897 MB... THE THIRD LOWEST ON RECORD IN THE ATLANTIC BASIN... DISPLACING TO FIFTH LOWEST THE 902 MB MEASUREMENT IN HURRICANE KATRINA LESS THAN ONE MONTH EARLIER. RITA BEGAN TO WEAKEN LATER THAT DAY... BUT AS IT PASSED THROUGH THE GULF IT PRODUCED STORM SURGE FLOODING IN PORTIONS OF THE NEW ORLEANS AREA THAT HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN INUNDATED BY KATRINA. RITA TURNED NORTHWESTWARD AND WEAKENED TO CATEGORY THREE ON 23 SEPTEMBER. IT THEN MADE LANDFALL AROUND 230 AM CDT 24 SEPTEMBER JUST EAST OF THE TEXAS/LOUISIANA BORDER BETWEEN SABINE PASS AND JOHNSON'S BAYOU... STILL AT CATEGORY THREE INTENSITY WITH 120 MPH WINDS. RITA CAUSED DEVASTATING STORM SURGE FLOODING AND WIND DAMAGE IN SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA AND EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS. IT WEAKENED AFTER MOVING INLAND... BUT REMAINED A TROPICAL STORM UNTIL REACHING NORTHWESTERN LOUISIANA LATE ON 24 SEPTEMBER. IT THEN TURNED NORTHEASTWARD AND MERGED WITH A FRONTAL SYSTEM TWO DAYS LATER. A FINAL COUNT OF THE CASUALTIES DUE TO RITA IS NOT YET AVAILABLE. DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS ARE ALSO ONGOING AND A FINAL COST ESTIMATE IS NOT YET AVAILABLE. TROPICAL DEPRESSION NINETEEN FORMED ON 30 SEPTEMBER ABOUT 665 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS. AT THE END OF THE MONTH... THE DEPRESSION WAS DRIFTING NORTHWESTWARD OVER THE OPEN WATERS OF THE TROPICAL EASTERN ATLANTIC WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF 35 MPH. SUMMARY TABLE NAME DATES MAX WIND DEATHS U.S. DAMAGE MPH $MILLION ---------------------------------------------------------- H MARIA 1-10 SEP 115 0 H NATE 5-10 SEP 90 0 H OPHELIA 6-18 SEP 85 1 50 H PHILIPPE 17-24 SEP 80 0 H RITA 18-26 SEP 175 ** ** TD NINETEEN 30 SEP - 35 ** ** ---------------------------------------------------------- NOTE...DATES BASED ON COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME (UTC) * PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE ** UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME FORECASTER PASCH/STEWART/BEVEN/FRANKLIN/KNABB/AVILA $$
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Page last modified: Sunday, 02-Oct-2005 04:31:30 UTC