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Tropical Weather Summary (Text)

000
ABNT30 KNHC 011203
TWSAT 
MONTHLY TROPICAL WEATHER SUMMARY
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
800 AM EDT SAT NOV 1 2008
 
FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...

FOUR TROPICAL CYCLONES FORMED DURING OCTOBER...TROPICAL STORMS MARCO
AND NANA...HURRICANE OMAR...AND TROPICAL DEPRESSION SIXTEEN. 
TROPICAL STORM LAURA...WHICH FORMED IN SEPTEMBER...WAS STILL ACTIVE
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH.

LAURA FORMED AS A SUBTROPICAL STORM WITH 60 MPH WINDS EARLY ON 29
SEPTEMBER ABOUT 1000 MILES WEST OF THE AZORES.  IT INITIALLY MOVED
WEST-NORTHWESTWARD BUT IT SOON TURNED NORTHWARD.  IT BECAME A
TROPICAL STORM ON 30 SEPTEMBER.  LAURA TURNED NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD
AND LOST TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS ON 1 OCTOBER ABOUT 300 MILES EAST
OF CAPE RACE NEWFOUNDLAND.  THE EXTRATROPICAL CYCLONE CONTINUED OVER
THE NORTH ATLANTIC FOR A FEW DAYS AND LOST ITS IDENTITY BY 4
OCTOBER.

MARCO FORMED OUT OF A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE THAT HAD PERSISTED
OVER THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN AND YUCATAN PENINSULA FOR SEVERAL
DAYS AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER.  BY 4 OCTOBER THE LOW BECAME BETTER
DEFINED NEAR BELIZE...BUT THEN MOVED INLAND OVER THE YUCATAN
PENINSULA.  ON 6 OCTOBER A VERY SMALL AREA OF LOW PRESSURE MOVED
OVER THE EXTREME SOUTHERN BAY OF CAMPECHE AND THE CLOUD PATTERN
QUICKLY GAINED ORGANIZATION.  THE LOW BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION
THAT MORNING ABOUT 140 MILES EAST OF VERA CRUZ MEXICO.  THE
DEPRESSION QUICKLY STRENGTHENED TO A TROPICAL STORM...ITS WINDS
REACHING 65 MPH THAT AFTERNOON AS IT MOVED TO THE WEST-NORTHWEST. 
MARCO DID NOT STRENGTHEN FURTHER...AND MADE LANDFALL BETWEEN TUXPAN
AND VERACRUZ ON THE MORNING OF 7 OCTOBER.  THE CYCLONE WEAKENED
RAPIDLY AFTER MAKING LANDFALL AND DISSIPATED EARLY ON 8 OCTOBER. 
THERE HAVE BEEN NO REPORTS OF CASUALTIES OR SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE.  IT
IS ESTIMATED THAT AT TIMES THE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTENDED
NO MORE THAN ABOUT 15 MILES FROM THE CENTER.  ALTHOUGH THE
HISTORICAL RECORD ON STORM SIZE IS VERY SHORT...IT IS POSSIBLE THAT
MARCO WAS THE SMALLEST TROPICAL CYCLONE CYCLONE TO HAVE OCCURRED IN
THE ATLANTIC BASIN.

NANA WAS A WEAK...SHORT-LIVED TROPICAL STORM THAT DEVELOPED FROM A
TROPICAL WAVE ON 12 OCTOBER ABOUT 925 MILES WEST OF THE CAPE VERDE
ISLANDS. NANA BECAME A TROPICAL STORM LATER THAT DAY AND REMAINED
OVER THE OPEN TROPICAL ATLANTIC OCEAN FOR THE DURATION OF ITS
LIFETIME. AS IT MOVED STEADILY WEST-NORTHWESTWARD...SOUTHWESTERLY
UPPER-LEVEL SHEAR CONDITIONS CAUSED NANA TO WEAKEN INTO A TROPICAL
DEPRESSION ON 13 OCTOBER. THE SYSTEM DEGENERATED INTO A REMNANT LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEM ON 14 OCTOBER ABOUT 1300 MILES EAST OF THE LESSER
ANTILLES AND EVENTUALLY DISSIPATED LATE ON 15 OCTOBER ABOUT 1000
MILES EAST-NORTHEAST OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS.

OMAR FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE THAT MOVED WESTWARD FROM THE COAST
OF AFRICA ON 30 SEPTEMBER.  THE WAVE MOVED SLOWLY ACROSS THE
TROPICAL ATLANTIC AND REACHED THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN SEA ON 10
OCTOBER.  THE ASSOCIATED SHOWER ACTIVITY SHOWED SIGNS OF
ORGANIZATION ON 11 OCTOBER...AND A TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMED ON 13
OCTOBER ABOUT 175 MILES NORTH-NORTHWEST OF CURACAO IN THE
NETHERLAND ANTILLES.  THE CYCLONE MOVED SLOWLY AND ERRATICALLY ON
13-14 OCTOBER...AND IT BECAME A TROPICAL STORM ON 14 OCTOBER ABOUT
125 MILES NORTH OF CURACAO.  OMAR TURNED NORTHEASTWARD AND
ACCELERATED ON 15 OCTOBER AS IT BECAME A HURRICANE.  IT RAPIDLY
STRENGTHENED TO A PEAK INTENSITY OF 125 MPH EARLY ON 16 OCTOBER AS
IT PASSED THROUGH THE VIRGIN AND NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS.  LATER
THAT DAY...SOUTHWESTERLY VERTICAL WIND SHEAR CAUSED RAPID
WEAKENING...AND OMAR WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL STORM EARLY ON 17
OCTOBER.  A TEMPORARY DECREASE IN THE SHEAR ALLOWED OMAR TO REGAIN
HURRICANE STRENGTH LATER THAT DAY AS IT REMOVED RAPIDLY
NORTHEASTWARD OVER THE OPEN ATLANTIC.  HOWEVER...IT WEAKENED BACK
TO A TROPICAL STORM THE NEXT DAY.  MOVEMENT OVER COLDER SEA SURFACE
TEMPERATURES CAUSED OMAR TO DECAY TO A REMNANT LOW ON 18 OCTOBER
ABOUT 820 MILES EAST OF BERMUDA.  THIS LOW MOVED SLOWLY
NORTHEASTWARD AND DISSIPATED EARLY ON 21 OCTOBER ABOUT 650 MILES
WEST OF THE WESTERN AZORES ISLANDS.

OMAR DIRECTLY AFFECTED THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS...AS WELL AS ST.
CROIX IN THE VIRGIN ISLANDS...WITH DAMAGE FROM WINDS...TIDES...AND
SURF REPORTED IN THESE AREAS.  HOWEVER...MONETARY DAMAGE FIGURES
ARE NOT AVAILABLE.  SWELLS GENERATED BY THE HURRICANE AFFECTED THE
WESTWARD-FACING SHORES OF OTHER ISLANDS IN THE LESSER ANTILLES.  AT
THIS TIME...THERE ARE NO REPORTS OF CASUALTIES FROM OMAR.

TROPICAL DEPRESSION SIXTEEN FORMED ABOUT 45 MILES NORTH-NORTHEAST OF
CABO GRACIAS A DIOS ON THE NICARAGUA/HONDURAS BORDER OUT OF A BROAD
AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IN THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN ON 14 OCTOBER. THE
SPRAWLING SYSTEM WAS NEVER ABLE TO GAIN MUCH ORGANIZATION AS IT
MOVED ALONG THE NORTH COAST OF HONDURAS ON 15 OCTOBER. THE CENTER
OF THE DEPRESSION MOVED INLAND OVER NORTH-CENTRAL HONDURAS THAT
AFTERNOON AND DISSIPATED EARLY ON 16 OCTOBER.  THE DEPRESSION...ITS
PRECURSOR LOW...AND ITS REMNANTS CAUSED FLOODING THAT RESULTED IN
DEATHS IN COSTA RICA...NICARAGUA...HONDURAS...EL SALVADOR...AND
GUATEMALA...ALTHOUGH THE NUMBER OF DEATHS DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO
THE DEPRESSION IS STILL BEING DETERMINED. 


SUMMARY TABLE

NAME            DATES             MAX WIND (MPH)         DEATHS
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TS  LAURA    29 SEP-1 OCT             60
TS  MARCO      6-8  OCT               65
TS  NANA      12-14 OCT               40
H   OMAR      13-18 OCT              125                  
TD  SIXTEEN   14-16 OCT               30                  N/A
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NOTE...DATES BASED ON COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME (UTC)
N/A...NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME
 
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HURRICANE SPECIALISTS UNIT