000 ABNT30 KNHC 011232 TWSAT MONTHLY TROPICAL WEATHER SUMMARY NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 800 AM EDT TUE JUL 1 2008 FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO... ONE TROPICAL STORM...ARTHUR...FORMED DURING LATE MAY AND LASTED INTO VERY EARLY JUNE. ON AVERAGE...A TROPICAL STORM OCCURS IN THE ATLANTIC BASIN DURING JUNE ABOUT EVERY OTHER YEAR. THE DEVELOPMENT OF ARTHUR APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN THE RESULT OF A COMBINATION OF THE LOW- TO MID-LEVEL REMNANTS OF EASTERN PACIFIC TROPICAL STORM ALMA...AND A WESTWARD-MOVING TROPICAL WAVE OVER THE CARIBBEAN SEA. ARTHUR FORMED ON 31 MAY WHILE CENTERED ABOUT 45 MILES NORTH-NORTHWEST OF BELIZE CITY...AS A TROPICAL STORM WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF ABOUT 40 MPH...WHICH WOULD BE ITS PEAK INTENSITY. THE CENTER OF THE CYCLONE MOVED SLOWLY TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST AND INLAND OVER THE YUCATAN PENINSULA OF MEXICO...BUT WINDS OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE CONTINUED OVER PORTIONS OF THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA UNTIL EARLY ON 1 JUNE WHEN THE SYSTEM BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION. THE DEPRESSION THEN TURNED TOWARD THE WEST AND EVENTUALLY WEST-SOUTHWEST...DISSIPATING NEAR THE NORTHERN BORDER BETWEEN GUATEMALA AND MEXICO BY VERY EARLY THE NEXT DAY. EXTREMELY HEAVY RAINFALL...WITH STORM TOTALS OF UP TO 15 INCHES...CAUSED DEVASTATING FLOODS IN BELIZE. FIVE DEATHS ARE DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO ARTHUR IN THAT COUNTRY. THE BELIZE NATIONAL EMERGENCY ORGANIZATION ESTIMATES THAT TOTAL DAMAGES WERE ABOUT 78 MILLION U.S. DOLLARS. SUMMARY TABLE NAME DATES MAX WIND (MPH) DEATHS ------------------------------------------------------------------- TS ARTHUR 31 MAY - 2 JUN 40 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE...DATES BASED ON COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME (UTC) $$ FORECASTER BLAKE/KNABB