000 ABPZ30 KNHC 011633 TWSEP MONTHLY TROPICAL WEATHER SUMMARY...CORRECTED NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 800 AM PST MON DEC 1 2008 CORRECTED FOR TABLE FORMATTING FOR THE EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC...EAST OF 140 DEGREES WEST LONGITUDE.. NOVEMBER HAD ONE SHORT-LIVED TROPICAL STORM...POLO. THE EASTERN PACIFIC HAS ABOUT ONE NOVEMBER TROPICAL STORM EVERY THREE YEARS...AND THE LAST TROPICAL CYCLONE TO OCCUR IN NOVEMBER WAS SERGIO IN 2006. OVERALL TROPICAL CYCLONE ACTIVITY DURING THE 2008 EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC SEASON WAS BELOW AVERAGE. SIXTEEN TROPICAL STORMS OCCURRED...OF WHICH SEVEN BECAME HURRICANES AND TWO BECAME MAJOR HURRICANES. ALTHOUGH THE NUMBER OF TROPICAL STORMS WAS NEAR AVERAGE...THE NUMBERS OF HURRICANES AND MAJOR HURRICANES WERE BELOW AVERAGE. IN TERMS OF THE ACCUMULATED CYCLONE ENERGY (ACE) INDEX...2008 HAD ABOUT 75% OF THE LONG-TERM MEDIAN VALUE. MANY OF THE TROPICAL CYCLONES THIS YEAR EXPERIENCED STRONG EASTERLY SHEAR...WHICH LED TO SEVERAL WEAK AND SHORT-LIVED STORMS. HURRICANE NORBERT AND TROPICAL STORM JULIO MADE LANDFALL IN MEXICO AND TROPICAL STORM ALMA MADE LANDFALL ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST OF NICARAGUA EARLY IN THE SEASON. ALMA ORIGINATED FROM A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE THAT FORMED EARLY ON 27 MAY ABOUT 260 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE COAST OF NICARAGUA. THE LOW SUBSEQUENTLY MOVED SLOWLY EASTWARD. THE ASSOCIATED SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY BECAME BETTER ORGANIZED...AND EARLY ON 29 MAY A TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMED ABOUT 100 MILES WEST-NORTHWEST OF CABO BLANCO COSTA RICA. THE DEPRESSION TURNED NORTHWARD AND REACHED TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH LATER THAT DAY. ALMA REACHED ITS PEAK INTENSITY OF 65 MPH WHILE CENTERED ABOUT 50 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MANAGUA NICARAGUA. A FEW HOURS LATER...ALMA MADE LANDFALL AT THAT SAME INTENSITY ALONG THE NORTHWESTERN PACIFIC COAST OF NICARAGUA NEAR LEON. AFTER LANDFALL...ALMA CONTINUED NORTHWARD AND WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION OVER HONDURAS. THE LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION OF ALMA DISSIPATED OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN HONDURAS ON 30 MAY. ALMA WAS THE FIRST TROPICAL STORM TO MAKE LANDFALL ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST OF HONDURAS SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 1949. MEDIA REPORTS INDICATE THAT ALMA CAUSED TWO FATALITIES...ONE FROM FLOODING IN NICARAGUA AND ONE WHEN A FISHING VESSEL SANK OFFSHORE. TWO OTHER INDIVIDUALS ON THE VESSEL AND SEVEN OTHERS ON ANOTHER BOAT THAT SANK REMAIN MISSING. BORIS FORMED ON 27 JUNE FROM AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE ASSOCIATED WITH AN AFRICAN EASTERLY WAVE. THIS WAVE LEFT THE COAST OF WEST AFRICA ON 14 JUNE...MOVED ACROSS THE TROPICAL NORTH ATLANTIC AS A HIGH AMPLITUDE DISTURBANCE...AND CROSSED INTO THE EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC ON 22 JUNE. CONVECTION SLOWLY BECAME ORGANIZED DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS THE WAVE CONTINUED MOVING SLOWLY WESTWARD. BY EARLY ON 27 JUNE...THE SYSTEM HAD DEVELOPED INTO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION WHEN IT WAS ABOUT 605 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF MANZANILLO MEXICO. LATER THAT DAY...THE DEPRESSION STRENGTHENED AND REACHED TROPICAL STORM INTENSITY. BORIS MOVED GENERALLY TOWARD THE WEST DURING THE NEXT TWO DAYS WITH LITTLE CHANGE IN INTENSITY. ON 29 JUNE...THE CYCLONE STRENGTHENED TO NEAR HURRICANE INTENSITY WHILE A RAGGED EYE WAS APPARENT FOR SEVERAL HOURS. BORIS MAINTAINED THAT APPROXIMATE STRENGTH ON 30 JUNE BEFORE BECOMING A HURRICANE EARLY ON 1 JULY. ON 2 JULY...BORIS WEAKENED INTO A TROPICAL STORM DUE TO THE EFFECTS ON COOLER SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES. SLOW WEAKENING CONTINUED AND BORIS BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON 3 JULY...DEGENERATING INTO A REMNANT LOW THE NEXT DAY ABOUT 1460 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF BAJA CALIFORNIA. CRISTINA HAD ITS ORIGINS IN A TROPICAL WAVE THAT CROSSED CENTRAL AMERICA ON 21 JUNE AND MOVED INTO THE EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC BY 22 JUNE. FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS...AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE WAVE MOVED WESTWARD WITHIN THE INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE WITH LITTLE CHANGE IN ORGANIZATION. BY 26 JUNE THE CLOUD PATTERN ASSOCIATED WITH THE SYSTEM BEGAN TO BECOME BETTER ORGANIZED...AND A DEPRESSION FORMED ON 27 JUNE ABOUT 1050 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF BAJA CALIFORNIA. THE TROPICAL CYCLONE INITIALLY MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AND STRENGTHENED INTO A TROPICAL STORM ON 28 JUNE WHILE TURNING WESTWARD. CRISTINA REACHED AN INTENSITY OF 50 MPH EARLY ON 29 JUNE. THE SYSTEM THEN BEGAN TO LOSE STRENGTH IN A LESS FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT. CRISTINA WEAKENED TO A DEPRESSION ON 30 JUNE...AND DEGENERATED INTO A REMNANT LOW BY 1 JULY. THE SYSTEM DRIFTED SOUTHWESTWARD FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE LOSING ITS IDENTITY. DOUGLAS WAS A WEAK...SHORT-LIVED TROPICAL CYCLONE THAT FORMED FROM AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE ON 1 JULY ABOUT 280 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MANZANILLO MEXICO. DOUGLAS MOVED TOWARD THE NORTHWEST PARALLELING THE SOUTHWESTERN COAST OF MEXICO WHERE IT PRODUCED HEAVY RAINS. THE CYCLONE REACHED ITS MAXIMUM INTENSITY OF 40 MPH BEFORE MOVING OVER COOLER WATERS WHERE IT BEGAN TO WEAKEN. IT BECAME A REMNANT LOW ON 4 JULY. TROPICAL DEPRESSION FIVE-E WAS A SHORT-LIVED TROPICAL CYCLONE THAT FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE ON 5 JULY ABOUT 170 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF ACAPULCO MEXICO. THE CYCLONE INITIALLY MOVED NORTHWESTWARD BUT TURNED NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD THE NEXT DAY AND SLOWED DOWN. A VERY LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACCOMPANIED THE DEPRESSION ON 6 JULY...BUT MOST OF THAT ACTIVITY REMAINED OFFSHORE FROM MEXICO UNTIL LATE THAT DAY. CONTINUING SLOWLY NORTHWARD...THE CENTER OF THE DEPRESSION MADE LANDFALL VERY EARLY ON 7 JULY JUST WEST OF LAZARO CARDENAS MEXICO WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF ABOUT 35 MPH...AND THE CIRCULATION DISSIPATED INLAND OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN A FEW HOURS LATER. HEAVY RAINS WERE DUMPED AT SOME LOCATIONS ALONG THE COAST OF MEXICO...INCLUDING MORE THAN FIVE AND A HALF INCHES AT MANZANILLO...BUT NO CASUALTIES...FLOODS...OR OTHER SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED. ELIDA WAS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE THAT DID NOT AFFECT LAND. IT FIRST FORMED AS A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON 11 JULY ABOUT 360 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF ACAPULCO AND BECAME A TROPICAL STORM THE NEXT DAY. ELIDA MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD ON A TRACK ROUGHLY PARALLEL TO THE PACIFIC COAST OF MEXICO WHILE GRADUALLY STRENGTHENING OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...BECOMING A HURRICANE ON 14 JULY ABOUT 345 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MANZANILLO. ELIDA TURNED WESTWARD...AND VERY LITTLE ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING OCCURRED OVER THE NEXT TWO DAYS WHILE THE CYCLONE EXPERIENCED SOME EASTERLY VERTICAL WIND SHEAR. BY 16 JULY THIS SHEAR HAD DIMINISHED...AND ELIDA BEGAN TO STRENGTHEN...REACHING ITS PEAK INTENSITY OF 105 MPH...SHORTLY BEFORE THE CENTER OF THE HURRICANE REACHED COOLER WATERS. GRADUAL WEAKENING BEGAN THE NEXT DAY...AND ELIDA BECAME A TROPICAL STORM ON 18 JULY AND A DEPRESSION ON 19 JULY. LACKING ORGANIZED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY...ELIDA DEGENERATED TO A REMNANT LOW LATER THAT DAY ABOUT 1500 MILES EAST OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. BY 22 JULY...THE WESTWARD-MOVING REMNANT LOW HAD DISSIPATED. FAUSTO DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE THAT MOVED WESTWARD FROM THE COAST OF AFRICA ON 4 JULY. THIS SYSTEM SHOWED SIGNS OF ORGANIZATION UPON REACHING THE EASTERN PACIFIC ON 13 JULY...AND SLOW DEVELOPMENT OCCURRED DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. A TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMED ON 16 JULY ABOUT 550 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ACAPULCO...AND THE CYCLONE REACHED TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH LATER THAT DAY. AFTER AN INITIAL WESTWARD MOTION...FAUSTO MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD... BECOMING A HURRICANE ON 18 JULY. THE HURRICANE THEN TURNED NORTHWESTWARD AND UNSTEADILY STRENGTHENED TO AN ESTIMATED PEAK INTENSITY OF 90 MPH ON 20 JULY. THE NEXT DAY...A TURN TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST BROUGHT FAUSTO OVER COOLER WATERS AND IT WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL STORM. ADDITIONAL WEAKENING CAUSED THE CYCLONE TO DECAY TO A REMNANT LOW EARLY ON 23 JULY ABOUT 765 MILES WEST OF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF BAJA CALIFORNIA. THE LOW DISSIPATED ON 24 JULY ABOUT 1050 MILES WEST OF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF BAJA CALIFORNIA. GENEVIEVE DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE THAT ALMOST PRODUCED AN ATLANTIC TROPICAL DEPRESSION NEAR THE COAST OF NICARAGUA ON 17 JULY. THE WAVE MOVED WESTWARD INTO THE PACIFIC ON 18 JULY AND THE ASSOCIATED CLOUDINESS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOWED SIGNS OF ORGANIZATION AS THE SYSTEM MOVED WESTWARD TO THE SOUTH OF CENTRAL AMERICA AND MEXICO ON 19-20 JULY. THE DISTURBANCE EVOLVED INTO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON 21 JULY ABOUT 250 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF ACAPULCO AND INTENSIFIED INTO A TROPICAL STORM LATER THAT DAY. OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS...GENEVIEVE MOVED ON A WESTWARD TO WEST-NORTHWESTWARD TRACK WITH SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH. IT EVENTUALLY BECAME A HURRICANE ON 25 JULY WHILE LOCATED ABOUT 575 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CABO SAN LUCAS MEXICO. GENEVIEVE WEAKENED BACK TO A TROPICAL STORM BY EARLY THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE WESTWARD- MOVING CYCLONE CONTINUED TO SPIN DOWN...BECOMING A DEPRESSION EARLY ON 27 JULY AND DEGENERATING TO A REMNANT LOW A LITTLE LATER THAT DAY. GENEVIEVE'S REMNANT LOW CONTINUED TO MOVE WESTWARD FOR SEVERAL DAYS. HERNAN DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE THAT DEPARTED THE WEST COAST OF AFRICA ON 24 JULY AND ENTERED THE EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN ON 2 AUGUST. THE WAVE SPAWNED A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE ABOUT 600 MILES SOUTH OF MANZANILLO MEXICO ON 5 AUGUST. THE NEXT DAY... THE LOW BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ABOUT 775 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF BAJA CALIFORNIA. THE DEPRESSION STRENGTHENED INTO A TROPICAL STORM TWELVE HOURS LATER. HERNAN INITIALLY MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD WHILE GRADUALLY STRENGTHENING OVER THE OPEN WATERS OF THE EASTERN PACIFIC. BY 8 AUGUST...HERNAN TURNED WESTWARD AND REACHED HURRICANE STRENGTH ABOUT 900 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF BAJA CALIFORNIA. OVER THE NEXT DAY OR SO...HERNAN MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AND CONTINUED TO STRENGTHEN...REACHING A A PEAK INTENSITY OF 120 MPH AT 1200 UTC 9 AUGUST. SHORTLY THEREAFTER...THE HURRICANE MOVED OVER COOLER WATERS WHICH INITIATED WEAKENING...AND HERNAN BECOME A TROPICAL STORM EARLY ON 12 AUGUST. THE STORM TURNED WESTWARD TO WEST-SOUTHWESTWARD AND ASSOCIATED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY DIMINISHED THAT DAY. HERNAN DEGENERATED INTO A REMNANT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM BY 13 AUGUST WHILE LOCATED 1600 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF BAJA CALIFORNIA. THE REMNANT LOW CONTINUED MOVING WEST-SOUTHWESTWARD AND EVENTUALLY DISSIPATED ABOUT 450 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS ON 16 AUGUST. THERE ARE NO REPORTS OF CASUALTIES OR DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH HERNAN. ISELLE WAS A RELATIVELY SHORT-LIVED TROPICAL STORM THAT DID NOT THREATEN LAND. ISELLE DEVELOPED AS A DEPRESSION ON 13 AUGUST ABOUT 210 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF MANZANILLO MEXICO AND BECAME A TROPICAL STORM SIX HOURS LATER. HOWEVER...STRONG UPPER-LEVEL WINDS INHIBITED STRENGTHENING THROUGHOUT ISELLE'S LIFETIME...AND THE CYCLONE PEAKED EARLY ON 15 AUGUST WITH 50 MPH WINDS WHEN IT WAS ABOUT 355 MILES SOUTH OF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF BAJA CALIFORNIA. CONTINUING WESTWARD BENEATH HOSTILE UPPER-LEVEL EASTERLY SHEAR CONDITIONS...ISELLE WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON 16 AUGUST...AND DEGENERATED INTO A NON-CONVECTIVE REMNANT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM EARLY THE NEXT DAY ABOUT 350 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF BAJA CALIFORNIA. THE REMNANT LOW CONTINUED SLOWLY WESTWARD FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS BEFORE TURNING SHARPLY SOUTHWESTWARD ON 19 AUGUST. THE LOW DISSIPATED THREE DAYS LATER ON 22 AUGUST ABOUT 1200 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF BAJA CALIFORNIA. THERE ARE NO REPORTS OF CASUALTIES OR DAMAGE. JULIO FORMED ABOUT 375 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF BAJA CALIFORNIA ON 23 AUGUST. THE TROPICAL DEPRESSION QUICKLY INTENSIFIED INTO A TROPICAL STORM AND MOVED NORTHWESTWARD TO NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD. JULIO REACHED ITS PEAK INTENSITY OF 50 MPH ON 24 AUGUST AS ITS CENTER NEARED CABO SAN LUCAS MEXICO. LATER THAT DAY...THE STORM MADE LANDFALL NEAR CABO SAN LUCAS. JULIO MOVED ALONG THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA OVER THE NEXT DAY OR SO WHILE VERY SLOWLY LOSING STRENGTH. HOWEVER...THE CYCLONE PRODUCED LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE BAJA PENINSULA. JULIO WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION EARLY ON 26 AUGUST AND DISSIPATED OVER THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA LATER THAT DAY. MEDIA REPORTS OF CASUALTIES HAVE NOT YET BEEN CONFIRMED. THERE ARE NO REPORTS OF SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. KARINA WAS A SHORT-LIVED TROPICAL CYCLONE. A TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMED 260 MILES SOUTH OF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF BAJA CALIFORNIA EARLY ON 2 SEPTEMBER FROM A PERSISTENT AREA OF DISTURBED WEATHER. KARINA WAS EMBEDDED WITHIN A STRONG SHEARING ENVIRONMENT...ALTHOUGH IT WAS ABLE TO REACH AN INTENSITY OF 40 MPH LATE ON 2 SEPTEMBER. THEREAFTER...THE SHEAR INCREASED FURTHER AND KARINA DEGENERATED TO A REMNANT LOW LATE ON 3 SEPTEMBER. LOWELL FORMED FROM A STRONG TROPICAL DISTURBANCE EARLY ON 7 SEPTEMBER WHILE IT WAS LOCATED ABOUT 265 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF MANZANILLO MEXICO. DESPITE BEING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF NORTHEASTERLY SHEAR...THE STORM GRADUALLY STRENGTHENED OVER THE NEXT DAY AND REACHED A PEAK INTENSITY OF 60 MPH WHEN IT WAS LOCATED ABOUT 325 MILES SOUTH OF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF BAJA CALIFORNIA. LOWELL CONTINUED TO MOVE NORTHWESTWARD WELL OFF THE COAST OF MEXICO BUT STARTED TO WEAKEN ON 9 SEPTEMBER AS IT BEGAN TO INGEST STABLE AIR AND REMAINED UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF NORTHEASTERLY SHEAR. THE CYCLONE ULTIMATELY WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON 10 SEPTEMBER AND TURNED SLOWLY TO THE NORTHEAST IN RESPONSE TO A MID-LATITUDE TROUGH TO ITS NORTH. LOWELL MADE LANDFALL OVER THE FAR SOUTHERN BAJA PENINSULA EARLY ON 11 SEPTEMBER...MOVED ACROSS THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA...THEN DISSIPATED ALONG THE COAST OF MAINLAND MEXICO NEAR LOS MOCHIS EARLY ON 12 SEPTEMBER. ALTHOUGH NO DEATHS HAVE BEEN REPORTED...HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLOODING FROM THE REMNANTS OF LOWELL LEFT MORE THAN 26500 PEOPLE HOMELESS IN THE MEXICAN STATES OF MICHOACAN...SONORA...AND SINALOA. MARIE DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE...THAT WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM...EARLY ON 1 OCTOBER ABOUT 585 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF BAJA CALIFORNIA. WHILE MOVING IN A GENERAL WESTERLY DIRECTION...THE DEPRESSION STRENGTHENED INTO A TROPICAL STORM LATER THAT DAY. AFTER TURNING WEST-SOUTHWESTWARD...MARIE BECAME A HURRICANE LATE ON 3 OCTOBER ABOUT 870 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF BAJA CALIFORNIA. AFTER MARIE REACHED ITS PEAK INTENSITY ON 4 OCTOBER...STEADY WEAKENING OCCURRED UNTIL THE CYCLONE DEGENERATED INTO A REMNANT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ON 7 OCTOBER ABOUT 990 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF BAJA CALIFORNIA. MARIE LASTED LONGER AS A REMNANT LOW THAN IT DID AS A TROPICAL CYCLONE. AFTER MOVING SOUTHWESTWARD FOR THE NEXT 12 DAYS...THE SYSTEM WAS FINALLY ABSORBED INTO THE INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE ON 19 OCTOBER ABOUT 1200 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. NORBERT FORMED OUT OF A BROAD AND NEARLY STATIONARY AREA OF LOW PRESSURE...BECOMING A DEPRESSION ON 4 OCTOBER ABOUT 230 MILES SOUTH OF ACAPULCO MEXICO. IT MOVED LITTLE INITIALLY...BUT BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH OF THE CYCLONE INDUCED A WESTWARD TRACK BY LATE THAT DAY. THE SYSTEM BECAME A TROPICAL STORM ON 5 OCTOBER AND SLOWLY STRENGTHENED...REACHING HURRICANE STRENGTH ON 7 OCTOBER ABOUT 315 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF MANZANILLO MEXICO. NORBERT CONTINUED TO STRENGTHEN AS IT MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD...REACHING A PEAK INTENSITY OF 135 MPH...CATEGORY FOUR ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE...ON 8 OCTOBER ABOUT 445 MILES SOUTH OF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF BAJA CALIFORNIA. NORBERT THEN TURNED NORTHWESTWARD AND WEAKENED TO A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE THE FOLLOWING DAY. RECURVING AHEAD OF A DEEP-LAYER TROUGH...NORBERT TURNED NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD TOWARD THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA...BRIEFLY REGAINING MAJOR HURRICANE STATUS ON 11 OCTOBER. NORBERT MADE LANDFALL NEAR PUERTO CHARLEY ON THE WEST COAST OF THE PENINSULA AROUND 1630 UTC 11 OCTOBER AS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE...WITH MAXIMUM WINDS ESTIMATED AT 105 MPH. MOVING NORTHEASTWARD...NORBERT CROSSED THE PENINSULA AND MADE A SECOND LANDFALL IN MAINLAND MEXICO ABOUT 25 MILES SOUTHEAST OF HUATABAMPO AROUND 0400 UTC 12 OCTOBER WITH MAXIMUM WINDS NEAR 85 MPH...CATEGORY ONE STRENGTH. NORBERT WEAKENED RAPIDLY AFTER LANDFALL AND DISSIPATED OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF MEXICO LATER THAT DAY. INFORMATION ON DAMAGE AND CASUALTIES IS STILL BEING COMPILED. TROPICAL STORM ODILE HAD A COMPLEX ORIGIN...WITH TWO TROPICAL WAVES AND THE REMAINS OF A FRONTAL SYSTEM INVOLVED IN THE INITIAL DEVELOPMENT. THE DISTURBANCE THAT BECAME ODILE REACHED THE EASTERN PACIFIC ON 4 OCTOBER AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY SHOWED SIGNS OF ORGANIZATION. HOWEVER...EASTERLY VERTICAL WIND SHEAR STOPPED DEVELOPMENT THE NEXT DAY AS THE SYSTEM STALLED SOUTH OF EL SALVADOR. LITTLE MOTION OR CHANGE IN ORGANIZATION OCCURRED DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. DEVELOPMENT RESUMED ON 8 OCTOBER...AND A TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMED THAT DAY ABOUT 120 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF SAN SALVADOR EL SALVADOR. THE CYCLONE MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AND BECAME A TROPICAL STORM ON 9 OCTOBER. THE STORM TURNED NORTHWESTWARD ON 10 OCTOBER...THEN IT MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD NEAR THE SOUTHWESTERN COAST OF MEXICO ON 11 OCTOBER. ODILE REACHED AN ESTIMATED PEAK INTENSITY OF 60 MPH ON 10 OCTOBER. SOUTHEASTERLY VERTICAL WIND SHEAR CAUSE THE STORM TO WEAKEN THE NEXT DAY...AND IT WEAKENED TO A DEPRESSION EARLY ON 12 OCTOBER. THE CYCLONE DEGENERATED TO A REMNANT LOW EARLY ON 13 OCTOBER ABOUT 50 MILES SOUTH OF MANZANILLO MEXICO. THE LOW MOVED SLOWLY SOUTHWESTWARD BEFORE DISSIPATING LATER THAT DAY. WHILE ODILE WAS CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE COAST OF MEXICO TO REQUIRE WATCHES AND WARNINGS...THERE ARE NO REPORTS OF DAMAGE OR CASUALTIES. TROPICAL DEPRESSION SEVENTEEN-E ORIGINATED FROM A REGION OF CONVECTION THAT DEVELOPED SOUTH OF THE GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC ON 20 OCTOBER IN ASSOCIATION WITH A SLOW-MOVING TROPICAL WAVE THAT MOVED INTO THE REGION AFTER EMERGING FROM THE WEST COAST OF AFRICA ON 30 SEPTEMBER. A TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMED ON 23 OCTOBER ABOUT 470 MILES SOUTH OF MANZANILLO MEXICO. THE DEPRESSION INITIALLY MOVED NORTHWARD AND THEN TURNED TOWARD THE NORTHWEST EARLY ON 24 OCTOBER...REMAINING WELL OFFSHORE DURING ITS SHORT LIFESPAN. STRONG VERTICAL WIND SHEAR HINDERED ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE DEPRESSION...WHICH HAD A PEAK INTENSITY OF 35 MPH. THE STRONG UPPER-LEVEL WINDS BROUGHT RAINFALL FROM THE DEPRESSION TO THE SOUTHWESTERN COAST OF MEXICO ON 24 OCTOBER...AND ULTIMATELY LED TO THE DEGENERATION OF THE DEPRESSION INTO A REMNANT LOW LATE ON 24 OCTOBER ABOUT 280 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF MANZANILLO. THE REMNANT LOW MOVED TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST AND WEST UNTIL IT DISSIPATED EARLY ON 28 OCTOBER ABOUT 690 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF BAJA CALIFORNIA. POLO WAS A SHORT-LIVED LOW-LATITUDE TROPICAL CYCLONE THAT FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE ALONG THE INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE. THE TROPICAL DEPRESSION FIRST FORMED ON 2 NOVEMBER ABOUT 810 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF MANZANILLO MEXICO AND THEN STRENGTHENED TO A TROPICAL STORM EARLY ON 3 NOVEMBER AS THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY DEVELOPED AROUND A SMALL CENTER. POLO REACHED A PEAK INTENSITY OF 40 MPH BEFORE DEGENERATING INTO AN OPEN TROUGH EARLY ON 5 NOVEMBER ABOUT 1130 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF BAJA CALIFORNIA. SUMMARY TABLE (PRELIMINARY) NAME DATES MAX WIND (MPH) DEATHS ----------------------------------------------------------------- TS ALMA 29-30 MAY 65 2 H BORIS 27 JUN-4 JUL 80 0 TS CRISTINA 27 JUN-1 JUL 50 0 TS DOUGLAS 1-4 JUL 40 0 TD FIVE-E 5-7 JUL 35 0 H ELIDA 11-19 JUL 105 0 H FAUSTO 16-22 JUL 90 0 H GENEVIEVE 21-27 JUL 75 0 MH HERNAN 6-12 AUG 120 0 TS ISELLE 13-17 AUG 50 0 TS JULIO 23-26 AUG 50 * TS KARINA 2-3 SEP 40 0 TS LOWELL 7-12 SEP 60 0 H MARIE 1-6 OCT 80 0 MH NORBERT 4-12 OCT 135 * TS ODILE 8-12 OCT 60 0 TD SEVENTEEN-E 23-24 OCT 35 0 TS POLO 2-5 NOV 40 0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- MH DENOTES MAJOR HURRICANE...CATEGORY 3 OR HIGHER ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. * DATA INCOMPLETE OR NOT AVAILABLE. NOTE...DATES BASED ON COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME (UTC). $$ HURRICANE SPECIALISTS UNIT