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429 
ABNT30 KNHC 011151
TWSAT 
MONTHLY TROPICAL WEATHER SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
800 AM EDT FRI OCT 1 1999

FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...

...SUMMARY OF TROPICAL CYCLONE ACTIVITY DURING SEPTEMBER...

FOUR TROPICAL CYCLONES...2 HURRICANES...1 TROPICAL STORM AND 1
TROPICAL DEPRESSION...FORMED IN THE ATLANTIC BASIN DURING SEPTEMBER
1999.  IN ADDITION...TROPICAL STORM DENNIS WAS IN PROGRESS AS THE
MONTH COMMENCED.

TROPICAL ACTIVITY HAS BEEN SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE SO FAR IN 1999. 
TO DATE THE SEASON HAS PRODUCED A TOTAL OF 8 NAMED STORMS...5
HURRICANES...AND 4 MAJOR HURRICANES.  IN AN AVERAGE SEASON...BY
OCTOBER 1ST THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN 7 NAMED STORMS...4
HURRICANES...AND 2 MAJOR HURRICANES.

AFTER LASHING THE COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA AS A HURRICANE AT THE 
END OF AUGUST...TROPICAL STORM DENNIS MEANDERED ABOUT 90 TO 100
MILES EAST AND SOUTHEAST OF CAPE HATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA THROUGH
2 SEPTEMBER.  BY 4 SEPTEMBER DENNIS RE-INTENSIFIED AS IT TURNED BACK
TOWARD THE COAST AND MADE LANDFALL AS A 70 MPH TROPICAL STORM ON THE
NORTH CAROLINA OUTER BANKS...ABOUT 35 MILES EAST-NORTHEAST OF
MOREHEAD CITY.  DENNIS WEAKENED TO A DEPRESSION EARLY ON THE 5TH
WHILE MOVING NORTHWESTWARD INTO NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA...AND
DISSIPATED IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA ON 6 SEPTEMBER.

TROPICAL DEPRESSION SEVEN DEVELOPED IN THE SOUTHWEST GULF OF MEXICO
ON 5 SEPTEMBER ABOUT 80 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF TAMPICO MEXICO.  
THE SYSTEM BEGAN DRIFTING TO THE NORTH-NORTHWEST...THEN NORTHWEST 
AT 5 TO 10 MPH BEFORE MAKING LANDFALL WITH 35 MPH WINDS IN
NORTHEAST MEXICO ON THE MORNING OF THE 6TH ABOUT 45 MILES EAST OF
CIUDAD VICTORIA MEXICO.  ONCE INLAND THE DEPRESSION MOVED SLOWLY
NORTHWESTWARD PRODUCING HEAVY RAINS OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST
MEXICO AND EXTREME SOUTH TEXAS BEFORE DISSIPATING OVER NORTHERN
MEXICO ON THE 8TH.

HURRICANE FLOYD FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE WHICH MOVED OFF THE
COAST OF AFRICA ON 2 SEPTEMBER.  THE SYSTEM BECAME A TROPICAL
DEPRESSION ON 7 SEPTEMBER ABOUT 1000 MILES EAST OF THE LESSER
ANTILLES.  IT STRENGTHENED INTO A TROPICAL STORM EARLY THE NEXT DAY
WHILE LOCATED ABOUT 850 MILES EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES AND INTO 
A HURRICANE ABOUT 240 MILES NORTHEAST OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD
ISLANDS.  FLOYD TURNED FROM A WESTWARD TO A NORTHWESTWARD 
COURSE...AND ITS INTENSIFICATION TREND TEMPORARILY HALTED.  HOWEVER
AS FLOYD TURNED BACK TO THE WEST IT STRENGTHENED INTO A MAJOR
HURRICANE...AND THEN TO A STRONG CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON
THE SAFFIR/SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE...WITH 155 MPH WINDS. 
WEAKENING ONLY SLIGHTLY...THE HURRICANE RAVAGED PORTIONS OF THE
CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST BAHAMAS ON 13-14 SEPTEMBER...AND POSED A
SERIOUS THREAT TO FLORIDA.

FLOYD TURNED TO A NORTHWESTWARD AND NORTHWARD COURSE WHILE SLOWLY
WEAKENING...EVENTUALLY MAKING LANDFALL NEAR CAPE FEAR NORTH CAROLINA
AS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE AROUND 230 AM EDT 16 SEPTEMBER.  THE
HURRICANE MOVED OVER THE EASTERN PART OF THAT STATE AND ACCELERATED
NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD UP THE COAST...WEAKENING TO A TROPICAL STORM
BEFORE MOVING INTO NEW ENGLAND AND LOSING ITS TROPICAL
CHARACTERISTICS EARLY ON THE 17TH.  FLOYD IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MASSIVE
INLAND FLOODING OVER PORTIONS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES...
PARTICULARLY IN NORTH CAROLINA.  THE CURRENT DEATH TOLL AS REPORTED
BY THE MEDIA...69...WOULD MAKE THIS THE DEADLIEST UNITED STATES
TROPICAL CYCLONE SINCE AGNES OF 1972.  THE DAMAGE TOTAL IS
INCOMPLETE BUT IS AT LEAST 3 BILLION DOLLARS.

GERT FORMED OVER THE EASTERN ATLANTIC ABOUT 175 MILES SOUTH OF THE
CAPE VERDE ISLANDS ON 11 SEPTEMBER...AND BECAME A TROPICAL STORM 
ON THE 12TH WHILE CENTERED ABOUT 560 MILES WEST OF THE CAPE VERDE
ISLANDS. GERT MOVED TOWARD THE WEST...AND STRENGTHENED INTO A
HURRICANE ABOUT 1400 MILES EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES ON 13
SEPTEMBER.  GERT CONTINUED TO STRENGTHEN AND BECAME THE FOURTH MAJOR
HURRICANE OF THE SEASON...REACHING A PEAK INTENSITY ON THE 15TH
ABOUT 750 MILES EAST OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS WITH WINDS NEAR 150 MPH.

GERT MAINTAINED MAJOR HURRICANE STATUS FOR SEVERAL DAYS.  IT TURNED
NORTHWEST AND THEN NORTHWARD...AND PASSED 130 MILES TO THE EAST OF
BERMUDA ON THE 21ST AS A STRONG CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE.  GUSTS TO
HURRICANE FORCE WERE EXPERIENCED ON BERMUDA.  GERT THEN TURNED
NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD AND ACCELERATED INTO THE FAR NORTH ATLANTIC...
PASSING JUST EAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND ON 23 SEPTEMBER...WHERE LARGE
WAVES CAUSED SOME DAMAGE.  
 
TROPICAL STORM HARVEY FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE WHICH MOVED
THROUGH THE CARIBBEAN SEA AND INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO.  THE SYSTEM
BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON 19 SEPTEMBER OVER THE CENTRAL GULF
AND BEGAN TO MOVE TOWARD THE EAST-NORTHEAST.  DESPITE HOSTILE
UPPER-LEVEL WESTERLY WINDS...THE CYCLONE BECAME A TROPICAL
STORM WHILE CENTERED ABOUT 315 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF NEW ORLEANS.
PEAK WINDS REACHED 60 MPH WHILE HARVEY WAS LOCATED ABOUT 250
MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF TAMPA FLORIDA.  THE STORM TOOK AN ABRUPT
TURN TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST AND WEAKENED BEFORE MOVING INLAND SOUTH OF
NAPLES FLORIDA.  HARVEY PRODUCED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OVER
PORTIONS OF THE KEYS AND EXTREME SOUTH FLORIDA AS IT MOVED ACROSS
THE PENINSULA.  THE CYCLONE WAS THEN ABSORBED BY A FRONTAL SYSTEM
JUST OFF THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST. 

SUMMARY TABLE

NAME              DATES        WIND        DEATHS    U.S. DAMAGE
----            ---------     -------      ------    -----------
DENNIS          AUG 24-SEP 5  105 MPH         7           # 
T.D. SEVEN      SEP 6-7        35 MPH                     0 
FLOYD           SEP 7-17      155 MPH        69*          #  
GERT            SEP 11-23     150 MPH                     0
HARVEY          SEP 19-22      60 MPH                     #

* - MEDIA-BASED ESTIMATE
# - PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES ARE NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME 

AVILA/BEVEN/FRANKLIN/GUINEY/LAWRENCE/PASCH/KIMBERLAIN