000
ABNT30 KNHC 011515
TWSAT 
MONTHLY TROPICAL WEATHER SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
8 AM EDT FRI SEP 01 2000
 
SUMMARY OF TROPICAL CYCLONE ACTIVITY FOR AUGUST 2000
 
FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...

THE TROPICAL CYCLONE ACTIVITY IN AUGUST WAS A LITTLE ABOVE AVERAGE.
THERE WERE TWO HURRICANES...ALBERTO AND DEBBY...AND TWO TROPICAL
STORMS...BERYL AND CHRIS.  IN ADDITION THERE WAS TROPICAL DEPRESSION
FOUR.  ON AVERAGE...THERE ARE THREE TROPICAL STORMS IN AUGUST OF
WHICH TWO REACH HURRICANE STATUS.

ALBERTO WAS THE THIRD LONGEST-LIVED TROPICAL CYCLONE IN THE ATLANTIC
BASIN...AND THE LONGEST-LIVED CYCLONE TO FORM DURING AUGUST.  IT
FORMED IN THE EASTERN TROPICAL ATLANTIC JUST OFF THE AFRICAN COAST
ON THE 3RD AND STRENGTHENED TO A TROPICAL STORM THE NEXT DAY. 
ALBERTO MOVED WESTWARD TO WEST-NORTHWESTWARD FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL
DAYS...BECOMING A HURRICANE FOR THE FIRST TIME LATE ON THE 5TH.  IT
TURNED NORTHWESTWARD ON THE 8TH...WEAKENING TO A TROPICAL STORM THE
NEXT DAY.  IT REGAINED HURRICANE STRENGTH ON THE 9TH AND REACHED ITS
PEAK INTENSITY OF 125 MPH ON THE 12TH.  DURING THIS PERIOD ALBERTO
BEGAN A LARGE...WEEK-LONG...CLOCKWISE LOOP BETWEEN BERMUDA AND THE
AZORES.  DURING THE LOOP IT AGAIN WEAKENED INTO A TROPICAL STORM AND
THEN AGAIN RETURNED TO HURRICANE STATUS. ALBERTO FINALLY BECAME
EXTRATROPICAL ON THE 23RD WHILE HEADING NORTH-NORTHEAST ABOUT 780
MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF REYKJAVIK ICELAND.

TROPICAL DEPRESSION FOUR FORMED ABOUT 400 MILES EAST OF CAPE
CANAVERAL FLORIDA ON THE AFTERNOON OF THE 8TH.  THE DEPRESSION WAS
VERY SMALL AND ONLY PRODUCED ISOLATED CONVECTION NEAR THE CENTER. 
THE SYSTEM HEADED WESTWARD TOWARD THE COAST OF FLORIDA BUT TURNED
NORTHEASTWARD ABOUT 70 MILES EAST OF CAPE CANAVERAL.  THE DEPRESSION
DISSIPATED ON THE 11TH AS IT BEGAN TO MERGE WITH A FRONTAL TROUGH
OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC.

BERYL FORMED IN THE SOUTHWESTERN GULF OF MEXICO ON THE AFTERNOON OF
THE 13TH.  AIRCRAFT RECONNAISSANCE INDICATED THAT BERYL REACHED
TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH ON THE MORNING OF THE 14TH.  THE CIRCULATION
ENVELOPE OF BERYL WAS VERY LARGE WITH MULTIPLE CENTERS...PREVENTING
INTENSIFICATION.  THE STORM MOVED WESTWARD SLOWLY AND MADE LANDFALL
IN NORTHEAST MEXICO AROUND MIDNIGHT ON THE 15TH.  ONE DEATH WAS
REPORTED IN NORTHEAST MEXICO ASSOCIATED WITH FLOODING.  DAMAGE
ESTIMATES ARE NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.

CHRIS DEVELOPED IN THE WESTERN ATLANTIC ABOUT 600 MILES EAST OF THE
LESSER ANTILLES ON THE 17TH.  THE DEPRESSION BRIEFLY REACHED
TROPICAL STORM STATUS EARLY IN THE MORNING OF THE 18TH.  HOWEVER
CHRIS WEAKENED RAPIDLY AS THE VERTICAL WIND SHEAR INCREASED AND IT
DISSIPATED ON THE 19TH.

DEBBY FORMED ON THE 18TH ABOUT 1100 MILES EAST OF THE WINDWARD
ISLANDS AND STRENGTHENED INTO A TROPICAL STORM EARLY THE NEXT DAY. 
THE STORM MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AND BECAME A HURRICANE EARLY ON
THE 21ST CENTERED ABOUT 500 MILES EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES...AND
REACHED ITS PEAK INTENSITY OF 85 MPH THAT DAY.  DEBBY MOVED WESTWARD
TOWARD THE NORTHEAST CARIBBEAN SEA...BUT TURNED BACK TOWARD THE
WEST-NORTHWEST AND PASSED OVER THE NORTHERNMOST LEEWARD ISLANDS AND
THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS EARLY ON THE 22ND.  THE EYE OF THE
HURRICANE PASSED 30 TO 40 MILES NORTH OF THE NORTHERN COAST OF
PUERTO RICO LATER ON THE 22ND.  WHILE DEBBY TURNED BACK TOWARD THE
WEST AND APPROACHED THE NORTHERN COAST OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC...
VERTICAL WIND SHEAR INCREASED AND THE SYSTEM WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL
STORM.  WHILE DEBBY TRACKED WESTWARD NEAR THE NORTHERN COAST OF
HISPANIOLA...THE COMBINATION OF SHEAR AND...POSSIBLY...THE RUGGED
TERRAIN OF THAT ISLAND FURTHER WEAKENED THE STORM.  AFTER DEBBY
CROSSED THE WINDWARD PASSAGE AND MOVED JUST SOUTH OF THE SOUTH COAST
OF EASTERN CUBA ON THE 24TH...IT DISSIPATED.  

THERE WERE NO DIRECT DEATHS ATTRIBUTED TO DEBBY.  HEAVY RAINFALL
CAUSED SOME DAMAGE IN PUERTO RICO AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC...BUT
ESTIMATES ARE NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.


                            SUMMARY TABLE

  NAME         DATES           WIND (MPH)   DEATHS   U.S. DAMAGE
---------   ---------------   -----------   ------  -------------
 ALBERTO     4 AUG - 23 AUG       125          
 T.D. FOUR   8 AUG - 11 AUG        35
 BERYL      14 AUG - 15 AUG        50         1
 CHRIS      17 AUG - 19 AUG        40
 DEBBY      20 AUG - 24 AUG        85  
          
PASCH/AVILA/BEVEN/FRANKLIN/STEWART/LAWRENCE/RAPPAPORT