HOME	PRODUCTS	FORECASTS	IMAGERY	ABOUT TPC	RECONNAISSANCE

000
ABNT30 KNHC 011256
TWSAT 
MONTHLY TROPICAL WEATHER SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
8 AM EST WED NOV 01 2000
 
FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...
 
SUMMARY OF TROPICAL CYCLONE ACTIVITY FOR OCTOBER 2000...

TROPICAL CYCLONE ACTIVITY IN OCTOBER WAS ABOVE AVERAGE.  HURRICANE
KEITH REACHED ITS PEAK INTENSITY...AND HURRICANE MICHAEL ALONG WITH
TROPICAL STORMS LESLIE AND NADINE FORMED DURING THE MONTH.  IN
ADDITION...TWO NAMED TROPICAL CYCLONES...ISAAC AND JOYCE...
DISSIPATED DURING THE FIRST COUPLE OF DAYS OF THE MONTH.  THE
LONG-TERM AVERAGES FOR OCTOBER ARE ONE TROPICAL STORM AND ONE
HURRICANE FORMING DURING THE MONTH.

ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH...ISAAC LOST TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS
WHILE MOVING RAPIDLY EAST-NORTHEASTWARD OVER THE CENTRAL NORTH
ATLANTIC.  HOWEVER IT REMAINED A POWERFUL STORM FOR SEVERAL MORE
DAYS...AND LASHED PARTS OF THE BRITISH ISLES.

JOYCE MOVED WESTWARD ACROSS THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC OCEAN AT THE END
OF SEPTEMBER...ITS WINDS BRIEFLY REACHING 90 MPH ON THE 28TH MIDWAY
BETWEEN AFRICA AND THE LESSER ANTILLES.  ON 1 OCTOBER...JOYCE MOVED
THROUGH THE WINDWARD ISLANDS WHILE WEAKENING FROM A TROPICAL STORM
TO A DEPRESSION.  JOYCE DISSIPATED ON THE 2ND OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN
CARIBBEAN SEA.

KEITH FORMED OVER THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN IN LATE SEPTEMBER...AND
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH WAS JUST EAST OF BELIZE.  IT REACHED A
PEAK INTENSITY OF 140 MPH...A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-
SIMPSON SCALE...AND A MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE OF 939 MB...OR 27.73
IN...ON THE 1ST.  KEITH STALLED AND WEAKENED WHILE BATTERING THE
COASTAL ISLANDS OF BELIZE ON THE 1ST AND 2ND...EVENTUALLY MAKING
LANDFALL IN BELIZE AS A MINIMAL HURRICANE ON THE 3RD.  IT WEAKENED
TO A DEPRESSION WHILE CROSSING THE YUCATAN PENINSULA ON THE 3RD AND
4TH...THEN REGAINED TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH OVER THE BAY OF CAMPECHE
LATER ON THE 4TH.  KEITH REGAINED HURRICANE STATUS ON THE 5TH...WITH
MAXIMUM WINDS REACHING 90 MPH AT LANDFALL JUST NORTH OF TAMPICO
MEXICO.  KEITH WEAKENED AGAIN AFTER LANDFALL AND DISSIPATED OVER
NORTHEASTERN MEXICO ON THE 6TH.

KEITH'S SLOW TRACK THROUGH THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN CAUSED
TORRENTIAL RAINFALL OVER BELIZE AND OTHER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
AMERICA.  THE SYSTEM IS BLAMED FOR 17 DEATHS.

LESLIE WAS A SHORT-LIVED TROPICAL STORM THAT DEVELOPED FROM
SUBTROPICAL DEPRESSION ONE OFF THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA...AND
SUBSEQUENTLY MOVED NORTHEASTWARD OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC. 
ALTHOUGH NEITHER LESLIE NOR THE SUBTROPICAL DEPRESSION WAS
RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE OR CASUALTIES...A PRECURSOR DISTURBANCE
COMBINED WITH A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY TO PRODUCE VERY HEAVY
RAINFALL...AND FLOOD DAMAGE ESTIMATED AT $700 MILLION IN SOUTHEAST
FLORIDA ON 2-3 OCTOBER.  THREE DEATHS IN SOUTH FLORIDA WERE
INDIRECTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE FLOODING.  THE DISTURBANCE BECAME
BETTER ORGANIZED ON THE 4TH AND BECAME A SUBTROPICAL DEPRESSION JUST
EAST OF ORLANDO FLORIDA.  THE DEPRESSION WAS CONSIDERED TO BE
SUBTROPICAL...IN PART...DUE TO A LACK OF THUNDERSTORMS AND STRONG
WINDS NEAR THE CENTER OF CIRCULATION.  THE DEPRESSION MOVED EASTWARD
OFF THE FLORIDA COAST...AND ON THE 5TH ACQUIRED TROPICAL
CHARACTERISTICS AND STRENGTHENED INTO TROPICAL STORM LESLIE ABOUT
230 MILES EAST OF ST. AUGUSTINE FLORIDA.  LESLIE REMAINED A WEAK
TROPICAL STORM AND PASSED ABOUT 250 MILES TO THE WEST OF BERMUDA ON
THE 7TH.  LESLIE BECAME EXTRATROPICAL ALONG AN APPROACHING COLD
FRONT LATER ON THE 7TH ABOUT 375 MILES NORTH-NORTHWEST OF BERMUDA.  

MICHAEL DEVELOPED ON THE 17TH FROM A NON-TROPICAL LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEM THAT HAD BEEN NEARLY STATIONARY NORTHEAST OF THE BAHAMAS FOR
SEVERAL DAYS.  AFTER ACQUIRING TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS...MICHAEL
QUICKLY STRENGTHENED TO HURRICANE INTENSITY LATE ON THE 17TH...WHILE
MOVING RAPIDLY TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST TOWARD THE CANADIAN MARITIME
PROVINCES.  MICHAEL REACHED A PEAK INTENSITY OF 100 MPH AND MINIMUM
PRESSURE OF 965 MB...OR 28.50 IN...EARLY ON THE 19TH WHEN THE
HURRICANE WAS LOCATED ABOUT 85 MILES EAST OF SABLE ISLAND NOVA
SCOTIA.  LATER THAT AFTERNOON...MICHAEL WEAKENED SLIGHTLY AND BEGAN
TO LOSE TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS.  HOWEVER...THE CYCLONE STILL
PACKED WINDS OF HURRICANE STRENGTH WHEN IT MADE LANDFALL ALONG THE
SOUTHERN COAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND NEAR HARBOUR BRETON.  MAXIMUM
SUSTAINED WINDS OF 79 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 107 MPH AND A PRESSURE OF
966 MB...OR 28.53 INCHES...WERE REPORTED JUST EAST OF WHERE THE
CENTER MADE LANDFALL.  FORTUNATELY...THERE WERE NO DEATHS OR SEVERE
DAMAGE REPORTED...AND MOST OF THE REPORTS RECEIVED WERE OF TREES AND
POWERLINES BEING DOWNED...ALONG WITH MINOR DAMAGE TO HOME ROOFS...
SIDING...AND WINDOWS.

NADINE FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE ABOUT 400 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
BERMUDA ON THE 19TH.  IT MOVED NORTH TO NORTHEASTWARD AND
STRENGTHENED TO A 40 MPH-TROPICAL STORM WHILE PASSING WELL EAST OF
BERUMDA ON THE 20TH.  LATER THAT DAY THE STORM REACHED ITS PEAK
INTENSITY OF 60 MPH.  NADINE ACCELERATED NORTHEASTWARD AND BECAME AN
EXTRATROPICAL CYCLONE...WELL TO THE SOUTHEAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND...
EARLY ON THE 22ND.  THERE ARE NO REPORTS OF CASUALTIES OR DAMAGE. 


                            SUMMARY TABLE

  NAME         DATES           WIND (MPH)   DEATHS   U.S. DAMAGE
---------   ---------------   -----------   ------  -------------
 ISAAC      21 SEP - 01 OCT       140          
 JOYCE      25 SEP - 02 OCT        90
 KEITH      28 SEP - 06 OCT       140         17
 LESLIE     04 - 07 OCT            40
 MICHAEL    17 - 19 OCT           100
 NADINE     19 - 22 OCT            50
          
FORECASTERS AVILA/BEVEN/FRANKLIN/LAWRENCE/MOLLEDA/PASCH/STEWART