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000
ABNT30 KNHC 011229
TWSAT 
MONTHLY TROPICAL WEATHER SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
800 AM EST THU NOV 1 2001

SUMMARY OF TROPICAL CYCLONE ACTIVITY FOR OCTOBER 2001...
 
FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...

OCTOBER 2001 HAD ABOVE NORMAL TROPICAL CYCLONE ACTIVITY.  FIVE NAMED
STORMS FORMED...TWO OF WHICH BECAME HURRICANES.  THE LONG-TERM
AVERAGES FOR OCTOBER ARE TWO NAMED STORMS...OF WHICH ONE NORMALLY 
BECOMES A HURRICANE.

IRIS WAS A SMALL BUT SEVERE CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE THAT DEVASTATED
SOUTHERN BELIZE.  IRIS BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION NEAR THE
WINDWARD ISLANDS ON THE 4TH AND MOVED WESTWARD ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN
SEA.  IT BECAME A TROPICAL STORM ON THE 6TH AND REACHED HURRICANE
STATUS ON THE 7TH JUST SOUTH OF THE BARAHONA PENINSULA OF THE
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.  IRIS PASSED VERY CLOSE TO THE SOUTHERN COAST OF
JAMAICA AND CONTINUED WESTWARD TOWARD CENTRAL AMERICA.  IT THEN
INTENSIFIED...REACHING ITS PEAK INTENSITY OF 145 MPH...WITH A
PRESSURE OF 948 MB...JUST BEFORE MAKING LANDFALL IN THE VICINITY OF
MONKEY RIVER TOWN IN SOUTHERN BELIZE DURING THE EVENING OF THE 8TH.
BECAUSE THE CORE OF IRIS WAS SMALL...THE SEVERE DAMAGE WAS
CONCENTRATED WITHIN A 60 MILE WIDE AREA OF SOUTHERN BELIZE.  IRIS
CAUSED AT LEAST 31 DEATHS IN THE CARIBBEAN AND CENTRAL
AMERICA...MOST OF WHICH OCCURRED WHEN THE BOAT M/V WAVE DANCER
CAPSIZED NEAR BELIZE.

JERRY DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE...BECOMING A DEPRESSION ON THE
6TH ABOUT 750 MILES EAST OF THE WINDWARD ISLANDS...AND
REACHED TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH LATE THAT DAY ABOUT 400 MILES
EAST-SOUTHEAST OF BARBADOS.  JERRY MOVED THROUGH THE WINDWARD
ISLANDS WITH 50 MPH WINDS ON THE 7TH AND 8TH...WITH THE CENTER
PASSING CLOSE TO ST.  VINCENT.  JERRY THEN BECAME DISORGANIZED IN
THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN SEA AND DISSIPATED LATE ON THE 8TH.  THERE ARE
NO REPORTS OF DAMAGE OR CASUALTIES.

KAREN ORIGINATED FROM A COLD FRONTAL SYSTEM THAT STALLED A COUPLE
HUNDRED MILES SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA ON THE 10TH.  THIS SYSTEM
DEVELOPED INTO A STRONG SUBTROPICAL LOW THAT EVENTUALLY TRACKED
NORTHWESTWARD CLOSE TO BERMUDA EARLY ON THE 12TH AND PRODUCED
SUSTAINED WINDS OF 67 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 90 MPH.  THERE WERE ALSO
UNOFFICIAL REPORTS OF SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR 75 MPH...OR MINIMAL
HURRICANE STRENGTH.  THE STRONG WINDS CAUSED CONSIDERABLE TREE AND
POWERLINE DAMAGE ON BERMUDA AND MORE THAN 23,000 PEOPLE WERE WITHOUT
POWER.  LATER THAT DAY...AIR FORCE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT
INVESTIGATED SUBTROPICAL STORM ONE AND FOUND THAT IT WAS SLOWLY
ACQUIRING TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS.  EARLY ON THE 13TH...IT BECAME
TROPICAL STORM KAREN AND STRENGTHENED INTO THE SIXTH ATLANTIC
HURRICANE OF THE SEASON LATER THAT DAY.  KAREN MOVED IN A GENERAL
NORTHWARD DIRECTION FOR THE NEXT 2 DAYS AND REACHED A PEAK INTENSITY
OF 80 MPH EARLY ON THE 14TH ABOUT 400 MILES SOUTH OF HALIFAX NOVA
SCOTIA.  KAREN EVENTUALLY MADE LANDFALL ALONG THE SOUTHERN COAST OF
NOVA SCOTIA JUST WEST OF HALIFAX ON THE 15TH...AS A 45 MPH TROPICAL
STORM.  KAREN QUICKLY BECAME EXTRATROPICAL AS IT TRACKED RAPIDLY
NORTHEASTWARD TOWARD WESTERN NEWFOUNDLAND...WHERE IT EVENTUALLY
MERGED WITH A LARGE MID-LATITUDE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM.  HEAVY
RAINFALL OCCURRED OVER MUCH OF DROUGHT-STRICKEN NOVA SCOTIA AND
WESTERN NEWFOUNDLAND.  UP TO 6 INCHES OF RAIN FELL IN LESS THAN 12
HOURS NEAR CAPE RACE NEWFOUNDLAND AND WIDESPREAD FLOODING...THE
WORST IN 100 YEARS...OCCURRED IN ST. JOHNS NEWFOUNDLAND.  THERE
WERE NO REPORTS OF CASUALTIES.

LORENZO FORMED FROM A NON-TROPICAL AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IN THE
EASTERN ATLANTIC THAT GRADUALLY ACQUIRED TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS.
THE LOW BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON THE 27TH ABOUT 900 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF THE AZORES ISLANDS AND MOVED SLOWLY WESTWARD.  LATE ON
THE 29TH IT REACHED TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH ABOUT 1250 MILES
WEST-SOUTHWEST OF THE AZORES.  LORENZO TURNED TO THE NORTHWEST AND
THEN TO THE NORTH ON THE 30TH WITH LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH.
ACCELERATING RAPIDLY TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST EARLY ON THE 31ST...
LORENZO LOST ITS TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING
COLD FRONT ABOUT 800 MILES WEST OF THE AZORES.

MICHELLE...FORMED FROM A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IN THE
SOUTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA THAT GRADUALLY BECAME BETTER ORGANIZED
AND DEVELOPED INTO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON THE 29TH ALONG THE EAST
COAST OF NICARAGUA.  THE DEPRESSION REMAINED NEARLY STATIONARY OVER
NORTHEASTERN NICARAGUA FOR TWO DAYS...PRODUCING EXTREMELY HEAVY
RAINS WITH FLOODING OVER PORTIONS OF NICARAGUA AND HONDURAS.  LATE
ON THE 31ST...THE DEPRESSION MOVED INTO THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN
SEA JUST NORTH OF THE HONDURAS-NICARAGUA BORDER AND STRENGTHENED
TROPICAL STORM MICHELLE.  AT MONTHS END...MICHELLE WAS GATHERING
STRENGTH AS IT MOVED SLOWLY NORTHWARD ACROSS THE NORTHWESTERN
CARIBBEAN SEA.  EARLY MEDIA REPORTS INDICATE THAT FLOODING
ASSOCIATED WITH MICHELLE HAD ALREADY KILLED THREE PEOPLE IN
HONDURAS.



SUMMARY TABLE...

NAME           DATES        WIND-MPH    DEATHS     US DAMAGE ($MIL)
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HUR. IRIS      4-9 OCT        145         31
T.S. JERRY     6-8 OCT         50
HUR. KAREN     12-15 OCT       80
T.S. LORENZO   27-31 OCT       40   
T.S. MICHELLE  29 OCT -                   3
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FRANKLIN/AVILA/BEVEN/PASCH/STEWART