000
ABNT30 KNHC 011224
TWSAT
MONTHLY TROPICAL WEATHER SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
800 AM EDT MON OCT 1 2001
SUMMARY OF TROPICAL CYCLONE ACTIVITY FOR SEPTEMBER 2001...
FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...
SEPTEMBER 2001 WAS A FAIRLY ACTIVE MONTH FOR TROPICAL CYCLONES.
FOUR NAMED STORMS FORMED...AND ALL OF THEM BECAME HURRICANES.
HOWEVER...NONE OF THESE SYSTEMS REACHED HURRICANE STRENGTH OVER THE
DEEP TROPICS...SOUTH OF 23N LATITUDE. IN ADDITION...THERE WAS ONE
TROPICAL DEPRESSION.
ERIN FORMED ON THE 1ST...OVER THE EASTERN TROPICAL ATLANTIC FROM A
STRONG TROPICAL WAVE THAT MOVED OFF THE WEST COAST OF AFRICA ON 30
AUGUST. THE SYSTEM SOON BECAME A TROPICAL STORM...ABOUT 670 MILES
WEST-SOUTHWEST OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS. OVER THE NEXT FEW
DAYS...ERIN MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD. IT STRENGTHENED TO 60 MPH ON
THE 3RD...BUT SOON SUCCUMBED TO WESTERLY SHEAR. THE WEAKENING
CYCLONE MOVED TO ABOUT 280 MILES EAST-NORTHEAST OF THE NORTHERN
LEEWARD ISLANDS ON THE 5TH...WHERE IT DISSIPATED. HOWEVER...A NEW
CENTER DEVELOPED THE FOLLOWING DAY ABOUT 475 MILES NORTH-NORTHEAST
OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS...WITHIN THE SAME AREA OF DISTURBED
WEATHER THAT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH ERIN. THE RE-BORN TROPICAL CYCLONE
STRENGTHENED INTO A TROPICAL STORM ABOUT 635 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
BERMUDA. MOVING NORTH-NORTHWEST...ERIN BECAME A HURRICANE ON THE
8TH. THE SYSTEM PASSED ABOUT 100 MILES EAST OF BERMUDA ON THE 9TH.
A LITTLE LATER THAT SAME DAY...IT STRENGTHENED TO ITS PEAK INTENSITY
OF 120 MPH...THE FIRST MAJOR HURRICANE OF THE SEASON. ERIN
ACCELERATED NORTHEASTWARD...AND PASSED VERY NEAR CAPE RACE
NEWFOUNDLAND ON THE 14TH. IT BECAME EXTRATROPICAL SHORTLY
THEREAFTER.
FELIX DEVELOPED ON THE 6TH ABOUT 400 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE CAPE
VERDE ISLANDS AND MOVED WESTWARD FOR THE NEXT 2 DAYS. LATE ON THE
8TH...THE DEPRESSION ENCOUNTERED STRONG UPPER-LEVEL VERTICAL WIND
SHEAR AND WEAKENED BACK TO A TROPICAL WAVE. WHILE CONTINUING ON A
WESTWARD TRACK...THE VERTICAL SHEAR RELAXED ENOUGH TO ALLOW DEEP
CONVECTION AND A NEW CENTER TO RE-DEVELOP EARLY ON THE 10TH ABOUT
1000 MILES EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES. THE DEPRESSION TRACKED
STEADILY WEST-NORTHWESTWARD OVER THE OPEN TROPICAL ATLANTIC AND
SLOWLY STRENGTHENED INTO TROPICAL STORM FELIX ON THE 11TH. DURING
THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...FELIX TURNED TO THE NORTHWEST AND THEN
NORTH. LATE ON THE 12TH...IT INTENSIFIED INTO THE SECOND HURRICANE
OF THE SEASON ABOUT 1500 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE AZORES ISLANDS.
WHILE RECURVING TO THE NORTHEAST LATE ON THE 13TH...FELIX
STRENGTHENED INTO THE THE SECOND MAJOR HURRICANE OF THE SEASON ABOUT
1400 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE AZORES. A PEAK INTENSITY OF 115 MPH WAS
MAINTAINED UNTIL EARLY ON THE 14TH...AFTER WHICH SLOW WEAKENING
OCCURRED. FELIX GRADUALLY TURNED EASTWARD ON THE 15TH AND CONTINUED
THIS MOTION UNTIL IT WEAKENED BACK TO A TROPICAL STORM ON THE 17TH
...WHEN IT STALLED ABOUT 350 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE AZORES.
INCREASING UPPER-LEVEL SHEAR AND COLD UPWELLING CAUSED FELIX TO
WEAKEN AS IT DRIFTED SLOWLY SOUTHWARD. IT WEAKENED TO A DEPRESSION
EARLY ON THE 18TH AND DISSIPATED LATER THAT DAY ABOUT 400 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF THE AZORES ISLANDS.
GABRIELLE FORMED OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO ON THE 11TH.
AFTER LOOPING SLOWLY FOR A FEW DAYS...IT MOVED INLAND ACROSS THE
WEST COAST OF CENTRAL FLORIDA ON THE 14TH AS A 70-MPH TROPICAL
STORM. OVER 10 INCHES OF RAIN CAUSED MAJOR RIVER FLOODING IN
WEST-CENTRAL FLORIDA AND THERE WAS COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING
ALONG THE CENTRAL FLORIDA WEST COAST OF UP TO 5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL.
STRONG WINDS ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA CAUSED DAMAGE TO ROOFS...MOBILE
HOMES...AND TREES. GABRIELLE THEN MOVED NORTHEASTWARD OVER THE
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN AND STRENGTHENED TO AN 80-MPH HURRICANE
ON THE 18TH WHILE LOCATED ABOUT 250 MILES NORTH OF BERMUDA. IT
BECAME AN EXTRATROPICAL STORM ON THE 19TH AND CAUSED UP TO 6 INCHES
OF RAIN ON THE AVALON PENINSULA OF NEWFOUNDLAND. TWO DROWNING
DEATHS ARE ATTRIBUTED TO GABRIELLE.
TROPICAL DEPRESSION NINE FORMED OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA
ON THE 19TH. IT MOVED INLAND OVER NORTHEASTERN NICARAGUA ALMOST
IMMEDIATELY AND DISSIPATED OVER LAND EARLY THE NEXT DAY. THE
TROPICAL WAVE ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEPRESSION CONTINUED WESTWARD
INTO THE EASTERN PACIFIC AND CONTRIBUTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF
HURRICANE JULIETTE.
HUMBERTO FORMED ON THE 21ST ABOUT 470 MILES NORTH-NORTHEAST OF SAN
JUAN PUERTO RICO. IT MOVED NORTHWESTWARD FOR ABOUT A DAY...
STRENGTHENING INTO A TROPICAL STORM ON THE 22ND. HUMBERTO GRADUALLY
TURNED TOWARD THE NORTH...AND WHILE PASSING ABOUT 160 MILES WEST OF
BERMUDA...IT STRENGTHENED INTO A HURRICANE. THE HURRICANES WINDS
SOON INCREASED TO NEAR 100 MPH. HUMBERTO TURNED TOWARD THE
NORTHEAST AND WEAKENED..BUT STILL MAINTAINED HURRICANE STRENGTH FOR
A COUPLE OF DAYS. THEN...REMARKABLY...THE CYCLONE RE-INTENSIFIED
OVER THE NORTH ATLANTIC AND ITS WINDS REACHED A PEAK NEAR 105 MPH ON
THE 26TH WHILE HUMBERTO WAS CENTERED ABOUT 200 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST
OF SABLE ISLAND NOVA SCOTIA. THE HURRICANE TURNED EASTWARD AND
WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL STORM THE FOLLOWING DAY. IT LOST TROPICAL
CHARACTERISTICS ON THE 27TH AND THE REMNANT CIRCULATION WAS
EVENTUALLY ABSORBED BY A LARGE EXTRATROPICAL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM
OVER THE FAR NORTH ATLANTIC.
SUMMARY TABLE...
NAME DATES WIND-MPH DEATHS US DAMAGE ($MIL)
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HUR. ERIN 1-14 SEP 120 0 0
HUR. FELIX 6-18 SEP 115 0 0
HUR. GABRIELLE 11-18 SEP 80 2 PENDING
T.D. NINE 19-20 SEP 35 0 0
HUR. HUMBERTO 21-27 SEP 105 0 0
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AVILA/BEVEN/FRANKLIN/LAWRENCE/PASCH/STEWART
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