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000
ABNT30 KNHC 011128
TWSAT 
MONTHLY TROPICAL WEATHER SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
8 AM EDT SUN SEPTEMBER 1 2002
 
FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...

THREE TROPICAL STORMS...BERTHA...CRISTOBAL...AND DOLLY...FORMED IN 
THE ATLANTIC BASIN DURING AUGUST 2002.

BERTHA WAS A MINIMAL TROPICAL STORM NEAR THE NORTHERN GULF COAST.
IT ORIGINATED FROM A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE THAT EXTENDED FROM THE
WESTERN ATLANTIC ACROSS FLORIDA INTO THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO...
THE SAME TROUGH THAT WOULD EVENTUALLY SPAWN TROPICAL STORM
CRISTOBAL.  A LOW PRESSURE AREA FORMED IN THE TROUGH ON 3 AUGUST...
WHICH DEVELOPED INTO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION JUST EAST OF THE MOUTH OF
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER ON THE 4TH.  THE DEPRESSION BECAME TROPICAL
STORM BERTHA LATER THAT DAY.  BERTHA MOVED NORTHWESTWARD OVER
SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA EARLY ON THE 5TH AND WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL
DEPRESSION LATER THAT DAY.  THE DEPRESSION MEANDERED OVER SOUTHERN
LOUISIANA ON THE 6TH...THEN MOVED SOUTHWESTWARD INTO THE GULF OF
MEXICO ON THE 7TH.  AFTER CONTINUING SOUTHWESTWARD ON THE 8TH...A
WESTWARD TURN BROUGHT BERTHA TO THE LOWER TEXAS COAST ON THE 9TH.
IT DISSIPATED OVER SOUTH TEXAS LATER THAT DAY.

BERTHA PRODUCED TROPICAL STORM WINDS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS OF
MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA.  THE STORM BROUGHT RAINFALL
AMOUNTS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES TO PORTIONS OF SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA AND
SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI...WHICH PRODUCED MINOR DAMAGE FROM FLOODING.
BERTHA CAUSED ONE DEATH...A DROWNING IN HIGH SURF IN THE WESTERN
FLORIDA PANHANDLE.

CRISTOBAL WAS A RELATIVELY WEAK TROPICAL CYCLONE THAT MEANDERED IN 
THE WESTERN ATLANTIC PRIOR TO BEING ABSORBED INTO A FRONTAL ZONE.  
CRISTOBAL HAD A NON-TROPICAL ORIGIN...FORMING FROM A TROUGH OF LOW 
PRESSURE THAT EXTENDED FROM THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO ACROSS 
FLORIDA INTO THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN.  THIS TROUGH SPAWNED 
TROPICAL STORM BERTHA IN THE GULF OF MEXICO ON 4 AUGUST...WHILE A 
SECOND AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WAS DEVELOPING NEAR THE SOUTH CAROLINA 
COAST.  THIS SECOND LOW MOVED SLOWLY EASTWARD AND GRADUALLY BECAME 
BETTER ORGANIZED...BECOMING A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ABOUT 175 MILES 
EAST-SOUTHEAST OF CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA ON THE 5TH.  THE 
DEPRESSION MOVED SLOWLY SOUTH-SOUTHEASTWARD OVER THE NEXT DAY AND A 
HALF.  A RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT LATE ON THE 6TH FOUND THAT THE 
DEPRESSION HAD STRENGTHENED TO A TROPICAL STORM. ON THE 7TH... 
CRISTOBAL BEGAN A SLOW EASTWARD MOTION AS IT BEGAN TO FEEL SOME 
INFLUENCE OF A LARGE MID- TO UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH MOVING OFF THE U. S. 
EAST COAST.  THE PEAK INTENSITY OF 50 MPH WAS REACHED EARLY ON THE 
8TH.  LATER THAT DAY...CRISTOBAL BEGAN A SUDDEN ACCELERATION TO THE 
EAST-NORTHEAST...AND BY LATE IN THE DAY...THE CYCLONE HAD BECOME 
ABSORBED WITHIN A FRONTAL ZONE.

DOLLY FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE EARLY ON 29 AUGUST AT VERY LOW
LATITUDE IN THE FAR EASTERN ATLANTIC.  IT MOVED WESTWARD AND REACHED
TROPICAL STORM STATUS LATER THAT DAY.  WIND SPEEDS BRIEFLY REACHED
ABOUT 60-65 MPH ON THE 30TH AS DOLLY MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD.  AS
OF 1 SEPTEMBER...DOLLY WAS A POORLY ORGANIZED TROPICAL STORM WITH
WINDS OF 40 MPH AND LOCATED ABOUT 750 MILES EAST OF THE LESSER
ANTILLES.


SUMMARY TABLE

NAME        DATES   WIND-MPH    DEATHS   U.S. DAMAGE
-----------   ----------   --------    ------   -----------
TS BERTHA       4-9 AUG       40          1        MINOR
TS CRISTOBAL    5-8 AUG       50          0          0
TS DOLLY        29 AUG - IN PROGRESS


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