Tropical Weather Summary


000
ABNT30 KNHC 011234
TWSAT 
MONTHLY TROPICAL WEATHER SUMMARY
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
8 AM EDT WED SEP 1 2004
 
FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...
 
SEVEN TROPICAL CYCLONES FORMED DURING AUGUST.  IN ADDITION...
ALEX...WHICH FORMED AT THE END OF JULY...REACHED TROPICAL STORM AND
HURRICANE STRENGTH IN AUGUST.  THE TOTAL OF EIGHT TROPICAL CYCLONES
REACHING STORM STRENGTH IS A NEW AUGUST RECORD...BREAKING THE
PREVIOUS RECORD OF SEVEN SET IN 1933 AND 1995.  THE EIGHT NAMED
STORMS THAT HAVE FORMED SO FAR IN 2004 IS TWICE THE NORMAL NUMBER
OF 4. 

HURRICANE ALEX ORIGINATED FROM A LOW PRESSURE AREA AND BECAME A
TROPICAL DEPRESSION OFF THE NORTHEAST FLORIDA COAST ON 31 JULY. IT
DRIFTED ERRATICALLY FOR 2 DAYS...BECAME A TROPICAL STORM ON 1
AUGUST...AND ON 2 AUGUST...BEGAN MOVING NORTHEASTWARD ALONG THE
SOUTHEASTERN U.S. COAST.  ALEX BECAME A HURRICANE ON 3 AUGUST AND
THE CENTER PASSED WITHIN ABOUT 10 MILES OF CAPE HATTERAS NORTH
CAROLINA THAT AFTERNOON WITH MAXIMUM WINDS NEAR 100 MPH...CATEGORY
2 ON THE SAFFIR/SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE.  ALEX THEN ACCELERATED
NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.  ALEX REACHED ITS 
PEAK INTENSITY OF 120 MPH...CATEGORY 3...ON 5 AUGUST AT IT WAS
PASSING A FEW HUNDRED MILES SOUTH OF THE CANADIAN MARITIMES.  ALEX
BECAME EXTRATROPICAL IN THE FAR NORTH ATLANTIC THE NEXT DAY.  NO
DEATHS HAVE BEEN REPORTED.  ALEX BROUGHT CATEGORY 1 HURRICANE
CONDITIONS TO THE OUTER BANKS OF NORTH CAROLINA.  DAMAGE TOTALS ARE
NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.

TROPICAL STORM BONNIE FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE AND BECAME A
TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON 3 AUGUST OVER THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC SEVERAL
HUNDRED MILES EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES.  THE DEPRESSION MOVED
ACROSS THE CENTRAL LESSER ANTILLES THE NEXT DAY WITHOUT DISTINCTION
AND THEN DEGENERATED INTO A TROPICAL WAVE.  THE WAVE MOVED WEST TO
NORTHWESTWARD FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND REDEVELOPED INTO TROPICAL STORM
BONNIE ON 9 AUGUST JUST NORTH OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA IN THE GULF
OF MEXICO.  BONNIE TURNED NORTHWARD AND NORTHEASTWARD ON 10 AND 11
AUGUST AND ITS WINDS REACHED 65 MPH.  WEAKENING ON 12 AUGUST...
BONNIE MOVED INLAND NEAR APPALACHICOLA ON THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AS
A MINIMAL TROPICAL STORM.

CHARLEY ORIGINATED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE AND BECAME A TROPICAL
DEPRESSION ON 9 AUGUST JUST EAST OF BARBADOS.  IT MOVED QUICKLY
WEST-NORTHWESTWARD ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN WHILE STRENGTHENING. IT
PASSED JUST SOUTH OF JAMAICA ON 11 AUGUST AS A HURRICANE AND PASSED
JUST NORTH OF GRAND CAYMAN THE NEXT DAY.  IT TURNED TOWARD THE
NORTH-NORTHWEST AND ITS CENTER PASSED JUST EAST OF THE ISLE OF
YOUTH EARLY ON 13 AUGUST.  THE HURRICANE MADE LANDFALL NEAR PLAYA
DEL CAJIO WITH CATEGORY 3 WINDS OF 120 MPH AND MOVED OVER WESTERN
CUBA.  CHARLEY WEAKENED SOME OVER THE LOWER STRAITS OF FLORIDA.
TURNING NORTHWARD...THE HURRICANE PASSED OVER THE DRY TORTUGAS AS A
CATEGORY 2 HURRICANE.  CHARLEY THEN TURNED NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD AND
ACCELERATED TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST COAST OF FLORIDA...INTENSIFYING
RAPIDLY JUST PRIOR TO LANDFALL.  CHARLEY MADE LANDFALL ON THE
SOUTHWEST COAST OF FLORIDA NEAR CAYO COSTA...JUST NORTH OF CAPTIVA
DURING THE EVENING OF 13 AUGUST WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS
TENTATIVELY ESTIMATED AT 145 MPH.  SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE EYEWALL
IMPACTED PUNTA GORDA AND NEIGHBORING PORT CHARLOTTE WITH
DEVASTATING RESULTS.  THE HURRICANE TRAVERSED THE CENTRAL FLORIDA
PENINSULA RESULTING IN A SWATH OF DESTRUCTION ACROSS THE STATE. 
THE CENTER PASSED NEAR KISSIMMEE AND ORLANDO EARLY ON 14
AUGUST...BY WHICH TIME THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAD DECREASED TO
AROUND 85 MPH.  CHARLEY WAS STILL OF HURRICANE INTENSITY WHEN THE
CENTER MOVED OFF THE NORTHEAST COAST OF FLORIDA NEAR DAYTONA BEACH.

AFTER MOVING INTO THE ATLANTIC...CHARLEY CAME ASHORE AGAIN NEAR CAPE
ROMAIN SOUTH CAROLINA MIDDAY ON 14 AUGUST WITH HIGHEST WINDS OF
ABOUT 80 MPH.  THE CENTER THEN MOVED JUST OFFSHORE AND MADE ANOTHER
LANDFALL AT NORTH MYRTLE BEACH WITH WINDS NEAR 75 MPH.  CHARLEY
SOON WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL STORM OVER SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA.
ON 15 AUGUST CHARLEY BECAME EXTRATROPIOCAL OVER VIRGINIA WHILE
EMBEDDED IN A FRONTAL ZONE.  CHARLEY'S EXTRATROPICAL REMNANTS MOVED
RAPIDLY NORTHEASTWARD...AND WERE ABSORBED BY THE FRONTAL ZONE NEAR
SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS.

CHARLEY WAS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR 10 DEATHS IN THE UNITED
STATES...9 IN FLORIDA AND 1 IN RHODE ISLAND.  THERE WERE ALSO 4
DIRECT DEATHS IN CUBA AND 1 IN JAMAICA.  AN ADDITIONAL 16 U.S.
DEATHS ARE INDIRECTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO CHARLEY.   THE PROPERTY
CLAIMS SERVICE REPORTS INSURED DAMAGES OF 6.755 BILLION DOLLARS IN
FLORIDA...25 MILLION DOLLARS IN NORTH CAROLINA AND 20 MILLION
DOLLARS IN SOUTH CAROLINA...FOR A TOTAL OF 6.8 BILLION DOLLARS IN
INSURED LOSSES.  THE INSURANCE INFORMATION INSTITUTE REPORTS AN
ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 7.4 BILLION DOLLARS IN INSURED LOSSES.  THE
PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES OF THE DAMAGE TOTAL RANGE FROM 13 TO 15
BILLION DOLLARS. THIS WOULD MAKE CHARLEY THE SECOND COSTLIEST
TROPICAL CYCLONE IN U.S. HISTORY.

DANIELLE DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE ABOUT 240 MILES
SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS.  IT BECAME A TROPICAL
STORM LATE ON THE 13TH A SHORT DISTANCE SOUTH OF THE CAPE VERDE
ISLANDS.  DANIELLE MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AND BECAME A HURRICANE
THE NEXT DAY.  IT SPENT THE REST OF ITS EXISTENCE OVER THE OPEN
WATERS OF THE FAR EASTERN ATLANTIC...REACHING A PEAK INTENSITY OF
105 MPH...BEFORE DISSIPATING ON THE 21ST ABOUT 855 MILES
WEST-SOUTHWEST OF THE AZORES.

TROPICAL STORM EARL WAS SHORT-LIVED. IT FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE
ON 13 AUGUST OVER THE CENTRAL TROPICAL ATLANTIC OCEAN.  IT MOVED
QUICKLY WESTWARD...BECAME A TROPICAL STORM ON 14 AUGUST...AND THEN
CROSSED THE CARIBBEAN WINDWARD ISLANDS ON 15 AUGUST WITH BRIEF BUT
HEAVY RAINS AND WINDS TO 45 MPH.  EARL DEGENERATED TO AN OPEN
TROPICAL WAVE LATER THAT DAY OVER THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN SEA.

FRANCES FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE AND BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION
OVER THE FAR EASTERN TROPICAL ATLANTIC OCEAN ON 24 AUGUST.  MOVING
WEST-NORTHWEST TO NORTHWESTWARD...THE DEPRESSION BECAME A TROPICAL
STORM THE NEXT DAY AND A HURRICANE ON 26 AUGUST WHILE LOCATED IN
THE CENTRAL TROPICAL ATLANTIC. STEADILY STRENGTHENING...FRANCES
TURNED WESTWARD ON 30 AUGUST.  AS THE MONTH ENDED...FRANCES WAS
LOCATED ABOUT 125 MILES NORTH OF PUERTO RICO AND MOVING WESTWARD
WITH WINDS OF 140 MPH.  

GASTON DEVELOPED SLOWLY FROM AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE ASSOCIATED WITH
A DECAYING FRONTAL ZONE AND BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON 27
AUGUST ABOUT 140 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA. 
DRIFTING ERRATICALY...THE DEPRESSION BECAME A TROPICAL STORM THE
NEXT DAY AND CONTINUED TO STRENGTHEN AS IT BEGAN TO MOVE TOWARD THE
COAST.  ON THE MORNING OF 29 AUGUST...GASTON MOVED INLAND JUST WEST
OF MCCLELLANVILLE SOUTH CAROLINA WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF ABOUT 70
MPH.  THAT EVENING...GASTON WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION NEAR
FLORENCE SOUTH CAROLINA.  GASTON MOVED NORTHEASTWARD OVER NORTH
CAROLINA AND ACROSS THE THE DELMARVA PENINSULA ON THE 30TH...AND
LATE IN THE DAY RESTRENGTHENED TO A TROPICAL STORM AS IT MOVED BACK
OVER WATER.  AT MONTHS END...GASTON WAS BEGINNING TO LOSE TROPICAL
CHARACTERISTICS SOUTH OF NOVA SCOTIA.

GASTON PRODUCED WIDESPREAD FLOODING ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA...NORTH
CAROLINA...AND VIRGINIA...WITH RAINFALL TOTALS EXCEEDING 12 INCHES
IN SOME LOCATIONS.  CASUALTY AND DAMAGE STATISTICS ARE NOT YET
AVAILABLE. 

HERMINE FORMED ON A FRONTAL ZONE ON 29 AUGUST OVER THE WESTERN NORTH
ATLANTIC ABOUT 350 MILES WEST OF BERMUDA. IT MOVED NORTHWARD ON THE
NEXT DAY WITH WINDS REACHING 50 MPH. HERMINE WEAKENED AND BECAME
EXTRATROPICAL EARLY ON 31 AUGUST AS IT MOVED ACROSS EASTERN
MASSACHUSETTS WITH WINDS UP TO 35 MPH.


PRELIMINARY STATISTICS

NAME          DATES          MAX WIND  DEATHS   U.S. DAMAGE
                               (MPH)            ($MILLIONS)
-------------------------------------------------------------
H  ALEX       31 JUL - 6 AUG   120       0         N/A
TS BONNIE     3-12 AUG          65
H  CHARLEY    9-14 AUG         145      15        14,000
H  DANIELLE   13-21 AUG        105
TS EARL       13-15 AUG         45
H  FRANCES    24 AUG -         135
TS GASTON     27 AUG -          70      N/A        N/A
TS HERMINE    29-31 AUG         40
-------------------------------------------------------------
N/A = NOT AVAILABLE

FORECASTER LAWRENCE/FRANKLIN/AVILA/BEVEN/PASCH/STEWART







 
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