Tropical Weather Summary


000
ABNT30 KNHC 011140
TWSAT 
MONTHLY TROPICAL WEATHER SUMMARY
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
8 AM EDT THU SEPTEMBER 1 2005
 
FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...
 
THE MONTH OF AUGUST EXPERIENCED ABOVE AVERAGE TROPICAL CYCLONE
ACTIVITY IN THE ATLANTIC BASIN...WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF FIVE NAMED
STORMS...OF WHICH TWO BECAME HURRICANES.  THERE WERE ALSO TWO
TROPICAL DEPRESSIONS THAT DID NOT REACH TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH. 
ON AVERAGE...2.8 STORMS AND 1.5 HURRICANES FORM DURING THE MONTH OF
AUGUST.  THUS FAR IN 2005...THERE HAVE BEEN 12 NAMED STORMS AND
FOUR HURRICANES.  THESE NUMBERS ARE WELL ABOVE THE LONG-TERM
AVERAGES OF 4.4 STORMS AND 2.1 HURRICANES THAT WOULD NORMALLY HAVE
FORMED BY THIS DATE.

HARVEY FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE THAT EXITED THE COAST OF AFRICA
ON 23 JULY. THIS WAVE SHOWED SIGNS OF ORGANIZATION AS IT MOVED
WESTWARD ACROSS THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC FOR SEVERAL DAYS...AND INTO
THE NORTHEASTERN CARIBBEAN SEA ON 29 JULY. AN ASSOCIATED AREA OF
DISTURBED WEATHER CROSSED HISPANIOLA ON 30 JULY AND MOVED NORTHWARD
FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. THE SYSTEM ORGANIZED INTO A TROPICAL
DEPRESSION ON 2 AUGUST...CENTERED ABOUT 370 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
BERMUDA. MOVING NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD...THE CYCLONE STRENGTHENED INTO
TROPICAL STORM HARVEY ON 3 AUGUST. ON 4 AUGUST...HARVEY TURNED
TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AND EAST-NORTHEAST...PASSED WITHIN ABOUT 45
MILES SOUTH- SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA...AND STRENTHENED TO ITS PEAK
INTENSITY OF 65 MPH. BERMUDA REPORTED SUSTAINED WINDS OF 37 MPH
WITH A GUST TO 51 MPH WHEN HARVEY PASSED BY. THE STORM TURNED
NORTHEASTWARD ON 6 AUGUST AND MOVED ON THAT GENERAL HEADING FOR A
COUPLE OF DAYS. IT LOST TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS LATE ON 8 AUGUST
ABOUT 535 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CAPE RACE NEWFOUNDLAND. THE LARGE AND
POWERFUL EXTRATROPICAL CYCLONE LINGERED OVER THE NORTH ATLANTIC FOR
SEVERAL DAYS BUT IT FINALLY LOST ITS IDENTITY ON 14 AUGUST.  

HURRICANE IRENE WAS A LONG-LIVED CAPE VERDE TROPICAL CYCLONE THAT
REMAINED OVER THE OPEN ATLANTIC THROUGHOUT ITS LIFETIME AND BECAME
A STRONG CATEGORY 2 HURRICANE WELL TO THE NORTH OF BERMUDA. IRENE
FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE THAT MOVED OFF THE COAST OF AFRICA ON 1
AUGUST. IT DEVELOPED INTO A DEPRESSION ON 4 AUGUST ABOUT 690 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS...BUT TURNED NORTHWESTWARD
ACROSS COOLER WATERS. FURTHER DEVELOPMENT WAS HALTED UNTIL 7 AUGUST
WHEN IT STRENGTHENED TO A TROPICAL STORM ABOUT 1250 MILES EAST OF
THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS. IRENE MOVED OVER THE OPEN WATERS OF
THE CENTRAL TROPICAL ATLANTIC FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS...WEAKENING TO
A TROPICAL DEPRESSION BEFORE RESTRENGTHENING TO A TROPICAL STORM ON
10 AUGUST. IRENE TURNED NORTHWESTWARD AND MOVED BETWEEN BERMUDA AND
CAPE HATTERAS ON 14 AUGUST. IRENE TURNED NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD AND
STRENGTHENED INTO A HURRICANE...REACHING ITS PEAK INTENSITY OF 105
MPH ON THE 15TH. THE HURRICANE TURNED TO THE EAST AND WEAKENED.
IRENE THEN MOVED EAST-NORTHEASTWARD OVER MUCH COOLER WATERS AND
BECAME EXTRATROPICAL ABOUT 295 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF CAPE RACE
NEWFOUNDLAND ON 18 AUGUST.

TROPICAL DEPRESSION TEN DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE ON 13
AUGUST ABOUT 1000 MILES EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES.  STRONG
VERTICAL WIND SHEAR CAUSED THE CYCLONE TO DISSIPATE THE NEXT DAY
ABOUT 870 MILES EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLIES.  THE REMNANTS OF THE
DEPRESSION MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD UNTIL 23 AUGUST...WHEN SOME
PORTION OF THE SYSTEM MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE INITIAL
DEVELOPMENT OF HURRICANE KATRINA.

JOSE WAS A SHORT-LIVED TROPICAL STORM THAT FORMED FROM A TROPICAL
WAVE ON 22 AUGUST OVER THE BAY OF CAMPECHE ABOUT 80 MILES
EAST-NORTHEAST OF VERACRUZ MEXICO.  IT BECAME A TROPICAL STORM
LATER THAT DAY...AND MADE LANDFALL LATE THAT EVENING ABOUT 35 MILES
NORTH OF VERACRUZ WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF NEAR 50 MPH.  JOSE SOON
DISSIPATED OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF EASTERN MEXICO.  MEDIA REPORTS
INDICATE AT LEAST ONE DEATH ASSOCIATED WITH JOSE.

KATRINA WILL LIKELY BE RECORDED AS THE WORST NATURAL DISASTER IN THE
HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES...PRODUCING CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE AND
UNTOLD CASUALTIES IN THE NEW ORLEANS AREA AND ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI
GULF COAST...AND ADDITIONAL CASUALTIES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. THE EXTENT
OF THE PHYSICAL AND HUMAN DEVASTATION FROM THIS HURRICANE CANNOT
YET BE ESTIMATED.

THIS HORRIFIC STORM FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE...BECOMING A
DEPRESSION ABOUT 175 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NASSAU IN THE BAHAMAS ON 23
AUGUST.  IT BECAME A TROPICAL STORM THE FOLLOWING DAY.  KATRINA
MOVED NORTHWESTWARD THROUGH THE BAHAMAS...AND THEN TURNED WESTWARD
TOWARD SOUTH FLORIDA AND GRADUALLY STRENGTHENED.  KATRINA BECAME A
CATEGORY 1 HURRICANE AND MADE LANDFALL ON THE MIAMI-DADE/BROWARD
COUNTY LINE DURING THE EVENING OF 25 AUGUST.  KATRINA MOVED
SOUTHWESTWARD ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA...DUMPING OVER A FOOT OF
RAIN...TOPPLING TREES AND POWER LINES AND DAMAGING HOMES AND
BUSINESSES IN MIAMI-DADE AND BROWARD COUNTIES.  KATRINA ALSO
BROUGHT HEAVY RAINS AND SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS TO
PORTIONS OF THE FLORIDA KEYS.  AFTER CROSSING SOUTH FLORIDA AND
ENTERING THE GULF OF MEXICO...KATRINA BEGAN TO STRENGTHEN...
REACHING CATEGORY 5 STRENGTH ON 28 AUGUST ABOUT 250 MILES
SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.  KATRINA'S
WINDS REACHED THEIR PEAK INTENSITY OF 175 MPH WINDS AND THE
PRESSURE FELL TO 902 MB...THE FOURTH LOWEST PRESSURE ON RECORD...
LATER THAT DAY.  KATRINA TURNED TO THE NORTHWEST AND THEN
NORTH...MAKING LANDFALL IN PLAQUEMINES PARISH LOUISIANA JUST SOUTH
OF BURAS WITH 140 MPH WINDS...CATEGORY 4...AT 610 AM CDT ON 29
AUGUST.  CONTINUING NORTHWARD...KATRINA MADE A SECOND LANDFALL NEAR
THE LOUISIANA/MISSISSIPPI BORDER AT 1000 AM CDT...WITH MAXIMUM
WINDS OF NEAR 125 MPH...CATEGORY 3.  KATRINA WEAKENED AS IT MOVED
INLAND TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST BUT WAS STILL A HURRICANE 100 MILES
INLAND NEAR LAUREL MISSISSIPPI.  KATRINA CONTINUED TO WEAKEN AND
BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION NEAR CLARKSVILLE TENNESSEE ON 30
AUGUST.  AT MONTH'S END...THE REMNANTS OF KATRINA WERE RACING
EAST-NORTHEASTWARD NEAR BINGHAMTON NEW YORK.

TROPICAL STORM LEE DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE OVER THE
CENTRAL TROPICAL ATLANTIC...FIRST BECOMING A DEPRESSION ON 28 AUGUST
ABOUT 925 MILES EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES.  THE DEPRESSION
DISSIPATED THE FOLLOWING DAY...BUT ITS REMNANTS REDEVELOPED INTO A
DEPRESSION AND THEN A STORM ON THE LAST DAY OF THE MONTH.  AT
MONTH'S END...LEE WAS LOCATED ABOUT 965 MILES EAST OF THE LESSER
ANTILLES.  


SUMMARY TABLE

NAME          DATES        MAX WIND   DEATHS   U.S. DAMAGE
      MPH        $MILLION
----------------------------------------------------------
TS HARVEY    2-8  AUG          65        0          
H  IRENE     4-18 AUG         105        0          
TD TEN      13-14 AUG          35        0
TS JOSE     22-23 AUG          50        1          **
H  KATRINA  23-31 AUG         175        **         **
TS LEE      28 AUG -           40        0
----------------------------------------------------------
NOTE...DATES BASED ON COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME (UTC)
*  PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE
** UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME

FORECASTER FRANKLIN/AVILA/BEVEN/KNABB/PASCH/STEWART
 
  
$$