000 ABNT30 KNHC 011404 TWSAT MONTHLY TROPICAL WEATHER SUMMARY NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 800 AM EST FRI DEC 1 2006 FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO... THE 2006 SEASON PRODUCED NINE NAMED STORMS...OF WHICH FIVE BECAME HURRICANES AND TWO BECAME MAJOR HURRICANES. THESE NUMBERS ARE JUST SLIGHTLY BELOW THE LONG-TERM AVERAGES. HOWEVER...THE SEASON WAS COMPACT AND THE FOUR HURRICANES THAT FORMED DURING SEPTEMBER IS ABOVE THE LONG-TERM AVERAGE FOR THAT MONTH. THREE SYSTEMS MADE LANDFALL IN THE UNITED STATES AS TROPICAL STORMS. NO HURRICANES HIT THE UNITED STATES THIS YEAR...WHICH IS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED SINCE 2001. IN ADDITION...A JULY WEATHER SYSTEM OVER THE ATLANTIC SOUTH OF NOVA SCOTIA IS BEING REEXAMINED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER...AS PART OF ITS STANDARD POST-STORM ANALYSIS PROCESS...TO DETERMINE WHETHER IT QUALIFIES AS AN UNNAMED TROPICAL CYCLONE. ALBERTO FORMED AS A TROPICAL DEPRESSION IN THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA EARLY ON 10 JUNE. THE CENTER OF THE POORLY-ORGANIZED DEPRESSION MOVED NORTHWESTWARD THROUGH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL THAT NIGHT...AND THE CYCLONE BECAME A TROPICAL STORM OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO EARLY ON 11 JUNE WHILE CENTERED ABOUT 100 MILES WEST-NORTHWEST OF THE WESTERN TIP OF CUBA. ALBERTO THEN TURNED NORTHWARD AND STRENGTHENED SLIGHTLY...WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF 50 MPH EARLY ON 12 JUNE OVER THE CENTRAL GULF. THE STORM TURNED NORTHEASTWARD LATER THAT MORNING WHILE ABRUPTLY STRENGTHENING TO ITS PEAK INTENSITY OF 70 MPH. ALBERTO WEAKENED THE FOLLOWING NIGHT AS IT APPROACHED THE NORTHEASTERN COAST OF THE GULF OF MEXICO. ITS CENTER MADE LANDFALL NEAR ADAMS BEACH IN THE BIG BEND AREA OF FLORIDA...ABOUT 50 MILES SOUTHEAST OF TALLAHASSEE...ON 13 JUNE. ALBERTO WEAKENED TO A DEPRESSION EARLY ON 14 JUNE OVER GEORGIA AND THEN EMERGED OFF THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST OF THE UNITED STATES AS AN EXTRATROPICAL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT NIGHT. THE SYSTEM ACCELERATED NORTHEASTWARD AND BECAME A POWERFUL EXTRATROPICAL STORM JUST SOUTH OF NOVA SCOTIA. IT PASSED OVER NEWFOUNDLAND AND THEN TRAVERSED THE NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN...REACHING THE BRITISH ISLES WHERE IT WAS ABSORBED BY A FRONTAL SYSTEM ON 19 JUNE. WHILE THE DAMAGES CAUSED BY ALBERTO WERE LIMITED...SOME STRUCTURES WERE DAMAGED BY STORM SURGE FLOODING IN LEVY AND CITRUS COUNTIES IN FLORIDA. BERYL DEVELOPED IN A SURFACE TROUGH ASSOCIATED WITH A DECAYING STATIONARY FRONTAL ZONE OFF THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S. COAST. A TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMED ON 18 JULY ABOUT 290 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF WILMINGTON NORTH CAROLINA. THE CYCLONE STRENGTHENED INTO A TROPICAL STORM LATER THAT DAY. MOVING GENERALLY NORTHWARD...BERYL PASSED ABOUT 115 MILES EAST OF CAPE HATTERAS ON 19 JULY...AND IT STRENGTHENED TO ITS PEAK INTENSITY OF 60 MPH A LITTLE LATER THAT DAY. OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...BERYL TURNED TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST AND NORTHEAST WITH INCREASING FORWARD SPEED... PASSING OVER NANTUCKET EARLY ON 21 JULY WHERE WIND GUSTS TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE WERE REPORTED. THE WEAKENING STORM CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE NORTHEASTWARD...AND BERYL LOST ITS TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS OVER WESTERN NOVA SCOTIA LATE ON 21 JULY. THE REMNANTS OF BERYL MERGED WITH ANOTHER EXTRATROPICAL LOW THE NEXT DAY. THERE WERE NO REPORTS OF CASUALTIES OR SIGNIFICANT DAMAGES. CHRIS DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE AND BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION EARLY ON 1 AUGUST ABOUT 200 MILES EAST OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS. MOVING WEST-NORTHWESTWARD...THE DEPRESSION BECAME A TROPICAL STORM A FEW HOURS LATER. EARLY ON 2 AUGUST THE STORM REACHED ITS PEAK INTENSITY OF 65 MPH WHILE CENTERED ABOUT 50 MILES NORTH OF THE NORTHERNMOST LEEWARD ISLANDS. HOWEVER...EARLY ON 3 AUGUST...THE STORM ABRUPTLY WEAKENED AS THE MID-LEVEL CIRCULATION SEPARATED FROM THE LOW-LEVEL CENTER IN AN ENVIRONMENT OF STRONG VERTICAL WIND SHEAR. THE SYSTEM CONTINUED WESTWARD AND WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON 4 AUGUST NEAR THE TURKS AND CAICOS...AND IT DISSIPATED EARLY THE NEXT DAY WHILE APPROACHING CUBA. DEBBY DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE IN THE FAR EASTERN ATLANTIC ABOUT 260 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS ON 21 AUGUST. AFTER BECOMING A DEPRESSION...IT MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD...PASSING ABOUT 100 MILES TO THE SOUTHWEST OF THE ISLANDS ON 22 AUGUST. EARLY ON 23 AUGUST THE DEPRESSION BECAME A TROPICAL STORM ABOUT 225 MILES WEST OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS...AND ITS WINDS REACHED 50 MPH LATER THAT DAY. DEBBY MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD WITH LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...BUT IT BEGAN TO WEAKEN ON 25 AUGUST DUE TO SOUTHERLY WIND SHEAR. DEBBY WEAKENED TO A DEPRESSION AND DEGENERATED TO A REMNANT LOW THE NEXT DAY ABOUT 1400 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA. THE REMNANT LOW THEN TURNED NORTHWARD AND DISSIPATED ON 28 AUGUST AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING FRONTAL SYSTEM. ERNESTO ORIGINATED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE AND BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON 24 AUGUST AS IT WAS PASSING OVER THE WINDWARD ISLANDS. IT STRENGTHENED INTO A TROPICAL STORM THE NEXT MORNING ABOUT 300 MILES SOUTH OF PUERTO RICO. CONTINUING WEST-NORTHWESTWARD...ERNESTO SLOWLY STRENGTHENED AND HAD MAXIMUM WINDS OF 50 MPH BY THE NEXT MORNING. THE STORM TURNED NORTHWESTWARD ON 26 AUGUST OVER THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN AND CONTINUED TO INTENSIFY. EARLY THE NEXT DAY...WHILE CENTERED ABOUT 70 MILES SOUTH OF THE SOUTHERN COAST OF HAITI...ERNESTO WAS BRIEFLY A HURRICANE WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF 75 MPH. STEADY WEAKENING OCCURRED....HOWEVER... DURING THE FOLLOWING DAY AS ERNESTO PASSED VERY NEAR THE SOUTHWESTERN TIP OF HAITI. ERNESTO THEN MADE LANDFALL JUST WEST OF GUANTANAMO BAY CUBA ON 28 AUGUST AS A TROPICAL STORM WITH 40 MPH WINDS AND EMERGED OFF THE NORTH-CENTRAL COAST EARLY THE NEXT DAY. THE STORM CONTINUED NORTHWESTWARD WITH LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH AND MADE LANDFALL IN EXTREME SOUTHERN FLORIDA EARLY ON 30 AUGUST WITH 45 MPH MAXIMUM WINDS. ERNESTO WEAKENED TO A DEPRESSION LATER THAT DAY WHILE MOVING NORTHWARD OVER THE FLORIDA PENINSULA. AFTER DEPARTING THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA NEAR CAPE CANAVERAL EARLY ON 31 AUGUST...ERNESTO STRENGTHENED OVER THE WARM WATERS OF THE ATLANTIC WHILE HEADING NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD. ERNESTO THEN MADE LANDFALL EARLY ON 1 SEPTEMBER NEAR OAK ISLAND NORTH CAROLINA...JUST WEST OF CAPE FEAR...AS A STRONG TROPICAL STORM WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS OF 70 MPH. IT WEAKENED INLAND AND BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION OVER NORTH CAROLINA LATER THAT DAY. HOWEVER...THE COMBINATION OF ERNESTO AND A LARGE HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM TO ITS NORTH PRODUCED GALE FORCE WINDS OVER MANY AREAS NEAR THE COAST OF THE UNITED STATES FROM VIRGINIA TO NEW YORK. ERNESTO LOST ITS TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS BY EARLY ON 2 SEPTEMBER AS IT MOVED OVER VIRGINIA. THE SYSTEM MOVED SLOWLY NORTHWARD OVER PENNSYLVANIA AND NEW YORK AND WAS GRADUALLY ABSORBED INTO A LARGER EXTRATROPICAL SYSTEM DURING THE FOLLOWING COUPLE OF DAYS. FIVE FATALITIES WERE DIRECTLY CAUSED BY ERNESTO IN HAITI...AND TWO FATALITIES IN VIRGINIA OCCURRED WHEN A TREE FELL ON A RESIDENCE IN STRONG WINDS NORTH OF ERNESTO. MANY LOCATIONS IN HAITI...THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC...AND THE EASTERN UNITED STATES EXPERIENCED DAMAGES DUE TO FLOODS CAUSED BY HEAVY RAINS ASSOCIATED WITH ERNESTO. FLORENCE ORIGINATED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE THAT LEFT THE COAST OF AFRICA ON 29 AUGUST...AND IT DEVELOPED INTO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON 3 SEPTEMBER ABOUT 1525 MILES EAST OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS. THE SYSTEM MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AND BECAME A TROPICAL STORM ON 5 SEPTEMBER. FLORENCE TURNED NORTHWESTWARD AND STRENGTHENED ON 9 SEPTEMBER...BECOMING A HURRICANE EARLY THE NEXT DAY ABOUT 360 MILES SOUTH OF BERMUDA. THE HURRICANE TURNED NORTHWARD...PASSING ABOUT 60 MILES WEST OF BERMUDA ON 11 SEPTEMBER WHILE AT ITS ESTIMATED PEAK INTENSITY OF 90 MPH. FLORENCE TURNED NORTHEASTWARD LATER THAT DAY AND BECAME EXTRATROPICAL ON 12 SEPTEMBER ABOUT 600 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CAPE RACE NEWFOUNDLAND. AS A POWERFUL EXTRATROPICAL LOW... FLORENCE PASSED NEAR CAPE RACE ON 13 SEPTEMBER AND THEN MOVED EASTWARD INTO THE OPEN NORTH ATLANTIC FOR SEVERAL DAYS. THE EXTRATROPICAL REMNANTS OF FLORENCE WERE ABSORBED BY ANOTHER LOW SOUTHWEST OF ICELAND ON 19 SEPTEMBER. FLORENCE BROUGHT HURRICANE CONDITIONS TO BERMUDA...CAUSING WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES...MINOR DAMAGE...AND A FEW INJURIES. AS AN EXTRATROPICAL LOW...FLORENCE BROUGHT HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS TO SOUTHEASTERN NEWFOUNDLAND...WHERE MINOR DAMAGE WAS REPORTED AS WELL. GORDON FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE THAT LEFT THE WEST COAST OF AFRICA ON 1 SEPTEMBER. AS THE WAVE MOVED WESTWARD FOR ABOUT A WEEK... DEVELOPMENT WAS HINDERED BY NEARBY HURRICANE FLORENCE. BY 9 SEPTEMBER...FLORENCE HAD MOVED FAR ENOUGH AWAY FROM THE WAVE TO ALLOW THE SYSTEM TO DEVELOP...AND THE FOLLOWING DAY A TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMED ABOUT 540 MILES EAST-NORTHEAST OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS. THE DEPRESSION STRENGTHENED INTO A TROPICAL STORM ON 11 SEPTEMBER AND TURNED TOWARD THE NORTHWEST. LATE ON 12 SEPTEMBER... GORDON BECAME A HURRICANE AND STARTED MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH. IT INTENSIFIED RAPIDLY ON 13 SEPTEMBER AND REACHED ITS PEAK INTENSITY OF 120 MPH ABOUT 575 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA. MOVING NORTHEASTWARD OVER THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC...GORDON MAINTAINED MAJOR HURRICANE STATUS FOR ABOUT A DAY. THE CYCLONE THEN STALLED OVER THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC FOR A COUPLE DAYS AND WEAKENED. AN UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH FINALLY ACCELERATED GORDON NORTHEASTWARD ON 17 SEPTEMBER. THE TROPICAL CYCLONE TURNED TOWARD THE EAST ON 19 SEPTEMBER AND STRENGTHENED...REACHING A SECOND PEAK INTENSITY OF 105 MPH ABOUT 630 MILES WEST OF THE AZORES. GORDON WEAKENED AND PASSED THROUGH THE SOUTHERNMOST AZORES EARLY ON 20 SEPTEMBER...THEN BECAME EXTRATROPICAL LATE IN THE DAY ABOUT 275 MILES WEST OF THE COAST OF PORTUGAL. AS A STRONG EXTRATROPICAL LOW...GORDON TURNED NORTHWARD ON 21 SEPTEMBER AND INTENSIFIED. THE LOW PASSED OVER WESTERN IRELAND LATE THAT DAY...THEN MADE A CYCLONIC LOOP BEFORE DISSIPATING BETWEEN IRELAND AND ENGLAND ON 24 SEPTEMBER. GORDON CAUSED HURRICANE-FORCE WIND GUSTS ON SANTA MARIA IN THE AZORES...AND AS AN EXTRATROPICAL LOW DID THE SAME IN PORTIONS OF SPAIN AND THE BRITISH ISLES. AS A TROPICAL CYCLONE IT CAUSED MINOR DAMAGE IN THE AZORES...AND AS AN EXTRATROPICAL LOW IT CAUSED WIND DAMAGE AND POWER OUTAGES IN SPAIN...BRITAIN AND IRELAND. HELENE DEVELOPED FROM A VIGOROUS TROPICAL WAVE THAT EMERGED FROM THE COAST OF AFRICA ON 11 SEPTEMBER. SHOWER ACTIVITY QUICKLY INCREASED AND A TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMED OVER THE FAR EASTERN ATLANTIC ABOUT 230 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS. THE LARGE DEPRESSION PASSED ABOUT 190 MILES SOUTH OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS BEFORE STRENGTHENING TO A TROPICAL STORM EARLY ON 14 SEPTEMBER. MOVING WEST-NORTHWESTWARD... HELENE GRADUALLY STRENGTHENED AND BECAME A HURRICANE ON 16 SEPTEMBER WHILE LOCATED ABOUT 1150 MILES EAST OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS. THE NEXT DAY...THE HURRICANE SLOWED DOWN AND TURNED NORTHWESTWARD WHILE CONTINUING TO INTENSIFY. HELENE BECAME A MAJOR HURRICANE ON 18 SEPTEMBER AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER REACHED AN ESTIMATED PEAK INTENSITY OF 120 MPH. ON 19 SEPTEMBER...THE HURRICANE MOVED WESTWARD BRIEFLY AND WEAKENED TO A CATEGORY 2 HURRICANE. HELENE THEN TURNED NORTHWARD ON 20 SEPTEMBER AHEAD OF A LARGE DEEP-LAYER TROUGH MOVING OFF THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES. HELENE PASSED ABOUT 550 MILES EAST OF BERMUDA EARLY ON 21 SEPTEMBER AND THEN TURNED EAST-NORTHEASTWARD OVER THE OPEN WATERS OF THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC. HELENE RETAINED HURRICANE STRENGTH UNTIL BECOMING EXTRATROPICAL ON 24 SEPTEMBER ABOUT 315 MILES WEST-NORTHWEST OF THE AZORES. THE EXTRATROPICAL LOW GRADUALLY WEAKENED AND PASSED NEAR NORTHWESTERN IRELAND AND SCOTLAND ON 27 SEPTEMBER. IT WAS ABSORBED BY A LARGER EXTRATROPICAL LOW LATE THAT DAY. ISAAC DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE THAT EXITED THE COAST OF AFRICA ON 18 SEPTEMBER. THIS LARGE WAVE AND ASSOCIATED SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WAS TRACKED FOR NINE DAYS AS IT MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD ACROSS THE EASTERN ATLANTIC. ON 27 SEPTEMBER...A TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMED FROM THE WAVE ABOUT 930 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA. THE DEPRESSION STRENGTHENED TO A TROPICAL STORM ON THE 28 SEPTEMBER AND BECAME A HURRICANE ABOUT 370 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA ON 30 SEPTEMBER WHILE BEING STEERED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD BY MID-LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC. ISAAC REACHED ITS ESTIMATED PEAK INTENSITY OF 85 MPH AROUND 0000 UTC 1 OCTOBER ABOUT 385 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA. ON THE SAME DAY...ISAAC RECURVED AROUND THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF A SUBTROPICAL RIDGE WITH AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED. THE CYCLONE MOVED QUICKLY TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST ON 2 OCTOBER AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING DEEP-LAYER TROUGH FROM THE WEST. DURING THIS TIME... ISAAC ENCOUNTERED INCREASING SOUTHWESTERLY SHEAR AND COOLER WATERS AND BY 1200 UTC THAT DAY...IT WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL STORM. LATER ON 2 OCTOBER...THE CENTER OF ISAAC QUICKLY PASSED ABOUT 40 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE AVALON PENINSULA OF NEWFOUNDLAND. EVEN THOUGH ISAAC REMAINED OFFSHORE...WINDS OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WERE EXPERIENCED ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHERN AVALON PENINSULA. ISAAC TRANSITIONED TO AN EXTRATROPICAL CYCLONE BY 0000 UTC 3 OCTOBER AND MERGED WITH A LARGER EXTRATROPICAL LOW LATER THAT DAY. SUMMARY TABLE NAME DATES MAX WIND DEATHS U.S. DAMAGE MPH $MILLION --------------------------------------------------------------- TS ALBERTO 10-14 JUN 70 0 MINOR TS BERYL 18-21 JUL 60 0 0 TS CHRIS 1-5 AUG 65 0 0 TS DEBBY 21-26 AUG 50 0 0 H ERNESTO 24 AUG-2 SEP 75 5 500 H FLORENCE 3-12 SEP 90 0 0 H GORDON 10-20 SEP 120 0 0 H HELENE 12-24 SEP 120 0 0 H ISAAC 27 SEP-2 OCT 85 0 0 -------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE...DATES BASED ON COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME (UTC) $$ FORECASTER AVILA/BEVEN/FRANKLIN/KNABB/PASCH/STEWART/ BLAKE/BROWN/MAINELLI/RHOME
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Page last modified: Friday, 01-Dec-2006 18:17:26 UTC