GARY PADGETT'S MONTHLY GLOBAL TROPICAL CYCLONE SUMMARY JULY, 2005 (For general comments about the nature of these summaries, as well as information on how to download the tabular cyclone track files, see the Author's Note at the end of this summary.) ************************************************************************* JULY HIGHLIGHTS --> Unprecedented Atlantic activity for July with five storms --> Two intense Category 4 Caribbean hurricanes with major hurricane landfalls in Cuba, Mexico and Florida Panhandle --> Severe typhoon strikes Taiwan and Chinese mainland ************************************************************************* !!!!! SPECIAL NOTE - SUSPENSION OF THE FEATURE OF THE MONTH !!!!! Effective with the July summary, I am for the time being discontinuing the Feature of the Month as a regular addition to the monthly summaries. I made this decision several months ago, but had enough things already planned to keep it going for a few issues. I will continue from time to time to include extra features, such as I did prior to the initiation of the Feature of the Month beginning with the May, 2000, summary. Some of the regular features such as various seasonal statistics and publicizing the storm names for the various basins will continue to be included, and occasionally other items of general interest may be included. But my time has become much more restricted, and also I have just about run out of ideas for the monthly features except for the aforementioned "regulars". Hopefully, someday in the future these additions to the summaries can be resumed on a monthly basis. ************************************************************************* ACTIVITY BY BASINS ATLANTIC (ATL) - North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico Activity for July: 3 tropical storms 2 intense hurricanes Atlantic Tropical Activity for July ----------------------------------- July of 2005 was the most active month of July on record in terms of number of named storms, intense hurricanes and net tropical cyclone activity (NTC). Five tropical storms formed during the month, besting the previous record of four set on several occasions (1966, 1995 and 1997). Two Category 3 hurricanes occurred in July of 1916, but this year saw two Category 4 hurricanes form during the month, and strong ones at that. Emily was on the threshold of Category 5 intensity at its peak. The record number of hurricanes for the month of July is three, set in 1966, so this year did not set a new record for that parameter. The previous high NTC for July was 25.9% in 1996, with July of 1966 coming in second with 24.1%. The NTC for July, 2005, was 63.5%, more than the previous two most active July's combined. Of the five tropical cyclones which formed in July, four made land- fall in either the U. S. or Mexico. Only Tropical Storm Franklin failed to make a continental landfall, but even it crossed part of Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas. Tropical Storm Cindy made landfall over south- eastern Louisiana and again in extreme southwestern Mississippi. Major Hurricane Dennis made two Category 4 landfalls in Cuba and eventually struck the Florida Panhandle as a Category 3 hurricane. Mighty Hurricane Emily struck Grenada as a Category 1 hurricane, the eastern Yucatan Peninsula coastline as a Category 4 storm, and northeastern Mexico as a Category 3 hurricane. Minor Tropical Storm Gert, much like June's Tropical Storm Bret, formed in the Bay of Campeche and moved inland into Mexico's Gulf Coast as a relatively weak tropical storm. Reports on all five storms follow. TROPICAL STORM CINDY (TC-03) 3 - 8 July ---------------------------------------- A. Introduction and Storm Origins --------------------------------- Right on the heels of an above-normal June, the most active July on record in the Atlantic basin began to get underway early in the month. Tropical Storm Cindy was the earliest third tropical storm of the season to form since Tropical Storm Candy formed on 23 June 1968. The cyclone formed in the Yucatan Peninsula region and followed a northerly path across the Gulf of Mexico, making landfall in southeastern Louisiana as a strong tropical storm just shy of hurricane intensity. As early as 30 June a Tropical Weather Outlook issued by TPC/NHC noted that a large area of cloudiness and thunderstorms associated with a westward-moving tropical wave and a weak surface trough was present over the central and southwestern Caribbean Sea. Upper-level winds gradually became more favorable for tropical cyclogenesis over the next couple of days, and by 2 July the disturbance was becoming better organized about midway between the Cayman Islands and Honduras. By midday on 3 July a broad area of low pressure had formed about 130 nm east of Chetumal, Mexico. The Hurricane Hunters flew a reconnaissance plane into the system during the afternoon and found a closed circulation just east of the Yucatan Peninsula. Even though deep convection had weakened some during the day, there was still enough organization to warrant classifying the system as a tropical depression. The first advisory on Tropical Depres- sion 03 was issued at 2100 UTC and placed the center about 70 nm east of Chetumal, or approximately 125 nm south of Cozumel. B. Synoptic History ------------------- During the evening hours of 3 July a strong convective burst erupted over the LLCC with a reconnaissance plane indicating a CP of 1007 mb--a drop of 2 mb in 2.5 hours. Also, significant banding had developed to the east and north of the center. The depression was almost at tropical storm strength as it began to move inland along the eastern Yucatan coastline around 04/0600 UTC south of Cozumel. As expected TD-03 became rather disorganized while over the Yucatan Peninsula with the circulation elongating in a north-south direction. During the afternoon of 4 July a new center apparently began reforming over the southern Gulf of Mexico. During an early afternoon flight the Hurricane Hunters were unable to close off a center, but it was assumed that a new center was forming in the area where pressures were lowest. The 04/2100 UTC advisory placed the developing new LLCC over the Gulf to the north of the Yucatan coast- line and about 375 nm south of the mouth of the Mississippi River. Following the development of the new LLCC over the south-central Gulf of Mexico, the depression followed an initial north-northwesterly track across the Gulf, becoming northerly early on 5 July as it reached tropical storm intensity. The primary guiding influence was a deep-layer ridge over the Florida Peninsula and the adjacent western Atlantic. The outer convective banding features gradually improved during the night of 4-5 July as TD-03 marched across the Gulf of Mexico at about 11 kts. The depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Cindy at 0900 UTC on 5 July while centered approximately 220 nm south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The upgrade was based on data from a reconnaissance plane which found FLWs of 45-50 kts within a convective band east of the center along with a CP of 1002 mb. As Tropical Storm Cindy plowed onward toward the Louisiana coast it continued to strengthen. The peak intensity of 60 kts was attained at 05/2100 UTC. The Stepped-Frequency Radiometer instrument on board a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft reported a few spot surface wind estimates of 64 kts; however, the aircraft crew indicated that these speeds were a little too high. As Cindy neared the coastline a burst of deep convection developed over the LLCC and briefly wrapped up an eye-like feature for about an hour, and reconnaissance reports indicated that the CP had dropped to 992 mb. Reports from an offshore oil rig indicated gusts to 86 kts at 45.7 metres above the surface at 2300 UTC. However, after this time the radar signature became less distinct and the CP rose back to 997 mb. Thus, Cindy almost became a hurricane shortly before making landfall just west of Grand Isle, Louisiana, around 0400 UTC on 6 July. By the time Cindy made landfall it had turned to a north-northeasterly trajectory, which became more northeasterly with time. The cyclone had weakened only slightly from its peak intensity when it passed just south- east of New Orleans. Cindy's center moved briefly over water again as it crossed Lake Borgne, then back inland along the Mississippi coastline. Once inland the storm began to weaken rapidly and was downgraded to a tropical depression at 06/1500 UTC when centered near the Mississippi- Alabama state line approximately 80 km northwest of Mobile, Alabama. At this time TPC/NHC relinquished the system to HPC for the purpose of issuing advisories. HPC tracked the weakening cyclone northeastward across central Alabama, northwestern Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland before the center moved into the Atlantic around 1500 UTC on 8 July. The final HPC advisory at 08/2100 UTC placed the remnants of Cindy about 50 nm northeast of Cape May, New Jersey, moving northeast- ward at about 16 kts. A graphic displaying the track of Tropical Storm Cindy may be found at the following link: C. Meteorological Observations ------------------------------ The city of New Orleans (the town, not the train) experienced wind gusts of 45-60 kts from Cindy. Some 200,000 persons in the metropolitan area and in areas farther east lost power, some for two nights. Following are storm rainfall totals gleaned from a comprehensive file sent to the author by David Roth of HPC. (A special thanks to David for sending the information.) The data are grouped by state, and a number plus a compass direction, e.g., 10NW, means that the observation was made 10 statute miles northwest of the given location. Only storm totals >= 100 mm (3.94 inches) are given. LOCATION INCHES MM ========================================= ALABAMA ------- MOBILE/BATES FIELD 6.53 165.9 COFFEEVILLE 3W 5.53 140.5 CAMDEN 10NW 5.23 132.8 THOMASVILLE 4.89 124.2 MALONE 4NNW 4.69 119.1 WHATLEY 4.53 115.1 ASHLAND 3ENE 4.27 108.5 GEORGIA ------- FAIRBURN 5E 7.28 184.9 WARESVILLE 1E 6.85 174.0 LITHONIA 3ENE 6.38 162.1 CONYERS 4W 6.19 157.2 LITHONIA 5NE 5.98 151.9 SNELLVILLE 6S 5.44 138.2 ATLANTA INTL ARPT 5.24 133.1 SNELLVILLE 3SSE 4.95 125.7 LAWRENCEVILLE 1SW 4.90 124.5 FRANKLIN 9WNW 4.73 120.1 DANIELSVILLE 6SW 4.72 119.9 LAWRENCEVILLE 3N 4.70 119.4 SUWANEE 3NNW 4.52 114.8 MILSTEAD 3ESE 4.49 114.0 DAHLONEGA 3E 4.40 111.8 JEFFERSON 6S 4.39 111.5 ATHENS MUNI ARPT 4.12 104.6 MILSTEAD 5ENE 4.11 104.4 WINTERVILLE 4.09 103.9 SNELLVILLE 5ESE 4.02 102.1 CANTON 4.01 101.9 COVINGTON 4.00 101.6 WHITESBURG 3NNW 3.97 100.8 LOUISIANA --------- GALLIANO 8.01 203.5 GRAND ISLE 7.55 191.8 SLIDELL 6.30 160.0 NEW ORLEANS 3SE 5.41 137.4 SLIDELL 10SSW 4.38 111.3 LAPLACE 5NE 4.37 111.0 MISSISSIPPI ----------- WAVELAND 7.39 187.7 BAY ST LOUIS 7.05 179.1 PASCAGOULA 6.62 168.1 GULFPORT-BILOXI 6.51 165.4 VANCLEAVE 3SW 6.03 153.2 THREE RIVERS 6.00 152.4 GULFPORT 5.85 148.6 D'IBERVILLE 4N 5.50 139.7 MERRILL 5.47 138.9 KILN 2S 5.33 135.4 KEESLER AFB/BILOXI 4.76 120.9 PICAYUNE 4.50 114.3 PICAYUNE 4.20 106.7 BUCKATUNNA 4.07 103.4 NORTH CAROLINA -------------- TRYON 5.27 133.9 RUTHERFORDTON 3N 4.23 107.4 BLACK MOUNTAIN 10NNE 3.97 100.8 HICKORY RGNL ARPT 3.96 100.6 NEW YORK -------- HARTSVILLE 4.71 119.6 PENNSYLVANIA ------------ JOLIETT 4.77 121.2 SOUTH CAROLINA -------------- TRAVELERS REST 5.33 135.4 PENDLETON 4SE 5.25 133.4 TRAVELERS REST 1S 5.10 129.5 GREER 4.68 118.9 GREENVILLE DOWNTOWN ARPT 4.43 112.5 GREENVILLE 4.41 112.0 HUNTS BRIDGE 4.21 106.9 VIRGINIA -------- WAYNESBORO 13SSW 6.17 156.7 KEYESVILLE 2S 5.50 139.7 STANLEY 7ENE 5.44 138.2 BIG MEADOWS 5.24 133.1 WAYNESBORO 4SSW 4.96 126.0 MADISON 14NNW 4.75 120.7 MADISON 11WNW 4.68 118.9 MOUNT JACKSON 7E 4.52 114.8 WAYNESBORO 9S 4.40 111.8 CASTLETON 4.26 108.2 MADISON 4.25 108.0 FRONT ROYAL 6ESE 4.16 105.7 MADISON 19NW 4.16 105.7 BOSTON 4.05 102.9 NELLYSFORD 4W 4.04 102.6 FRONT ROYAL 1ESE 4.00 101.6 STERLING 3.95 100.3 D. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ Wind damage from Cindy was rather minor and typical of a strong tropical storm. Probably there was some damage from localized flooding, but assessments are not complete at this time and estimates are not yet available. (Report written by Gary Padgett) HURRICANE DENNIS (TC-04) 5 - 13 July ------------------------------------ A. Introduction and Storm Origins --------------------------------- Hurricane Dennis was an amazing storm for its time of year. When upgraded to tropical storm status and named at 1500 UTC on 5 July (only six hours after Tropical Storm Cindy had been named), Dennis became the earliest fourth tropical storm on record. The previous earliest date for the season's fourth tropical storm was 7 July 1959, when Hurricane Cindy formed off the South Carolina coast. (One of the earlier storms that year was unnamed at the time but later reclassified as a hurricane.) Dennis was the first Category 4 hurricane to form in the month of July since 1926, and for an eight-day period held the record as the most intense July hurricane on record at 130 kts. That remarkable record was broken on 16 July when Hurricane Emily peaked at 135 kts. Hurricane Dennis also became the first major hurricane to strike eastern Cuba since Hurricane Flora in 1963, the strongest hurricane to strike Cuba since Hurricane Fox in 1952, and the strongest hurricane ever to strike the island in the month of July. After a weakening episode over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, Dennis re-intensified and once more reached Category 4 status in the north-central Gulf before weakening to a Category 3 hurricane and making landfall in the western Florida Panhandle. The last time that a Category 3 hurricane made landfall in Northwest Florida in July was in 1936 near Ft. Walton Beach. A Tropical Weather Outlook issued by TPC/NHC at 1530 UTC on 3 July mentioned a well-defined tropical wave which was located a few hundred miles east of the Windward Islands, moving westward at 13 to 17 kts. Organization of this system continued through the 3rd and into the 4th of July. Upper-level conditions were basically favorable for further intensification as the system neared the eastern Caribbean Sea. By afternoon a broad surface low-pressure system had formed over the Windward Islands. During the evening St. Lucia reported a wind of 31 kts, so based on this and also on satellite intensity estimates, advisories were initiated at 05/0300 UTC on Tropical Depression 04, located about 85 nm west-northwest of the island of Grenada. The depression was then moving west-northwestward at 15 kts with the MSW estimated at 25 kts. B. Synoptic History ------------------- As TD-04 continued its west-northwestward march across the south- eastern Caribbean Sea, its satellite signature continued to improve with banding features becoming better defined. The depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Dennis at 1500 UTC on 5 July when located about 300 nm south of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The basis for the upgrade was improved banding features and a Dvorak classification of T2.5 from TAFB. The newly-christened tropical storm continued its trek across the central Caribbean, guided by a strong subtropical ridge to the north. By early on the 6th Dennis was exhibiting an impressive cloud pattern with several cyclonically-curved convective bands and a well-established outflow in all quadrants. The shear was low and the ocean warm, so steady intensification seemed inevitable. Dennis was upgraded to the season's first hurricane in a special advisory package issued at 06/2200 UTC. A reconnaissance plane had found 79-kt winds at 700-mb with a CP of 985 mb. At the time Dennis was located about 275 nm east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and was still moving west- northwestward at 12 kts. Dennis continued to intensify, reaching Category 2 status on the Saffir/Simpson Scale at 1200 UTC on 7 July. By 1800 UTC the eye of Dennis was passing just northeast of Jamaica with 95-kt winds, and at 2100 UTC the season's first major hurricane was located only 80 nm southeast of Cuba's Cabo Cruz and about 110 nm southwest of Guantanamo Bay. The MSW was estimated at 100 kts, and data from a Hurricane Hunters aircraft indicated that the CP had fallen at a rate of slightly over 1 mb per hour since early morning to 957 mb. At this point Dennis became the first July major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) in the Atlantic since Hurricane Bertha in 1996. During the evening a reconnaissance aircraft found that the pressure had dropped further to 951 mb with a peak FLW of 134 kts measured at 700-mb in the northeastern eyewall. Based on this, Dennis was upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane with 115-kt winds just as the center neared Cabo Cruz around 08/0300 UTC. After delivering a glancing blow to the Cabo Cruz area, dangerous Hurricane Dennis continued on a by now northwesterly track toward the south-central coast of Cuba as it strengthened further. Around 1500 UTC on 8 July Dennis reached its peak intensity of 130 kts with a CP of 937 mb. The Hurricane Hunters had found a 700-mb FLW of 150 kts in the eastern quadrant at 1325 UTC. Thus, Dennis became stronger than any July hurricane currently in the Best Tracks database, but was destined to hold that distinction for only eight days. Weakening slightly, Hurricane Dennis made landfall near Cienfuegos, Cuba, around 1800 UTC with the MSW estimated at 125 kts. A wind gust of 130 kts was reported at Cienfuegos. The northwesterly track which Dennis was following at landfall, which was aiming the storm right at Key West, bent a little to the west-northwest, keeping the storm's center inland over Cuba for a longer period of time than initially forecast. Dennis weakened to Category 2 status while located over the large island. The eye of Dennis passed very near the capital city of Havana shortly before 0500 UTC on 9 July as it moved back over water in the Straits of Florida. An intermediate bulletin at this time placed the center just north of Havana or about 85 nm south-southwest of Key West. The MSW at that time was estimated at 95 kts, but the first aircraft into the storm after it had cleared Cuba found that it had weakened more than thought. A 12-nm diameter eye was present and the minimum pressure was 972 mb, but the highest FLW reported by the plane before the 0900 UTC advisory was released was only 71 kts. Following the assumption that the entire wind field had not been sampled, the MSW was set to 80 kts, and the forecaster commented that this might be very generous. However, Hurricane Dennis began to reorganize fairly rapidly after it had spent a few hours over the very warm waters of the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. The storm had regained Category 2 status by 1100 UTC and continued to steadily strengthen throughout much of the 9th. However, during the late afternoon the bottom literally fell out of the barometer as the CP was observed to drop 11 mb in 1.5 hours! The peak FLW reported by a reconnaissance flight around that time was 105 kts, but it was assumed that stronger winds were occurring in the northeastern quadrant which had not yet been sampled by the aircraft. Dennis was re-upgraded to Category 3 status in a special advisory issued at 2300 UTC. The center was then located about 245 nm south of Panama City, Florida, and moving northwestward at about 12 kts. The intensification continued through the night, and Dennis was upgraded to Category 4 status once more at 10/0500 UTC with the CP having fallen to 937 mb. Around 0630 UTC a reconnaissance aircraft found peak FLWs of 139 and 140 kts at 700-mb during a couple of passes through the northeastern eyewall. Based on this, the MSW was increased to a secondary peak of 125 kts in the 0700 UTC intermediate bulletin. The CP found on that mission was 934 mb, and it continued to fall for a few more hours. At 1143 UTC a plane measured (by extrapolation) a pressure of 930 mb, which was the lowest CP measured during Dennis' history. Following the early morning (local time) peak in intensity, Dennis' intensity began to slowly decrease, possibly due to slightly cooler SSTs in its path as the hurricane approached the Florida Panhandle. During the mid-morning of the 10th, Dennis made an unexpected north- ward wobble, but by 1500 UTC had returned to the north-northwestward heading it had been following since the early morning hours. At that hour the eye of Hurricane Dennis was located about 70 nm south-southeast of Pensacola, and the MSW had dropped slightly to 120 kts, based on a peak FLW of 131 kts on the most recent pass through the storm by the Hurricane Hunters. TPC/NHC was issuing intermediate bulletins every two hours, and each subsequent bulletin brought about a reduction in Dennis' intensity. At 10/1700 UTC the MSW was reduced slightly to 115 kts--still a Category 4 hurricane--but at 1900 UTC Dennis was downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane with 105-kt winds. The eye at that time was almost onshore, being centered only about 15 nm east- southeast of Pensacola and moving just west of due north at 15 kts. The center of Hurricane Dennis made landfall in northwestern Florida just east of Pensacola around 3:00 pm local time (2000 UTC) with the MSW estimated at 105 kts and with a CP of 943 mb. A Florida Coastal Monitoring Program tower, located on the coast near Navarre Beach, reported sustained winds of 86 kts with gusts to 105 kts near the time of landfall. (The elevation of the anemometer is unknown to the author.) By the regular advisory time of 2100 UTC the hurricane was inland about 30 km north of Pensacola and moving further inland at 19 kts. The MSW had dropped to 90 kts and further weakening was forecast. Dennis continued moving north-northwestward across southwestern Alabama, and was downgraded to a 50-kt tropical storm at 11/0100 UTC while centered just northeast of Jackson, Alabama. The cyclone was further downgraded to tropical depression status at 11/0900 UTC while located about 65 km west of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. HPC assumed responsibility for issuing advisories at this time, and the slowly-weakening depression was tracked for a couple of days across northeastern Mississippi, western Tennessee and Kentucky and into the lower Ohio Valley where it stalled and gradually lost tropical characteristics. A graphic displaying the track of Hurricane Dennis may be found at the following link: C. Rainfall Observations ------------------------ Following are storm rainfall totals gleaned from a comprehensive file sent to the author by David Roth of HPC. (A special thanks to David for sending the information.) The data are grouped by state, and a number plus a compass direction, e.g., 10NW, means that the observation was made 10 statute miles northwest of the given location. Only storm totals >= 100 mm (3.94 inches) are given. LOCATION INCHES MM ======================================== ALABAMA ------- CAMDEN 10NW 12.80 325.1 ALBERTA 7.97 202.4 EUTAW 5SSE 7.90 200.7 EVERGREEN 7.78 197.6 JASPER 7.65 194.3 THOMASVILLE 7.61 193.3 GAINESVILLE 1NE 7.36 186.9 LEEDS 7.32 185.9 BILLINGSLEY 3NE 6.90 175.3 JACKSON 2N 6.85 174.0 COLUMBIA 2S 6.62 168.1 WEST BLOCTON 6.60 167.6 JEMISON 4W 6.15 156.2 THOMASVILLE 3S 6.12 155.4 CORDOVA 6.09 154.7 DEMOPOLIS 4W 6.01 152.7 SELMA 5.85 148.6 CLANTON 5.79 147.1 SAMANTHA 4N 5.64 143.3 GENEVA 5.63 143.0 CAIRNS AAF/OZARK 5.55 141.0 LIVINGSTON 5.49 139.4 CAMDEN 13E 5.42 137.7 ADDISON 5.36 136.1 ALICEVILLE 10NW 5.34 135.6 SAYRE 5.34 135.6 TROY MUNI ARPT 5.28 134.1 FORESTDALE 2NE 5.24 133.1 CENTREVILLE 6SW 5.09 129.3 TUSCALOOSA MUNI ARPT 5.08 129.0 TRUSSVILLE 5.08 129.0 HAYNEVILLE 15NW 5.05 128.3 THEODORE 3S 4.98 126.5 MOBILE/BATES FIELD 4.97 126.2 TUSCALOOSA 10ENE 4.86 123.4 ARKADELPHIA 7WNW 4.74 120.4 ALABASTER/SHELBY CO. ARPT 4.72 119.9 USFS TALLADEGA 4.69 119.1 HUNTSVILLE 4.58 116.3 THORSBY 3ESE 4.54 115.3 BIRMINGHAM 4.46 113.3 BIRMINGHAM 4.41 112.0 SEMMES 5SW 4.36 110.7 HUNTSVILLE 4.32 109.7 PLANTERSVILLE 2SSE 4.28 108.7 MALONE 4NNW 4.23 107.4 SILVERHILL 3W 4.16 105.7 BIRMINGHAM MUNI ARPT 4.16 105.7 WRIGHT 4.15 105.4 COFFEEVILLE 3W 3.97 100.8 ARKANSAS -------- ST FRANCIS 4.35 110.5 BLYTHEVILLE AIRPORT 4.25 108.0 MANILA 8NNE 4.24 107.7 CORNING 4.04 102.6 FLORIDA ------- BRISTOL 2S 9.14 232.2 TALLAHASSEE RGNL ARPT 8.20 208.3 CHATTAHOOCHEE 2W 7.60 193.0 MONTICELLO 1NNE 7.03 178.6 PERRINE 5WSW 6.96 176.8 ST MARKS 4ESE 6.91 175.5 BAKER 4NW 6.65 168.9 CHIEFLAND 13SW 6.53 165.9 VALPARAISO/EGLIN AFB 6.52 165.6 MILLIGAN 6.37 161.8 KEY WEST INTL ARPT 5.81 147.6 FORT MYERS/PAGE FIELD 5.78 146.8 HAVANA 5SSE 5.41 137.4 QUINCY 3SSW 5.39 136.9 MADISON 14ESE 5.22 132.6 DOWLING PARK 5.22 132.6 MARIANNA 1E 5.20 132.1 RICHMOND HEIGHTS 13W 5.11 129.8 HOLLYWOOD 5.05 128.3 PENSACOLA RGNL ARPT 5.03 127.8 BLOXHAM 1WSW 4.71 119.6 NORTH PORT 6NNE 4.71 119.6 LURAVILLE 4.65 118.1 CLEWISTON 29S 4.65 118.1 DESTIN AIRPORT 4.64 117.9 BRUCE 4SE 4.59 116.6 LEHIGH ACRES 9NNW 4.54 115.3 CRESTVIEW/BOB SIKES 4.51 114.6 PLANTATION 4.49 114.0 IMMOKALEE 17SSE 4.48 113.8 MIRAMAR 17WNW 4.47 113.5 PUNTA GORDA 4.44 112.8 CAROL CITY 12W 4.30 109.2 MOLINO 6SE 4.23 107.4 ARCADIA 12SSE 4.21 106.9 SWEETWATER 14WSW 4.20 106.7 NOCATEE 4.14 105.2 JACKSONVILLE NAS 4.13 104.9 IMMOKALEE 30SSE 4.09 103.9 FORT LAUDERDALE 25WNW 4.08 103.6 SWEETWATER 14NW 4.07 103.4 MACCLENNY 4W 4.04 102.6 ARCADIA 9NNE 3.97 100.8 MARCO 3.96 100.6 GEORGIA ------- DOBBINS AFB/MARIETTA 12.61 320.3 CANTON 11.87 301.5 MABLETON 2E 10.84 275.3 LITHIA SPRINGS 3ESE 10.66 270.8 ATLANTA/FULTON CO. ARPT 10.57 268.5 BUENA VISTA 10.32 262.1 SANDY CREEK AT ATLANTA 10.25 260.4 THOMASTON 2S 10.08 256.0 DALLAS 3NE 9.53 242.1 PEACHTREE CITY 9.48 240.8 CARTERSVILLE 4E 9.45 240.0 AMERICUS 3SW 9.29 236.0 MABLETON 9.27 235.5 PROCTOR CREEK AT ATLANTA 9.14 232.2 WOODSTOCK 3SSW 8.90 226.1 CARTERSVILLE 3E 8.81 223.8 DALLAS 7NE 8.79 223.3 CUMMING 1E 8.63 219.2 GRIFFIN 8.46 214.9 SYLVESTER 17NW 8.39 213.1 SMYRNA 8.23 209.0 THOMASVILLE 5WNW 8.05 204.5 ATLANTA/DEKALB 7.98 202.7 CARROLLTON 7.85 199.4 WARWICK 2NW 7.83 198.9 COLUMBUS 8SE 7.72 196.1 ATLANTA 7.66 194.6 SANDERSVILLE 7.66 194.6 MONTEZUMA 7.58 192.5 FAIRBURN 5E 7.53 191.3 ATLANTA INTL ARPT 7.44 189.0 MONTEZUMA 1WSW 7.42 188.5 BALL GROUND 4NNW 7.42 188.5 ORCHARD HILL 1W 7.40 188.0 DAWSON 7.40 188.0 NORTH UTOY CRK AT ATLANTA 7.35 186.7 CLEVELAND 5NNE 7.27 184.7 GRIFFIN 5WNW 7.24 183.9 WEST POINT 3N 7.23 183.6 MARIETTA 6E 7.19 182.6 JONESBORO 7.12 180.8 REIDSVILLE 3W 7.04 178.8 BAINBRIDGE 9SW 7.02 178.3 CARTERSVILLE 7.01 178.1 QUITMAN 3N 6.91 175.5 SUCHES 4NW 6.88 174.8 ALPHARETTA 2SE 6.81 173.0 CALHOUN 5N 6.78 172.2 ATLANTA 6.75 171.5 DORAVILLE 2NNE 6.74 171.2 FAYETTEVILLE 5ESE 6.73 170.9 ALPHARETTA 4SSW 6.70 170.2 CISCO 5SE 6.68 169.7 PLAINS 2N 6.68 169.7 AMERICUS 14ESE 6.64 168.7 ROSWELL 4SSW 6.64 168.7 LUMPKIN 2SE 6.52 165.6 BLAKELY 15SSW 6.50 165.1 INTRENCHMENT CREEK NR ATL 6.43 163.3 TALLULAH FALLS 1NE 6.41 162.8 RICHLAND 7ESE 6.38 162.1 BOLINGBROKE 6NE 6.37 161.8 CHATSWORTH 6.31 160.3 AMERICUS 2WNW 6.30 160.0 JASPER 10WNW 6.28 159.5 NORCROSS 3SSW 6.27 159.3 HURST 6SSW 6.25 158.8 LEESBURG 4NNE 6.19 157.2 NEWTON 13WNW 6.18 157.0 HELEN 7N 6.17 156.7 LEESBURG 2NNW 6.14 156.0 JACKSON 7E 6.12 155.4 ELLIJAY 8NW 6.12 155.4 DAWSON 11E 6.07 154.2 SENOIA 2NE 6.06 153.9 CHATSWORTH 3S 6.06 153.9 WOODBURY 6.00 152.4 CHOESTOE 5.94 150.9 CAMILLA 2SW 5.92 150.4 FAIRBURN 9NW 5.91 150.1 NEWNAN 3WSW 5.89 149.6 SUWANEE 3NNW 5.81 147.6 ROSWELL 4SSW 5.81 147.6 ATLANTA 5.79 147.1 NAHUNTA 6NE 5.75 146.1 NORCROSS 3WNW 5.72 145.3 MORGAN 1SE 5.61 142.5 DAHLONEGA 3E 5.59 142.0 CARTERSVILLE AIRPORT 5.46 138.7 CLARKESVILLE 12NE 5.44 138.2 CARTERSVILLE 5.42 137.7 PLAINS 4ESE 5.42 137.7 HELEN 5.42 137.7 COLUMBUS 5.38 136.7 LEARY 5ENE 5.27 133.9 TALLULAH FALLS 5.24 133.1 BUFORD 4WNW 5.23 132.8 EDEN 2NW 5.22 132.6 CLAYTON 12ENE 5.21 132.3 MACON 5.20 132.1 QUITMAN 6E 5.14 130.6 DAHLONEGA 4NNW 5.07 128.8 CLAYTON 10WSW 5.04 128.0 MOUNTAIN CITY 2N 5.00 127.0 COLUMBUS METRO ARPT 5.00 127.0 EATONTON 8SW 4.98 126.5 ALBANY MUNI ARPT 4.95 125.7 MORGAN 5NW 4.91 124.7 BYROMVILLE 1W 4.90 124.5 MONTICELLO 2NNW 4.81 122.2 CLAYTON 10W 4.80 121.9 TIFTON 2ESE 4.75 120.7 JASPER 12ENE 4.70 119.4 ELLIJAY 8NNW 4.66 118.4 WARSAW/DULUTH NR GA 120 4.55 115.6 SNELLVILLE 5ESE 4.52 114.8 JULIETTE 4.48 113.8 MILLEDGEVILLE 4.45 113.0 COLUMBUS 4.44 112.8 CONYERS 7SSW 4.43 112.5 CARTERSVILLE 12WSW 4.42 112.3 MONROE 4.40 111.8 FORT BENNING (COLUMBUS) 4.39 111.5 CAMILLA 3S 4.37 111.0 CLEVELAND 4.31 109.5 YONAH 4.30 109.2 CLEVELAND 9NNE 4.30 109.2 SNELLVILLE 6S 4.29 109.0 CALHOUN 8ENE 4.29 109.0 SUWANEE 4WNW 4.29 109.0 ADEL 2S 4.29 109.0 ELMODEL 4.28 108.7 LAWRENCEVILLE 3N 4.27 108.5 LITHONIA 5NE 4.26 108.2 NEWTON 11SW 4.22 107.2 TITUS 4.21 106.9 CEDARTOWN 8SE 4.20 106.7 LAWRENCEVILLE 6ESE 4.19 106.4 ADEL 7W 4.15 105.4 BROOKLET 1WSW 4.11 104.4 MCDONOUGH 5E 4.10 104.1 AUGUSTA/DANIEL FIELD 4.08 103.6 COLUMBUS 15NW 4.04 102.6 STATENVILLE 4.04 102.6 NASHVILLE 4N 4.04 102.6 VALDOSTA RGNL ARPT 4.00 101.6 CHATSWORTH 12SSE 4.00 101.6 TIFTON 4NW 4.00 101.6 ADAIRSVILLE 5SE 3.99 101.3 WEST POINT 3.98 101.1 CAMILLA 17WSW 3.95 100.3 NORCROSS 3.94 100.1 METTER 1ESE 3.94 100.1 ILLINOIS -------- GRAND CHAIN 5.92 150.4 CAIRO 3N 5.14 130.6 WATERLOO 1WSW 4.54 115.3 CAIRO 4.37 111.0 CARBONDALE 3.97 100.8 INDIANA ------- SHELBYVILLE MUNI ARPT 5.66 143.8 CASTELTON 3S 4.77 121.2 KNIGHTSTOWN 4.71 119.6 KENTUCKY -------- MAYFIELD 7N 5.11 129.8 MARYLAND -------- BALTIMORE/WASH INTL ARPT 3.94 100.1 MICHIGAN -------- RICHMOND 4NNW 4.07 103.4 MISSOURI -------- THOMPSON LANDING 8.99 228.3 COMMERCE 6.18 157.0 WILLIAMSVILLE 5.86 148.8 BLOOMFIELD 5.68 144.3 BIRDS POINT 11ENE 5.46 138.7 WAPPAPELLO 5.29 134.4 BERNIE 4.85 123.2 FISK 4.69 119.1 CHESTERFIELD 4.61 117.1 POPLAR BLUFF 4.46 113.3 POPLAR BLUFF 4.40 111.8 CLEARWATER DAM 5W 4.38 111.3 DONIPHAN 4SE 4.33 110.0 PATTERSON 4.18 106.2 ZALMA 4E 4.14 105.2 PORTAGEVILLE 4.13 104.9 GREENVILLE 4.10 104.1 MALDEN 4.06 103.1 POPLAR BLUFF 3.98 101.1 MISSISSIPPI ----------- DAMASCUS 1SE 8.10 205.7 CRAWFORD 5WSW 7.45 189.2 TOOMSUBA 5SE 6.45 163.8 MERIDIAN NAS/MCCAIN 6.28 159.5 TOPTON 6.18 157.0 COLLINSVILLE 7SE 5.78 146.8 MACON 5.64 143.3 COLUMBUS 4NW 5.42 137.7 LOUISVILLE 5.30 134.6 STATE UNIVERSITY 5.26 133.6 WALNUT GROVE 1S 5.02 127.5 VAIDEN 1SSW 4.91 124.7 COLUMBUS 2NE 4.72 119.9 ACKERMAN 3SE 4.71 119.6 MERIDIAN 4.70 119.4 EUPORA 2E 4.69 119.1 HICKORY FLAT 4.51 114.6 CRANDALL 8N 4.47 113.5 BALDWYN 2S 4.38 111.3 MIZE 4.36 110.7 BUCKATUNNA 4.32 109.7 SHUBUTA 4.30 109.2 CARTHAGE 3SW 4.26 108.2 TUPELO 4.24 107.7 CHUNKY 1E 4.20 106.7 MACON 3N 4.10 104.1 MERIDIAN/KEY FIELD 4.09 103.9 COLUMBUS AFB 4.08 103.6 ENTERPRISE 4.04 102.6 GOLDEN TRIANGLE RGNL ARPT 4.03 102.4 NORTH CAROLINA -------------- BLACK MOUNTAIN 10NNE 8.98 228.1 HIGHLAND 7.19 182.6 YANCY 7.02 178.3 ROSMAN 6.87 174.5 LAKE TOXAWAY 2SW 6.80 172.7 ROCKY MOUNT 1NNE 6.36 161.5 TRIPLETT 5.04 128.0 ASHEVILLE MUNI ARPT 4.44 112.8 HOT SPRINGS 4.11 104.4 HAYESVILLE 3SE 4.01 101.9 NEW YORK -------- CATSKILL 6SW 6.27 159.3 KINGSTON 1N 4.80 121.9 ARKPORT 1W 4.77 121.2 GOUVERNEUR 4.18 106.2 OHIO ---- COLERAIN 2N 4.51 114.6 SPENCER 1E 4.35 110.5 DEERSVILLE 4E 4.12 104.6 ELMORE 5E 3.95 100.3 PENNSYLVANIA ------------ READING/SPAATZ FIELD 4.62 117.3 JOLIETT 4.50 114.3 BETHEL 4.40 111.8 HANOVER 5SSW 4.39 111.5 DOYLESTOWN 3.94 100.1 SOUTH CAROLINA -------------- JAMESTOWN 2NE 4.06 103.1 CALHOUN FALLS 3.96 100.6 TENNESSEE --------- MCDONALD 6.01 152.7 DAYTON 5.67 144.0 PETROS 5.66 143.8 OAK RIDGE 5.59 142.0 LANCING 6NW 5.36 136.1 LANCASTER 5.32 135.1 OBION 2SW 5.20 132.1 LANCASTER 2SSE 5.19 131.8 FAIRVIEW 5.10 129.5 MONTEREY 4.99 126.7 MILLEDGEVILLE 4.83 122.7 COOKEVILLE 4.76 120.9 MONTEREY 4.59 116.6 MCKENZIE 5S 4.51 114.6 WARTBURG 4.29 109.0 JAMESTOWN 1WNW 4.22 107.2 COLUMBIA 4.21 106.9 SAMBURG 4.07 103.4 BOGOTA 3.96 100.6 VIRGINIA --------- MONTEBELLO 3NE 5.08 129.0 WAYNESBORO 13SSW 4.86 123.4 WAYNESBORO 4SSW 4.46 113.3 LOVINGSTON 7NW 4.12 104.6 HILTON 4.02 102.1 In addiiton, I have one 24-hour total from Jamaica sent by Huang Chunliang. Kingston/Norman Manley (WMO 78397, 17.9N/76.8W) measured 170.9 mm (6.73 inches) between 07/0000 and 08/0000 UTC. D. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ Hurricane Dennis left a trail of death and destruction across the Caribbean. The highest death toll located by the author was 71, with damage estimates between $5 and $9 billion. About half of the damage total was in the Caribbean area. In Haiti 44 deaths were reported with 16 occurring when a bridge collapsed as the storm brushed Haiti. Also in Haiti more than 100 persons were reported missing. In Cuba the death toll stands at 16 with an estimated $1.46 billion in damages. In the areas of the island affected by Dennis about 85% of power lines were down, and there was extensive damage to the communications infrastructure. In the U. S. more than 680,000 customers were without power in four southern states, and insured losses were estimated at between $1.25 and $2.5 billion. Normally, the total damage figure is about twice that of insured losses, so total damages are likely to be somewhere between $2 and $5 billion. There were 10 storm-related fatalities reported in the United States. Considerable storm surge-related damage occurred near St. Marks, Florida, well east of the landfall location. Heavy rainfall and flooding occurred across much of Florida and extended well inland over portions of the southeastern United States. Following are some links where additional information on the effects of Hurricane Dennis may be found: (Report written by Gary Padgett) HURRICANE EMILY (TC-05) 11 - 21 July ----------------------------------- A. Introduction and Storm Origins --------------------------------- Following closely on the heels of Hurricane Dennis, Hurricane Emily set a few records itself: (1) The earliest date for the fifth tropical storm of the season (12 July), the previous record being 23 July 1959 (Hurricane Debra) (2) The first occurrence of two Category 4 hurricanes in the month of July (3) The most intense July tropical cyclone on record (135 kts) (4) The first July hurricane on record to make two landfalls as a major hurricane in Mexico Forming in the central tropical Atlantic, Emily entered the south- eastern Caribbean Sea near Grenada, where it suddenly intensified into a hurricane. The cyclone followed a path very similar to that taken by Dennis in the eastern and central Caribbean, but as it neared Jamaica took a more westerly course which eventually carried it across the Yucatan Peninsula near Cozumel and ultimately into northeastern Mexico. The first reference to the precursor of Emily in the Tropical Weather Outlooks from TPC/NHC was at 0930 UTC on 9 July. A westward-moving tropical wave was located about halfway between Africa and the Lesser Antilles, and satellite images indicated that associated shower activity had become slightly better organized. The wave very slowly continued to exhibit increased organization over the next couple of days. Early on the 10th the system was located approximately 1130 nm east of the islands, and by late afternoon a well-defined low-pressure area had formed. Conditions were noted as being favorable for a tropical depression to form during the night or next day. The initial advisory on Tropical Depression 05 was issued at 0300 UTC on 11 July. The center was located about 1100 nm east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles and was moving westward at about 10 kts with a MSW of 25 kts. B. Synoptic History ------------------- The depression continued moving westward on 11 July through an environment of modest easterly shear. Visible imagery during the morning revealed that it was not well-organized, with a broad circulation with possible smaller embedded swirls. This situation persisted into the afternoon, and although Dvorak estimates from SAB and AFWA had reached 35 kts by the time of the 2100 UTC advisory, the intensity remained at 30 kts. During the evening hours the convective pattern improved significantly, and an earlier exposed LLCC which had been observed rotating northward around the larger circulation had become wrapped into the center underneath a well-defined mid-level circulation center. Satellite intensity estimates were T2.5 from all three agencies, and a 3-hour objective T-number from UW-CIMSS was T3.0, so at 12/0300 UTC the depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Emily with an initial intensity of 40 kts. Emily was then located about 870 nm east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles, moving west-northwestward at about 11 kts. Tropical Storm Emily continued moving westward across the central tropical Atlantic as it slowly strengthened. Late on the 12th the cyclone began tracking a tad south of due west. At this stage most of the deep convection was over the western and southern portions of the circulation, not due to vertical shear, however, but rather to an intrusion of drier air in the northeastern quadrant. The MSW was upped to 50 kts at 13/0300 UTC based on 45-kt estimates from TAFB and SAB at 13/0000 UTC and a continued increase in the deep convection. The first reconnaissance aircraft into Emily reached the storm during the morning of 13 July and found winds of 56-kts at 850 mb in the active convection in the southeastern quadrant, and this with the cyclone moving westward at almost 20 kts. A later aircraft reported peak 850-mb winds of 62 kts while a dropsonde measured surface winds of 50 kts, so Emily's MSW remained at 50 kts for the time being. At 2100 UTC on the 13th Emily's center was located about 110 nm south of Barbados, or 115 nm east- southeast of Grenada. The cyclone was then moving west at around 16 kts. By this time warnings were in effect for the southern Windward Islands, and a tropical storm watch had been issued for the Netherlands Antilles' ABC islands. During the evening of 13 July Emily rapidly intensified into a hurricane. Reconnaissance data showed that the center reformed to the northeast within the deep convection with the wind and pressure quickly responding. Peak 850-mb FLWs of 79 kts were recorded, but a dropsonde just north of the center at 14/0100 UTC reported surface winds of 80 kts. Thus, Emily was upgraded to an upper-end Category 1 hurricane with an 80-kt MSW at 14/0300 UTC while located only about 40 nm east-southeast of Grenada, which had been devastated by Hurricane Ivan in September of the previous year. Observations from Grenada indicated that the center of Hurricane Emily passed over the island around 0700 UTC. Once in the southeastern Caribbean Sea, Emily continued to strengthen. By afternoon the cyclone had reached Category 3 on the Saffir/Simpson Scale with the MSW estimated at 100 kts. Low-level dropsonde observations made at 1525 and 1712 UTC had yielded surface-adjusted winds of 92 and 93 kts, but since that time the eye had become much more distinct and Dvorak ratings had increased by 0.5 to 1.0 T-number. At 2100 UTC the center of dangerous Hurricane Emily was located approximately 385 nm southeast of Santo Domingo and moving west-northwestward at 18 kts. Emily continued to intensify, reaching Category 4 status at 15/0600 UTC. This was based on a reconnaissance 700-mb FLW of 128 kts in the northeastern quadrant at 0505 UTC with a measured CP of 952 mb. The MSW was upped to 115 kts--the first of Emily's three peaks in intensity. During the morning of the 15th an Air Force plane found that Emily possessed concentric eyewalls of 8 and 25 nm, respectively. In the 1500 UTC discussion it was noted that the cloud pattern had deteriorated somewhat and the eye had disappeared in satellite imagery. The MSW was lowered to 110 kts, and the 2100 UTC advisory further reduced the intensity to 90 kts, making Emily a Category 2 hurricane. Water vapor images showed a persistent large mid to upper-level LOW over the western Caribbean which was producing shear over the hurricane. The hurricane was then centered about 305 nm southeast of Kingston, Jamaica. Most models were calling for the shear to abate, and this verified rather quickly. In the intermediate bulletin issued at 16/0000 UTC Emily's MSW was raised to 100 kts, making the hurricane a Category 3 storm once more. And three hours later Emily had rebounded back to a 115-kt Category 4 hurricane. At 15/1725 UTC the CP was 969 mb, but by 16/0220 UTC it had fallen to 954 mb. The peak 700-mb FLW jumped from 108 kts to 128 kts in only a couple of hours. Extremely dangerous Hurricane Emily sailed on past Jamaica early on the morning (local time) of 16 July, passing a little over 100 nm to the south. By 1800 UTC Emily had reached its peak intensity of 135 kts, becoming the strongest July hurricane on record and on the threshold of Category 5 status. The cyclone was then centered about 255 nm southeast of Grand Cayman and moving west-northwestward at 16 kts. The intensity estimate was based on a CP of 937 mb around 1700 UTC with a peak 700-mb FLW of 151 kts in the northeastern quadrant. A subsequent reconnaissance mission into the storm during the evening found that the pressure had fallen further to 929 mb, but the peak FLW was 149 kts, so the decision was made not to upgrade Emily to Category 5 status. A few hours later, at 17/0324 UTC, the Hurricane Hunters found a FLW of 153 kts, which would support 138 kts at the surface, but at the time the pressure was rising rapidly and on the next pass through the northeastern quadrant the peak wind found was only 132 kts. The 0900 UTC discussion, however, did remark that Emily possibly briefly reached Category 5 status around 0300 UTC. By 17/2100 UTC Emily's center was located approximately 115 nm southeast of Cozumel, Mexico. The MSW had dropped to 125 kts and continued to slowly fall as the dangerous cyclone neared the Yucatan coastline. The MSW was reduced to 115 kts in the intermediate bulletin at 18/0000 UTC, and remained at that value until landfall occurred around 0630 UTC. A reconnaissance plane reported a peak 700-mb FLW of 134 kts at 18/0018 UTC, which would support 120 kts at the surface, but the CP had been rising steadily and was up to 955 mb. However, on a pass through the hurricane at 0322 UTC a FLW of 141 kts was measured, so it appears that Emily did maintain Category 4 intensity up until landfall. The eye of the hurricane passed over the southern end of Isla de Cozumel and thence inland just north of Tulum around 0630 UTC. By 1500 UTC on the 18th Emily's center was back over water in the southern Gulf of Mexico about 500 nm east-southeast of Brownsville, Texas. Convection had decreased while the hurricane was crossing the relatively flat Yucatan Peninsula, but the cloud pattern was still quite well-organized. The intensity was estimated at 85 kts, but this was lowered to minimal hurricane intensity of 65 kts in the 1800 UTC inter- mediate bulletin, based on a CP of 984 mb and surface winds of 65 kts measured by a SFMR. However, Emily displayed several cyclonically curved convective bands wrapping around the LLCC with fair outflow, so re-strengthening was forecast. This re-intensification was not long in coming--a reconnaissance plane during the early evening found a peak FLW of 90 kts, so the MSW was upped to 80 kts in the 19/0300 UTC advisory. The center of Emily at this time was located approximately 350 nm east-southeast of Brownsville, moving west-northwestward at 13 kts. Hurricane Emily slowly became better organized as the 19th progressed. The winds, however, were a little slow to respond to the drop in central pressure. By 19/2100 UTC the pressure had fallen to 956 mb, a drop of 14 mb in 4 hours, but the maximum FLW had only increased to 96 kts at 1939 UTC, supporting a surface MSW of 85 kts. However, at 2126 UTC a plane found a peak FLW of 122 kts, so the MSW was increased to 110 kts in a special advisory issued at 2300 UTC. This made Emily a Category 3 hurricane once more, located about 115 nm southeast of Brownsville, moving toward the west-northwest at 10 kts. Emily's radar presentation was impressive, with a 17-nm wide eye and a well-defined inner eyewall surrounded by a concentric band at a radius of 35 nm. Emily's CP fell to the 943-945 mb range and remained there until landfall around 1100 UTC on 20 July along the Mexican coast about 65 nm south of Brownsville. Data from the Brownsville WSR-88D Doppler radar indicated velocities that supported 110 kts right at landfall with approximate surface wind estimates along the coast of 100 kts right up until about 1330 UTC, after Emily had moved inland. Once inland Emily began to weaken rapidly. Doppler radar velocities supported 70 kts at 1800 UTC, but by 20/2100 UTC the intensity had been lowered to 60 kts and Emily was downgraded to a tropical storm while located about 130 km southeast of Monterrey, Mexico, and 95 miles south- west of McAllen, Texas. The decaying storm was moving westward at around 10 kts. By 21/0900 UTC Emily's center had reached the Sierra Madre mountains and satellite imagery showed a significant decay of the convective structure. At this juncture Emily was downgraded to a 30-kt tropical depression. Surface observations from Mexico suggested that the LLCC subsequently slowed down considerably along the eastern slopes of the mountains while the mid to upper-level circulation continued west- ward. By 1500 UTC peak surface winds had decreased to only 25 kts and the final TPC/NHC advisory was issued, placing the center approximately 55 km south-southeast of Saltillo, Mexico. Nonetheless, radar imagery from Brownsville indicated a persistent band of thunderstorms lying across the eastern slopes of the Sierra Madres, rendering it possible for heavy rainfall to continue for some time due to deep, moist tropical air being advected in from the Gulf and flowing upslope toward the mountains. A graphic depicting the track of Hurricane Emily may be found at the following link: C. Meteorological Observations ------------------------------ Following are storm rainfall totals gleaned from a comprehensive file sent to the author by David Roth of HPC. (A special thanks to David for sending the information.) The first group of observations are from Texas, and the second from the Mexican states of Tamaulipas (TAMS) and Nuevo Leon (NL). A number plus a compass direction, e.g., 10NW, means that the observation was made 10 statute miles north- west of the given location. Only storm totals >= 100 mm (3.94 inches) are given. (1) Texas --------- LOCATION INCHES MM ======================================== MERCEDES 6SSE 5.20 132.1 PHARR 8SE 4.64 117.9 MC ALLEN/MILLER INT APT 4.26 108.2 PROGRESO 4.22 107.2 ZAPATA 3SW 4.20 106.7 MCALLEN 4.03 102.4 (2) Mexico ---------- LOCATION STATE INCHES MM =================================================== CERRALVO NL 16.10 409.0 VALLE HERMOSO TAMS 15.90 403.8 LOS ALDAMAS NL 13.46 341.9 LA BOCA NL 13.19 335.0 CERRO PRIETO NL 12.11 307.5 MATAMOROS TAMS 11.18 284.0 EL CUCHILLO NL 11.00 279.5 P VICENTE GUERRERO TAMS 10.45 265.4 CABEZONES NL 9.90 251.5 MONTERREY NL 9.89 251.1 OBSERVATORIO MONTERREY NL 9.80 249.0 CAMACHO NL 8.98 228.0 RIO BRAVO TAMS 8.85 224.7 LAS ENRAMADAS NL 8.41 213.5 DIAZ ORDAZ TAMS 7.90 200.7 REYNOSA TAMS 7.80 198.1 EL CANADA NL 7.64 194.0 CIENEGA DE FLORES NL 6.99 177.5 CADEREYTA NL 6.56 166.5 SAN FERNANDO TAMS 6.41 162.8 MAGUEYES TAMS 6.12 155.5 ABASOLO TAMS 5.93 150.7 CAMARGO TAMS 5.61 142.4 SOTO LA MARINA TAMS 5.53 140.5 CONTROL TAMS 5.27 133.8 PILON TAMS 4.60 116.9 CORONA TAMS 4.52 114.9 TOMA SUR TAMS 4.50 114.3 BARRETAL TAMS 4.02 102.0 Following are a few 24-hour totals from Jamaica and Trinidad sent to the author by Huang Chunliang: (3) Jamaica ----------- MONTEGO BAY/SANGSTER (WMO78388,18.5N/77.9W) [16/06-17/06Z] 101.2 mm MONTEGO BAY/SANGSTER (WMO78388,18.5N/77.9W) [16/12-17/12Z] 101.2 mm (4) Trinidad ------------ PIARCO INTL AIRPORT (WMO78970,10.6N/61.4W) [13/12-14/12Z] 115.5 mm D. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ On Grenada Hurricane Emily was responsible for one fatality while estimates of damage ranged from $110 to $200 million in U. S. dollars. Emily only added insult to injury to the island which is still struggling to recover from the extremely devastating blow dealt by Hurricane Ivan in September, 2004. Although Jamaica was spared a direct strike by the intense cyclone, landslides caused by heavy rainfall left four persons dead on the island. Press reports indicated that at least 10 persons died across the Caribbean region as a result of Hurricane Emily. Along Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, tens of thousands of tourists and residents were evacuated from beach resorts in and around Cancun, Riviera Maya and Cozumel. The damage in the Yucatan area was estimated at US$25 million, while the total damage sustained in Mexico was placed at around US$200 million. Following are some links where additional information on the effects of Hurricane Emily may be found: (Report written by Gary Padgett) TROPICAL STORM FRANKLIN (TC-06) 21 - 31 July ------------------------------------------- A. Introduction and Storm Origins --------------------------------- Franklin was not particularly distinguished--the storm, not the forecaster of the same name. (Sorry James, but I just couldn't resist throwing that in!) Franklin was remarkable in one respect--it became the earliest sixth tropical storm of the season (the previous record being 4 August 1936) and the first sixth storm of the season to ever form in the month of July. The storm, however, did almost become a hurricane, and was rather long-lived as it moved slowly from its birthplace in the Bahamas northward to waters south of the Canadian Maritimes. A Tropical Weather Outlook issued by TPC/NHC at 2130 UTC on 19 July noted that a tropical wave over the eastern Caribbean Sea was producing cloudiness and showers over Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and the Leeward Islands. At the time upper-level winds were unfavorable for tropical cyclone development and were forecast to remain so for the next couple of days. However, by the next day upper-level winds were beginning to be less hostile and the potential for tropical cyclogenesis was looking a little more likely. On the morning of 21 July convection became a little more concentrated just northeast of the southeastern Bahamas, and by midday surface data, along with radar and satellite observations, suggested that a broad surface low-pressure area was forming over the central Bahamas. A reconnaissance plane investigated the disturbance during the early afternoon and found that a tropical depression had developed with winds of 30 kts. Advisories were initiated on Tropical Depression 06 at 21/2100 UTC with the center located about 110 nm east of the northwestern Bahamas and moving west-northwestward at 11 kts. As the evening progressed the depression continued to strengthen and a later reconnaissance mission into the system found that TD-06 had increased into a 40-kt tropical storm. A special advisory package was issued at 22/0000 UTC to upgrade the depression to Tropical Storm Franklin. The center of Franklin was then located about 45 nm east-northeast of the island of Eleuthera, moving northwestward at about 12 kts. B. Synoptic History ------------------- By 0600 UTC on 22 July the center of Tropical Storm Franklin had moved to very near the eastern coastline of Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas chain. The storm continued northwestward, crossing the northern portion of the island before turning to the north around 1800 UTC and pulling away from the Bahamas. Franklin was initially located under an upper-level cyclonic shear axis which slowed intensification. By 1500 UTC on the 22nd the convective appearance had improved and the MSW was bumped up to 45 kts. However, some dry air soon got wrapped up into the eastern side and into the center, which once again halted the intensification process. A dropsonde released into the cyclone at 1337 UTC on 23 July measured a surface wind of 59 kts in the southeastern quadrant where the flight crew had been estimating 60 to 65-kt winds. Based on this the MSW was increased to 60 kts--the peak intensity for Franklin. The CP was above 1000 mb, but the storm was embedded in a region of higher-than-normal ambient surface pressures. At the time it reached peak intensity, the center of Tropical Storm Franklin was located about 210 nm north-northeast of Great Abaco Island or 550 nm west-southwest of Bermuda. The cyclone was then moving north- eastward near 8 kts in fairly light west-northwesterly mid-level flow south of a strong shortwave trough approaching the U. S. East Coast. By late on the 23rd microwave imagery showed that the low and mid-level circulation centers were becoming detached. While there was a ring of deep convection resembling an eyewall indicating the existence of a well-defined mid-level circulation, cloud lines were showing a surface center displaced to the northeast. Also, the cloud pattern in satellite imagery was less organized than earlier in the day. Based on this, the MSW was reduced to 55 kts. The approaching mid-latitude trough was beginning to bring increased shear, and the cyclone was destined to slowly weaken into a minimal tropical storm over the next couple of days. Tropical Storm Franklin moved slowly east-northeastward during the 23rd and 24th as strong northwesterly shear took its toll on the cyclone. By the evening of the 24th the LLCC had become completely exposed. At the same time the east-northeasterly motion ceased and Franklin began to drift erratically approximately 350 nm west-southwest of Bermuda. The slowing of the storm's motion was likely due to a building low-level ridge north of Bermuda in the wake of the previous upper-level trough and cold front. Franklin's MSW was reduced to 35 kts at 25/0600 UTC and for the most part remained there until 1200 UTC on the 27th. While investigating the storm during the morning of the 25th, the Hurricane Hunters found that the CP was a little lower than previously thought, and based on dropsonde-derived wind profiles, the MSW was found to be near 40 kts. However, by the time of the 2100 UTC advisory the satellite presentation had deteriorated markedly so the MSW was left at 35 kts. (In the track for Franklin in the companion global cyclone tracks file, I assigned 40 kts for the MSW at 25/1200 UTC to reflect this.) By 0600 UTC on 26 July Franklin had embarked on a slow northeastward track--by 1800 UTC the cyclone was moving northward at 5 kts from a position about 185 nm west of Bermuda. (As a precaution a Tropical Storm Watch was issued for Bermuda at 26/0300 UTC and remained in effect through 27/0900 UTC.) Convection came and went, but by the afternoon of 26 July a band of deep convection with cloud tops of -70 to -80 C had developed to the south and east of the still-exposed LLCC. Ship PIBO reported 31-kt winds at 1800 UTC while located about 220 nm southeast of Franklin's center, which during the 26th described a 30-nm wide counter- clockwise loop. Shear analyses during the evening indicated that the shear was decreasing, and at 1500 UTC on 27 July the MSW was bumped up slightly to 40 kts, based on a QuikScat pass at 1017 UTC which indicated a few unflagged 40-kt vectors in the southern semicircle. This was the beginning of a second round of intensification for Franklin which brought it back up to 50 kts before it began to weaken over cold North Atlantic waters. Franklin took a jog toward the north-northwest early on the 27th, but by late in the day the storm was moving northward. Based on a Dvorak estimate of T3.0 from TAFB, the MSW was raised to 45 kts at 1800 UTC. The tropical storm began to turn toward the north-northeast early on the 28th, and by 2100 UTC was moving northeastward at 15 kts from a position approximately 455 nm south-southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The cyclone's convective signature had continued to improve, and with intensity estimates from TAFB and SAB fluctuating between 45 and 55 kts, the MSW was increased to a secondary peak of 50 kts. Franklin by this time was accelerating under the influence of increasing deep-layer southwesterly steering flow ahead of an eastward-moving frontal system. Tropical Storm Franklin maintained a MSW of 50 kts for 18 hours, then began to rapidly weaken and lose tropical characteristics. At 1500 UTC on 29 July the MSW was dropped to 45 kts. The cyclone was then located about 210 nm south-southeast of Halifax and racing northeastward at 19 kts. By 2100 UTC the LLCC was becoming separated from the remaining small area of deep convection. The cyclone was rapidly transforming into an extratropical system, and NHC issued their final advisory on Franklin at this time. The MSW was estimated at 35 kts and the center was located approximately 340 nm southwest of Cape Race, Newfoundland, moving northeastward at 22 kts. The extratropical remnant of Franklin passed about 60-80 nm south of Cape Race on 30 July and was absorbed by another extratropical gale on the 31st several hundred miles east of Newfoundland. A graphic displaying the track of Tropical Storm Franklin may be found at the following link: C. Meteorological Observations ------------------------------ Chris Fogarty indicated that one ship reported winds of 50 kts with 9-metre seas, something which would only be possible if the wave field was moving with the storm--a trapped wave fetch. Post-tropical Franklin, in conjunction with the moisture from a stalled frontal zone, was also responsible for between 15 and 35 mm of rain in southeastern Newfoundland with 20 mm falling in one hour at Terra Nova Park. No gale-force winds were experienced in Newfoundland as Franklin's remnants sped by. D. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ No reports of damage or casualties resulting from Tropical Storm Franklin have been received. (Report written by Gary Padgett) TROPICAL STORM GERT (TC-07) 23 - 25 July --------------------------------------- A. Introduction and Storm Origins --------------------------------- Tropical Storm Franklin had become the earliest sixth tropical storm of the season when it formed near the Bahamas on 22 July--Gert became the earliest seventh storm just two days later. The previous earliest date for the formation of the season's seventh tropical storm was on 7 August 1936. Like its late-June predecessor Tropical Storm Bret, Gert was a Bay of Campeche "one-day wonder", moving into Mexico about 24 hours after being upgraded to tropical storm status. Gert also forged a new record for the month of July--the first July on record to produce five tropical storms or hurricanes. Several July's have seen the development of four storms (1966, 1995, 1997), but July, 2005, is the first July to produce five storms. Tropical Storm Gert was spawned by the southern extension of the same tropical wave which had led to the formation of Tropical Storm Franklin in the Bahamas. After spawning Franklin, the wave continued to move westward across the northwestern Caribbean Sea and adjacent land areas. This represents the first time two named tropical cyclones have formed from the same tropical wave since Tropical Storm Chris and Hurricane Debby in late August, 1988. (This bit of information from David Roth and Todd Kimberlain.) The vigorous wave had reached the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula by the afternoon of the 22nd and was producing a large area of cloudiness and thunderstorms over the northwestern Caribbean Sea, the southern Gulf of Mexico and adjacent land areas. The possibility of a tropical depression forming in the Gulf of Mexico over the next day or two was noted. The tropical wave was moving into the Bay of Campeche around midday on the 23rd but convection had temporarily diminished; hence, a scheduled reconnaissance flight into the system was cancelled. However, by early afternoon surface reports from Mexico and NOAA Buoy 42055 indicated that a broad surface low-pressure system had developed over the southern Bay of Campeche with increasing convection near the center. A NOAA research aircraft was conducting flights in the area during the afternoon and found that a tropical depression was forming. During the late afternoon NOAA Buoy 42055 reported a sustained wind of 23 kts about 150 nm north of the center while a dropsonde instrument just north of Merida reported a surface wind of 30 kts. This report was within the outflow of a cluster of land-based thunderstorms, but other nearby dropsonde reports indicated winds of 30-35 kts at 925-850 mb, supporting an intensity of at least 25 kts. The first advisory on Tropical Depression 07 was issued at 2100 UTC on 23 July, placing the center about 255 nm east-southeast of Tampico, Mexico, moving slowly west-northwestward. B. Synoptic History ------------------- Data from a NOAA reconnaissance plane during the evening indicated that the depression had a well-defined circulation with gusts of tropical storm strength. Very early on 24 July data from a stepped-frequency microwave radiometer (SFMR) on board the plane indicated surface winds of 36 kts. Hence, TD-07 was upgraded to Tropical Storm Gert in a special advisory at 24/0600 UTC. Gert was then located about 170 nm east- southeast of Tuxpan, Mexico, moving west-northwestward at 9 kts. A few hours later, however, dropsondes from a NOAA research aircraft indicated that a new LLCC had formed about 60 nm north of the previous track. As the morning progressed it became apparent that Gert did not have one dominant center of circulation: reconnaissance data indicated a broad area of light winds with a flat pressure gradient. On board wind measurements suggested the possibility of multiple centers. The poorly-defined center of Tropical Storm Gert continued moving in a west-northwesterly direction, making landfall around 0000 UTC on 25 July just south of Tampico. Reports from NOAA and Hurricane Hunter aircraft, along with satellite imagery, indicated that Gert was starting to intensify as it made landfall. Even though the center remained rather broad, the NOAA aircraft measured a peak FLW of 53 kts at 3350 metres at 24/2053 UTC while the U. S. Air Force plane measured 47 kts at 850 mb on several occasions around 25/0000 UTC with the plane unable to quite reach the center. Based on this, Gert's peak intensity at land- fall has been assessed at 40 kts. Tropical Storm Gert predictably began to weaken rapidly after moving inland into Mexico. The cyclone was down- graded to tropical depression status at 0900 UTC, and the final TPC/NHC advisory on Gert, at 25/1500 UTC, placed the dissipating center over the Sierra Madre Oriental range about 280 km west of Tampico. A graphic depicting the track of Tropical Storm Gert may be found at the following link: C. Meteorological Observations ------------------------------ Huang Chunliang sent me a few 24-hour rainfall amounts from Mexico. Only amounts greater than 100 mm are listed: Location/State WMO ID Lat/Lon Date/Time (Z) Rain (mm) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tamuin, San Luis Potosi ----- 22.0N/98.8W 24/12-25/12 214.9 Soto La Marina, Tamaulipas 76499 23.8N/98.2W 24/12-25/12 124.0 Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas 76491 23.7N/99.1W 24/12-25/12 103.8 Tamuin, San Luis Potosi ----- 22.0N/98.8W 25/00-26/00 103.5 D. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ Even though Tropical Storm Gert brought fairly heavy rainfall to some locations in Mexico, apparently no widespread flooding resulted. No reports of damage or casualties have been received. (Report written by Gary Padgett) ************************************************************************* NORTHEAST PACIFIC (NEP) - North Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 180 Activity for July: 2 tropical storms Sources of Information ---------------------- Most of the information presented below was obtained from the various tropical cyclone products issued by the Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center (TPC/NHC) in Miami, Florida (or the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) in Honolulu, Hawaii, for locations west of longitude 140W): discussions, public advisories, forecast/advisories, tropical weather outlooks, special tropical disturbance statements, etc. Some additional information may have been gleaned from the monthly summaries prepared by the hurricane specialists and available on TPC/NHC's website. All references to sustained winds imply a 1-minute averaging period unless otherwise noted. Northeast Pacific Tropical Activity for July -------------------------------------------- The month of July was extremely quiet in the Northeast Pacific Basin. Over the period 1971-2004, July has averaged 3.7 named storms, 2 hurri- canes, and 1 intense hurricane annually. In July of 2005 there were only 2 short-lived tropical storms and no hurricanes, yielding a total of 3 named-storm days. The average July sees 16 named-storm days. Minimal Tropical Storm Dora brushed the Mexican coastline near Zihua- tanejo while stronger Tropical Storm Eugene moved northwestward to a point a couple hundred miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas. Short reports on both these cyclones follow. Additional information may be available at the following link: TROPICAL STORM DORA (TC-04E) 4 - 6 July --------------------------------------- The Eastern North Pacific's fourth tropical storm of the 2005 season had its roots in an area of disturbed weather which developed some 200 nm south-southwest of the Gulf of Tehuantepec on 1 July. Gradual development ensued as the system moved toward the west-northwest over the next couple of days. By the evening of 3 July the disturbance had gained enough in organization to be classified as Tropical Depression 04E while located approximately 125 nm south of Acapulco, Mexico. The depression continued moving toward the Mexican coast as its convective organization increased. At 2100 UTC on 4 July the system was upgraded to Tropical Storm Dora, located about 90 nm south- east of Zihuatanejo, Mexico. Dora continued moving northwestward and the center approached to within 35 nm of the coast near Zihuatanejo before turning west-northwestward and paralleling the coastline on 5 July. The cyclone managed to hang onto minimal tropical storm intensity for almost 24 hours before weakening to a tropical depression at 05/1800 UTC. Moderate easterly shear plus interaction with the nearby landmass likely prevented Dora from strengthening initially, and as it pulled away from Mexico, it encountered cooler SSTs. The system dissipated early on 7 July about 150 nm west-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. Acapulco (WMO 76805, 16.83N, 99.93W) recorded 110.2 mm of rainfall during the 24 hours from 04/0000 to 05/0000 UTC. (This tidbit sent by Huang Chunliang.) A graphic displaying the track of Tropical Storm Dora may be found at the following link: No damage or casualties are known to have resulted from Tropical Storm Dora. (Report written by Gary Padgett) TROPICAL STORM EUGENE (TC-05E) 18 - 20 July ----------------------------------------- Tropical Storm Eugene formed from a tropical wave on 18 July about 220 nm south of Manzanillo, Mexico. The first advisory was issued at 1500 UTC and upgraded the disturbance directly to Tropical Storm Eugene. The cyclone moved generally northwestward well offshore and parallel to the Mexican coastline. Eugene strengthened slowly at first, but by the early afternoon of the 19th banding features had improved markedly and the cyclone reached its peak intensity of 60 kts at 19/2100 UTC while located about 180 nm west-southwest of Cabo Corrientes or approximately 200 nm south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula. No sooner had Eugene reached its peak intensity, however, than it began to quickly weaken. Banding features over the eastern and southern quadrants began to quickly dissipate and the center became partially-exposed to the southeast of the colder cloud tops. The MSW remained at 60 kts for one more warning cycle, but then quickly began to decrease. The effects of cooler SSTs and drier, stable air had reduced Eugene to a tropical depression by 1200 UTC on 20 July, and by late in the day had become a remnant LOW about 100 nm southwest of Cabo San Lucas. The remnant LOW continued northwestward and had dissipated by 22 July. A graphic displaying the track of Tropical Storm Eugene may be found at the following link: No damage or casualties are known to have resulted from Tropical Storm Eugene. (Report written by Gary Padgett) ************************************************************************* NORTHWEST PACIFIC (NWP) - North Pacific Ocean West of Longitude 180 Activity for July: 1 tropical depression ** 4 tropical storms ++ 1 super typhoon ** - treated as tropical depression by PAGASA and JMA but not by JTWC ++ - one of these formed at end of month and became a typhoon in August Sources of Information ---------------------- Most of the information presented below is based upon tropical cyclone warnings and significant tropical weather outlooks issued by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center of the U. S. Air Force and Navy (JTWC), located at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In the companion tropical cyclone tracks file, I normally annotate track coordinates from some of the various Asian warning centers when their center positions differ from JTWC's by usually 40-50 nm or more. All references to sustained winds imply a 1-minute averaging period unless otherwise noted. Michael V. Padua of Naga City in the Philippines, owner of the Typhoon 2000 website, normally sends me cyclone tracks based upon warnings issued by the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). Also, Huang Chunliang of Fuzhou City, China, sends data taken from synoptic observations around the Northwest Pacific basin. A very special thanks to Michael and Chunliang for the assistance they so reliably provide. In the title line for each storm I have referenced all the cyclone names/numbers I have available: JTWC's depression number, the JMA-assigned name (if any), JMA's tropical storm numeric designator, and PAGASA's name for systems forming in or passing through their area of warning responsibility. Northwest Pacific Tropical Activity for July -------------------------------------------- After a rather quiet June, tropical cyclone activity picked up considerably in the Northwest Pacific basin. Six tropical cyclones formed with five becoming named storms. One of these, Tropical Storm Matsa, formed at the end of the month and became a significant typhoon in August. The report on that cyclone will be carried in the August summary. Haitang formed shortly before mid-month from a TUTT-induced circulation well northeast of Guam. The storm followed an unusual southwesterly track for a few days which carried it just north of the Marianas. After turning to a more normal westerly track Haitang intensified into the season's first super typhoon with peak winds reaching an estimated 140 kts (per JTWC). Fortunately Haitang (named Feria by PAGASA) weakened somewhat before making landfall in Taiwan, although it was still quite destructive. The cyclone eventually made a final landfall on the Chinese mainland where it dissipated. None of the remaining three July storms officially reached typhoon intensity. Tropical Storm Nalgae formed shortly after the middle of the month to the north of Wake Island. Like its predecessor, Haitang, Nalgae formed from a TUTT-induced surface LOW. Unlike the great typhoon, however, Nalgae did not menace any land areas, instead remaining far out to sea in the eastern portion of the basin. Tropical Storm Banyan was a very large monsoonish system which formed early in the 4th week of July in the Philippine Sea about midway between the Philippines and Guam. Banyan became a rather strong tropical storm and pursued an almost due northerly track toward Japan, recurving as it near Honshu and clipping the extreme southeastern tip of the island before transforming into an extratropical cyclone and racing up towards the Kuril Islands. Tropical Storm Washi formed late in the month in the South China Sea, moved across Hainan Island and eventually into Vietnam. None of the warning centers classified Washi as a typhoon, but there are some meteorologists who strongly feel that the system did indeed reach typhoon intensity as it traversed the Gulf of Tonkin. Reports on the four named cyclones follow. In addition to the above mentioned systems, another system was classified as a tropical depression by several of the Asian warning agencies, being dubbed Tropical Depression Emong by PAGASA. Emong formed east of southern Luzon and moved in a west-northwesterly direction across the north-central part of the island into the South China Sea. The system then turned to the north and eventually moved inland into southern China near Hong Kong. In addition to PAGASA, JMA, the Central Weather Bureau of Taiwan and the Thai Meteorological Department treated this disturbance as a tropical depression. A graphic displaying the track of Tropical Depression Emong may be found at the following link: Michael Padua, of Naga City, has placed on the web some observations from his weather station taken during the passage of Emong. These may be accessed at: Graph: Text: SUPER TYPHOON HAITANG (TC-05W / TY 0505 / FERIA) 10 - 20 July ---------------------------------------------- Haitang: contributed by China, is a Chinese flowering crabapple tree; also a Chinese flowering temple A. Introduction and Storm Origins --------------------------------- Developing from a TUTT-induced disturbance deep within the subtropics, Haitang went on to become the Northwest Pacific basin's first super typhoon of the year, reaching a maximum intensity of 140 kts. Haitang made landfall on Taiwan as a weakening tropical cyclone but still came ashore as a major typhoon with a MSW of 105 kts. From there, it moved into China barely at typhoon intensity, the first tropical cyclone to affect the Asian mainland of 2005. Super Typhoon Haitang originated from an area of deep convection that was located under the diffluent region of a TUTT cell approximately 760 nm east of Iwo Jima. It was first mentioned in JTWC's STWO at 1800 UTC 10 July when animated satellite imagery indicated a weak LLCC associated with the disturbance. Drifting slowly west through a light to moderate wind shear environment, the system developed rapidly and became the subject of a TCFA at 11/0300 UTC. The first warning became valid at 11/1200 UTC, placing the centre of Tropical Depression 05W approximately 600 nm east of Iwo Jima. It was upgraded to a tropical storm at 11/1800 UTC and named Haitang six hours later when JMA raised their MSW to 35 kts. B. Track and Intensity History ------------------------------ Tropical Storm Haitang remained a weak system on 12 July as it drifted slowly towards the west-northwest at 5 to 8 kts. A HIGH centred south of Japan was the primary steering influence, guiding the tropical cyclone on a gentle, curving track across the Northwest Pacific. Tracking west-southwestward, Haitang strengthened into a 70-kt typhoon at 1800 UTC 13 July while located approximately 320 nm southeast of Iwo Jima. Turning towards the west, Haitang continued to steadily intensify on 14 July, its forward speed accelerating to around 19 kts. By the time the typhoon entered the Philippine AOR at 15/0600 UTC, the MSW had increased to 100 kts, and PAGASA assigned the name Feria. Strengthening continued on 15 July, and Haitang/Feria was upgraded to a super typhoon, the first of the year, while located approximately 405 nm south- southeast of Okinawa. The system reached its peak intensity of 140 kts at 16/1200 UTC while veering onto a west-northwesterly heading. At this time, water vapor imagery revealed a large, cloud-free eye and strong radial outflow. Haitang maintained an intensity of 140-kts for the rest of 16 July as it began to bear down on the island of Taiwan. Super Typhoon Haitang began to weaken and was downgraded to a 125-kt typhoon at 0600 UTC 17 July approximately 255 nm southeast of Taipei, Taiwan. After changing onto a northwesterly course, Haitang's heading swung back to the west, and the typhoon made landfall near Hualein, located 85 nm south of Taipei, at 18/0000 UTC with a MSW of 105 kts. Once inland, the system rapidly became disorganized, and after almost stalling over the mountains of central Taiwan, Haitang slowly staggered the rest of the way across the island, re-emerging back over water as a 60-kt tropical storm at 18/1800 UTC. Moving west-northwestward, Haitang regained typhoon intensity (65-kts) at 19/0000 UTC over the Taiwan Strait. Turning north-northwestwards, the tropical cyclone rapidly deteriorated and made landfall near Fuzhou, China, as a weakening 40-kt tropical storm around 19/1200 UTC. At this time, both JTWC and JMA issued their final warnings. NMCC's peak wind estimate was 130 kts (10 min avg), the highest of all the Asian agencies. Both JMA and PAGASA estimated a peak intensity of 105 kts; the lowest CP estimated by JMA was 915 mb. The highest MSW estimated by the CWB of Taiwan and HKO were 110 kts and 100 kts, respectively. A graphic displaying the track of Super Typhoon Haitang may be found at the following link: C. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ At least twelve people were reported to have died as a result of Haitang. All of the deaths occurred on Taiwan; there were no reports of casualties in mainland China. Over one million people were evacuated from the Chinese provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang before the storm hit. (NOTE: According to information from Huang Chunliang of Fuzhou City, there were 5 deaths attributed to Haitang on the Chinese mainland. See Section D-Part V below. Also, some of the damage figures in Chunliang's report differ from those given in the following two paragraphs, which were obtained from various international press sources.) Haitang's torrential rains caused heavy flooding. In Cangnan County in Zhejiang Province, China, more than 300 people were trapped in their homes by floodwaters, which reached more than 3.3 feet (one metre), before being rescued. The county suffered power blackouts, cut water supplies, and power blackouts. The city of Wenzhou was also badly affected by the flooding. The Wenzhou Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters reported that 2,612 houses were destroyed and 16,700 hectares of crops were damaged. City officials said Haitang caused an economic loss of 2.16 billion yuan (261 million US dollars). Haitang battered Taiwan with typhoon-force winds and torrential rains, wreaking havoc on the island. Haitang dumped more than 12 inches (305 mm) of rain across northern Taiwan, forcing airports, schools, government offices and financial markets to close. Transportation was badly affected with 90% of international flights cancelled and all domestic transport suspended. Strong winds disrupted power supplies with around 1.4 million households left without electricity. Around 1,500 people in northern Taiwan were evacuated from remote mountainous villages. The floodwaters washed away homes, roads, bridges, and decimated over 15,400 hectares of farmland, causing crop losses of nearly 30%. Haitang caused a total of T$2.97 billion (US$93 million) of damage to agriculture. D. Huang Chunliang Report from China ------------------------------------ {Part I} Landfalls ================== According to the CWB warnings, Severe Typhoon 0505 (HAITANG) made landfall in Taiwan Island near Tungao, Ilan County, around 18/0650 UTC with a MSW of 51 m/s (100 kts) and a CP of 925 hPa after making a counter-clockwise loop offshore east of Hualien. (The NMCC track also described such a loop, despite the fact that the western part of the loop was drawn overland near the coastline, i.e., NMCC stated that the typhoon made its first landfall near Hualien around 18/0000 UTC with a MSW of 55 m/s (110 kts) and a CP of 930 hPa before completing the 7-hr loop around 18/0600 UTC and making a second landfall near Ilan around 18/0650 UTC with a MSW of 45 m/s (90 kts) and a CP of 940 hPa.) The typhoon then entered the waters of Taiwan Strait from Houlong, Miaoli County, around 18/1400 UTC. According to the NMCC warnings, Typhoon 0505 (HAITANG) made landfall near Huangqi Town, Lianjiang County, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, around 19/0910 UTC with a MSW of 33 m/s (65 kts) and a CP of 975 hPa. {Part II} Meteorological Obs from Taiwan Province ================================================= NOTE: To convert from metres/second (m/s) to kts, divide m/s by 0.51444, or for a close approximation, simply double the m/s value. 1. Peak Sustained Wind & Gust Obs --------------------------------- Only those stations that reported sustained winds of gale force or gusts of typhoon force are given: Peak SW Peak Gust Station (mps/Local Date) (mps/Local Date) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- An Bu (WMO46691) 19.1/18th 42.0/18th Taipei (WMO46692/58968, Alt 9m) 13.4/18th 37.6/18th Keelung (WMO46694, Alt 3m) 20.3/18th 36.5/18th Hualien (WMO46763/59362, Alt 14m) 28.2/18th 58.5/18th Suao (WMO46706, Alt 3m) 26.3/18th 43.2/18th Ilan (WMO46708, Alt 7m) 22.1/18th 36.8/18th Penghu (WMO46735, Alt 21m) 18.0/18th 30.4/18th Tainan (WMO46741/59358, Alt 14m) 17.1/18th 34.0/18th Kaohsiung (WMO46744, Alt 29m) 18.0/18th 31.4/18th Taichung (WMO46749/5915?, Alt 78m) 10.4/18th 34.0/18th Hengchun (WMO46752, Alt 13m) 17.9/18th 37.9/18th Chenggong (WMO46761, Alt 37m) 20.3/19th 30.1/18th Wuci (WMO46777, Alt 5m) 26.2/18th 41.9/18th Dongshi (WMO46730, Alt 45m) 27.9/18th 40.4/18th Lanyu (WMO46762/59567, Alt 325m) 45.0/18th 63.0/18th Mastsu (WMO46799) 17.1/18th 39.4/18th 2. Daily Top-10 Rainfall Obs ---------------------------- [16/1600-17/1600Z] Ranking Station ID City/County Rainfall ------------------------------------------------------------ 01 CWB C0U71 Ilan County 386.5 mm 02 CWB C0U73 Ilan County 343.5 mm 03 CWB C1C46 Taoyuan County 338.5 mm 04 CWB 21C14 Taoyuan County 266.0 mm 05 CWB C1U51 Ilan County 256.0 mm 06 CWB A0C54 Taoyuan County 252.0 mm 07 CWB C0A54 Taipei County 238.0 mm 08 CWB C1D40 Hsinchu County 232.0 mm 09 CWB C1A9N Taipei County 230.0 mm 10 CWB C0A58 Taipei County 225.5 mm [17/1600-18/1600Z] Ranking Station ID City/County Rainfall ------------------------------------------------------------ 01 CWB C0R10 Pingtung County 1009.0 mm 02 CWB C1R12 Pingtung County 855.0 mm 03 CWB C1V30 Kaohsiung County 715.5 mm 04 CWB C0U71 Ilan County 697.0 mm 05 CWB C1V27 Kaohsiung County 642.5 mm 06 CWB C1R14 Pingtung County 638.0 mm 07 CWB C0V25 Kaohsiung County 565.0 mm 08 CWB C0O81 Tainan County 562.5 mm 09 CWB C1V24 Kaohsiung County 555.5 mm 10 CWB C0M41 Chia-i County 511.5 mm [18/1600-19/1600Z] Ranking Station ID City/County Rainfall ------------------------------------------------------------ 01 CWB C1V30 Kaohsiung County 931.0 mm 02 CWB C1V27 Kaohsiung County 880.0 mm 03 CWB C0R10 Pingtung County 737.0 mm 04 CWB C1V22 Kaohsiung County 728.5 mm 05 CWB C1V19 Kaohsiung County 725.5 mm 06 CWB C1M61 Chia-i County 689.0 mm 07 CWB C0M53 Chia-i County 667.5 mm 08 WMO 46753 Chia-i County 663.0 mm 09 CWB C1F94 Taitung County 657.0 mm 10 CWB C1V34 Kaohsiung County 621.5 mm [19/1600-20/1600Z] Ranking Station ID City/County Rainfall ------------------------------------------------------------ 01 CWB C1R14 Pingtung County 494.0 mm 02 CWB C0R10 Pingtung County 438.0 mm 03 CWB C1R12 Pingtung County 436.0 mm 04 CWB C1R20 Pingtung County 405.5 mm 05 CWB C1R17 Pingtung County 403.5 mm 06 CWB C0R15 Pingtung County 397.5 mm 07 CWB C1R13 Pingtung County 385.0 mm 08 CWB C1R11 Pingtung County 378.0 mm 09 CWB C1R16 Pingtung County 373.5 mm 10 CWB C1V39 Kaohsiung County 372.0 mm [20/1600-21/1600Z] Ranking Station ID City/County Rainfall ------------------------------------------------------------ 01 WMO 46778 Tainan County 209.0 mm 02 CWB C1O95 Tainan City 206.0 mm 03 CWB C1R13 Pingtung County 176.0 mm 04 CWB C1V30 Kaohsiung County 174.0 mm 05 CWB C1R16 Pingtung County 166.0 mm 06 CWB C1R12 Pingtung County 162.0 mm 07 CWB C0X08 Tainan County 161.5 mm 08 CWB C0R10 Pingtung County 161.0 mm 09 CWB C1X09 Tainan County 156.5 mm 10 CWB C1V24 Kaohsiung County 156.0 mm Note: Mt. Weiliaosan, Pingtung County (CWB C0R10) reported a 4-day [17/1600-21/1600Z] total rainfall amount of 2345 mm, 1009 mm of which poured down within the 24-hr period ending at 18/1600Z. {Part III} Meteorological Obs from Fujian Province ================================================== 1. Gust Obs ----------- Following are WMO stations reporting gusts of gale force or higher: Station Name Station Info Peak Gust ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shouning, Ningde City WMO58744, 27.53N 119.42E, Alt 826m 27 m/s Zhouning, Ningde City WMO58747, 27.15N 119.35E, Alt 900m 22 m/s Pingnan, Ningde City WMO58933, 26.92N 118.98E, Alt 871m 20 m/s Zherong, Ningde City WMO58749, 27.25N 119.90E, Alt 670m 29 m/s Fuding, Ningde City WMO58754, 27.33N 120.20E, Alt 38m 26 m/s Xiapu, Ningde City WMO58843, 26.88N 120.59E, Alt 13m 26 m/s Ningde, Ningde City WMO58846, 26.33N 119.53E, Alt 33m 21 m/s Luoyuan, Fuzhou City WMO58845, 26.50N 119.53E, Alt 57m 27 m/s Changle, Fuzhou City WMO58941, 25.97N 119.50E, Alt 8m 33 m/s Lianjiang, Fuzhou City WMO58848, 26.20N 119.53E, Alt 7m 28 m/s Fuzhou, Fuzhou City WMO58847, 26.08N 119.28E, Alt 85m 24 m/s Minhou, Fuzhou City WMO58844, 26.15N 119.15E, Alt 50m 20 m/s Fuqing, Fuzhou City WMO58942, 25.72N 119.38E, Alt 38m 20 m/s Pingtan, Fuzhou City WMO58944, 25.52N 119.78E, Alt 31m 33 m/s Putian, Putian City WMO58946, 25.43N 119.59E, Alt 29m 24 m/s Xianyou, Putian City WMO58936, 25.37N 118.70E, Alt 77m 20 m/s Chongwu, Quanzhou City WMO59133, 24.90N 118.92E, Alt 23m 18 m/s Dehua, Quanzhou City WMO58935, 25.48N 118.23E, Alt 517m 18 m/s Yongchun, Quanzhou City WMO58934, 25.33N 118.27E, Alt 170m 21 m/s Xiamen, Xiamen City WMO59134, 24.48N 118.07E, Alt 138m 20 m/s Tong'an, Xiamen City WMO59130, 24.72N 118.13E, Alt 15m 18 m/s Jian'ou, Nanping City WMO58737, 27.05N 118.32E, Alt 156m 18 m/s Nanping, Nanping City WMO58834, 26.65N 118.17E, Alt 128m 18 m/s Zhenghe, Nanping City WMO58736, 27.37N 118.82E, Alt 221m 20 m/s Following are insular automatic stations reporting peak gusts of gale force or higher: Taishan 45.6 m/s Xiyang 41.1 m/s Pingtan 39.8 m/s Nanri 35.8 m/s Weitou 22.4 m/s 2. Rainfall Obs --------------- During the 72-hr period ending at 20/0000 UTC, rains > 200 mm were recorded in 9 counties/sub-cities of Fuzhou and Ningde Cities with Zherong County reporting the highest amount of 665 mm. (Guanyang, Ningde City, reported a 3-day total amounting to 780 mm----the highest of the hydrological stations during the same period.) Extrema from Zherong County, Ningde City: Daily rainfall: 472 mm [18/0000-19/0000Z] (a new record for the station) 6-hr rainfall: 158 mm [18/1800-19/0000Z] 3-hr rainfall: 130 mm [19/0000-19/0300Z] 3. Obs from Fuzhou City ----------------------- The WMO station 58847 (Fuzhou) is only a few kilometers NE of my home. According to those reports from the station, we had 123 mm of rains within 24 hrs [18/0000-19/0000Z] before Haitang made landfall near Fuzhou's Lianjiang County as a minimal typhoon around 19/0910Z (per NMCC). This was not too long before we received another very wet day, when the station reported 141 mm of rain [21/0000-22/0000Z], mainly recorded within 12 hrs [21/1200-22/0000Z] (It should be noted that 108 mm out of the total poured down within 6 hrs [21/1200-21/1800Z] from the periphery of the well-removed weakening depression.) One of the urban stations even recorded rainfall amounting to 219 mm during the same 12 hrs [21/1200-22/0000Z]! As for the winds, the majority of the peak gusts were reported by stations in the city 24 hrs or so before landfall occurred when the still powerful typhoon was roaming over Taiwan Island. The urban area (WMO58847) reported 47 knots, while another two WMO stations, Changle (WMO58941) and Pingtan (WMO58944) both reported minimal typhoon force. Additionally, an insular station located on Pingtan Island recorded gusts topping 77 knots. Nearly 9000 trees in the urban area of Fuzhou City were uprooted or partly damaged by Haitang's winds, though that occurred mainly on the 18th. The day of landfall, the 19th, seemed much calmer for my location. Actually, we even observed a decent rainbow on one occasion in the morning--very rare here during typhoons. (Interestingly, a press report indicated that another rainbow had been observed in Taipei City on the same day.) {Part IV} Meteorological Obs from Zhejiang Province =================================================== 1. Gust Obs ----------- The most significant two gust reports, 41.3 m/s and 41.1 m/s, came from the automatic stations named Zhaoshandu (located in Rui'an City) and Haishan (located in Yuhuan County), respectively. 2. Rainfall Obs --------------- During the 96-hr period ending at 21/0000 UTC, rains > 400 mm were reported by 13 stations (including hydrological stations) with Futou, Yueqing City reporting the highest amount of 840 mm. Extrema from Station Yueqing: 3-day rainfall: 793 mm [18/0000-21/0000Z] 24-hr rainfall: 513 mm [19/0300-20/0300Z] Daily rainfall: 487 mm [19/0000-20/0000Z] 3. Hydrological Obs ------------------- Two hydrological stations reported record-breaking water levels during the storm: Station Peak Water Level Former Record ------------------------------------------------ Yueqing 6.77 m [19/2020Z] 6.40 m [2004] Daitou 19.19 m [19/0542Z] 19.18 m [1994] {Part V} Rainfall Obs from Other Provinces ========================================== a. Lushan, Jiangxi Province (WMO58506, 29.58N 115.98E, Alt 1165m) reported 204 mm from [20/0000-21/0000Z] b. Changde, Hu'nan Province (WMO57662, 29.05N 111.68E, Alt 35m) reported 208 mm from [22/0000-23/0000Z] c. Zhengzhou, He'nan Province (WMO57083, 34.72N 113.65E, Alt 111m) reported 109 mm from [21/0900-22/0900Z] d. Xingyang, He'nan Province (WMO57081, 34.80N 113.43E, Alt 141m) reported 282 mm from [21/0900-22/0900Z] e. Qinyang, He'nan Province (WMO53972, 35.12N 112.92E, Alt 120m) reported 162 mm from [21/0900-22/0900Z] f. Jiaozuo, He'nan Province (WMO53982, 35.23N 113.27E, Alt 113m) reported 121 mm from [21/0900-22/0900Z] {Part VI} Damage and Casualties =============================== Haitang, the first 2005 TC/typhoon that made landfall in China, has turned out to be the strongest one to hit Taiwan Province in nearly five years, since Severe Typhoon 0010 (Bilis), which according to CWB, made landfall in Taiwan on the 22nd of August, 2000, with a MSW of 53 m/s (105 kts) and a CP of 930 hPa. Press reports indicated that Typhoon Haitang caused 12 deaths and left five people missing in Taiwan. Agricultural losses in the province were estimated to be at least NT$ 4.2 billion. Preliminary statistics indicated that the typhoon caused 11.92 billion yuan of direct economic losses in Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangxi and was responsible for 5 deaths as well as 6 missing in the provinces, where 10,185,000 residents were affected, 18,000 houses were toppled and 326,000 ha of farmland was damaged. Some 863,000 and 558,000 people were evacuated in Fujian and Zhejiang, respectively, due to the typhoon. {Part VII} References (All in Chinese version) ============================================== E. Huang Chunliang Report from Japan ------------------------------------ Station Min SLP (hPa) Peak SW (m/s) Peak Gust (m/s) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Miyakojima 993.1 [17/0825Z] 17.9 [17/0930Z] 34.5 [17/1209Z] Ishigakijima 980.6 [17/1455Z] 29.1 [17/1610Z] 47.6 [17/1546Z] Iriomotejima -----#[--------] 24.8 [17/1420Z] 45.9 [17/1549Z] Yonagunijima 967.9 [17/1903Z] 34.9 [17/1850Z] 54.8 [17/1843Z] Station Maximum Daily Rainfall (mm) ------------------------------------------------ Miyakojima 106.0 [17/1500-18/1500Z] Ishigakijima 181.0 [17/1500-18/1500Z] Iriomotejima 335.0* [17/1500-18/1500Z] Yonagunijima 231.5 [17/1500-18/1500Z] Note 1 (#): Iriomotejima didn't reported a min SLP due to fault of the facility. Note 2 (*): Record-breaking value for the station. Note 3: Miyakojima is WMO47927, 24.79N 125.28E, Alt 40 m Ishigakijima is WMO47918, 24.34N 124.16E, Alt 6 m Iriomotejima is WMO47917, 24.39N 123.75E, Alt 9 m Yonagunijima is WMO47912, 24.47N 123.01E, Alt 30 m (Sections A, B and C written by Kevin Boyle; sections D and E written by Huang Chunliang) TROPICAL STORM NALGAE (TC-06W / TS 0506) 18 - 25 July ----------------------------------------- Nalgae: contributed by North Korea, is the Korean word for wing, or flying A. Storm Origins ---------------- Tropical Storm Nalgae, like Super Typhoon Haitang (TC-05W) which preceded it, originated in association with a TUTT cell within the subtropics. It was first mentioned in a Significant Tropical Weather Outlook at 0000 UTC 18 July as an area of convection approximately 135 nm north-northeast of Wake Island. Remarks in this statement included: "Recent animated multi-spectral satellite imagery indicates an upper LOW which may have induced a low-level circulation centre. Over the past 4 hours, Wake Island has reported surface winds from the southwest at 12 knots with gusts to 18 knots." An upper-level analysis indicated a low to moderate wind shear environment with favourable diffluence aloft. The system slowly developed over the next two days and a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert was issued at 19/2230 UTC after multi-spectral satellite imagery showed rapidly increasing deep convection. The first warning was released at 20/0000 UTC. B. Track and Intensity History ------------------------------ At 0000 UTC 20 July Tropical Depression 06W was located approximately 325 nm north-northwest of Wake Island and was drifting towards the northwest at 6 kts along the southwestern periphery of a mid-level steering ridge situated to the northeast. The system quickly intensified, and was upgraded to a 45-kt tropical storm at 20/0600 UTC. JMA assigned the name Nalgae six hours later after their 10-min avg MSW reached 35 kts. No further strengthening occurred on 20 July as Nalgae continued northwestward. However, Nalgae did intensify a little more, reaching its peak intensity of 50 kts at 21/0000 UTC while centred 560 nm north-northwest of Wake Island. Despite losing much of its supporting deep convection, Tropical Storm Nalgae managed to maintain its peak intensity of 50 kts for a further twelve hours on 21 July before quickly weakening to a 35-kt tropical storm at 0000 UTC 22 July while located approximately 785 nm north- northwest of Wake Island. However, the system recovered slightly on 22 July as it rounded the steering ridge, the MSW nudging back up to 40 kts at 22/1200 UTC. The intensity began to fall again after the LLCC became partially-exposed at 23/0000 UTC and Nalgae was downgraded to a tropical depression at 23/1200 UTC, the time that JTWC issued the final warning. However, Nalgae remained a tropical storm in JMA warnings for a further 48 hours as it continued moving slowly towards the northeast. JMA wrote the last statement at 25/1800 UTC and Nalgae's remnants gradually dissipated on 26 July. JMA, NMCC, and CWB of Taiwan, all estimated peak intensities of 45 kts. HKO and PAGASA never issued any warnings on this system, which remained outside their respective AORs. A graphic displaying the track of Tropical Storm Nalgae may be found at the following link: C. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ There were no reports of damages or casualties in association with Tropical Storm Nalgae. (Report written by Kevin Boyle) TROPICAL STORM BANYAN (TC-07W / STS 0507) 20 - 31 July ----------------------------------------- Banyan: contributed by Hong Kong, is a type of tree commonly found in the southern part of China A. Introduction and Storm Origins --------------------------------- This large, rather lax tropical cyclone was the first storm to form in the monsoon trough in nearly two months, discounting the weak system, Tropical Depression Emong, that affected the Philippines in early July. Banyan's immense circulation dominated the Western North Pacific for almost a week, and just narrowly missed the coastline of southeastern Japan on 26 July. A large tropical disturbance, the precursor of Tropical Storm Banyan, was first mentioned as a suspect area in JTWC's STWO at 1230 UTC 20 July when animated enhanced infrared satellite imagery indicated organizing deep convection around a broad LLCC approximately 460 nm west-northwest of Guam. An upper-air analysis revealed an area of low to moderate wind shear and favourable diffluence aloft. By 21/0230 UTC the system had organized sufficiently to warrant the issuance of a TCFA. The first warning was released on Tropical Depression 07W at 21/1200 UTC. It was assigned the name Banyan at 21/1800 UTC when JMA upped their 10-min avg MSW to 35 kts. JTWC upgraded Banyan to a 35-kt tropical storm at 22/0000 UTC, placing the centre approximately 440 nm west-northwest of Guam. At this time, animated and microwave satellite imagery, combined with ship and buoy observations, indicated a broad circulation with the strongest winds and deep convection located on the periphery of the system, a characteristic trait that Banyan would retain for the rest of its life. B. Track and Intensity History ------------------------------ During its development phase Banyan had been virtually stationary, covering very little ground (or ocean), but a slow northward drift began on 22 July as a low to mid-level ridge located to the east began to assert its steering influence. Continuing steadily northward, Tropical Storm Banyan began to slowly strengthen over the next couple of days and reached a peak intensity of 60 kts at 1200 UTC 24 July approximately 660 nm south-southwest of Tokyo, Japan. This was maintained for only six hours, and the MSW began to steadily drop at 24/1800 UTC. Reasons why Banyan didn't quite attain typhoon intensity include: 1) failure to completely tighten up its inner core, 2) overall asymmetry of the tropical cyclone, i.e. the deep convection was greatly suppressed over the western semicircle, and 3) the inability of the deep convection to consolidate over the LLCC. Accelerating northwards, Tropical Storm Banyan continued to weaken. The tropical cyclone turned north-northeastward early on 26 July, then northeastward as it crested the axis of the subtropical ridge located to the southeast. The associated deep convection diminished as the storm began to suffer from the effects of dry air intrusion, cooler SSTs, and stronger vertical shear. Tropical Storm Banyan continued northeastward and passed approximately 60 nm southeast of Tokyo, Japan, at 1200 UTC 26 July with gale-force winds and heavy rains arriving well in advance of the centre. Banyan was declared extratropical at 27/0000 UTC with JTWC issuing the final warning at this time. JMA, however, maintained Banyan as a tropical storm until 28/0000 UTC. After passing south of Kamchatka on 29 July, former Tropical Storm Banyan was last seen heading in the general direction of Alaska. The lowest CP estimated by JMA was 980 hPa. Among the Asian warning agencies, the highest 10-min avg MSW estimate was 60 kts from NMCC. JMA and the CWB of Taiwan both estimated the peak MSW at 55 kts. A graphic displaying the track of Tropical Storm Banyan may be found at the following link: C. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ There have been no reports of casualties as a result of Tropical Storm Banyan. However, torrential rains, up to 16 inches in some coastal areas, forced the evacuation of 320 people in central Japan amid concerns of landslides. Two people were rescued by helicopter after their yacht sank. Coastal roads were closed and several train, flight and ferry services were suspended. Several oil refineries were forced to halt operations, most notably Japan's biggest oil refinery--Nippon Oil Co-- which halted sea deliveries of products at its Negishi refinery and Yokohama oil terminal. Idemitsu Kosan Co and Cosmo Oil Co also suspended operations at sea at some facilities. D. Huang Chunliang Report from Japan ------------------------------------ {Part I}. Landfall ================== According to the JMA warnings, Typhoon 0507 (BANYAN) made landfall near Kamogawa City, Chiba Prefecture, around 26/1100 UTC with a MSW of 25 m/s and a CP of 980 hPa. {Part II}. Meteorological Obs from Tokyo District Meteorological Observatory ================================================================ Note 1: All the obs in this part were reported within the precinct of Tokyo District Meteorological Observatory, including the prefectures of Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Ibaraki, Gumma, Tochigi, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Nagano, Shizuoka, Gifu, Aichi and Mie. Note 2: "#" = record-breaking values of July for relevant stations. 1. Top-5 Daily Rainfall [25/1500-26/1500Z] Obs ---------------------------------------------- Ranking Prefecture Station Rainfall (mm) ------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Shizuoka Amagisan 418 02 Kanagawa Hakone 400 # 03 Saitama Tokigawa 266 04 Saitama Urayama 266 # 05 Tochigi Happogahara 206 05 Saitama Chichibu 202 2. Top-1 Peak Sustained Wind (10-min avg) Obs --------------------------------------------- Ranking Station Peak wind (mps) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Choshi, Chiba (WMO47648, Alt 20m) 16.1 [25/2120Z] 3. Top-1 Peak Gust Obs ---------------------- Ranking Station Peak wind (mps) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Hachijojima, Tokyo (WMO47678, Alt 79m) 33.0 [26/0107Z] 4. Top-5 SLP Obs ---------------- Ranking Station Min SLP (hPa) --------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Miyakejima, Tokyo (WMO47677) 976.6 [26/0811Z] 02 Hachijojima, Tokyo (WMO47678) 978.2 [26/0704Z] 03 Katsuura, Chiba (WMO47674) 978.9 [26/1133Z] 04 Choshi, Chiba (WMO47648) 979.3 [26/1303Z] 05 Ojima, Tokyo (WMO47675) 979.6 [26/0831Z] {Part III} References ===================== (Japanese version only) (Sections A, B and C written by Kevin Boyle; Section D written by Huang Chunliang) TROPICAL STORM WASHI (TC-08W / TS 0508) 28 - 31 July ---------------------------------------- Washi: contributed by Japan, means 'eagle'; also Aquila, the constellation of the eagle A. Storm Origins ---------------- At 0300 UTC 28 July a STWO was re-issued to include a persistent area of convection located approximately 305 nm south of Hong Kong, China. A 27/2201 UTC QuikScat pass revealed a broad LLCC with the strongest winds on the equatorward side while both multi-spectral and enhanced infrared satellite imagery depicted most of the deep convection in the southern semicircle of the disturbance. An upper-level analysis indicated that the system was embedded within an environment of low to moderate wind shear. The deep convection increased and consolidated around the LLCC and, on the basis of this, a TCFA was released at 28/1730 UTC. The first warning became valid at 28/1800 UTC. B. Track and Intensity History ------------------------------ Tropical Depression 08W intensified, and was upgraded to a 35-kt tropical storm at 1200 UTC 29 July while located approximately 130 nm east of Hainan, China. By this time JMA's MSW had also reached 35 kts (10-min avg) and the system was named Washi by that agency. Drifting west-northwestwards, Tropical Storm Washi made landfall on the southeast coast of Hainan in the vicinity of Xinglong at around 30/0000 UTC. Continuing west-northwestwards, Washi cleared the island and moved into the warm waters of the Gulf of Tonkin where it strengthened to its peak intensity of 45-kts at 30/1200 UTC approximately 180 nm southeast of Hanoi, Vietnam. From there, Washi turned toward the west and came ashore roughly 45 nm south of Hanoi, Vietnam, shortly after 31/0000 UTC with the MSW estimated at 45 kts. The final warning was issued by JTWC at 31/0600 UTC after the storm had tracked further inland and begun to weaken. JMA maintained Washi as a tropical storm for another twelve hours before downgrading the system to a tropical depression on their last statement at 31/1800 UTC. The remnants of Tropical Storm Washi continued further inland and could no longer be distinguished in satellite imagery by 1 August. (Editor's Note: All the Asian warning agencies rated Washi's peak 10-min avg MSW at 45 kts except for NMCC, who estimated the peak winds at 50 kts.) A graphic displaying the track of Tropical Storm Washi may be found at the following link: C. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ According to news sources, Tropical Storm Washi left at least two people dead and injured two others in Vietnam. Two persons were still unaccounted for as of the writing of this report. The storm destroyed 27 houses and blew the roofs off 206 other homes. Three 30-ton ships and two barges were also wrecked. Large sections of dykes in the northern provinces of Vietnam were damaged, and destruction of aquaculture totaled 26,500 ha. In addition, more than 28,000 ha of rice and subsidiary food crops were inundated. D. Huang Chunliang Report from China ------------------------------------ {Part I} Landfalls ================== According to the NMCC warnings, Severe Tropical Storm 0508 (Washi) made landfall near Changpo Town, Qionghai City, Hainan Province around 29/2125 UTC with a MSW of 25 m/s (50 kts) and a CP of 984 hPa. Crossing the island, the storm entered the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin from Danzhou City, Hainan Province, as a Tropical Storm around 30/0800 UTC. According to the NMCC warnings, Tropical Storm 0508 (Washi) made landfall over the coast of northern Vietnam around 31/0510 UTC with a MSW of 23 m/s (45 kts) and a CP of 984 hPa. {Part II} Meteorological Obs from Hainan Province ================================================= 1. Gust Obs ----------- Gusts of gale force or higher were reported by a few cities/counties during the storm. A special meteorological mission squad recorded a peak gust of 34.3 m/s in Mulantou Town, Wenchang City. 2. Rainfall Obs --------------- During the 72-hr period ending at 31/0000 UTC, rains > 200 mm were recorded in 3 counties/cities with Dongfang City reporting the highest amount: 345 mm of rain were recorded from 29/0000 through 31/0000 UTC. {Part III} Damage and Benefit for Hainan Province ================================================= Damage was mild with 56,000 people being affected by the storm and direct economic losses of 140 million yuan being reported. The only storm associated death was due to a lightning strike. Compared with its damage, the benefit from Washi was more remarkable. TS Washi evidently eased the marathon drought, which had lasted as long as 15 months in the province, which had already been TC-free for 20 months since Typhoon 0320 (Nepartak) in November, 2003. {Part IV} References (All in Chinese version) ============================================= E. Rainfall Obs from Vietnam ---------------------------- Only 24-hr amount(s) >= 100 mm listed: THANH HOA (19.75N 105.78E) 125.1 mm [30/12-31/12Z] F. Was Washi a typhoon at landfall? ----------------------------------- During its transit of the Gulf of Tonkin and up to the time of land- fall in Vietnam, Washi developed a feature which strongly resembled a bonafide eye. Yet none of the warnings agencies assigned a MSW greater than 45 kts (including JTWC) except for Beijing, which estimated a peak 10-min avg MSW of 50 kts. A good bit of e-mail discussion ensued regarding whether or not Washi attained typhoon intensity in the Gulf of Tonkin. Mark Lander, Roger Edson and Karl Hoarau all stated that they definitely felt that Washi was a typhoon, based on the signature of the cyclone in visible, infrared and microwave imagery. Many times in the past tropical cyclones which entered the Gulf of Tonkin with their circulations still intact underwent significant intensification, and it appeared that Washi had done the same. There were some, however, who suggested that the eye might be a 'sucker hole', i.e., a peculiar cloud formation which might look like an eye but really is only a coincidental line up of cloud images. Roger Edson pointed out, arguing for the existence of a true eye, that the 'eye' appeared in the same comparative location in the different microwave bands. 'Sucker holes' usually do not show up in the same location in both the 85 GHz and 37 GHz bands. Jack Beven, however, pointed out that there were some alternate interpretations of the satellite imagery. Jack indicated that he likely would not use an IR eye pattern in performing Dvorak analysis. However, he did point out that at one stage an analyst might obtain a Data-T number of 4.0 (65 kts) by use of visible imagery. Jack was of the opinion that most likely he would obtain a Data-T of 3.5 (55 kts) from the IR imagery. Even so, that is stronger than any of the warning centers bar NHCC analyzed the cyclone to be. Unfortunately, no surface observations from the landfall zone have become available which might help to settle the argument. (Sections A, B and C by Kevin Boyle; Sections D and E by Huang Chunliang; Section F by Gary Padgett) ************************************************************************* NORTH INDIAN OCEAN (NIO) - Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea Activity for July: 1 depression North Indian Ocean Tropical Activity for July --------------------------------------------- Following is a report by Huang Chunliang on a system which was classified as a deep depression by the India Meteorological Department. The dates of the depression were 29 - 31 July, and it was referenced by SAB as disturbance 90B. A special thanks to Chunliang for compiling and sending the report. {Part I}. Introduction (time in local, i.e., UTC+5.5 hrs) ========================================================= A low-pressure area formed over the northwest Bay of Bengal off the Gangetic West Bengal coast on the 28th. It concentrated into a Depression on the 29th with its centre close to Balasore (21.52N/86.93E) and remained practically stationary on the 30th but became a Deep Depression. The Deep Depression over the Northwestern Bay off the Orissa coast moved in a westerly direction and was centered close to Keojhargarh (21.63N/85.58E) at 1730 hrs IST on the 30th after making landfall over the coastal area of Northern Orissa that day. It remained practically stationary close to Keonjhargarh in Orissa on the 31st. Moving in a west-northwesterly direction, it weakened rapidly into a well-marked low-pressure area over central parts of Madhya Pradeshon on the 1st of August and further into a low-pressure area over northwest Madhya Pradesh and adjoining East Rajasthan on the 2nd . It became less marked on the 3rd. (Slightly edited from the INDIA METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENTAL INDIA WEEKLY WEATHER REPORT. Note: Neither NRL nor JTWC ever mentioned the system, while SAB temporarily numbered it 90B and once evaluated it as a T1.5 system at 29/0830 UTC. {Part II}. Rainfall Obs from India (only daily amounts >= 10 cm listed) ======================================================================= Station/State Rainfall Dates/Time --------------------------------------------------------------- Chandbali, ORISSA 25 cm [28/03-29/03Z] Thakurmunda, ORISSA 23 cm [28/03-29/03Z] Rajkanika, ORISSA 19 cm [28/03-29/03Z] Tikarpada, ORISSA 31 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Rairakhol, ORISSA 31 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Athagarh, ORISSA 29 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Khandapada, ORISSA 29 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Hindol, ORISSA 26 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Akhupada, ORISSA 25 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Chandbali, ORISSA 24 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Narai, ORISSA 24 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Athamalik, ORISSA 24 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Mundali, ORISSA 22 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Rajkanika, ORISSA 22 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Rajkishorenagar, ORISSA 22 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Dhenkanal, ORISSA 22 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Cuttack, ORISSA 21 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Jamankira, ORISSA 21 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Pallahara, ORISSA 20 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Rengali, ORISSA 20 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Talcher, ORISSA 20 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Angul, ORISSA 19 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Jenapur, ORISSA 18 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Kendrapara, ORISSA 18 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Binika, ORISSA 18 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Narsinghpur, ORISSA 17 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Bargarh, ORISSA 17 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Sambalpur, ORISSA 17 cm [29/03-30/03Z] K-Nagar, ORISSA 16 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Bijepur, ORISSA 16 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Nimapad, ORISSA 16 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Bhbaneswar, ORISSA 15 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Phulbani, ORISSA 15 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Khiramal, ORISSA 14 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Kuchinda, ORISSA 14 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Nayagarh, ORISSA 14 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Kantamal, ORISSA 14 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Alipingal, ORISSA 13 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Dunguripalli, ORISSA 13 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Jajpur, ORISSA 12 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Jhumpura, ORISSA 12 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Hirakud, ORISSA 12 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Pipli, ORISSA 12 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Tikabali, ORISSA 12 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Harbhanga, ORISSA 12 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Kakatpur, ORISSA 11 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Joshipur, ORISSA 10 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Sohella, ORISSA 10 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Sonepur, ORISSA 10 cm [29/03-30/03Z] Ambabhona, ORISSA 31 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Pallahara, ORISSA 26 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Bargarh, ORISSA 21 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Bijepur, ORISSA 20 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Nakatideul, ORISSA 19 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Khairamal, ORISSA 19 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Rengali, ORISSA 19 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Phulbani, ORISSA 15 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Rairakhol, ORISSA 14 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Sambalpur, ORISSA 12 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Kuchinda, ORISSA 12 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Jamankira, ORISSA 12 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Athamalik, ORISSA 12 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Kantamal, ORISSA 11 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Padampur, ORISSA 10 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Rajkishore Nagar, ORISSA 10 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Malanjkhand, MADHYA PRADESH 14 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Baraseoni, MADHYA PRADESH 11 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Katghora, CHHATTISGARH 19 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Raipur, CHHATTISGARH 18 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Arang, CHHATTISGARH 16 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Rajim, CHHATTISGARH 15 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Bilaspur, CHHATTISGARH 15 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Gariaband, CHHATTISGARH 14 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Sarangarh, CHHATTISGARH 14 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Mahasamund, CHHATTISGARH 11 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Dhamtari, CHHATTISGARH 10 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Raigarh, CHHATTISGARH 10 cm [30/03-31/03Z] Katangi, MADHYA PRADESH 18 cm [31/03-01/03Z] Deori, MADHYA PRADESH 17 cm [31/03-01/03Z] Indore, MADHYA PRADESH 16 cm [31/03-01/03Z] Mhou, MADHYA PRADESH 16 cm [31/03-01/03Z] Ratlam, MADHYA PRADESH 15 cm [31/03-01/03Z] Panchmari, MADHYA PRADESH 14 cm [31/03-01/03Z] Barnagar, MADHYA PRADESH 14 cm [31/03-01/03Z] Khachrode, MADHYA PRADESH 14 cm [31/03-01/03Z] Tarana, MADHYA PRADESH 13 cm [31/03-01/03Z] Serohi, MADHYA PRADESH 13 cm [31/03-01/03Z] Sailana, MADHYA PRADESH 12 cm [31/03-01/03Z] Shahjapur, MADHYA PRADESH 12 cm [31/03-01/03Z] Kurwai, MADHYA PRADESH 12 cm [31/03-01/03Z] Mahidpur, MADHYA PRADESH 11 cm [31/03-01/03Z] Khurai, MADHYA PRADESH 11 cm [31/03-01/03Z] ************************************************************************* SOUTHWEST INDIAN OCEAN (SWI) - South Indian Ocean West of Longitude 90E Activity for July: No tropical cyclones ************************************************************************* NORTHWEST AUSTRALIA/SOUTHEAST INDIAN OCEAN (AUW) - From 90E to 135E Activity for July: No tropical cyclones ************************************************************************* NORTHEAST AUSTRALIA/CORAL SEA (AUE) - From 135E to 160E Activity for July: No tropical cyclones ************************************************************************* SOUTH PACIFIC (SPA) - South Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 160E Activity for July: No tropical cyclones South Pacific Tropical Activity for July ---------------------------------------- The Fiji TCWC issued gale warnings on 25 and 26 July in association with a system classified as a weak LOW. The LOW moved from a position near 20S/173W at 25/0000 UTC to near 22S/158W at 26/2000 UTC. Gales of up to 40 kts were forecast to be occurring within 200 nm of the center in the southeastern semicircle. No reference was made of this system being tropical, and given the latitude and time of year, likely was hybrid or non-tropical in nature. No track was included for this LOW in the July cyclone tracks file. ************************************************************************* SPECIAL FEATURE - SOURCES OF TROPICAL CYCLONE INFORMATION The purpose of this section is to list some websites where many and varied types of tropical cyclone information are archived. Many readers will know about these already, but for the benefit of those who don't, I wanted to include them. (1) Aircraft Reconnaissance Information --------------------------------------- Various types of messages from reconnaissance aircraft may be retrieved from the following FTP site: Information regarding how to interpret the coded reconnaissance messages may be found at the following URL: Links are also included to websites with further information about the U. S. Air Force 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron and the NOAA Air- craft Operations Center. (2) Archived Advisories ----------------------- All the advisory products (public advisories, forecast/advisories, strike probabilities, discussions, various graphics) issued by TPC/NHC are archived on TPC's website. For the current year (using 2004 as an example), the archived products can be found at: Links to tropical products archives for earlier years are available at the following URL: JTWC warnings for past storms are archived on the NRL Monterry website: On the NRL site, the link to past years can be found in the upper left corner of the screen. I am not aware at the moment of any other TCWC which archives all its tropical cyclone warning/advisory products for public access, but if I learn of any, I will add them to this list. (3) Satellite Imagery --------------------- Satellite images of tropical cyclones in various sensor bands are available on the NRL Monterrey and University of Wisconsin websites, courtesy of Jeff Hawkins and Chris Velden and their associates. The links are: On the NRL site, the link to past years can be found in the upper left corner of the screen. For the CIMSS site, a link to data archives is located in the lower left portion of the screen. Additional tropical satellite imagery, along with looping ability for composite microwave imagery for the Western Hemisphere north of the equator, can be found at: (1) For the Eastern North Pacific: (2) For the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea: I'm sure there are other sites with available imagery available, and as I learn of them, I will add the links to this list. ************************************************************************* EXTRA FEATURE In order to shorten the amount of typing in preparing the narrative material, I have been in the habit of freely using abbreviations and acronyms. I have tried to define most of these with the first usage in a given summary, but I may have missed one now and then. Most of these are probably understood by a majority of readers but perhaps a few aren't clear to some. To remedy this I developed a Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms which I first included in the August, 1998 summary. I don't normally include the Glossary in most months in order to help keep them from being too long. If anyone would like to receive a copy of the Glossary, please e-mail me and I'll be happy to send them a copy. ************************************************************************* AUTHOR'S NOTE: This summary should be considered a very preliminary overview of the tropical cyclones that occur in each month. The cyclone tracks (provided separately) will generally be based upon operational warnings issued by the various tropical cyclone warning centers. The information contained therein may differ somewhat from the tracking and intensity information obtained from a "best-track" file which is based on a detailed post-seasonal analysis of all available data. Information on where to find official "best-track" files from the various warning centers will be passed along from time to time. The track files are not being sent via e-mail. They can be retrieved from the archive sites listed below. (Note: I do have a limited e-mail distribution list for the track files. If anyone wishes to receive these via e-mail, please send me a message.) Both the summaries and the track files are standard text files created in DOS editor. Download to disk and use a viewer such as Notepad or DOS editor to view the files. The first summary in this series covered the month of October, 1997. Back issues can be obtained from the following websites (courtesy of Michael Bath, Michael V. Padua, Michael Pitt, Chris Landsea, and John Diebolt): Another website where much information about tropical cyclones may be found is the website for the UK Meteorological Office. Their site contains a lot of statistical information about tropical cyclones globally on a monthly basis. The URL is: TROPICAL CYCLONE REPORTS AVAILABLE JTWC now has available on its website the Annual Tropical Cyclone Report (ATCR) for 2004 (2003-2004 season for the Southern Hemisphere). ATCRs for earlier years are available also. The URL is: Also, TPC/NHC has available on its webpage nice "technicolor" tracking charts for the 2004 Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific tropical cyclones; also, storm reports for all the 2004 Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific cyclones are now available, as well as track charts and reports on storms from earlier years. The URL is: A special thanks to Michael Bath of McLeans Ridges, New South Wales, Australia, for assisting me with proofreading the summaries. PREPARED BY Gary Padgett E-mail: garyp@alaweb.com Phone: 334-222-5327 Kevin Boyle (Eastern Atlantic, Western Northwest Pacific, South China Sea) E-mail: newchapelobservatory@btinternet.com Huang Chunliang (Assistance with Western Northwest Pacific, South China Sea) E-mail: huangchunliang@hotmail.com Simon Clarke (Northeast Australia/Coral Sea, South Pacific) E-mail: saclarke@iprimus.com.au ************************************************************************* ************************************************************************* Posted: 10.14.05 / Typhoon2000.ph, Typhoon2000.com