MONTHLY GLOBAL TROPICAL CYCLONE SUMMARY MAY, 2007 (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.) SPECIAL NOTE - CYCLONE TRACKING INFORMATION There is a U. S. Navy site that tracks tropical cyclones at 6-hourly intervals which often includes pre and post-advisory positions. The link to the site is: These tracks are often updated as further analysis occurs and may be considered as sort of a working "best track". Steve Young has compiled many of these tracks onto a single webpage which is very user-friendly: (I have also included the above information in the Sources of Tropical Cyclone Information section following the coverage of the various basins and will not repeat it here in subsequent summaries.) ************************************************************************* MAY HIGHLIGHTS --> Subtropical storm forms off Southeast U. S. Coast --> Two tropical storms form in Northeast Pacific basin --> Strong typhoon in Northwest Pacific strikes Iwo Jima --> Cyclonic storm in Bay of Bengal strikes Bangladesh --> Short-lived weak cyclone near New Guinea concludes Southern Hemisphere season ************************************************************************* CYCLONE TRACK GRAPHICS John Diebolt of Tucson, Arizona, produces track graphics of all the tropical and subtropical systems for which I prepare a tabular track in the companion cyclone tracks file. These can be accessed at the following URL: Scroll down the chart to the month of interest and click on the green bar under "Operational Track Image" for the desired system. The tabular track of positions and intensities may also be obtained from the above website, or from the other archival sites listed in the Author's Note in the closing section of this summary. ************************************************************************* WIKIPEDIA TROPICAL CYCLONE REPORTS Short reports with satellite pictures and small-scale maps for all tropical cyclones may be found at the following links: For some storms more detailed reports have been prepared. In those cases I will include the specific links in the reports for the applicable tropical cyclones. ************************************************************************* !!!!!!!!!!!! EXTRA FEATURE !!!!!!!!!!! GLOSSARY of ABBREVIATIONS and ACRONYMS AOML/HRD - Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory/ Hurricane Research Division, located on Virginia Key, Miami, Florida, U.S.A. AOR - area of responsibility BoM - Australia's Bureau of Meteorology CDO - central dense overcast CI - current intensity CIMSS - Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (University of Wisconsin-Madison) CP - central pressure CPHC - Central Pacific Hurricane Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A. CWBT - Central Weather Bureau of Taiwan FLW - flight level wind (or winds) FTP - file transfer protocol H - hurricane, a tropical cyclone with a peak 1-min avg MSW >= 64 kts HD - hurricane day, four 6-hour periods in which a H is operating HKO - Hong Kong Observatory hPa - hectopascal, numerically equivalent to millibar HPC - Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, Camp Springs, Maryland IH - intense hurricane, a tropical cyclone with a peak 1-min avg MSW >= 96 kts IHD - intense hurricane day, four 6-hour periods in which an IH is operating IMD - India Meteorological Department (RSMC New Delhi, India) JMA - Japanese Meteorological Agency (RSMC Tokyo, Japan) JTWC - Joint Typhoon Warning Center, formerly on Guam, now at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii km - kilometer, or kilometre kt - knot = 1 nautical mile per hour LLCC - low-level circulation center m - meter, or metre mb - millibar, numerically equivalent to hectopascal (hPa) MFR - Meteo France on Reunion Island mm - millimeter MSW - maximum sustained wind(s) (either 1-min avg or 10-min avg) nm - nautical mile = 6076.12 feet or 1852.0 meters NMCC - National Meteorological Center of China NPMOC - Naval Pacific Meteorological and Oceanographic Center, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, U.S.A. NS - named storm, a tropical or subtropical cyclone with a peak 1-min avg MSW >= 34 kts (Note: Term frequently used for systems occurring prior to formal naming of TCs and for unnamed systems analyzed to be TCs in post-season analysis.) NSD - named storm day, four 6-hour periods in which a NS is operating NTC - net tropical cyclone activity, and index of overall tropical cyclone activity, comprised of an average of the averages of the six parameters NS, NSD, H, HD, IH, and IHD calculated for some specified period of record PAGASA - Philippines' Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration RSMC - Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre SLP - sea level pressure SST - sea surface temperature STS - severe tropical storm (MSW greater than 47 kts) STWO - Significant Tropical Weather Outlook - bulletin issued daily by JTWC giving information about various areas of disturbed weather and the potential for tropical cyclone development TC - tropical cyclone TCFA - Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert - issued by JTWC when a tropical cyclone is expected to develop within the next 24 hours TCWC - Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre (generic term) TD - tropical depression TPC/NHC - Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center, Miami, Florida, U.S.A. TS - tropical storm WMO - World Meteorological Organization, headquartered at Geneva, Switzerland UTC - Universal Time Coordinated, equivalent to Greenwich Mean Time or Zulu (Z) ************************************************************************* ACTIVITY BY BASINS ATLANTIC (ATL) - North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico Activity for May: 1 subtropical storm 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: 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. Atlantic Tropical Activity for May ---------------------------------- An extratropical LOW off the southeastern U. S. coast in early May subsequently evolved into Subtropical Storm Andrea--the first named storm in the month of May in the Atlantic basin since Tropical Storm Arlene in 1981. Andrea did not make the transition into a fully tropical storm, so 26 seasons have now elapsed without a tropical storm in May--the longest such period since prior to 1932. Since 1932, the pervious longest period without a tropical storm in May has been 11 years: from 1959 to 1970, and from 1970 to 1981. May tropical storms have formed in 1932, 1933, 1934, 1940, 1948, 1951, 1953, 1959, 1970 and 1981. No officially-recognized subtropical storms have occurred in May since 1976, but there are some candidates which may be added to the Atlantic Best Tracks database during the ongoing re-analysis. Andrea is the fifth subtropical storm to be named since a change in operational procedure in late 2001 led to the practice of naming subtropical storms from the list of tropical cyclone names. A report on Subtropical Storm Andrea follows. An area of disturbed weather in the Northwest Caribbean Sea late in the month spawned an area of low pressure near western Cuba which moved northward into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. On the first day of June a tropical depression formed which later in the day became Tropical Storm Barry--the first fully tropical storm of the season. A report on Barry will be included in the June summary. The official TPC/NHC storm report on Andrea (as well as Barry) is already available at the following link: SUBTROPICAL STORM ANDREA (TC-01) 6 - 14 May -------------------------------------------- A. General Information ---------------------- 1. Identification a. RSMC - Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center (NHC), Miami, Florida b. NHC - Subtropical Cyclone 01 c. NAME - Andrea (named by NHC at May 09/1500 UTC) 2. Overview a. Basins Affected: Atlantic Ocean (ATL) b. Dates: 6 - 14 May, 2007 c. Max Sust Winds: 40 kts (1-min avg per NHC) d. Min Cent Press: 1002 hPa (estimate per NHC) Note: The MSW and CP above are for the subtropical portion of Andrea's history. Based on OPC's High Seas Forecasts, the parent extratropical storm had winds to 70 kts with an estimated pressure 998 hPa before transition to a subtropical storm occurred. 3. Beginning of Track: May 06/1200 UTC, near 35.0N/74.0W, or about 75 nm east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. 4. Peak Intensity: May 09/1200 UTC, near 30.8N/79.1W, or about 120 nm southeast of Savannah, Georgia. (It should be noted that NHC's MSW was at 40 kts from 09/1200 through 10/1200 UTC. Also, see note above under sub-section A.2.) 5. Size: At Andrea's peak as a subtropical storm, gales extended outward from the center 100 nm in the eastern semicircle and 60 nm in the western semicircle. 6. End of Track: May 14/1200 UTC, near 32.0N/64.0W, or about 50 nm east-southeast of Bermuda. B. Synoptic History ------------------- 1. Origin: Subtropical Storm Andrea was the first named Atlantic system to form in the month of May since Tropical Storm Arlene in 1981, which developed in the Northwestern Caribbean during the first week of the month. The system was also the first pre-season storm to form since April, 2003, when Tropical Storm Ana formed in the same general area. Andrea's origin lay with an extratropical cyclone which formed in association with an upper-level trough over the western Atlantic Ocean. Models were calling for a closed low-pressure area to form, and by 1200 UTC on 6 May a frontal LOW with gale-force winds had formed and lay centered about 75 nm east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Due mainly to a very tight pressure gradient with a strong HIGH to the north, the LOW quickly strengthened and within 12 hours was producing 70-kt winds, as reported in OPC's High Seas Forecasts. Over the next few days the LOW drifted generally in a southerly direction off the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia. As the pressure gradient weakened, the winds slowly lessened. The LOW from the first had been accompanied by some scattered convection, and by the 8th the convection had increased to the point that NHC began to mention the possibility of tropical or subtropical storm genesis. The system became stationary for awhile on the 8th, then began to drift slowly westward on the 9th. An Air Force reconnaissance plane investigated the LOW on the morning of 9 May for several hours. The plane found a rather flat temperature profile with neither a discernible warm nor cold core at any vertical level. Satellite imagery indicated that convection had consolidated closer to the center as compared to the previous day, and there was also a hint of upper-level outflow, which had been completely absent the previous day. Also, the radius of maximum winds had contracted to about 50-60 nm from more than 100 nm on the 8th. All this indicated that the LOW had acquired a hybrid structure; hence, advisories were initiated on Subtropical Storm Andrea at 09/1500 UTC. Andrea's center was located about 120 nm southeast of Savannah, Georgia, and was drifting very slowly westward. Even though the storm had made the transition from an extratropical to a subtropical cyclone, the peak winds had weakened, and the initial advisory estimated the MSW at 40 kts, which turned out to be the peak for the subtropical portion of Andrea's history. 2. General Description of Track: By the afternoon of 9 May Andrea had embarked on a slow, almost due south, track off the northeastern Florida coast. Almost immediately after being named the subtropical storm's appearance in satellite imagery began to deteriorate. A combination of dry air, some northwesterly shear, and SSTs of 25 C or less created an environment which was certainly not conducive for strengthening of a tropical or subtropical storm. The NHC discussion at 10/0300 UTC noted that Andrea consisted of several small swirls embedded within a larger circulation. Most of the associated weather was located in the eastern half of the circulation within a band of moderate convection. By 1500 UTC the deep convection was disappearing quickly with only a few thunderstorms remaining in the northeastern quadrant. Since the strongest flight-level winds measured by a reconnaissance plane at 300 m were less than 40 kts, Andrea was down- graded at 10/1500 UTC to a subtropical depression. The final NHC advisory on Andrea was issued at 11/0300 UTC, placing the remnant LOW about 70 nm northeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Andrea's remnant LOW continued to drift southward for another day or so, then began to track generally toward the northeast. As the system continued to pull away from the U. S. coast, environmental shear decreased and deep convection began to flare up, helping to regenerate a rather tight, tropical-like, circulation center. A visible image taken at 1645 UTC on 13 May shows a small eye-like feature, and a BYU QuikScat/Hires wind speed product at 13/0938 UTC also gave indications of a tight circulation center with estimated winds of over 40 kts. It seems possible that Andrea may have made the transition to a more tropical system on the 12th and 13th and possibly even briefly reached tropical storm intensity. It will be interesting to see if such a determination is made during post-storm analysis. Andrea continued to accelerate east-northeastward ahead of an approaching front and apparently was absorbed by another extratropical LOW center around 1200 UTC on 14 May about 50 nm east- southeast of Bermuda. The Wikipedia report on Subtropical Storm Andrea may be accessed at the following URL: C. Meteorological Data ---------------------- Most of the significant weather felt along the southeastern U. S. coastline occurred during the early extratropical stage of Andrea. According to the Wikipedia report, winds reached 45 kts in Norfolk, Virginia, with an unofficial report of 50 kts near Virginia Beach. A storm tide of 2.43 m was recorded at St. Simons Island, Georgia. With most of the convection east of the center, rainfall amounts were generally rather light, which was unfortunate due to the extremely dry conditions and widespread wildfires prevalent across northeastern Florida and southeastern Georgia. D. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ High waves generated by both the extratropical LOW and Subtropical Storm Andrea caused significant beach erosion and damage to boats and shore structures from Virginia to Florida. In Virginia and the Outer Banks of North Carolina there was some wind damage to roofs and trees with some power outages resulting from tree limbs being blown onto power lines. There was hope that Andrea might produce enough rainfall to help douse the extensive wildfires burning in southern Georgia and northern Florida. However, rainfall was light, and the gusty winds instead fanned the flames, helping to spread the fires and interfering with firefighting efforts. The winds spread smoke from the fires all the way to Miami. A boat off the Outer Banks with four occupants aboard was reported missing and remained so after twelve days. Rough waves from the parent extratropical LOW left two kayakers missing near Seabrook Island, South Carolina. One was found the next day, but the other was found dead a week later. One surfer drowned in the rough seas at New Smyrna Beach, Florida. More details regarding the impacts of Subtropical Storm Andrea may be found in the online Wikipedia report, from which most of the information in the preceding two sections was taken. (Report written by Gary Padgett) ************************************************************************* NORTHEAST PACIFIC (NEP) - North Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 180 Activity for May: 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 May ------------------------------------------- Two tropical storms formed in the Eastern North Pacific during May for the first time since 1984. The only other such occasion was in 1956. Over the period 1971-2006, the May averages for the Northeast Pacific basin are: NS - 0.56 NSD - 1.85 H - 0.29 HD - 0.49 IH - 0.06 IHD - 0.08 Neither storm reached hurricane intensity, and the two cyclones combined yielded a total of 2.75 NSD (during May, that is--Barbara generated an additional 1.25 NSD in early June). So, all things considered, tropical cyclone activity during May was about average. Reports on Tropical Storms Alvin and Barbara follow. The official TPC/NHC report on Tropical Storm Alvin is already available at the following link: TROPICAL STORM ALVIN (TC-01E) 27 - 31 May ---------------------------------------- A. General Information ---------------------- 1. Identification a. RSMC - Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center (NHC), Miami, Florida b. NHC - Tropical Cyclone 01E c. NAME - Alvin (named by NHC at May 29/0300 UTC) 2. Overview a. Basins Affected: Northeast Pacific Ocean (NEP) b. Dates: 27 - 31 May, 2007 c. Max Sust Winds: 35 kts (1-min avg per NHC) d. Min Cent Press: 1004 hPa (estimate per NHC) 3. Beginning of Track: May 27/0000 UTC, near 12.6N/110.6W, or about 550 nm southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. 4. Peak Intensity: May 29/0000 UTC, near 12.6N/113.4W, or about 650 nm southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. (It should be noted that NHC's MSW was at 35 kts from 29/0000 through 30/0600 UTC.) 5. Size: At its peak Tropical Storm Alvin was a rather small tropical cyclone with gales extending outward from the center 50 nm in all quadrants. 6. End of Track: May 31/1800 UTC, near 12.8N/116.0W, or about 450 nm southwest of Socorro Island. B. Synoptic History ------------------- 1. Origin: Over the 30-year period 1970-1999, the first Eastern North Pacific tropical storm appeared in May thirteen times, or in 43% of the years. However, beginning in 2000, the first named NEP system has formed in late May every year, and 2007 was no exception. A tropical wave entered the Eastern North Pacific on 18 May and moved westward over the next few days with little development. By 24 May a broad area of low pressure had formed along the wave about 475 nm south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. Organization gradually increased and the system was classified as Tropical Depression 01E early on 27 May while centered about 550 nm southwest of Manzanillo. The depression struggled in a less-than-optimum thermodynamic environment, and later on the 27th the convection weakened and the system was barely classifiable as a tropical depression. Also, TD-01E was competing for inflow with another disturbance to its southeast (which ultimately developed into Tropical Storm Barbara). Convection began to redevelop on the 28th and the depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Alvin early on the 29th while located approximately 650 nm southwest of Manzanillo. 2. General Description of Track: Throughout its existence Tropical Storm Alvin moved on a generally slow westerly track. The cyclone did not intensify beyond minimal tropical storm intensity, and by late on the 29th convection was diminishing again. Alvin was downgraded back to tropical depression status at 0900 UTC on 30 May and continued to slowly weaken as it plodded westward. By the morning of 31 May Alvin had lost all its deep convection, and at 2100 UTC that afternoon NHC issued its final advisory on the system, downgrading it to a remnant LOW located about 450 nm southwest of Socorro Island. The remnant LOW subsequently drifted westward for the better part of a week with convection intermittently flaring up within the circulation. By early on 4 June convection had increased to the point that NHC considered redevelopment a possibility. However, by the 6th the thunderstorm activity had diminished and further development was not anticipated. C. Meteorological Data ---------------------- No observations taken in association with Tropical Storm Alvin are available. D. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ No damage or casualties are known to have resulted from Tropical Storm Alvin. (Report written by Gary Padgett) TROPICAL STORM BARBARA (TC-02E) 29 May - 2 June ------------------------------------------ A. General Information ---------------------- 1. Identification a. RSMC - Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center (NHC), Miami, Florida b. NHC - Tropical Cyclone 02E c. NAME - Barbara (named by NHC at May 30/1500 UTC) 2. Overview a. Basins Affected: Northeast Pacific Ocean (NEP) b. Dates: 29 May - 2 June, 2007 c. Max Sust Winds: 45 kts (1-min avg per NHC) d. Min Cent Press: 1000 hPa (estimate per NHC) 3. Beginning of Track: May 29/1800 UTC, near 14.2N/97.7W, or about 200 nm southwest of Salina Cruz, Mexico. 4. Peak Intensity: June 01/1800 UTC, near 13.3N/94.1W, or about 200 nm south-southeast of Salina Cruz, Mexico. (It should be noted that NHC's MSW was at 45 kts from 01/1800 through 02/1800 UTC.) 5. Size: At its peak Tropical Storm Barbara was a rather small tropical cyclone with gale radii of 60 nm in the eastern semicircle and around 40 nm in the western quadrants. However, shortly before landfall in Mexico the gale radii were estimated at only 30 nm in all quadrants. 6. End of Track: June 02/2100 UTC, near 15.5N/92.2W, or inland in extreme southeastern Mexico near the Guatemalan border. B. Synoptic History ------------------- 1. Origin: A slow-moving tropical wave emerged from Central America into the Eastern North Pacific on 24 May, producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms for the next couple of days. On 28 May a small area of low pressure formed a couple hundred miles southwest of the Gulf of Tehuantepec as the wave interacted with the ITCZ. Convection became better organized on the 29th and advisories on Tropical Depression 02E were initiated at 2100 UTC with the center located approximately 200 nm southwest of Salina Cruz, Mexico, or about 100 nm southwest of Puerto Angel. The development of this system in fairly close proximity to Tropical Storm Alvin was one of the factors which helped to inhibit Alvin from strengthening by competing with the storm for inflow. TD-02E moved slowly south- eastward and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Barbara at 1500 UTC on 30 May while located about 180 nm southwest of Salina Cruz. The formation of two tropical storms during the month of May has not occurred in the Eastern North Pacific basin since 1984, when Alma and Boris both formed during the latter part of May. Tropical Storm Alma formed on 17 May very deep in the tropics far to the south of Acapulco and became a tropical storm the next day, peaking at 50 kts on 19 May. Alma followed an extremely straight westerly track, dissipating far to the southwest of Baja California. Remarkably, the center of Tropical Storm Alma remained below 10N, the northernmost latitude of its entire track being 9.6N. The second May storm of 1984, Hurricane Boris, formed on 28 May south of the Gulf of Tehuantepec in the same general region that this year's Barbara developed. Boris quickly reached tropical storm intensity as it moved west-northwestward roughly parallel to the Mexican coastline, and very briefly became a 65-kt hurricane on the 30th while southeast of Acapulco. The storm then began to weaken and was downgraded to a tropical depression south of Acapulco on 1 June. Boris spent almost two weeks as a weak depression (at times only 20 kts), describing a counter-clockwise loop south of Acapulco, then embarking on a slow westerly course just south of the 15th parallel. Finally, on 13 June while located several hundred miles south of the tip of the Baja, Boris regained tropical storm intensity and turned to a north- northwesterly track, peaking at 50 kts on the 14th. Upon reaching the 20th parallel on 17 June, Boris turned back to the west-northwest and quickly dissipated. The entire lifespan of Hurricane Boris extended from 28 May through 18 June, making it certainly one of the longer-lived Eastern North Pacific cyclones on record, especially among those storms whose entire tracks lay east of longitude 140W. 2. General Description of Track: Tropical Storm Barbara moved initially south-southeastward and later eastward due to the steering influence of an upper-level trough over the Gulf of Mexico. A ridge extended southeastward from the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, and after Barbara had tracked eastward to just east of the 95th meridian, a weakness developed in the ridge which allowed the tropical cyclone to track northeastward toward the Central American coast. Barbara reached an initial peak intensity of 40 kts at 1800 UTC on 30 May. However, an increase in vertical shear and a decrease in low-level inflow on the 31st resulted in some weakening and Barbara was downgraded to a tropical depression early on 1 June. Later in the day, however, banding features began to redevelop and a QuikScat overpass indicated the existence of a well-defined circulation. Barbara was re-upgraded to tropical storm status at 01/1500 UTC, and in a relatively favorable environment, soon reached its peak intensity of 45 kts. The storm took aim at the border between Mexico and Guatemala, moving inland shortly after 1200 UTC on 2 June. Satellite imagery indicated that a low-level eye feature developed shortly before landfall. Once inland, the cyclone began to quickly weaken over the mountainous terrain and NHC issued the final advisory on the system at 02/2100 UTC with the center located about 65 km north- northeast of Tapachula, Mexico. The exact point of landfall appeared to be in Mexico about 25 nm west of the Guatemalan border. The Wikipedia report on Tropical Storm Barbara may be accessed at the following URL: C. Meteorological Data ---------------------- As Barbara moved inland an automated surface observation from the Mexican Navy at Puerto Madero reported 31-kt winds with gusts to 46 kts and a pressure of 1003.4 mb. An observation at Tapachula reported a pressure of 1005.1 mb. D. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ According to the online Wikipedia report, damage from Barbara was minor, limited to downed light poles, damaged roofs, and a brief power outage. In Ocos, Guatemala, near the border, the roofs of about a dozen palm huts were destroyed and heavy rainfall led to some flooding--the island of Ocos was separated from the mainland after a bridge was washed away. (Report written by Gary Padgett) ************************************************************************* NORTHWEST PACIFIC (NWP) - North Pacific Ocean West of Longitude 180 Activity for May: 1 typhoon 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 Philippines' Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). A very special thanks to Michael for the assistance he so reliably provides. 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 May ------------------------------------------- Only one tropical cyclone came to life in the Northwest Pacific basin during May, but it became a very impressive storm. Typhoon Yutu followed a typical recurving track from deep in the tropics, passing near Yap, and recurving approximately halfway between Luzon and the Marianas. Yutu peaked at 125 kts (per JTWC's analysis), only 5 kts shy of super typhoon status. As the storm began to accelerate northeastward, it passed very near the tiny island of Iwo Jima. A report on Typhoon Yutu, authored by Kevin Boyle, follows. TYPHOON YUTU (TC-02W / TY 0702 / AMANG) 15 - 25 May ---------------------------------------------- A. General Information ---------------------- 1. Identification a. RSMC - Japanese Meteorological Agency, Tokyo (JMA) b. JMA - Typhoon 0702 c. JTWC - Tropical Cyclone 02w d. NAME - Yutu (named by JMA at May 17/0600 UTC; name contributed to the regional list by China, and is the Jade Hare. The hare which lives on the moon. Chang'e, wife of Yi (a tribal chief in ancient China), stole her husband's elixir of immortality, and fled to the moon together with the hare. They are said to be still living there in a palace.) e. PAGASA - Typhoon Amang 2. Overview a. Basins Affected: Northwest Pacific Ocean (NWP) b. Dates: 15 - 25 May, 2007 c. Max Sust Winds: 125 kts (1-min avg per JTWC) 95 kts (10-min avg per JMA) d. Min Cent Press: 935 hPa (estimate per JMA) 3. Beginning of Track: May 15/0600 UTC, near 8.8N/146.5E, or about 300 nm south-southeast of Guam, as referenced in a High Seas bulletin issued by JMA. 4. Peak Intensity: May 20/1200 UTC, near 19.8N/135.3E, or about 450 nm southwest of Iwo Jima. 5. Size: At its peak Typhoon Yutu was an average-sized cyclone with gale radii averaging between 120-140 nm. 6. End of Track: May 25/0600 UTC, near 37.0N/173.0W, or about 575 nm north-northeast of Midway Island. B. Synoptic History ------------------- 1. Origin: Typhoon Yutu was first mentioned as a disturbance in JTWC's STWO at 1300 UTC 13 May, located approximately 120 nm southwest of Chuuk. The system passed 260 nm south of Guam on 15 May, and a TCFA was issued at 15/1030 UTC, based on significant consolidation of the system over the previous 12 hours. Convection was mostly confined to the northern periphery of the disturbance with weak, convective banding developing in the western and southern quadrants. Remarks in a 2nd TCFA at 16/1030 UTC included: "Recent enhanced infrared satellite imagery indicates an increasingly well-defined LLCC also evident in a 16/0807 UTC microwave satellite pass. The disturbance continues to organize slowly, with the strongest convection persisting in a zone of low-level convergence east of the LLCC. Upper-level analysis reveals good poleward and equatorward diffluence associated with ridging aloft. 2. General Description of Track: The first warning on Tropical Depression 02W at 1200 UTC 16 May placed the centre approximately 320 nm east of Yap. Drifting westwards south of a subtropical ridge, TD-02W intensified and was upgraded to a tropical storm by both JMA and JTWC at 0600 UTC 17 May while passing near Yap, the name being assigned by JMA. Turning west-northwestward, Yutu continued to strengthen and became a typhoon on 18 May. On 19 May Yutu veered northwards into a weakness in the subtropical ridge induced by a mid-latitude trough over Korea and northeastern China. The typhoon continued to intensify and reached its peak intensity of 125 kts at 20/1200 UTC, around 24 hours after reaching its recurvature point. Continuing northeast, Yutu began to slowly weaken, passing very near Iwo Jima on 21 May. Extratropical transition was completed by 22 May. The remnant extratropical gale moved quickly east-northeastward across the North Pacific, crossing the Dateline around 1800 UTC on 24 May. By 25/0600 UTC the system had weakened to 30 kts near 37.0N/173.0W. C. Meteorological Data ---------------------- 1. The highest wind gust reported on Iwo Jima was 104 kts at 1500 UTC 21 May with a sustained wind of 68 kts at 21/1440 UTC. The lowest pressure was 976 mb at 21/1500 UTC. 2. A peak wind gust of 34 kt was observed on Yap at 1353 UTC 17 May. D. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ There were no reports of damage or casualties associated with Typhoon Yutu. (Report written by Kevin Boyle) ************************************************************************* NORTH INDIAN OCEAN (NIO) - Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea Activity for May: 1 depression ** 1 cyclonic storm ** - not treated as a tropical depression by JTWC 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. Occasionally some information may be gleaned from the daily tropical weather outlooks and other bulletins issued by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), which is the World Meteorological Organization's Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC) for the basin. The reported maximum sustained winds (MSW) are based on a 1-minute averaging period, which is used by all U. S. civilian and military weather services for tropical cyclone warnings. For synoptic observations in the North Indian Ocean region, both 10-minute and 3-minute average winds are employed, but IMD makes no attempt to modify the Dvorak scale for estimating tropical cyclone intensity; hence, a 1-minute average MSW is implied. In the North Indian Ocean basin JTWC usually does not initiate warnings until a system has become well-organized and likely to attain tropical storm status within 48 hours. NOTE ON WIND AVERAGING TIMES IN THE NORTH INDIAN OCEAN ------------------------------------------------------ As a result of some discussion with one of the Wikipedia writers who covers many Indian Ocean cyclones, I revisited the wind averaging issue with Dr. O. P. Singh, formerly associated with RSMC New Delhi but now the new Director of Satellite Meteorology in IMD. Dr. Singh reconfirmed what is stated above--that IMD does not modify the Dvorak scale when estimating the peak winds in tropical cyclones. This was very apparent in some of the advisories on Super Cyclonic Storm Gonu in June which gave the analyzed Dvorak CI number as well as the estimated maximum sustained wind. However, another party within IMD stated to the Wikipedia writer that their cyclone winds were assumed to be 3-minute averages. Therefore, the Wikipedia reports for the North Indian Ocean cyclones have been modified to indicate that the official RSMC wind estimates are 3-minute averages. Obviously, the difference between a peak 1-minute average and a peak 3-minute average would be negligible--far less than the average error inherent in estimating tropical cyclone intensity using the Dvorak method. North Indian Ocean Tropical Activity for May -------------------------------------------- The North Indian Ocean basin, encompassing the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, is the least active of the world's tropical cyclone basins, averaging about 5 NS per year. (This is based on the period 1981-2002.) November is the most active month (1.5 NS) while October is the second- most active (1.0 NS). Most activity occurs in the spring and autumn transition seasons when the ITCZ is moving northward and southward through the region. The months of October-December produce about 61% of all NS, while about 27% form during the months of May and June. The 2007 season began right on schedule when Cyclonic Storm Akash formed in mid-May in the Bay of Bengal and tracked steadily northward toward a landfall in Bangladesh. A report on this system follows. Earlier, another system was classified as a depression by the Thai and Indian Meteorological Services. This system formed late in April east of the Malay Peninsula (actually in the Northwest Pacific basin) and drifted westward, crossing the Peninsula and entering the Andaman Sea. IMD designated the disturbance as a depression on 3 May after it had strengthened slightly. The depression subsequently moved northward and made a second landfall in Myanmar on 5 May. This system brought significant rainfall to portions of Thailand. JTWC mentioned this system in the daily STWOs for a few days, and assigned a development potential of 'fair' on 1 May, but no TCFA was ever issued. JTWC estimated the maximum intensity at 20-25 kts, which corroborates well with IMD's classification as a depression (as opposed to a 'deep depression'). More information on this system can be found in the Wikipedia report, from which some of the above information was obtained. CYCLONIC STORM AKASH (TC-01B) 12 - 15 May ---------------------------------------- A. General Information ---------------------- 1. Identification a. RSMC - India Meteorological Department (IMD), New Delhi b. JTWC - Tropical Cyclone 01B c. NAME - Akash (named by IMD at May 14/0000 UTC; name contributed to the regional list by India) 2. Overview a. Basins Affected: North Indian Ocean (NIO) b. Dates: 12 - 15 May, 2007 c. Max Sust Winds: 65 kts (1-min avg per JTWC) 45 kts (1-min avg per IMD) d. Min Cent Press: 988 hPa (estimate per IMD) 3. Beginning of Track: May 12/1800 UTC, near 14.4N/90.6E, or about 500 nm south-southwest of Chittagong, Bangladesh, as referenced in a satellite bulletin from JTWC. 4. Peak Intensity: May 14/1800 UTC, near 21.4N/92.1E, or about 65 nm south-southeast of Chittagong, Bangladesh. 5. Size: At its peak Cyclonic Storm Akash was a fairly small tropical cyclone with gale radii of 55-65 nm to the north and 70 nm in the southern semicircle. 6. End of Track: May 15/0000 UTC, near 22.4N/92.4E, or inland about 45 km east-southeast of Chittagong, Bangladesh. B. Synoptic History ------------------- 1. Origin: Cyclonic Storm Akash, the first tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity in the North Indian Ocean during 2007, had its origins within an area of convection which developed in the Bay of Bengal and at 12 May 1000 UTC was located about 320 nm west- southwest of Yangon, Myanmar. A LLCC was consolidating with convection present along the periphery. Vertical shear was moderate and divergence aloft was weak but improving. JTWC initially assessed the development potential as 'poor', but this was upped to 'fair' at 1800 UTC as the disturbance was showing some signs of increased organization. The system exhibited some of the characteristics of a monsoon depression with the strongest winds located on the outer periphery of the circulation, as revealed in a 12/1141 UTC QuikScat pass. The LOW remained quasi-stationary until early on the 13th when a pronounced northerly motion commenced. The LLCC continued to consolidate and a 13/0419 UTC TRMM microwave image revealed convection wrapping into the LLCC from the northern and southwestern quadrants. IMD classified the disturbance as a depression at 13/0300 UTC, and JTWC issued a TCFA for the system at 13/1100 UTC. The environment had become extremely conducive for development with a mid-latitude trough over northeastern India aiding poleward outflow and an anticyclone developing over the disturbance at 200 hPa. JTWC issued the first warning on TC-01B at 13/1800 UTC with the center located approximately 300 nm west of Yangon, Myanmar, and moving northward at 7 kts. The system was being steered northward along the western periphery of a mid-level ridge extending from the South China Sea into eastern Myanmar. The initial warning intensity was 35 kts. At 13/2100 UTC IMD upgraded the depression to deep depression status, implying peak 1-min avg winds of 30 kts. 2. General Description of Track: TC-01B continued to steadily intensify; by 14/0000 UTC winds had reached 50 kts based on satellite bulletins from AFWA, SAB and JTWC. At 14/0000 UTC IMD upgraded the system to cyclonic storm status, assigning the name Akash. Cyclonic Storm Akash never deviated from its track which was very slightly east of due north. A 14/0202 UTC SSMI/S microwave image revealed deep convection fully wrapping around the LLCC. At 14/0600 UTC Akash was located about 255 nm south of Chittagong, Bangladesh, and the northerly motion had increased to 15 kts. Cyclonic Storm Akash reached its estimated peak intensity of 65 kts at 14/1800 UTC when it was centered only 60 nm south-southeast of Chittagong and moving inland into extreme southeastern Bangladesh. Tightly-curved banding was evident in satellite imagery and a 14/1539 UTC AMSU image indicated a developing eye. Dvorak estimates from AFWA and JTWC had reached T4.0/4.0 by this time, while the final estimate from SAB at 14/1430 UTC was T3.5/3.5. However, IMD's peak MSW for Akash was only 45 kts with an attendant estimated minimum CP of 988 hPa. The cyclone's forward motion had accelerated to 17 kts by the time of landfall as it was under the steering influence of the deep-layer anticyclone centered over Southeast Asia and the mid-latitude shortwave trough to the northwest of the storm. After landfall Akash began to quickly weaken; JTWC issued their final warning at 15/0000 UTC with the winds down to 50 kts and the center located about 65 km east-northeast of Chittagong. IMD, however, down- graded Akash to a deep depression at this time and further to a 25-kt depression at 15/0300 UTC. By 1200 UTC the former tropical cyclone had degenerated into a low-pressure area over the extreme eastern Indian state of Assam. The Wikipedia report on Cyclonic Storm Akash may be accessed at the following URL: C. Meteorological Data ---------------------- According to the online Wikipedia report, Sittwe, Myanmar, experienced a storm tide of 3 m which flooded coastal areas. Near its landfall location Akash produced a storm tide of 1.5 m. One station (name or location unknown) recorded 53 mm of rainfall in association with Akash. Chittagong, about 60 nm north of the point of landfall, reported peak winds of only 20 kts with a minimum SLP of 996.8 hPa. D. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ Near the point of landfall 30 businesses were destroyed, and the cyclone also destroyed 205 houses with 845 damaged. Akash caused moderate crop damage near the coast, destroying 2 ha (4.9 acres) of shrimp farms. The Cox's Bazar District experienced power outages due to strong winds, and 200 trees were downed on St. Martin's Island. Reports indicated that 10 boats were missing with a total of 50 fishermen aboard. On St. Martin's Island three fatalities were confirmed. More information can be obtained from the Wikipedia report. (Report written by Gary Padgett) ************************************************************************* SOUTHWEST INDIAN OCEAN (SWI) - South Indian Ocean West of Longitude 90E Activity for May: No tropical cyclones ************************************************************************* NORTHWEST AUSTRALIA/SOUTHEAST INDIAN OCEAN (AUW) - From 90E to 135E Activity for May: No tropical cyclones ************************************************************************* NORTHEAST AUSTRALIA/CORAL SEA (AUE) - From 135E to 160E Activity for May: 1 tropical cyclone of gale intensity Sources of Information ---------------------- The primary sources of tracking and intensity information for Northeast Australia/Coral Sea tropical cyclones are the warnings and advices issued by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres at Brisbane, Queensland, and Darwin, Northern Territory, and on very infrequent occasions, by the centre at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. References to sustained winds imply a 10-minute averaging period unless otherwise stated. In the companion tropical cyclone tracks file, I occasionally annotate positions from warnings issued by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) of the U. S. Air Force and Navy, located at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when they differ from the Australian centres' coor- dinates by usually 40-50 nm or more. The JTWC warnings are also the source of the 1-minute average maximum sustained wind values included in the tracks file. Additionally, information describing details of satellite imagery and atmospheric circulation features included in the narratives is often gleaned from the JTWC warnings. Northeast Australia/Coral Sea Tropical Activity for May --------------------------- After lying dormant for over two months, the Coral Sea managed to produce one more tropical cyclone during the 2006-2007 season. Tropical Cyclone Pierre was a minimal, short-lived system in mid-May which formed to the east of southeastern Papua New Guinea. After existing as a tropical cyclone for less than two days, the remnant LOW moved westward across the southeastern tip of New Guinea into the Torres Strait, finally dissipating near the northern tip of Australia's Cape York Peninsula. Following is a report on Pierre, written by Simon Clarke. TROPICAL CYCLONE PIERRE (TC-24P) 16 - 21 May ------------------------------------------- A. General Information ---------------------- 1. Identification a. RSMC - BoM Brisbane b. JTWC - Tropical Cyclone 24P c. NAME - Pierre (named by BoM Brisbane at May 17/0000 UTC) 2. Overview a. Basins Affected: Northeast Australia/Coral Sea (AUE) b. Dates: 16 - 21 May, 2007 c. Max Sust Winds: 40 kts (10-min avg per BoM Brisbane) 35 kts (1-min avg per JTWC) d. Min Cent Press: 992 hPa (estimate per BoM Brisbane) 3. Beginning of Track: May 16/0000 UTC, near 10.3S/157.2E, or about 175 nm west-southwest of Honiara, Guadalcanal, as referenced in initial gale warning issued by BoM Brisbane. 4. Peak Intensity: May 17/0000 UTC, near 10.7S/156.6E, or about 215 nm west-southwest of Honiara, Guadalcanal. (It should be noted that BoM Brisbane's MSW was at 40 kts from 17/0000 through 18/0600 UTC.) 5. Size: Based on BoM Brisbane's warnings, at its peak Tropical Cyclone Pierre was an average-sized cyclone with gales extending outward about 100 nm from the center. 6. End of Track: May 21/1800 UTC, near 11.0S/143.0E, or over the extreme northern tip of the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. B. Synoptic History ------------------- 1. Origin: Pierre originated from a tropical LOW embedded in the inter- tropical convergence zone. The LOW was clearly visible as a diurnally ‘flaring’ westward-moving depression in the Solomon Sea several days prior to consolidation into a cyclone. With good upper- level outflow to the north and south and low vertical wind shear, thunderstorm activity concentrated around the LLCC, leading to intensification into a tropical cyclone at 17/00600 UTC near 10.7S/156.6E (or approximately 215 nm WSW of Honiara, Guadalcanal). The cyclone was named by BoM Brisbane. However, the onward track was into Port Moresby’s AOR. 2. General Description of Track: Despite being located in a fairly favourable environment for further intensification, Pierre remained a weak, minimal Category 1 cyclone. Disorganised deep convection persisted at the periphery of the LLCC as the system drifted in a general westerly direction at 5 kts along the northern edge of the subtropical ridge anchored to the south over the Coral Sea. Peak intensity was achieved soon after the time of naming (40 kts 10-min avg MSW / CP of 992 hPa). As the cyclone approached the southeastern tip of Papua New Guinea, another weak low pressure circulation could be seen in visible satellite imagery to the near north of Pierre. This LLCC appeared to interrupt the inflow of tropical moisture into Pierre, particularly from the north. A wedge of dry air wrapped into Pierre’s weak circulation from the northwest, severely disorganising the cyclone’s convective structure. Pierre was downgraded at 18/1200 UTC while located approx 110 nm ENE of the southeastern tip of Papua New Guinea as stronger upper-level wind shear blew away the remaining areas of convection to the southeast. Ex-Pierre’s circulation appeared to merge with the secondary LLCC to its near north, and the combined system continued on a tack over southeastern Papua New Guinea, eventually emerging into the Gulf of Papua close to Port Moresby (at approximately 20/000 UTC). Despite some convection re-wrapping into the remnant LLCC as it moved westward across the Gulf, SSTs were too cool for any significant re-intensification. The LLCC continued to drift to the west, eventually dissipating as it approached the northern tip of Cape York Peninsula, Australia, at 21/1800 UTC. C. Meteorological Data ---------------------- No meteorological observations are available. D. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ There were no reports of any significant damage associated with Pierre. Severe Weather Warnings were issued by BoM, Brisbane, for potentially heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts as the remnant LLCC approached the far northern tip of Cape York. However, the system weakened significantly on its approach to Cape York and no significant weather impacts were reported. (Report written by Simon Clarke) ************************************************************************* SOUTH PACIFIC (SPA) - South Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 160E Activity for May: No tropical cyclones ************************************************************************* 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 Monterrey 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: (4) Cyclone Tracking Information -------------------------------- There is a U. S. Navy site that tracks tropical cyclones at 6-hourly intervals which often includes pre and post-advisory positions. The link to the site is: These tracks are often updated as further analysis occurs and may be considered as sort of a working "best track". Steve Young has compiled many of these tracks onto a single webpage which is very user-friendly: 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 2005 (2004-2005 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 2006 Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific tropical cyclones; also, storm reports for all the 2006 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 (Northwest Pacific) E-mail: newchapelobservatory@btinternet.com Simon Clarke (Northeast Australia/Coral Sea, South Pacific) E-mail: scla4255@bigpond.net.au ************************************************************************* ************************************************************************* Posted: 07.08.07 / Typhoon2000.ph, Typhoon2000.com