GARY PADGETT'S MONTHLY GLOBAL TROPICAL CYCLONE SUMMARY AUGUST, 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.) ************************************************************************* EXTRA FEATURE - REPORT ON SEVERE SOUTH AMERICAN EXTRATROPICAL CYCLONES ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The following report is based on information sent to the author by Alexandre Aguiar and Eugenio Hackbart of the Metsul Climatologia Urbana Weather Center in Porto Alegre, Brazil. A special thanks to these fellows for sending the information (as well as damage photos, which unfortunately can't be included here in a strictly text file) on these unusually intense extratropical cyclones which affected their corner of the world during August and early September. A. Storm #1 ----------- On August 9 an extratropical cyclone affected Florianopolis, the capital of the state of Santa Catarina in Brazil. One weather station in the Arvoredo Island, right off the coast, registered gusts of 140 kph (76 kts). In the Florianopolis Hercilio Luz Airport the wind gusted to 90 kph (49 kts) and was strong enough to move airplanes. Large areas of the city remained without power for up to two days and many trees were blown down. B. Storm #2 ----------- The most astonishing event took place on the night of August 23rd in Uruguay. The national capital, Montevideo, was hit by winds of almost 200 km/h (109 kts) due to another extratropical cyclone. It was the worst storm to affect Brazil's neighboring country since 1966. Following is a wire from the Associated Press: "In Uruguay, a powerful storm system on the 23rd-24th produced strong winds in excess of 160 km/hr (87 kts) in the departments of Canelones, Montevideo, San Jose, Colonia and Maldonado, where nearly 70 percent of the country's population live. Thousands of homes were damaged and around 20,000 people lost electricity and telephone service. Montevideo's international airport was temporarily shut down late on the 23rd due to the high winds and heavy rainfall. There were seven people killed and dozens injured (Associated Press/OCHA)." A station located on the Harbor of Montevideo registered a gust of 187 kph (102 kts). Very similar wind gusts were also observed at Montevideo's Carrasco International Airport with one gust reaching 173 kph (94 kts). Montevideo was affected by tropical storm-force winds for over 12 hours and by hurricane-force winds for nearly four hours. Local officials and private weather services were plunged into a crisis after the storm because just three hours before the high winds a storm advisory pointed to winds of a maximum of 60 kph. We here in Brazil had issued an warning of 100+ kph winds for southern Uruguay, but the warning never arrived to our Uruguayan pals as it was published in Portuguese in a private weather institution in another country. Days after the storm we decided to contact local weather services in Uruguay and initiate permanent cooperation for the weather systems that affect Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state in Brazil, since they normally pass first through Uruguay. In those contacts, Uruguayan meteorologists made dramatic descriptions of the storm. More than three thousand trees fell in the city of 1.5 million people and 10 people died. Two died when a 100-meter FM radio station tower collapsed onto houses and buildings. Downtown high-rise buildings were shaking during the storm and some news stands rolled over four blocks. In ANTEL's Tower, the building that hosts the national phone company, a car was thrown by the winds into the front entrance. The low pressure system migrated from northern Argentina, crossed through southwest Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) and literally exploded in intensity over the waters of Rio de la Plata. The lowest reported pressure was 991.7 hPa. (Note: Extratropical cyclones in this part of the globe are common during fall, winter and spring months. The winds usually peak to 80-110 kph (43-60 kts), but winds of 187 kph are very unusual.) For more on Uruguay's cyclone check the following URL: C. Storm #3 ----------- On September 2nd another extratropical cyclone affected South America's South Cone. This time our city and state were punished by the winds. In the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre power outages left many thousands of people without power. Windows were blown in, and roughly 300 trees fell down. In the coastal areas many homes were de-roofed and some injuries were reported. The highest wind gust was observed in the weather station located in the harbor of Rio Grande, in the southern coast of the state: 111 kph (60 kts). Near downtown Porto Alegre winds peaked at 100 kph (54 kts). ************************************************************************* AUGUST HIGHLIGHTS --> Hurricane causes greatest natural disaster in U. S. history --> Western Pacific active--several typhoon strikes in China and Japan --> Eastern North Pacific activity picks up ************************************************************************* ACTIVITY BY BASINS ATLANTIC (ATL) - North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico Activity for August: 1 tropical depression 3 tropical storms 1 hurricane 1 intense hurricane 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 August ------------------------------------- Tropical cyclone activity was above normal in August, although not at the pace seen in July. Five tropical storms were named with two reaching hurricane intensity--of these, one became an intense hurricane (Category 3 or higher on the Saffir/Simpson scale). The averages for the month of August (1950-2004) are: 2.8 named storms, 1.6 hurricanes, and 0.6 intense hurricanes. The five August cyclones generated a Net Tropical Cyclone Activity (NTC) of 39%, somewhat above the August average NTC of 25%. Even though the month was more active than normal, it fell far short of August of 2004's eight named storms, five hurricanes, three intense hurricanes and NTC of 85%--the most active month of August on record. The one thing August of 2004 didn't have, however, was a Hurricane Katrina. This awesome storm became a large Category 5 hurricane in the central Gulf of Mexico after blasting southern Florida as an intensifying Category 1 hurricane. Katrina's winds reached 150 kts and its central pressure dipped to 902 mb, at the time the 4th lowest pressure measured in an Atlantic hurricane. However, as the season progressed, two more hurricanes would reach even lower pressures, pushing Katrina back to 6th place. Katrina landed in southeastern Louisiana early on the morning of 29 August as a severe Category 4 hurricane and later that day made a final landfall along the Mississippi coast as a Category 3 hurricane. Storm surge heights exceeding 30 feet completely obliterated or very heavily damaged all structures within several miles of the shoreline over much of the Mississippi coast. In addition the surge in Lake Pontchartrain broke through levees protecting the below-sea-level city of New Orleans, resulting in 80% of that city being flooded. Some damage estimates have exceeded a staggering $200 billion, and the death toll will likely exceed 1300. Of the remaining August cyclones, Tropical Storms Harvey and Lee and the rather long-lived Hurricane Irene remained out in the Atlantic, not affecting any land areas except for a brief brush with Bermuda by Harvey. Tropical Storm Jose, like Bret and Gert before it, formed in the Bay of Campeche and quickly moved westward into Mexico. Jose, however, was slightly stronger than the two previous storms in this region. Reports follow on all the named August systems. One other tropical depression formed during the month and was designated as Tropical Depression 10. This system weakened before developing into a tropical storm, but its remnants contributed to the formation of Tropical Depression 12, which became the catastrophic Katrina. The history of TD-10 is included in the Katrina report. Another well-defined tropical wave which crossed the Atlantic in late August produced winds at times exceeding gale force, but remained highly sheared and was not organized enough to warrant classification as a tropical depression. This system preceded the system which ultimately became Tropical Storm Lee and possibly had some connection with Lee. More information on the wave can be found in the report on Tropical Storm Lee. Additional information, including satellite pictures and links, may be found at the following URL: TROPICAL STORM HARVEY (TC-08) 2 - 12 August ----------------------------------------- Tropical Storm Harvey was the earliest 8th Atlantic tropical storm on record, exceeding the previous one by about 1 1/2 weeks (15 August 1936). The cyclone formed from a tropical wave which exited the coast of Africa on 23 July. The wave was first mentioned by TPC/NHC in a Tropical Weather Outlook at 1530 UTC on 26 July when it was located roughly 1200 nm east-southeast of the Windward Islands. The wave continued westward, slowly increasing in organization. By midday on the 29th an area of low pressure had formed in the northern Leeward Islands in association with the wave, but upper-level winds were not particularly favorable for development at the time. The area of low- pressure crossed Hispaniola on the 30th and moved northward for a couple of days, but the associated convection weakened during this period. By the morning of 2 August a broad area of low pressure was centered approximately 415 nm southwest of Bermuda with a large area of convection to the north and east of an ill-defined center. Upper-level winds had become more conducive for development, and the first advisory on Tropical Depression 08 was issued at 2100 UTC, placing the center about 300 nm southwest of Bermuda and moving northward at 11 kts. The discussion bulletin noted that the system was not the most tropical of tropical cyclones and had some subtropical features. Also, there were a number of small swirls rotating around a common center. The cyclone still exhibited some subtropical characteristics on the morning of the 3rd, but the definition of the LLCC had improved over the previous day. QuikScat data indicated several unflagged 35-kt vectors, ship W6SOT reported 35-kt winds near the center at 1200 UTC, and Dvorak classi- fications from TAFB had reached T2.5 by 1200 UTC, so the depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Harvey at 1500 UTC, located approximately 185 nm west-southwest of Bermuda, moving north-northeastward at 9 kts. Only two aerial reconnaissance flights were made into Harvey. The first around midday on 3 August found winds of 62 kts at 365 m in the southeast quadrant with a minimum CP of 999 mb. Based on this, the MSW was upped to 50 kts in a special advisory at 1800 UTC. Shortly after being named, Harvey's trajectory turned to the east-northeast and the cyclone passed about 40 nm south-southeast of Bermuda early on the 4th where sustained winds to 32 kts, gusting to 44 kts, were reported. A morning reconnaissance mission (the final one into Harvey) found a CP of 995 mb, but the peak FLWs did not support an increase in intensity. However, by 1500 UTC the cloud pattern had become much more typical of a tropical cyclone with most of the subtropical features of the previous day having disappeared. With T-numbers at 3.0 and 3.5, the MSW was increased to its peak value of 55 kts. The cyclone was then centered approximately 85 nm east of Bermuda and moving toward the east- northeast at 12 kts. The 55-kt peak MSW was maintained for about 24 hours before being dropped slightly to 50 kts. Harvey's intensity fluctuated between 45 and 50 kts for the remainder of its life as a tropical cyclone. Vertical shear was sufficiently inhibiting to prevent the cyclone from reaching hurricane intensity, and the LLCC for much of the time was either fully or partially-exposed. The east-northeastward motion continued through the 6th as Harvey was being moved along by a shortwave trough to the north. That trough had lifted out by the 5th and the storm's motion slowed somewhat as the steering flow weakened. The cyclone turned more to the northeast and began to accelerate on the 6th as the next shortwave in the westerlies off New England continued to push eastward. Harvey moved along with this second shortwave trough, and as it began to move into cooler waters north of the Gulf Stream early on the 8th, the convection began to decrease notably. The final TPC/NHC advisory on Tropical Storm Harvey was issued at 08/2100 UTC, placing the center about 465 nm southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland. The cloud pattern had become asymmetric and was beginning to merge with a mid-latitude cloud band. The remnants of Harvey continued for several days as a large and powerful extratropical cyclone over the North Atlantic, finally losing its identity on the 14th. The Bermuda Naval Air Station at Kindley Field (32.4N/64.7W) recorded 117.6 mm of rain between 03/1200 and 04/1200 UTC. A graphic displaying the track of Tropical Storm Harvey may be found at the following link: No casualties or damage are known to have resulted from Tropical Storm Harvey. (Report written by Gary Padgett) HURRICANE IRENE (TC-09) 4 - 18 August ----------------------------------- Hurricane Irene became the earliest 9th Atlantic tropical storm of the year when it was named on 7 August, besting the previous record for the earliest 9th storm set on 20 August 1936. The cyclone developed from a tropical wave which left the west coast of Africa on 1 August. TPC/NHC first mentioned this system in a Tropical Weather Outlook issued at 1530 UTC on 3 August when it was located a few hundred miles west- southwest of the Cape Verde Islands. Convection gradually increased in organization and advisories were initiated on Tropical Depression 09 at 2100 UTC on 4 August when the poorly-defined center of the system was located about 600 nm west of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands. The depression was large with plenty of convective bands, excellent outflow and a burst of convection near the center. The depression was initially forecast to move westward and strengthen soon into a tropical storm. However, it turned northwestward, a move which kept it over slightly cooler SSTs. Also, the northwesterly track took the system into a region of westerly vertical shear. Convection became very limited over the next few days due to the cooler SSTs, shear and dry air. The depression was broad and poorly-organized, and multiple swirls were noted at times. TD-09 continued to moved west- northwestward through a hostile environment for the first three days of its life as a tropical cyclone. Late on the 6th the discussion bulletin noted that the depression was still strongly sheared and that Dvorak classifications could hardly support a T-number based on the distance between the center and the convection. Early on 7 August the center reformed to the north and convection increased significantly near and east of the center with the cloud pattern resembling that of a sheared tropical storm. A QuikScat pass at 07/0849 UTC revealed 40-kt vectors just outside the deep convection to the north of the center, and Dvorak numbers from TAFB and AFWA had reached T2.5. Hence, Tropical Storm Irene was christened at 1500 UTC with the center located about 1000 nm east of the northern Leeward Islands. Since the deep convection near the center as well as the organization had diminished since earlier in the morning, the initial advisory intensity was set at 35 kts. Irene barely held on to tropical storm intensity for 24 hours as the shear continued unabated, but by 1500 UTC on the 8th the signature had deteriorated to the point that the system was downgraded to a tropical depression. Around the time of the downgrade the west-northwesterly track flattened out to more of a straight westerly one. Irene sailed toward the west for a couple of days as a tropical depression. Bursts of convection occurred occasionally and kept the system alive. By the afternoon of 9 August, the cloud structure was becoming more symmetric and there were signs of some banding, but by early morning on the 10th there was considerable doubt as to whether or not the system still had a closed circulation. But as the day progressed the cloud pattern again began to improve, and by 11/0000 UTC Dvorak estimates had reached a consensus 35 kts from all three satellite classification agencies. Hence, Irene was re-upgraded to tropical status at 11/0300 UTC when located roughly 600 nm south-southeast of Bermuda, moving west- northwestward at 11 kts. The revived Irene continued west-northwestward, passing roughly 280 nm south of Bermuda on the morning of 12 August. The storm's track slowly became northwesterly, and Irene turned northward upon reaching the 70th meridian on the 14th--at 14/0600 UTC the cyclone was located about 280 nm west of Bermuda. After being re-upgraded to tropical storm status, Irene slowly strengthened with the MSW reaching 60 kts by 12/1800 UTC. A reconnaissance aircraft investigating Irene reported a peak FLW of 64 kts with a CP of 997 mb. By the time Irene had reached the 35th parallel around 15/0000 UTC, it had begun to move toward the north- northeast. A reconnaissance flight into the cyclone around this time found a peak FLW of 88 kts with an attendant CP of 989 mb. This was the basis for upgrading Irene to the season's third hurricane at 15/0300 UTC, the center being then located about 280 nm northwest of Bermuda or about 310 nm east of Cape Hatteras. By the morning of 15 August Irene was moving almost due eastward at around latitude 36.5N, a motion which persisted for the next two days. The eastward trajectory was very significant for Irene in that it kept it away from cooler SSTs and strong westerlies just to the north. When upgraded to hurricane intensity, Irene was forecast to peak at 75 kts and begin to weaken after 36 hours. Instead, the storm was able to hang on to hurricane intensity for almost three days and was able to strengthen into a Category 2 hurricane. Irene's peak intensity was reached at 1800 UTC on 16 August when centered approximately 720 nm southwest of Cape Race, Newfoundland. Dvorak T-numbers at that time supported a MSW of 90 kts, and this value was reported in TPC/NHC's Monthly Tropical Weather Summary for August. However, by advisory release time at 2100 UTC, cloud tops had warmed somewhat and the eye had become less distinct, so the maximum advisory intensity for Irene was 85 kts. Shortly after reaching its peak intensity, Irene began to experience significant westerly shear, resulting in a steady decrease in intensity. The cyclone was downgraded to a tropical storm at 2100 UTC on 17 August. By this time Irene had accelerated toward the northeast: at 17/1500 UTC the forward speed was 10 kts--24 hours later the storm was racing north- eastward at 40 kts. The final TPC/NHC advisory on Irene was issued at 18/1500 UTC, placing the center about 255 nm east-southeast of Cape Race. The storm was beginning to interact with a frontal zone and was rapidly losing tropical characteristics. The remains of Irene were apparently quickly absorbed by a large extratropical LOW just east of Newfoundland. A graphic displaying the track of Hurricane Irene may be found at the following link: No casualties or damage are known to have resulted from Hurricane Irene. (Report written by Gary Padgett) TROPICAL STORM JOSE (TC-11) 22 - 23 August --------------------------------------- Tropical Storm Jose continued the trend of setting a new earliest "n-th" storm record for the Atlantic basin. The previous earliest 10th tropical storm was Tropical Storm Jerry, which became a named storm on 23 August 1995. Jose was named on the afternoon of 22 August, beating Jerry by one day. According to the monthly summary prepared by the staff of TPC/NHC, Jose's origins lay in a tropical wave, but the earliest mention of the pre-Jose disturbance in a Tropical Weather Outlook was at 1530 UTC on 19 August, when a small area of disturbed weather was centered just east of the northeastern tip of Honduras, moving slowly west-northwestward. The next couple of days saw this disturbance produce showers over the extreme northwestern Caribbean Sea and adjacent land areas as it continued slowly west-northwestward. By the afternoon of 21 August an area of low-pressure had formed over the southwestern portion of the Yucatan Peninsula. Convection increased markedly on the morning of the 22nd over the Bay of Campeche, and upper-level winds appeared favorable for further development. Satellite imagery, Mexican radar data, and QuikScat data indicated that a tropical depression was forming, and advisories were initiated on Tropical Depression 11 in a special advisory issued at 1600 UTC. The center of the developing cyclone was placed about 70 nm east-northeast of Veracruz, moving westward at 7 kts. The initial MSW was estimated at 25 kts, and although the depression didn't appear to have much time over water, it was forecast to become a minimal tropical storm before landfall. The intensity was increased to 30 kts in the 2100 UTC advisory as the system was maintaining deep central convection and had an excellent outflow pattern aloft. A reconnaissance aircraft reached the system about this time and reported a maximum FLW at 305 m of 54 kts, supporting 45 kts at the surface. The depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Jose in a special advisory issued at 2215 UTC. Jose's center was fixed about 50 nm east- northeast of Veracruz, or about 140 nm southeast of Tuxpan, Mexico. Tropical Storm Jose continued moving steadily westward and made landfall around 23/0600 UTC about 80 nm south-southeast of Tuxpan. Data from a radar at Alvarado, Mexico, indicated that the cyclone became better organized in the last two hours before landfall with an eye forming. However, the exact intensity of Jose before landfall remains unknown. An hour or two before the eye began to form TRMM data showed that the center was partially-exposed and aircraft data indicated that peak winds were well below hurricane strength. The storm was downgraded to a depression in the intermediate advisory at 23/1200 UTC, and the final advisory was issued at 1500 UTC, placing the center inland about 110 km east-northeast of Mexico City, moving westward at about 8 kts, or 15 km/hr. A graphic displaying the track of Tropical Storm Jose may be found at the following link: The weakening Jose brought torrential rainfall to portions of Mexico. Jalapa, in Veracruz State, recorded 103.8 mm between 22/1200 and 23/1200 UTC. The heavy rains triggered landslides and flooding that forced thousands to evacuate their homes. A 59-year-old man was killed in Jalapa when a mudslide buried his home. In Misantla, about 70 km south- east of Jalapa, some 1500 residents were housed in seven makeshift shelters because the Misantla River was overflowing its banks. Several others were rescued from their cars after becoming stranded along a flooded stretch of highway between Jalapa and Cardel. (Report written by Gary Padgett) HURRICANE KATRINA (TC-12) 23 - 31 August ------------------------------------- A. Introduction and Storm Origins --------------------------------- Hurricane Katrina was responsible for what will likely be recorded as the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States when it made landfall in extreme southeastern Louisiana and western Mississippi on the morning of 29 August. A storm surge estimated at up to 10.7 m (35 ft) obliterated much of the signs of civilization along the coast of Mississippi, and the resurging waters of Lake Pontchartrain after the storm had passed broke through levees protecting New Orleans and left up to 80% of that large city flooded with waters exceeding 6 m (20 ft) in places. Very severe surge-related damage was also inflicted on communities along the north shore of the large lake, including Slidell, Louisiana. Some estimates of the economic impact of Katrina reported in the media have exceeded $200 billion, well over twice the damage from Hurricane Andrew and the four hurricanes of 2004 combined. As of the time of this writing, the death toll stands at well over 1200, by far the deadliest U. S. hurricane since the great Palm Beach and Lake Okechobee hurricane of 1928. A tropical wave which left the coast of Africa in early August began to show some signs of life late on 11 August when it was located about 1300 nm east of the Windward Islands. An associated low-pressure area formed on the 12th and convection began to slowly increase as the day progressed. By midday on 13 August satellite images indicated that a tropical depression appeared to be forming, and advisories on Tropical Depression 10 were initiated at 2100 UTC, placing the center about 950 nm east of the Lesser Antilles. Environmental conditions quickly became unfavorable, however, as an unusually deep upper-level trough developed to the west, and vertical shear had weakened the cyclone so much that advisories were discontinued the next day. Over the next week or so the remnants of TD-10 continued westward, occasionally developing some convection but never really showing any signs of redevelopment. By the afternoon of 20 August another westward-moving tropical wave seemed to have caught up with the remnants of TD-10, and cloudiness and showers extended from the Bahamas eastward for several hundred miles, the heaviest concentration being north of Puerto Rico. For the next couple of days the convective activity remained disorganized, but by the morning of 23 August convection was becoming more concentrated near the southeastern Bahamas. A Special Tropical Disturbance Statement was issued by TPC/NHC at 23/1835 UTC, indicating that a tropical depression was forming within the area of disturbed weather. There was a debate at NHC regarding whether to re-designate this depression as TD-10, or to give it a new number. Since the old TD-10 LLCC had dissipated and another tropical wave had been a player, it was decided to number the new depression as TD-12. B. Track and Intensity History ------------------------------ The tropical cyclone initially moved northwestward through the western Bahamas, passing east of Nassau and west of Eleuthera Island as it headed for a weakness in the Bermuda HIGH near the southeastern U. S. coast. Gradual development ensued, and the depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Katrina in a special update issued at 1205 UTC on 24 August while located about 60 nm southeast of Nassau. The upgrade was based on satellite imagery, Doppler radar data from the Bahamas, and an 1153 UTC reconnaissance 925-mb FLW of 48 kts in the northeast quadrant. Katrina continued moving northwestward until it reached the 26th parallel. At that point it turned abruptly westward as the weakness in the HIGH was replaced by a developing ridge. The cyclone continued to steadily intensify, becoming much better developed by the morning of 25 August. Katrina was upgraded to a hurricane in a special update issued at 25/1935 UTC, based on NOAA reconnaissance Stepped-Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR) reports of surface winds of 64 kts as well as NOAA-Miami Doppler radar velocities of 90 kts at 915 metres. The storm at this time was centered only about 30 nm east-northeast of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and moving westward at 5 kts. The eye of Hurricane Katrina made landfall around 25/2300 UTC between Hallandale Beach and North Miami Beach with the MSW estimated at 70 kts. Shortly before reaching the coast, the cyclone turned to a west- southwesterly heading which it followed across the extreme southern portion of the peninsula, emerging into the Gulf of Mexico around 0700 UTC on 26 August at a point approximately 40 nm south-southeast of Marco Island. Katrina had weakened to 60 kts crossing the southern tip of Florida, but it quickly regained hurricane intensity--by 0900 UTC the cyclone had been re-upgraded to hurricane status, and by early afternoon Katrina was a Category 2 hurricane sporting 85-kt winds. The unusual west-southwesterly motion continued through about 0600 UTC on the 27th, at which time Katrina was located about 115 nm west of Key West, or about 390 nm southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The motion toward the southwest was apparently due to a very strong deep-layer mean HIGH centered over Texas, but this feature was forecast to move westward and leave a weakness over the central Gulf of Mexico. Katrina was upgraded to a Category 3 hurricane with 100-kt winds at 27/1500 UTC, based on Dvorak intensity estimates ranging from 102 to 115 kts, plus a central pressure of 940 mb measured at 0932 UTC. The peak FLW measured by the aircraft was 106 kts--somewhat lower than would normally be expected for a 940-mb hurricane. Katrina's intensification was halted by an eyewall replacement cycle which began during the morning of the 27th. The MSW remained pegged at 100 kts for 18 hours while the CP rose as high as 950 mb before beginning to slowly fall once more. Very early on 28 August a reconnaissance plane found peak 700-mb winds of 137 kts in the northwestern eyewall, along with a corresponding CP of 935 mb. Katrina was upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane with a MSW of 125 kts in a special advisory issued at 28/0600 UTC. Not only was Katrina intensifying, its wind field was expanding also. Hurricane-force winds now covered an area over 100 nm in diameter while gales covered an area 240 nm across. The hurricane at this time was located about 270 nm south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, moving west-northwestward at 7 kts. The dangerous Katrina continued to intensify. By 28/0921 UTC the CP had fallen to 915 mb, and to 910 mb by 1104 UTC. A reconnaissance air- craft measured a 700-mb FLW of 153 kts, so another special advisory was issued at 1200 UTC upgrading Katrina to a 140-kt Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir/Simpson scale. A CP of 907 mb was measured at 1417 UTC along with a peak FLW of 166 kts. Katrina's MSW was upped to its peak value of 150 kts in the regular 1500 UTC advisory. The minimum CP of 902 mb was first measured at 1755 UTC and remained there for at least the next two hours. This 902-mb pressure ranked Katrina as the fourth most intense Atlantic hurricane on record, based on central pressure, after Gilbert, 1988 (888 mb), the Labor Day storm of 1935 (892 mb), and Allen, 1980 (899 mb). However, this was to be pushed back to 5th place in less than a month as Hurricane Rita's CP dipped to 897 mb, and further to 6th place in late October as Hurricane Wilma bottomed out at 882 mb. Even though Katrina's pressure continued to fall a few millibars after the MSW had reached 150 kts, the intensity was scaled back slightly to 145 kts in the 28/2100 UTC advisory. The explanation given was that data from the SFMR instrument on board the aircraft suggested that the 700-mb flight level to surface wind reduction ratio might not be quite as large as the 90% value typically used for eyewall winds. However, the TPC/NHC monthly summary for August lists the peak MSW for Katrina as 150 kts, so it will be interesting to see what Katrina's peak MSW is after post-storm analysis. The next discussion (at 29/0300 UTC) raises some questions about the performance of the SFMR at such high wind speeds, so perhaps 150 kts will stand as Katrina's peak MSW. At 2100 UTC on the 28th, the center of this large, extremely dangerous hurricane was located approximately 130 nm south of the Mississippi River's mouth, moving toward the northwest at 11 kts. By 29/0000 UTC Katrina's motion had become more north-northwestward, and by 0700 UTC the storm was headed due north at 10 kts toward the Louisiana coast. After peaking in intensity on the afternoon of the 28th, Katrina began to slowly weaken, due in part to eyewall dynamics and also due to some dry air entrainment on the western side. The center of Katrina made landfall in Plaquemines Parish around 1200 UTC on 29 August with a CP of 921 mb and MSW of 120 kts. Hurricane-force winds covered an area 170 nm in diameter and gales extended across an area almost 400 nm in diameter. Continuing northward, Katrina made a second landfall near the Louisiana/Mississippi border around 1500 UTC with the MSW estimated at 110 kts. As the storm continued northward through Mississippi, it began to weaken rather rapidly. Winds were down to 85 kts by 1800 UTC, and Katrina was downgraded to a 55-kt tropical storm at 30/0000 UTC when located about 50 km (30 miles) northwest of Meridian, Mississippi. The former Category 5 hurricane continued to weaken as it moved north-northeastward, becoming a tropical depression near Clarksville, Tennessee, at 30/1500 UTC. By the afternoon of 31 August the remnants of Katrina were racing east- northeastward near Binghamton, New York. A graphic displaying the track of Hurricane Katrina may be found at the following link: Another graphic depicting a zoom-in of the track across Florida to the northern Gulf Coast landfall may be found at: C. Meteorological Observations ------------------------------ (1) Wind Observations --------------------- During Katrina's traversal of South Florida, the highest wind gusts located by the author was a gust to 76 kts at NHC and a gust of 70 kts at Tamiami Airport. As Katrina neared its landfall in Louisiana, Grand Isle reported sustained winds to 76 kts, gusting to 99 kts, in the hour ending at 29/1000 UTC. During the same hour a Florida Coastal Monitoring Program wind tower in Galliano, Louisiana, reported sustained winds of 69 kts with gusts to 87 kts. Between 1000 and 1100 UTC the New Orleans Lake- front Airport reported a sustained wind of 49 kts with a gust to 74 kts. The Naval Air Station in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, reported sustained winds of hurricane force with a peak gust of 83 kts. During the following hour this station reported a gust of 91 kts. Between 1300 and 1400 UTC the Pascagoula, Mississippi Civil Defense Office reported a gust of 103 kts, and the Gulfport Emergency Operations Center reported sustained winds of 82 kts with a peak gust of 87 kts. Farther from the center, Dauphin Island, Alabama, reported peak sustained winds of 66 kts with a gust to 89 kts. Mobile reported a peak gust of 72 kts, and Pensacola, Florida, reported sustained winds of 45 kts with a gust to 60 kts. There was a report circulating that a gust of 117 kts had been recorded at Slidell, Louisiana, but Scott Spratt of the Melbourne NWS office, who was detailed to the NWS office in Slidell for Katrina's landfall, states that the 117-kt report was erroneous. Scott did indicate that a peak gust of 99 kts was recorded at mid-lake on the Pontchartrain Causeway, but the elevation was unknown. (2) Rainfall Observations ------------------------- There was initially a report of 840 mm in 20 hours at a location in the Everglades in southern Florida, but according to David Roth of HPC, this was later discounted as it was out of tolerance with other reliable reports in the area. The peak storm-related rainfall available to the author from southern Florida was 415 mm near Perrine, located between Miami and Homestead. HPC's Katrina rainfall report can be accessed at the following link: In the Bahamas, Katrina caused a 24-hour rainfall of 100.9 mm at the Nassau Airport (WMO 78073, 25.1N/77.5W) between 25/1200 and 26/1200 UTC. In Cuba, Bahia Honda in Pinar del Rio Province (WMO 78318, 22.9N/ 83.2W) reported a peak 24-hourly total of 147.3 mm between 27/0000 and 28/0000 UTC. Some locations in the province experienced between 200 and 300 mm of storm total rainfall as Katrina passed westward to the north of Cuba. The remnants of Katrina were responsible for some significant rains in the Canadian Province of Quebec. Charlevoix (WMO 71319, 47.3N/70.6W) reported a peak 24-hourly total of 177.8 mm between 31/0600 and 01/0600 UTC on 1 September. Several other locations logged over 100 mm of rain associated with Katrina. (3) Surge Observations ---------------------- Bill McCaul relates in an e-mail that well-known storm chaser Tim Marshall made a preliminary ground-level survey of the devastated areas along the Mississippi coast. Mr. Marshall estimated that the surge reached 5.5 m (18 ft) in Pascagoula, 6.1 m (20 ft) in Ocean Springs, 6.4 m (21 ft) in Biloxi, 7.0 m (23 ft) in Gulfport, 7.9 m (26 ft) in Long Beach-Pass Christian (essentially equal here to Hurricane Camille's surge), 8.5 m (28 ft) in Bay St. Louis, and 9.8 m (32 ft) in Waveland. The NWS Slidell also performed some surveying in Hancock County, MS, and estimate that the maximum storm surge may have reached 10.7 m (35 ft) in Waveland. This is based on the fact that the Hancock County Emergency Operations Center is at an elevation of 30 ft, and personnel reported wading through chest-deep water while evacuating. Pat Fitzpatrick reported that the surge in Slidell, LA, along the northeastern shore of Lake Pontchartrain was between 6.1 and 7.6 m (20-25 ft). In one instance a two-story apartment with a base about 8 ft in elevation showed a waterline near the roof. Mr. Fitzpatrick also noted that the twin-span Interstate 10 bridge across the lake resembled a jig-saw puzzle. (4) Miscellaneous ----------------- Rich Henning, a member of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (the Hurricane Hunters) reports that the crew on a NOAA reconnaissance mission measured an eye temperature of 29 C, which may be a record warm eye measurement for the Atlantic basin. A few Western Pacific super typhoons have been found to have eye temperatures of 30 and 31 deg C. D. Storm Effects ---------------- Everyone around the globe who has access to the international cable TV news channels saw many, many pictures of the indescribable destruction wrought by Katrina. The damage and casualty figures quoted in the introductory paragraph are preliminary--it will likely be months before an accurate death toll is known, and the overall economic effects of Katrina, including direct damage, recovery costs, upped gas prices, increased insurance rates, loss of tourism dollars, etc may never be accurately known. In the 1960s, the two great north-central Gulf Coast hurricanes of of that decade, Betsy and Camille, were the first two U. S. hurricanes to cause direct damages in excess of $1 billion, in terms of current dollar values. These two storms have become legendary in the annals of Gulf Coast hurricane history. Betsy struck southeastern Louisiana, the eye passing very near Grand Isle and later just south and west of New Orleans. Camille's eye moved northward just east of the Mississippi River delta and made landfall along the western Mississippi coastline, the eye passing over Clermont Harbor, Waveland and Bay St. Louis. Katrina combined the worst effects of both those famous storms and far exceeded them. Betsy reportedly flooded 20% of New Orleans; Katrina left 80% of the Crescent City under water. Camille obliterated much of southern Mississippi with a storm surge ranging from 11.2 feet at Pascagoula to 24.2 feet at Pass Christian; Katrina obliterated even more with a surge ranging from an estimated 18 feet at Pascagoula to 35 feet at Waveland. With all the focus on the catastrophe in Louisiana and Mississippi, it is easy to overlook the fact that Katrina hit southern Florida with a pretty good punch. There are 11 confirmed deaths from the storm during its passage across the southern Florida Peninsula with about half of these involving falling trees. There have been reports in the media about many Floridians in Katrina's path not taking the storm perhaps as seriously as they should nor seeking appropriate shelter. A lesson to be learned from Katrina in south Florida is that even a Category 1 hurricane is capable of easily bringing down trees and persons should not be out in the open or driving in their cars unless it is absolutely necessary. (Report written by Gary Padgett) TROPICAL STORM LEE (TC-13) 28 August - 2 September ------------------------------------------- Tropical Storm Lee was a one-hit wonder, being reported at tropical storm intensity for only one warning cycle, i.e., a 6-hour period. In contrast to the previous 8 tropical storms of the 2005 season, Lee was not the earliest tropical storm of its rank to form. Cyclones Dennis through Katrina became the earliest 4th through 11th Atlantic storms on record, respectively, but Lee was not the earliest 12th tropical storm of the season. That distinction is held by mighty Hurricane Luis of 1995, which became a named storm on 29 August (Lee was named on 31 August). A large tropical wave left the coast of Africa the last week of August, and by midday on the 26th was located some 600 nm southwest of the Cape Verde Islands, accompanied by a low-pressure area. Convection had become better organized and the system was mentioned in the 1530 UTC Tropical Weather Outlook issued by TPC/NHC. Convective organization gradually improved as the disturbance continued westward across the tropical Atlantic, and by the afternoon of the 28th had reached the point that advisories were initiated on Tropical Depression 13, located about 840 nm east of the Lesser Antilles. Only slow intensification was forecast, and even this failed to materialize. The depression was located within an environment of moderate easterly shear, and by the next morning visible satellite images and a few surface observations indicated that it had degenerated into a broad area of low pressure. The remaining area of disturbed weather moved northward and by the morning of the 30th was located several hundred miles southeast of Bermuda. The 30/1530 UTC Tropical Weather Outlook referred to it as "a complex area of disturbed weather, which includes the remnants of Tropical Depression Thirteen." The system began to show some signs of redevelopment later in the day, and at 1500 UTC on 31 August was re-upgraded to tropical depression status about 775 nm east-southeast of Bermuda. The upgrade was based on Dvorak classifications of T2.0 from TAFB and SAB, and SSM/I image around 1000 UTC which showed a convective ring associated with the center. Six hours later Dvorak T-numbers from the two agencies had reached T2.5, so based on these, and also AMSU estimates, the depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Lee. However, no sooner had Lee been named than the cloud pattern began to deteriorate, so the minimal tropical storm was downgraded to depression status at 0300 UTC on 1 September. Following the downgrade, Tropical Depression Lee, which had been moving northeastward, turned back to the northwest. The system continued to weaken, taking on a more subtropical appearance, and the final advisory was issued at 0300 UTC on 2 September. According to David Roth, the remnants of Lee were absorbed into another system which had originated in the deep tropics and subsequently moved northward. That particular tropical wave had been very impressive when it had moved off the coast of Africa on 20 August--indeed it had been very well- organized even while crossing the African continent, and it was thought it might have a good chance of becoming the season's first intense Cape Verde hurricane. However, the wave moved into an environment of fairly strong vertical shear as it crossed the eastern Atlantic. QuikScat data revealed the existence of 35+ kt winds on the northern side, but the system remained highly sheared while in the deep tropics with the deep convection being well-removed from the weak LLCC. David's e-mail suggests that it's open to question as to whether the development which produced the ephemeral Lee was really a revival of TD-13 or due more to the earlier system. A graphic displaying the track of Tropical Storm Lee may be found at the following link: No casualties or damage are known to have resulted from Tropical Storm Lee. (Report written by Gary Padgett) ************************************************************************* NORTHEAST PACIFIC (NEP) - North Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 180 Activity for August: 1 tropical depression 2 tropical storms 2 hurricanes 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 August ---------------------------------------------- Five tropical cyclones formed in the Northeast Pacific basin during the month of August with four becoming named tropical storms or hurricanes. Averages for August over the period 1971-2004 are: 4.0 named storms, 2.4 hurricanes, 1.1 intense hurricanes and a NTC of 25%. Two of the August, 2005, storms became hurricanes but neither became an intense hurricane. These storms resulted in a somewhat below average NTC of 16%. None of the storms made landfall in Mexico, and only one produced any effects along the coastline. Reports follow on Hurricanes Fernanda and Hilary and Tropical Storms Greg and Irwin. Additionally, another system was classified as a tropical depression by the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. This weak depression (TD-01C), which never generated winds exceeding 25 kts, formed around 1800 UTC on 3 August when it was located approximately 885 nm east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii. It subsequently moved westward, then west-southwestward over the next day or so, losing its identity about 630 nm east-southeast of Hilo by 0300 UTC on 5 August. Additional information, including satellite pictures and links, may be found at the following URL: HURRICANE FERNANDA (TC-06E) 9 - 16 August -------------------------------------- Hurricane Fernanda was the second hurricane of the 2005 Northeast Pacific tropical cyclone season and the first hurricane in the basin in almost three months. A westward-moving area of disturbed weather was located about 650 nm south-southeast of the southern tip of Baja California on 7 August. This disturbance gradually became better organized and advisories were initiated on Tropical Depression 06E at 1500 UTC on 9 August. The depression was then centered roughly 600 nm south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, moving west at 12 kts. Intensification continued as the tropical cyclone turned to more of a west-northwesterly track on the 10th, and Tropical Storm Fernanda was christened at 10/0300 UTC based on 35-kt satellite intensity estimates from TAFB and SAB. Fernanda steadily increased in intensity as it continued west-northwestward, and the storm became the season's second hurricane at 0900 UTC on 11 August while located about 700 nm southwest of Cabo San Lucas. Hurricane Fernanda reached its peak intensity at 1500 UTC on the 12th with the MSW estimated at 75 kts and a CP of 979 mb. The cyclone at the time was located a little over 800 nm west-southwest of the tip of the Baja California Peninsula. Peak intensity was maintained for 18 hours and then the MSW began to slowly decline as the environment became more hostile and the SSTs along its path cooled. Fernanda was downgraded to a tropical storm at 14/0900 UTC, and around this time the cyclone's track became west-southwesterly. The weakening trend continued and Fernanda was downgraded to a tropical depression at 15/2100 UTC. The final TPC/NHC advisory at 16/0300 UTC placed a weak 25-kt remnant LOW approximately 1150 nm east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii. No deaths or damages have been attributed to Hurricane Fernanda. A graphic depicting the track of Hurricane Fernanda may be found at the following link: (Report written by Gary Padgett) TROPICAL STORM GREG (TC-07E) 11 - 15 August --------------------------------------- A westward-moving area of disturbed weather located approximately 425 nm south of Manzanillo, Mexico, was mentioned in the 10 August 1700 UTC Eastern Pacific Tropical Weather Outlook issued by TPC/NHC. The disturbance was located in an environment of marginally-favorable upper-level winds so it was anticipated that any future development would be slow to occur. However, early on the morning of 11 August the system began to quickly organize as deep convection increased markedly just over and south of the LLCC. Advisories were initiated on Tropical Depression 07E with a special release at 11/1100 UTC, the center being located roughly 600 nm south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas, moving west-northwestward at 10 kts. The initial MSW was set at 25 kts, but by 1500 UTC the satellite signature had improved to the point that TAFB was rating the system at T2.5, so it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Greg at that time. Tropical Storm Greg quickly reached its peak intensity of 45 kts at 0300 UTC on 12 August while located about 575 nm south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas. The storm weakened slightly thereafter, but then main- tained an intensity near or slightly above minimal tropical storm strength for several days. Northerly shear was the primary inhibiting influence on Greg, preventing it from intensifying. The cyclone initially moved toward the west, then turned northwestward on the 12th, then back to the west on the 13th. After this a developing ridge between Greg and Hurricane Fernanda farther west forced the cyclone to drift to the south and southwest while northerly shear caused the system to weaken to depression status. The final TPC/NHC advisory on Greg, issued at 15/2100 UTC, placed the weakening center approximately 650 nm to the southwest of Cabo San Lucas. No deaths or damages have been attributed to Tropical Storm Greg. A graphic depicting the track of Tropical Storm Greg may be found at the following link: (Report written by Gary Padgett) HURRICANE HILARY (TC-08E) 19 - 25 August ------------------------------------ Hurricane Hilary formed much farther to the east than most of the season's tropical cyclones. On the morning of 17 August the Eastern Pacific Tropical Weather Outlook indicated that an area of disturbed weather about 250 nm south of El Salvador was gradually becoming better organized as it moved westward. The disturbance was south of Guatemala the next day and its organization was still slowly increasing. The first advisory on Tropical Depression 08E was issued by TPC/NHC at 1500 UTC on 19 August placing the center approximately 375 nm southeast of Acapulco, Mexico, south of the Gulf of Tehuantepec. The intensity was assessed at 25 kts and the depression was moving west-northwestward at 12 kts. Although satellite intensity estimates from SAB and TAFB were 30 kts at 20/0000 UTC, by advisory time at 0300 UTC the cloud pattern had increased in organization with banding and cloud tops colder than -80 C south of the center, so at that point the depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Hilary. For the next couple of days Hilary followed a west-northwesterly trajectory roughly parallel to the Mexican coastline about 225 nm offshore. Hurricane intensity was reached at 21/0000 UTC with the center located approximately 300 nm south of Manzanillo. An expanding wind field brought tropical storm-force winds to the coast near Manzanillo later that day, requiring the issuance of a tropical storm warning for portions of the Mexican coastline. This was cancelled the next day as the storm began to pull away from the coastline. Hurricane Hilary reached its peak intensity of 90 kts (with a CP of 970 mb) at 0600 UTC on 22 August while located approximately 300 nm due south of Cabo San Lucas. Thereafter the winds began to slowly decline as the storm continued to move to the west-northwest, bringing it into increasingly cooler water. Hilary was downgraded to a tropical storm at 24/2100 UTC and to a tropical depression 24 hours later. The final advisory on Hilary was issued at 25/2100 UTC and placed the non-convective remnant LOW about 625 nm west-northwest of Cabo San Lucas. Although tropical storm-force winds and heavy rains were experienced along the Mexican coastline, no deaths or damage have been reported in association with Hurricane Hilary. A graphic depicting the track of Hurricane Hilary may be found at the following link: (Report written by Gary Padgett) TROPICAL STORM IRWIN (TC-09E) 25 - 28 August ---------------------------------------- A Tropical Weather Outlook issued by TPC/NHC on the afternoon of 23 August indicated that an area of disturbed weather had formed within a couple hundred miles of the Pacific coast of Mexico between Manzanillo and Acapulco, moving westward at around 12 kts. By the next afternoon the system had exhibited increased organization and conditions were favorable for a depression to form within the next day or two. Showers and thunderstorms continued to increase on the morning of the 25th and advisories were initiated on Tropical Depression 09E at 2100 UTC that day. The depression's center was located approximately 150 nm southwest of Manzanillo and moving slightly north of due west at 10 kts. The MSW was estimated at 30 kts, based on Dvorak classifications of T2.0 from SAB and T1.5 from TAFB, and the depression was forecast to soon increase to tropical storm intensity. Tropical Storm Irwin was christened at 0900 UTC on 26 August, and reached its peak intensity of 45 kts six hours later while located about 325 nm south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula. The peak intensity was maintained for 18 hours as Irwin sailed westward, and then a slow decline set in. Irwin had weakened to a tropical depression by 0300 UTC on 28 August, and had become a swirl of low-level clouds devoid of deep convection by 1500 UTC that day. The final TPC/NHC advisory at 1500 UTC placed the LOW center approximately 475 nm southwest of Cabo San Lucas. No deaths of damages have been attributed to Tropical Storm Irwin. A graphic depicting the track of Tropical Storm Irwin may be found at the following link: (Report written by Gary Padgett) ************************************************************************* NORTHWEST PACIFIC (NWP) - North Pacific Ocean West of Longitude 180 Activity for August: 3 tropical depressions ** 1 tropical storm 3 typhoons 2 super typhoons ** - treated as tropical depressions by various Asian warning centers but not 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. 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 August ---------------------------------------------- The Northwest Pacific basin was very active during the month of August. Six tropical cyclones became named tropical storms with five reaching typhoon intensity, and of these, two were declared super typhoons per JTWC's analysis. In addition to the six named storms, three systems were treated as tropical depressions by JMA and some of the other Asian TCWCs, but not by JTWC. Of these three tropical depressions, the first was a weak system mentioned only by JMA in their High Seas Bulletins, and only on 3 August. On that day the depression was located well in the subtropics, near 30N/151E, and appeared to be quasi-stationary. No winds were given, and likely the MSW did not exceed 20 or 25 kts. This depression was not referenced at all in the STWOs issued by JTWC, and given the latitude, was likely hybrid in nature. The other two non-developing tropical depressions were both spawned in the South China Sea, and while following different tracks, both ultimately entered the Gulf of Tonkin and made landfall in Vietnam. Short reports sent by Huang Chunliang containing rainfall observations for these systems follow. Except for Tropical Storm Guchol, which recurved well south and east of Japan, all the remaining named cyclones made landfall in various Western Pacific rim nations, some with disastrous results. Japan was struck by Typhoons Mawar and Nabi, the latter also passing through the Mariana Islands at typhoon strength. Typhoons Matsa, Sanvu and Talim all ultimately made landfall on the Chinese mainland with Sanvu and Talim also striking Luzon and Taiwan, respectively. Reports on all the named tropical cyclones follow, authored by Kevin Boyle with additional data sent by Huang Chunliang. NOTE: I have not yet received Huang Chunliang's reports of meteorological observations and storm effects in China from Tropical Storm Sanvu and Typhoon Talim. When these become available I will include them as addenda to a future summary. Tropical Depression (NMCC02 / NRL Invest 94W) 9 - 12 August --------------------------------------------- This tropical depression, designated as TD02 by NMCC, formed in the north-central South China Sea and moved generally westward, crossing the central portion of Hainan Dao, thence entering the Gulf of Tonkin and making landfall in north-central Vietnam. Following are reports of rainfall observations from China, Vietnam and Thailand, all compiled and sent to the author by Huang Chunliang. A. Report from China -------------------- {Part I} Landfalls ================== According to the NMCC warnings, Tropical Depression 02 made landfall near Qinglan Town, Wenchang City, Hainan Province, around 10/0840 UTC with a MSW of 13 m/s (25 kts) and a CP of 994 hPa. According to the GRMC warnings, the TD made one more landfall over northeastern Viet Nam around 11/2000 UTC with a MSW of 12 m/s (25 kts) and a CP of 995 hPa. {Part II} Rainfall Obs from Hainan Province =========================================== 1. South China Sea Islands -------------------------- SANHU DAO (WMO59985, 16.53N/111.62E) 220.4 mm [09/00-10/00Z] SANHU DAO (WMO59985, 16.53N/111.62E) 122.7 mm [10/00-11/00Z] XISHA DAO (WMO59981, 16.83N/112.33E) 169.3 mm [10/00-11/00Z] 2. Hainan Island ---------------- During the 48-hr period ending at 11/0000 UTC, rains >100 mm were recorded in 4 counties/cities. {Part III} References (All in Chinese version) ============================================== B. Report from Vietnam ---------------------- Only 24-hr rainfall amount(s) >= 100 mm listed: THANH HOA (19.75N/105.78E) 129.6 mm [10/12-11/12Z] C. Report from Thailand ----------------------- Only 24-hr rainfall amount(s) >= 100 mm listed: PHAYAO (WMO48310, 19.13N/99.90E) 133.5 mm [11/18-12/18Z] PHAYAO (WMO48310, 19.13N/99.90E) 154.3 mm [12/00-13/00Z] PHAYAO (WMO48310, 19.13N/99.90E) 149.2 mm [12/06-13/06Z] PHAYAO (WMO48310, 19.13N/99.90E) 120.4 mm [12/12-13/12Z] THA WANG PHA (WMO48315, 19.12N/100.80E) 107.9 mm [11/18-12/18Z] THA WANG PHA (WMO48315, 19.12N/100.80E) 118.0 mm [12/00-13/00Z] THA WANG PHA (WMO48315, 19.12N/100.80E) 105.8 mm [12/06-13/06Z] (Report compiled by Huang Chunliang) Tropical Depression (NRL Invest 98W) 27 - 30 August --------------------------------------- This late August depression formed in the central South China Sea and moved northwestward, reaching the Gulf of Tonkin where it turned to the west and moved into north-central Vietnam. Following are reports of rainfall observations from Vietnam and Thailand compiled and sent to the author by Huang Chunliang. A. Report from Vietnam ---------------------- Only 24-hr rainfall amount(s) >= 100 mm listed: DA NANG (16.07N/108.35E) 166.6 mm [28/12-29/12Z] HUE (16.43N/107.58E) 127.8 mm [28/12-29/12Z] THANH HOA (19.75N/105.78E) 175.7 mm [30/12-31/12Z] B. Report from Thailand ----------------------- Only 24-hr rainfall amount(s) >= 100 mm listed: NAKHON PHANOM (WMO48357, 17.42N/104.78E) 158.4 mm [30/06-31/06Z] NAKHON PHANOM (WMO48357, 17.42N/104.78E) 164.8 mm [30/12-31/12Z] NAKHON PHANOM (WMO48357, 17.42N/104.78E) 158.3 mm [30/18-31/18Z] NAKHON PHANOM (WMO48357, 17.42N/104.78E) 109.8 mm [31/00-01/00Z] NAKHON RATCHASIMA (WMO48431, 14.97N/102.08E) 114.6 mm [31/12-01/12Z] NAKHON RATCHASIMA (WMO48431, 14.97N/102.08E) 114.6 mm [31/18-01/18Z] (Report compiled by Huang Chunliang) TYPHOON MATSA (TC-09W / TY 0509 / GORIO) 30 July - 8 August ---------------------------------------------- Matsa: contributed by Laos, means 'lady fish' A. Storm Origins ---------------- On 30 July an area of convection developed approximately 100 nm east of Yap. It was included in JTWC's STWO at 0300 UTC 30 July when animated multi-spectral satellite imagery revealed consolidating deep convection over a weak LLCC. An upper-level analysis indicated that the disturbance was embedded in a moderate wind shear environment with favourable diffluence aloft. Based on improved organization, JTWC issued a TCFA at 30/1430 UTC followed by the first warning at 31/0000 UTC. TD-09W was quickly upgraded to a 35-kt tropical storm by JTWC at 31/0600 UTC, and named Matsa after JMA raised their 10-min avg MSW to 35 kts at 31/1200 UTC. Also, at 31/1200 UTC PAGASA assigned the name Gorio after the system had drifted into their AOR. B. Track and Intensity History ------------------------------ Initially moving west to west-northwestward, Tropical Storm Matsa changed onto a northwesterly heading on 31 July under the steering influence of a mid-level ridge to the east. Continuing northwestwards, Matsa slowly strengthened and reached typhoon intensity at 0000 UTC on 2 August when it was located approximately 565 nm south of Okinawa. Intensification continued to be rather slow on 2 August and satellite imagery depictions were of limited deep convection in the northern semicircle and inhibited poleward outflow. There was little change on 3 August and the MSW hovered at 75 kts for the majority of the day. However, on 4 August, things improved and Typhoon Matsa became better organized, reaching its peak intensity of 90 kts and 950 hPa at 04/1200 UTC when it was passing approximately 200 nm west-southwest of Okinawa, Japan. On 5 August Typhoon Matsa began to weaken as it headed northwestwards, lashing northern parts of Taiwan with torrential rains and gale-force winds as the storm passed by to the north. Continuing northwestward, Matsa made landfall near Wenling, China, as a minimal typhoon around 05/1800 UTC, the second tropical cyclone to affect the Chinese mainland in nearly two weeks. Once inland, Matsa was downgraded to a tropical storm at 06/0000 UTC, and JTWC issued the final warning at this time. JMA kept Matsa at tropical storm intensity as the cyclone turned northward over eastern China until 07/1200 UTC, when that agency released the last statement on this system. NMCC estimated a peak intensity of 90-kts while all other Asian agencies estimated peak MSW of 80 kts. A graphic displaying the track of Typhoon Matsa/Gorio may be found at the following link: C. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ Ten deaths were reported by the Chinese media. More than 1.24 million people were evacuated ahead of the storm. Matsa caused extensive damage to property and agriculture in mainland China with monetary figures estimated at 14.5 million yuan (1.7 billion US dollars). Matsa also affected Taiwan. Rainfall totals of nearly 50 inches (1270 mm) fell in 30 hours over the northern part of the island, causing landslides and widespread flooding. Damages to agriculture were estimated at T$47 million (1.5 million US dollars). No deaths were reported in Taiwan. A more detailed description (in pdf format) may be found at the following links: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Additional and updated information regarding damage and casualties can be found in Huang Chunliang's China report below in Section D, Part VI.) D. Huang Chunliang Report from China ------------------------------------ {Part I} Landfalls ================== According to the NMCC warnings, Typhoon 0509 (MATSA) made its first landfall near Ganjiang Town, Yuhuan County, Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, around 05/1940 UTC (August) with a MSW of 45 m/s (90 kts) and a CP of 950 hPa. Crossing the Gulf of Yueqing, the typhoon made a second landfall near Qingjiang Town, Yueqing City (a sub-city of Wenzhou City), Zhejiang Province, around 05/2020 UTC with the MSW and CP unchanged. The weakening tropical cyclone then passed through Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong Provinces successively before the center of Tropical Storm Matsa entered the waters of the Bohai Sea from Shandong Peninsula around 08/0600 UTC. After fading into a tropical depression, Matsa made its final landfall near Longwangtang Town (38.8 N, 121.4 E), Lvshunkou District, Dalian City, Liaoning Province, around 08/2310 UTC with a MSW of 12 m/s (25 kts) and a CP of 995 hPa. Eventually, NMCC declared Matsa extratropical shortly after the final landfall. {Part II} Daily Top-10 Rainfall Obs from Taiwan Province ======================================================== [03/1600-04/1600Z] ------------------ Ranking Station ID City/County Rainfall ------------------------------------------------------------ 01 CWB 21D16 Hsinchu County 569.0 mm 02 CWB 21D15 Hsinchu County 565.0 mm 03 CWB C1E47 Miaoli County 549.0 mm 04 CWB C1D40 Hsinchu County 530.0 mm 05 CWB C0E41 Miaoli County 526.0 mm 06 CWB C1E48 Miaoli County 467.5 mm 07 CWB C1D41 Hsinchu County 461.0 mm 08 CWB C1E46 Miaoli County 445.5 mm 09 CWB 21C08 Taoyuan County 430.0 mm 10 CWB C1E72 Miaoli County 427.0 mm [04/1600-05/1600Z] ------------------ Ranking Station ID City/County Rainfall ------------------------------------------------------------ 01 CWB C1F89 Taitung County 843.0 mm 02 CWB C1F94 Taitung County 708.0 mm 03 CWB 21D15 Hsinchu County 688.0 mm 04 CWB 21D16 Hsinchu County 667.0 mm 05 CWB C1F87 Taitung County 595.0 mm 06 CWB 01A43 Taipei County 588.0 mm 07 CWB C1E46 Miaoli County 578.0 mm 08 CWB C1E72 Miaoli County 559.5 mm 09 CWB 21C08 Taoyuan County 558.0 mm 10 CWB C1F9H Taitung County 557.0 mm [05/1600-06/1600Z] ------------------ Ranking Station ID City/County Rainfall ------------------------------------------------------------ 01 CWB C1V27 Kaohsiung County 416.5 mm 02 CWB C1V30 Kaohsiung County 296.0 mm 03 CWB C1V22 Kaohsiung County 294.0 mm 04 CWB C1R16 Pingtung County 260.0 mm 05 CWB C1V16 Kaohsiung County 250.5 mm 06 CWB C1F87 Taitung County 250.0 mm 07 CWB C1V20 Kaohsiung County 248.0 mm 08 CWB C1V19 Kaohsiung County 246.5 mm 09 CWB C1V21 Kaohsiung County 238.5 mm 10 CWB C1F94 Taitung County 190.0 mm {Part III} Meteorological Obs from Zhejiang Province ==================================================== 1. Gust Obs ----------- Forty-six stations recorded gusts of Beaufort Force 12 or higher during the typhoon. Station Dongting, located in Putuo District, Zhoushan City, reported the highest gust of the province, peaking at 49.2 m/s. 2. Rainfall Obs --------------- During the 96-hr period ending at 08/0000 UTC, rains >500 mm were reported by 12 stations (including hydrological stations) with Zhongbao, Yongjia County, Wenzhou City, reporting the highest amount of 701.4 mm. Extrema from Zhejiang Province during the typhoon included: 1-hr rainfall: 91.5 mm @ Cengang Reservoir, Dinghai District, Zhoushan City [06/1400-08/1500Z] 3-hr rainfall: 199.5 mm @ Cengang Reservoir, Dinghai District, Zhoushan City [06/1300-08/1600Z] 6-hr rainfall: 300.5 mm @ Huachengsi Reservoir, Dinghai District, Zhoushan City [06/0700-08/1300Z] 12-hr rainfall: 420.0 mm @ Huachengsi Reservoir, Dinghai District, Zhoushan City [06/0700-08/1900Z] 24-hr rainfall: 606.9 mm @ Chaiqiao, Beilun District, Ningbo City, [05/1900-06/1900Z] Daily rainfall: 589.0 mm @ Chaiqiao, Beilun District, Ningbo City, [06/0000-07/0000Z] 3-day rainfall: 690.8 mm @ Zhongbao, Yongjia County, Wenzhou City, [04/0000-07/0000Z] {Part IV} Meteorological Obs from Shanghai Municipality ======================================================= 1. Wind Obs ----------- Sustained winds recorded by Station Gaoqiao, which is located near the mouth of Yangtse River, rose to gale force around 05/1800 UTC and did not drop below Beaufort Force 8 until 25 hrs later. Peak gust reported by the station was 26.6 m/s. Station Xiaoyangshan reported gusts topping 40.7 m/s--the highest value ever reported by Shanghai--at 05/1351 UTC. 2. Rainfall Obs --------------- During the 60-hr period ending at 08/0000 UTC, rains >300 mm were reported by 3 stations (including hydrological stations) with Zhoupu, Nanhui District, reporting the highest amount of 349.5 mm. The station also reported the highest daily value, amounting to 292.0 mm [06/0000- 07/0000Z]. 3. Hydrological Obs ------------------- Several hydrological stations reported record-breaking water levels during the typhoon: Station Peak Water Level Former Record ------------------------------------------------------------ Mishidu 4.38 m [06/1932Z] 4.27 m Songpu Bridge 4.46 m [06/1927Z] 4.42 m Mao Harbor 4.28 m [06/1945Z] 4.20 m Zhujing 4.10 m [06/2000Z] 4.08 m Suzhou River Floodgate 4.55 m [06/1935Z] 4.45 m Hongkou Harbor 4.36 m [06/1810Z] 4.33 m Yangshupu Harbor 4.25 m [06/1630Z] 4.20 m Yangshupu Harbor 4.25 m [06/1630Z] 4.20 m Beixinjing 4.31 m [06/2005Z] 4.10 m {Part V} Meteorological Obs from Other Provinces ================================================ 1. Anhui Province ----------------- During the 72-hr period ending at 08/0000 UTC, rains >100 mm were reported by 16 towns. Guangde County reported the highest gust of the province, reaching 26 m/s on the 6th (LST). 2. Jiangsu Province ------------------- During the 72-hr period ending at 07/2100 UTC, rains >100 mm were reported by 27 counties/cities with Taicang City (a sub-city of Suzhou City) reporting the highest amount of 193.8 mm. (Zhitang, Changshu City (a sub-city of Suzhou City) reported 218.4 mm--the highest of the hydro- logical stations during the same period.) Station Yuantuojiao, located in Qidong City (a sub-city of Nantong City), reported a peak gust of 34 m/s--the highest value of the province during the storm. 3. Shandong Province -------------------- During the 24-hr period ending at 08/0100 UTC, rains >100 mm were reported by 9 counties/cities with Rongcheng City (a sub-city of Weihai City) reporting the highest amount of 150.5 mm. Lingshan Dao and Dagong Dao, both located in Qingdao City, reported gusts of typhoon force, peaking at 36.7 m/s and 34.9 m/s, respectively. 4. Liaoning Province -------------------- During the 31-hr period ending at 09/0000 UTC, Beiguan Reservoir, Dalian City reported the highest rainfall amount of 175 mm. {Part VI} Damage and Casualties =============================== 1. Mainland China ----------------- Typhoon Matsa affected 31,459,000 people in the 8 provinces/ municipalities of Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, Liaoning, Hebei and Fujian, resulting in the deaths of 25 people and the direct economic losses of over 18 billion yuan. (Refer to statistics below.) Thousands of flights in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo and Wenzhou were delayed or cancelled under stormy condition. Subway traffic in Shanghai was paralysed for about five hours due to the flood. Province Population /Municipality Evacuated Affected Deaths ----------------------------------------------------- Zhejiang 1,429,000 10,479,000 5 Shanghai 216,000 1,331,000 7 Jiangsu 200,000 12,200,000 8 Anhui 24,000 2,014,000 2 Shandong 58,000 3,800,000 - Liaoning 153,000 865,000 3 Hebei 109,000 770,000 - Fujian 116,000 ------- - [TOTAL] [2,305,000] [31,459,000] [25] Province Farmland Houses Direct economic /Municipality Damaged (ha.) Toppled loss (yuan) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Zhejiang 338,000 13,000 8,910,000,000 Shanghai 56,000 15,000 1,330,000,000 Jiangsu 1,110,000 14,000 3,400,000,000 Anhui 113,000 3,000 660,000,000 Shandong 354,000 3,500 2,940,000,000 Liaoning 143,000 10,000 600,000,000 Hebei 24,000 300 170,000,000 [TOTAL] [2,138,000] [59,000] [18,010,000,000] 2. Taiwan --------- Preliminary statistics indicated that Typhoon Matsa left two people missing in Taiwan. Agricultural losses in the province were estimated to be at least NT$ 46.89 million. {Part VII} References (All in Chinese version) ============================================== E. Huang Chunliang Report from Japan ------------------------------------ {Part I}. Landfall ================== According to the JMA warnings, Severe Typhoon 0509 (MATSA) passed over the island of Ishigakijima, Okinawa Prefecture from 0900 UTC (approx.) through 1200 UTC on the 4th of August with a MSW of 40 m/s and a CP of 955 hPa. {Part II}. Meteorological Obs ============================= Station Min SLP (hPa) Peak SW (m/s) Peak Gust (m/s) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Miyakojima 971.6 [04/0933Z] 20.9 [04/1520Z] 40.3 [04/1335Z] Ishigakijima 958.1 [04/1046Z] 31.4 [04/1820Z] 50.6 [04/1704Z] Iriomotejima 963.4 [04/1246Z] 25.4 [--------] 40.9 [04/1756Z] Yonagunijima 972.8 [04/1615Z] 24.3 [04/1250Z] 37.1 [04/1327Z] Station Storm Total (mm) ----------------------------------------------------- Miyakojima 318.0 [02/1500-05/0600Z] Ishigakijima 183.5 [02/1500-05/0600Z] Iriomotejima 284.0 [02/1500-05/0600Z] Yonagunijima 200.5 [02/1500-05/0600Z] Note: Miyakojima @ WMO47927, 24.79N/125.28E, Alt 40 m Ishigakijima @ WMO47918, 24.34N/124.16E, Alt 6 m Iriomotejima @ WMO47917, 24.39N/123.75E, Alt 9 m Yonagunijima @ WMO47912, 24.47N/123.01E, Alt 30 m F. Huang Chunliang Report from Korea ------------------------------------ Rainfall observations--only 24-hr amount(s) >= 100 mm listed: MASAN (35.18N/128.57E) 229.0 mm [07/12-08/12Z, Aug] JINJU (35.20N/128.12E) 107.0 mm [07/12-08/12Z, Aug] MASAN (35.18N/128.57E) 223.0 mm [08/00-09/00Z, Aug] JINJU (35.20N/128.12E) 122.0 mm [08/00-09/00Z, Aug] (Report written/compiled by Kevin Boyle and Huang Chunliang) TYPHOON SANVU (TC-10W / TY 0510 / HUANING) 9 - 14 August ------------------------------------------------ Sanvu: contributed by Macao, is the Macanese word for coral, a hard substance often used for making jewelry, formed by the skeletons of tiny sea animals, massed together in great numbers. Many Macao souvenirs are made of it. A. Storm Origins ---------------- At 1430 UTC 8 August, an area of convection, located approximately 365 nm northwest of Palau, was first mentioned as a suspect area in a STWO issued by JTWC. A 08/0904 UTC QuikScat pass indicated an elongated LLCC while animated enhanced infrared imagery depicted cycling convection on the periphery of this circulation. An upper-level analysis revealed a moderate vertical wind shear environment, weak divergence, and increasing 850-mb vorticity. The system gradually consolidated and a TCFA was issued at 10/0000 UTC. The first warning on Tropical Depression 10W was released at 10/1200 UTC, the centre being located approximately 500 nm east of Manila, Philippines. At this time TD-10W was well within PAGASA's AOR, that agency having already assigned the name Huaning from their internal naming list. Moving west-northwestward along the southern periphery of the subtropical ridge, TD-10W was upgraded to a tropical storm at 11/0000 UTC. Following JMA's upgrade to tropical storm intensity at 11/1200 UTC, the tropical cyclone was named Sanvu. B. Track and Intensity History ------------------------------ With the subtropical ridge firmly in place across the northwest Pacific into eastern China, Tropical Storm Sanvu was foreordained to track on a predominantly west-northwesterly track. Sanvu/Huaning remained a weak tropical storm through 11 August while clipping the northeastern corner of Luzon, Philippines. Satellite images showed that the poleward outflow was being restricted due to subsidence associated with the ridging to the north. However, on 12 August Sanvu began to intensify and was upgraded to a 65-kt typhoon--its peak intensity--at 0000 UTC 13 August while located approximately 165 nm east of Hong Kong, China. By the time Sanvu made landfall near Shantou, China, at around 13/0600 UTC, it had weakened to a 55-kt tropical storm. As it was dissipating as a significant tropical cyclone over land, the final warning was issued by JTWC. JMA maintained Sanvu as a tropical storm until 14/0000 UTC when that agency also released the final statement. A peak intensity of 60 kts was estimated by both NMCC and HKO while JMA and the Meteorological Department of Thailand estimated a MSW of 55 kts. The minimum CP estimated by JMA was 985 mb. The peak intensity estimated by the CWB of Taiwan was 50 kts, which was also the highest MSW per PAGASA's warnings while the storm was moving through their AOR. A graphic displaying the track of Typhoon Sanvu/Huaning may be found at the following link: C. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ Typhoon Sanvu brought strong winds and torrential rains to southern China. The winds brought down trees and sent billboards and telephone boxes flying while torrential rains brought tremendous flooding. The floodwaters destroyed more than 2,500 houses, many bridges, and damaged 60,000 hectares (148,000 acres) of crops. Two people were killed when a two-metre wall at a construction site collapsed. D. Huang Chunliang Report from the Philippines ---------------------------------------------- Rainfall observations--only 24-hr amount(s) >= 100 mm listed: TUGUEGARAO (WMO98233, 19.62N/121.73E) 307.5 mm [11/00-12/00Z] LAOAG (WMO98223, 18.18N/120.53E) 124.2 mm [11/00-12/00Z] IBA (WMO98324, 15.33N/119.97E) 120.6 mm [11/00-12/00Z] BAGUIO (WMO98328, 16.42N/120.60E) 105.4 mm [11/00-12/00Z] SAN JOSE (WMO98531, 12.35N/121.03E) 103.6 mm [11/00-12/00Z] CASIGURAN (WMO98336, 16.28N/122.12E) 101.4 mm [11/00-12/00Z] SUBIC BAY WX STN (WMO98426, 14.80N/120.27E) 152.0 mm [12/00-13/00Z] IBA (WMO98324, 15.33N/119.97E) 130.6 mm [12/00-13/00Z] BAGUIO (WMO98328, 16.42N/120.60E) 118.0 mm [12/00-13/00Z] E. Huang Chunliang Report from China ------------------------------------ (Editor's Note: I have not yet received Chunliang's China report on Typhoon Sanvu. It will be included as an addendum to a future summary.) (Report written and compiled by Kevin Boyle and Huang Chunliang) SUPER TYPHOON MAWAR (TC-11W / TY 0511) 19 - 29 August --------------------------------------- Mawar: contributed by Malaysia, is the rose--a common flowering garden plant with bigger-sized varieties found in the highlands of Malaysia A. Introduction and Storm Origins --------------------------------- Super Typhoon Mawar formed on 19 August, the same day that warnings were first issued on Tropical Storm Guchol centred roughly 600 nm to the east. There was no evidence of any interaction between these two systems, largely due to their small size. Whereas the upper-level outflow from Mawar interfered with the development of Tropical Storm Guchol, Mawar rapidly intensified, briefly attaining super typhoon intensity on 22 August. Mawar went on to become the first typhoon to affect Japan in 2005. On 18 August an area of convection persisted approximately 170 nm southeast of Iwo Jima. It was included in JTWC's STWO, along with the pre-Guchol disturbance, at 18/0600 UTC, when animated multi-spectral satellite imagery depicted improving convection around a possible LLCC. An upper-air analysis indicated that the system was located in a low to moderate wind shear environment. Further development led to the issuance of a TCFA at 19/0530 UTC. The first warning was issued at 19/1200 UTC on Tropical Depression 11W, located approximately 250 nm south-southeast of Iwo Jima. The system quickly strengthened and was soon upgraded to a 45-kt tropical storm at 19/1800 UTC. At the same time JMA christened the tropical cyclone Mawar when their estimated MSW (10-min avg) reached 35 kts. B. Track and Intensity History ------------------------------ Initially embedded in a weak steering environment, Tropical Storm Mawar began a slow northwest drift on 20 August, influenced by a subtropical ridge situated to the northeast. Mawar rapidly intensified into an 80-kt typhoon at 0000 UTC 21 August while passing approximately 165 nm south of Iwo Jima. Continuing slowly northwestwards, Mawar continued to strengthen quickly, reaching a peak intensity of 130 kts at 22/0000 UTC. Mawar was a super typhoon for only six hours before a steady weakening trend began on 22 August. However, the system remained a major typhoon with MSW of 100-105 kts for the next two days, turning northwards early on 24 August. Typhoon Mawar recurved northeastwards on 25 August as it was approaching the Japanese island of Honshu and made landfall near Tokyo, Japan, at 25/1800 UTC with MSW of 85 kts. Moving back out to sea, the tropical cyclone weakened to below typhoon intensity at 26/1200 UTC and transitioned into an extratropical LOW at 27/0000 UTC, the time that JTWC issued the final warning. JMA released the last bulletin at 28/0000 UTC. The extratropical gale had weakened into a 25-kt LOW near 38N/154W by 29/0600 UTC. NMCC estimated a peak intensity of 110 kts while JMA and the CWB of Taiwan estimated a maximum strength of 95 kts (all 10-min averages). A minimum CP of 930 hPa was estimated by JMA. A graphic displaying the track of Super Typhoon Mawar may be found at the following link: C. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ Typhoon Mawar had a significant impact on Japan. Press reports indicate that one person was killed and seven injured after the storm came ashore on 25 August. News sources indicate that Shizuoka and Chiba Prefectures were particularly hard hit. Thousands of households were left without power and hundreds of families were forced to evacuate their homes after heavy rains, up to 610 mm in some areas, triggered flooding and landslides. Transportation was also badly disrupted. A total of 89 flights were cancelled while Japan's bullet train service was suspended. Offshore, Mawar temporarily forced the suspension of vessel berthing operations at a number of oil refineries in eastern Japan. D. Huang Chunliang Report from Japan ------------------------------------ {Part I}. Landfall ================== According to the JMA warnings, after passing over Miura Peninsula around 25/1730 UTC with a MSW of 35 m/s and a CP of 970 hPa, Severe Typhoon 0511 (Mawar) made landfall near Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, around 25/1930 UTC with a MSW of 35 m/s and a CP of 975 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 value for relevant station. 1. Top-5 Daily Rainfall [24/1500-25/1500Z] Obs ---------------------------------------------- Ranking Prefecture Station Rainfall (mm) ------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Kanagawa Hakone 528* 02 Shizuoka Yugashima 364 03 Shizuoka Amagisan 362 04 Shizuoka Gotenba 281 05 Tokyo Ojima 266 2. Top-5 Peak Sustained Wind (10-min avg) Obs --------------------------------------------- Ranking Station Peak wind (mps) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Miyake-tsubota, Tokyo (JMA44228, Alt 20m) 28 [25/1120Z] 02 Omaezaki, Shizuoka (WMO47655, Alt 45m) 24.7 [25/1050Z] 03 Ojima, Tokyo (WMO47675, Alt 74m) 24.4 [25/1550Z] 04 Choshi, Chiba (WMO47648, Alt 20m) 22.0 [25/2220Z] 05 Katsuura, Chiba (WMO47674, Alt 12m) 21.0 [25/1900Z] 05 Niijima, Tokyo (JMA44206, Alt 9m) 21 [25/1520Z] 3. Top-5 Peak Gust Obs ---------------------- Ranking Station Peak wind (mps) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Ojima, Tokyo (WMO47675, Alt 74m) 57.0*[25/1441Z] 02 Omaezaki, Shizuoka (WMO47655, Alt 45m) 45.7 [25/1106Z] 03 Irouzaki, Shizuoka (WMO47666, Alt 55m) 41.9 [25/1440Z] 04 Mishima, Shizuoka (WMO47657, Alt 21m) 39.9 [25/1226Z] 05 Choshi, Chiba (WMO47648, Alt 20m) 39.6 [25/2113Z] 4. Top-5 SLP Obs (lowest) ------------------------- Ranking Station Min SLP (hPa) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Irouzaki, Shizuoka (WMO47666) 977.9 [25/1256Z] 02 Ojima, Tokyo (WMO47675) 983.7 [25/1506Z] 03 Ajiro, Shizuoka (WMO47668) 984.2 [25/1500Z] 04 Chiba, Chiba (WMO47682) 985.8 [25/1925Z] 04 Omaezaki, Shizuoka (WMO47655) 985.8 [25/1105Z] {Part III} References (Japanese version only) ============================================= (Report written/compiled by Kevin Boyle and Huang Chunliang) TROPICAL STORM GUCHOL (TC-12W / STS 0512) 19 - 26 August ----------------------------------------- Guchol: contributed by Micronesia, is the Yapese word for the spice turmeric A. Storm Origins ---------------- The disturbance which eventually developed into Tropical Storm Guchol began as an area of convection approximately 870 nm east of Iwo Jima. It was first mentioned in JTWC's STWO at 0930 UTC 17 August when animated multi-spectral satellite imagery revealed increasing deep convection in association with a weak LLCC. An upper-level analysis indicated that the suspect area was located within a favourable low wind shear environment. However, the deep convection remained cyclic in nature before properly consolidating on 19 August. This development prompted the issuance of a TCFA at 19/2130 UTC. Shortly afterward, the first warning was released at 20/0000 UTC, locating the centre of the newly formed Tropical Depression 12W approximately 540 nm east of Iwo Jima. Drifting slowly westwards, the system maintained MSW of 25 to 30 kts on 20 August. It was upgraded to a 40-kt tropical storm at 21/0000 UTC, and named Guchol six hours later when JMA raised their MSW to 35 kts. B. Track and Intensity History ------------------------------ On 21 August Tropical Storm Guchol turned towards the north-northwest as it tracked along the southwest periphery of the subtropical ridge. Animated multi-spectral satellite imagery depicted a fully-exposed LLCC with the deep convection located to the south as a consequence of shearing associated with the upper-level outflow from the nearby Typhoon Mawar, located roughly 600 nm to the west. Despite this negating factor, Guchol gradually intensified and reached its peak intensity of 60 kts, the storm's first maximum, at 0000 UTC 22 August while located approximately 330 nm east-northeast of Iwo Jima. Tracking north- northwestward, Guchol began to weaken, the MSW leveling out at 50-kts at 22/1800 UTC. Recurving sharply northeastwards, Tropical Storm Guchol began to pull away from Typhoon Mawar on 23 August. Accelerating, the storm slowly re-intensified, arriving at its maximum strength of 60 kts for the second time at 24/0600 UTC. Continuing northeastward, Guchol weakened and transformed into an extratropical cyclone at 25/0000 UTC, JTWC issuing the last warning at this time. JMA released their final bulletin at 25/1200 UTC. The LOW continued east-northeastward, weakening to 25 kts by 26/1800. Both JMA and the CWB of Taiwan estimated a peak intensity of 55 kts while the highest MSW estimated by NMCC was 50 kts. (This is a rare example of a case where NMCC's peak MSW is lower than JMA's.) A graphic displaying the track of Tropical Storm Guchol may be found at the following link: C. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ There were no damages or casualties known to have been associated with Tropical Storm Guchol. (Report written by Kevin Boyle) TYPHOON TALIM (TC-13W / TY 0513 / ISANG) 26 August - 2 September ---------------------------------------------- Talim: contributed by the Philippines, means 'sharp' or 'cutting edge' A. Introduction and Storm Origins --------------------------------- Forming in the monsoon trough during late August, Talim followed a northwestward to westward track for several days, peaking as an intense 125-kt typhoon on 29 August. Typhoon Talim was the second tropical cyclone of typhoon intensity to strike the island of Taiwan this year, following Super Typhoon Haitang (TC-05W) in mid-July. The storm also had severe implications in mainland China where it caused flooding and the loss of 110 lives. The origins of Typhoon Talim could be traced back to an area of convection which developed and persisted approximately 250 nm east- northeast of Guam. It was first mentioned as a suspect area in JTWC's STWO issued at 0600 UTC 24 August when animated multi-spectral imagery revealed a broad LLCC associated with the disturbance. An upper-level analysis revealed a low to moderate wind shear environment. However, an upper-level LOW was impinging on the outflow on the northern side of the circulation. Despite this, the potential for development of a significant tropical cyclone was raised to 'good' at 25/2200 UTC and a TCFA issued. The first warning was released at 26/0600 UTC when Tropical Depression 13W was located approximately 100 nm west-southwest of Guam. It was upgraded to a 35-kt tropical storm by both JTWC and JMA at 27/0000 UTC, the tropical cyclone being assigned the name Talim. B. Track and Intensity History ------------------------------ Tropical Storm Talim steadily intensified on 27 August as it moved on a general northwestward track along the southwestern periphery of a sub- tropical ridge. The tropical cyclone was raised to typhoon intensity at 0600 UTC 28 August when it was located approximately 690 nm south- east of Okinawa. At this time, PAGASA christened the tropical cyclone Isang after the storm had entered their AOR. (Note: Even though the name Talim was contributed to the international list by the Philippines, PAGASA always applies a name from their alphabetical list of local names for all systems entering their AOR.) Typhoon Talim continued to strengthen on 28 August while moving on a more westward heading and reached a peak intensity of 125 kts at 29/1800 UTC. After maintaining this strength for nearly 24 hours, a weakening trend began late on 30 August as the storm approached the island of Taiwan. Typhoon Talim made landfall near Hualien, Taiwan, at 31/1800 UTC with a MSW of 95 kts. From there, the cyclone crossed the Taiwan Strait and came ashore near Fuzhou, China, around 01/0600 UTC, the same time that it was downgraded to a 55-kt tropical storm. JTWC issued the final warning at 01/1200 UTC while JMA continued to maintain the system as a tropical storm, downgrading Talim to a tropical depression at 02/0600 UTC. The last statement issued by JMA was at 02/1800 UTC. NMCC estimated a peak intensity of 130 kts while the CWB of Taiwan estimated a peak intensity of 105 kts. JMA, PAGASA and HKO all estimated a maximum intensity of 95 kts. The lowest CP estimated by JMA was 925 mb. (All the Asian TCWCs MSW estimates should be understood as representing a 10-min averaging period.) A graphic displaying the track of Typhoon Talim/Isang may be found at the following link: C. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ Typhoon Talim killed at least seven people and injured 59 more as it tracked across the island of Taiwan. Schools, financial markets and government offices were closed and hundreds of villagers were evacuated from mountainous regions. Transportation was badly affected. Train services were suspended and all domestic flights were cancelled. International air services were also delayed. Several roads were cut off in Hsinchu County while in Taichung County, a bridge at Kukuan was submerged by flash floods, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of tourists. Taiwan's Formosa Petrochemical Company temporarily suspended berthing operations at its Mai Liao refinery. Talim's strong winds cut power supplies and downed trees while heavy rain triggered flooding in some towns in central Taiwan. Around 1.7 million people lost power and some 48,500 households were without running water. In the capital of Taipei, streets were abandoned as strong winds brought down trees and blew debris against buildings and homes. News reports indicate that Typhoon Talim left at least 110 people dead in eastern mainland China, 40 of those believed to have perished in landslides in Anhui province. More than 150,000 people were evacuated, and thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed. D. Huang Chunliang Report from Japan ------------------------------------ The following observations were obtained from the Okinawa Meteor- ological Observatory, Japan Meteorology Agency: Station Min SLP (hPa) Peak SW (m/s) Peak Gust (m/s) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Miyakojima 988.6 [31/0550Z] 17.1 [30/2320Z] 34.7 [31/0101Z] Ishigakijima 971.6 [31/0705Z] 34.1 [31/0750Z] 59.1 [31/0734Z] Iriomotejima 969.2 [31/1005Z] 31.6 [31/0750Z] 54.6 [31/0749Z] Yonagunijima 965.8 [31/1207Z] 38.2 [31/1200Z] 57.8 [31/1207Z] Station Peak Daily Rainfall (mm) ----------------------------------------- Miyakojima 22.5 [30/1500-31/1500Z] Ishigakijima 132.5 [30/1500-31/1500Z] Iriomotejima 152.5 [30/1500-31/1500Z] Yonagunijima 134.0 [31/1500-01/1500Z] Note: Miyakojima @ WMO47927, 24.79N/125.28E, Alt 40 m Ishigakijima @ WMO47918, 24.34N/124.16E, Alt 6 m Iriomotejima @ WMO47917, 24.39N/123.75E, Alt 9 m Yonagunijima @ WMO47912, 24.47N/123.01E, Alt 30 m E. Huang Chunliang Report from China ------------------------------------ (Editor's Note: I have not yet received Chunliang's China report on Typhoon Talim. It will be included as an addendum to a future summary.) (Report written/compiled by Kevin Boyle and Huang Chunliang) SUPER TYPHOON NABI (TC-14W / TY 0514 / JOLINA) 29 August - 11 September ----------------------------------------------- Nabi: contributed by South Korea, means 'butterfly' A. Introduction and Storm Origins --------------------------------- The third super typhoon of the year, Nabi followed a classic recurvature path, passing through the Marianas on 31 August, ultimately becoming the second tropical cyclone to make landfall on Japanese soil in 2005. Super Typhoon Nabi began as a persistent area of convection approximately 560 nm east of Guam. It was first mentioned in a STWO issued by JTWC at 1900 UTC 28 August when enhanced infrared animations and water vapor satellite imagery revealed a large region of deep convection associated with the disturbance. However, a 28/1244 UTC TRMM microwave pass indicated that the deep convection was located mainly within the western and southern quadrants. The system quickly developed as it moved slowly west to west-southwestward through a moderate wind shear environment. A TCFA was issued at 29/0200 UTC and was soon replaced by the first warning at 29/0600 UTC. At this time the centre of Tropical Depression 14W was located approximately 520 nm east-northeast of Guam and tracking towards the west at around 6 kts along the southern periphery of a mid-level steering ridge located southeast of Japan. TD-14W steadily intensified and was upgraded to a 40-kt tropical storm at 29/1800 UTC, the storm having already been named Nabi six hours earlier after JMA had raised their 10-min avg MSW to 40-kts. B. Track and Intensity History ------------------------------ Tropical Storm Nabi continued to strengthen as it tracked westward towards the Marianas and was upgraded to Typhoon Nabi at 1200 UTC 30 August while located approximately 130 nm east-southeast of Saipan. Turning onto a west-northwesterly course, Nabi continued to intensify while passing through the Marianas on 31 August, the centre passing 35 nm northeast of Saipan at 31/1200 UTC. Intensification continued, culminating in the storm's reaching its peak intensity of 140 kts at 01/1800 UTC. Some weakening occurred but Nabi maintained super typhoon intensity through 2 September as it entered the far northeast portion of PAGASA's AOR. The Filipino name for this tropical cyclone was Jolina. Moving northwestward Nabi was downgraded to a typhoon early on 3 September, and after weakening further, the MSW leveled out at 105 kts later that day. An approaching mid-level trough exiting eastern China caused the steering ridge to retreat eastwards, inducing Typhoon Nabi to turn to a progressively northward path. In the meantime, Nabi re-intensified and reached a secondary peak of 115 kts at 0000 UTC 5 September while located approximately 310 nm south-southeast of Sasebo, Japan. Accelerating northwards, Typhoon Nabi made landfall on the Japanese island of Kyushu at 06/0000 UTC with a MSW of 90 kts. The tropical cyclone then crossed southwestern Japan on 6 September and recurved into the Sea of Japan, completing extratropical transition at 06/1800 UTC, the time that JTWC issued the final warning. JMA downgraded Nabi to a tropical storm at 07/0000 UTC and maintained this intensity until the issuance of their last bulletin at 08/0600 UTC, shortly after the cyclone had crossed northern Hokkaido and was speeding eastward across the North Pacific. JMA carried the extratropical remnants of Nabi in their high seas warnings through 11/1800 UTC. The extratropical LOW had by this time turned northward and passed through the Aleutian Islands and was a 35-kt gale situated in the central Bering Sea. NMCC estimated a peak intensity of 120 kts while the CWB of Taiwan estimated a MSW of 105 kts (10-min averages). The maximum strength per PAGASA warnings during the time that Nabi/Jolina was tracking through that agency's AOR was 95 kts. The highest peak intensity estimated by JMA was 95 kts and the lowest CP was 925 mb. HKO did not issue any warnings on this system. A graphic displaying the track of Super Typhoon Nabi/Jolina may be found at the following link: A graphic with better resolution depicting the track only up to the point of extratropical transition may be found at: C. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ Typhoon Nabi had a significant impact on southern Japan. According to press reports, 32 people were killed and 140 injured. At least 270,000 households were without electricity and around 10,000 buildings were damaged. Transportation was badly disrupted by the heavy rains and strong winds. Hundreds of flights and ferries in and out of Kyushu and Shikoku were cancelled while all the West Japan Railway Company's train services were suspended. Industry was also badly hit. The car assembly plants in southwestern Japan at Honda Motor Company, Toyota Motor Corporation, Nissan Motor Company and Mazda Motor Corporation were temporarily halted. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries closed ship building plants in Nagasaki, Yamaguchi and Hiroshima while the oil refiner Kyushu Oil Company, Japan Energy and Idemitsu Kosan Company also halted operations. Torrential rains caused widespread flooding. Parts of Miyazaki received more than 1,000 mm (40 inches) of rain while 800 mm (32 inches) was recorded in Kagoshima and Oita. Tokyo and surrounding areas also experienced heavy rainfall. More than 230 mm (9 inches) fell in the capital city in one hour. The General Insurance Association of Japan estimated overall insured losses of 58.8 billion yen (535 million US dollars), the tenth most expensive typhoon on record. Typhoon Nabi also affected South Korea. In Busan, strong winds blew down dozens of signboards and uprooted trees. Up to 152 mm (6 inches) of rain was recorded in the city. A Vietnamese cargo ship, the Long Xuyen, ran aground in the port city of Pohang. Press reports indicated that five people were missing but there appears to have been no deaths. There are no reports of damages or casualties in the Marianas. Saipan endured sustained winds of up to 65 kts while nearby Guam experienced tropical storm force winds and 76 mm (3 inches) of rain. According to some information sent by Huang Chunliang, the NWS office at Agana, Guam, (13.5N/144.8E) recorded 118.4 mm (4.66 inches) during the 24 hours between 30/1200 and 31/1200 UTC. D. Huang Chunliang Report from Japan ------------------------------------ Note: "*" = record-breaking values for relevant stations. {Part I}. Landfalls (based on the JMA warnings) =============================================== 1. Severe Typhoon 0514 (Nabi) passed over Amakusa-shimoshima Island, Kumamoto Prefecture, around 06/0400 UTC. 2. Severe Typhoon 0514 (Nabi) made landfall near Isahaya City, Nagasaki Prefecture, around 06/0500 UTC with a MSW of 35 m/s and a CP of 960 hPa. 3. Typhoon 0514 (Nabi) made landfall over Hokkaido's Oshima Peninsula near Setana Town around 07/1430Z with a MSW of 25 m/s and a CP of 985 hPa. {Part II}. Top-5 Storm Total [03/1500-08/1500Z] Obs =================================================== Ranking Prefecture Station Rainfall (mm) ------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Miyazaki Mikado 1321 02 Miyazaki Ebino 1307 03 Miyazaki Mitate 1201# 04 Miyazaki Wanitsukayama 995 05 Miyazaki Morotsuka 986 Note (#): observed in 03/1500-06/2200Z. {Part III}. Top-5 Daily Rainfall Obs ==================================== Ranking Prefecture Station Rainfall (mm) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Ehime Jojushya *757 [05/1500-06/1500Z] 02 Kochi Hongawa *713 [05/1500-06/1500Z] 03 Kochi Ikegawa *644 [05/1500-06/1500Z] 04 Miyazaki Ebino 639 [05/1500-06/1500Z] 05 Miyazaki Mikado *628 [05/1500-06/1500Z] Note 1: During 04/1500-05/1500Z, 17 stations (11 in Miyazaki, 5 in Kagoshima and 1 in Oita) reported record-breaking daily rainfalls (for relevant stations). Note 2: During 05/1500-06/1500Z, 40 stations (7 in Kochi, 7 in Yamaguchi, 7 in Oita, 5 in Hiroshima, 5 in Ehime, 3 in Miyazaki, 2 in Fukuoka, 2 in Tokushima, 1 in Shimane, and 1 in Kumamoto) reported record-breaking daily rainfalls (for relevant stations). Note 3: During 06/1500-07/1500Z, 4 stations (all in Hokkaido) reported record-breaking daily rainfalls (for relevant stations). {Part IV}. Top-5 1-hr Rainfall Obs ================================== Ranking Prefecture Station Rainfall (mm) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Kochi Hongawa *76 [06/0920-06/1020Z] 02 Nagasaki Unzendake 75 [05/0340-06/0440Z] 03 Shizuoka Iwata *73 [04/2000-04/2100Z] 04 Miyazaki Mikado 71 [05/2330-06/0030Z] 05 Tokushima Fukuharaasahi 69 [06/1150-06/1250Z] {Part V}. Top-5 Peak Sustained Wind (10-min avg) Obs ==================================================== Ranking Station Peak wind (mps) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Kikaijima, Kagoshima (JMA88851, Alt 5m) *36 [05/0550Z] 02 Murotomisaki, Kochi (WMO47899, Alt 185m) 33.2 [06/1440Z] 03 Tobishima, Yamagata (JMA35002, Alt 58m) 33 [07/1200Z] 04 Minamidaitojima, Okinawa (WMO47945, 15m) 32.8 [04/1020Z] 05 Yakushima, Kagoshima (WMO47836, Alt 36m) 32.2 [06/1220Z] {Part VI}. Top-5 Peak Gust Obs ============================== Ranking Station Peak wind (mps) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Tanegashima, Kagoshima (WMO47837, Alt 17m) 59.2 [05/1934Z] 02 Yakushima, Kagoshima (WMO47836, Alt 36m) 58.1 [05/1529Z] 03 Minamidaitojima, Okinawa (WMO47945, 15m) 55.6 [04/1132Z] 04 Kagoshima, Kagoshima (WMO47827, Alt 4m) 48.4 [05/1207Z] 05 Makurazaki, Kagoshima (WMO47831, Alt 30m) 48.3 [05/2034Z] {Part VII}. Top-5 SLP Obs (lowest) ================================== Ranking Station Min SLP (hPa) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Minamidaitojima, Okinawa (WMO47945) *936.8 [04/0605Z] 02 Yakushima, Kagoshima (WMO47836) 949.4 [05/1908Z] 03 Makurazaki, Kagoshima (WMO47831) 952.0 [05/2153Z] 04 Kagoshima, Kagoshima (WMO47827) 956.0 [05/2355Z] 05 Akune, Kagoshima (WMO47823) 957.3 [06/0202Z] {Part VIII} References (Japanese versions only) =============================================== E. Huang Chunliang Report from Korea ------------------------------------ Rainfall observations--only 24-hr amount(s) >= 100 mm listed: DAEGWALLYEONG (37.68N/128.77E) 139.0 mm [05/12-06/12Z, Sep] DAEGWALLYEONG (37.68N/128.77E) 211.5 mm [06/00-07/00Z, Sep] DONGHAE RADAR (37.50N/129.13E) 154.5 mm [05/12-06/12Z, Sep] DONGHAE RADAR (37.50N/129.13E) 241.5 mm [06/00-07/00Z, Sep] ULJIN (36.98N/129.42E) 135.5 mm [05/12-06/12Z, Sep] ULJIN (36.98N/129.42E) 182.5 mm [06/00-07/00Z, Sep] ULSAN (35.55N/129.32E) 319.0 mm [05/12-06/12Z, Sep] ULSAN (35.55N/129.32E) 275.5 mm [06/00-07/00Z, Sep] ULLEUNGDO (37.48N/130.90E) 118.0 mm [06/12-07/12Z, Sep] (Report written/compiled by Kevin Boyle and Huang Chunliang) ************************************************************************* NORTH INDIAN OCEAN (NIO) - Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea Activity for August: No tropical cyclones ************************************************************************* SOUTHWEST INDIAN OCEAN (SWI) - South Indian Ocean West of Longitude 90E Activity for August: No tropical cyclones ************************************************************************* NORTHWEST AUSTRALIA/SOUTHEAST INDIAN OCEAN (AUW) - From 90E to 135E Activity for August: No tropical cyclones ************************************************************************* NORTHEAST AUSTRALIA/CORAL SEA (AUE) - From 135E to 160E Activity for August: No tropical cyclones Northeast Australia/Coral Sea Tropical Activity for August ----------------------------- The Brisbane TCWC issued gale warnings on 9 August for a LOW which at 09/1000 UTC was located near 14S/155E, moving slowly eastward. Gales of 35-40 kts were forecast for the southeastern sector of the LOW up until 10/0000 UTC, when the gale warning was cancelled. This system was never referred to as a tropical LOW, even though it was in the tropics, but given the time of year was likely non-tropical or hybrid at best. The gales were no doubt due to a tight pressure gradient with a HIGH to the south or southeast. ************************************************************************* SOUTH PACIFIC (SPA) - South Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 160E Activity for August: No tropical cyclones South Pacific Tropical Activity for August ------------------------------------------ No tropical cyclones formed in the South Pacific east of 160E during August, but the Fiji TCWC did issue gale warnings on a system which was referred to as a depression. This LOW was located on 25 August well to the east of Tahiti and quickly moved off to the east-southeast, the last warning being issued at 26/0600 UTC. Gales to 40 kts were forecast from the northern quadrant around the eastern side to the southwestern sector. This depression was never referred to as a tropical depression so undoubtedly was non-tropical or hybrid in character. ************************************************************************* 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 (Northwest Pacific Basin) E-mail: newchapelobservatory@btinternet.com Huang Chunliang (Assistance with Northwest Pacific Basin) E-mail: huangchunliang@hotmail.com Simon Clarke (Northeast Australia/Coral Sea, South Pacific Basin) E-mail: scla4255@bigpond.net.au ************************************************************************* ************************************************************************* Posted: 12.03.05 / Typhoon2000.ph, Typhoon2000.com