MONTHLY GLOBAL TROPICAL CYCLONE SUMMARY
DECEMBER, 2006
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Almost two years ago I began including links to
track graphics prepared by John Diebolt of Tucson, Arizona, and archived
on his tropical cyclone website. A few months back John experienced a
disk crash which resulted in a error. He had to request assistance from
the programmer who had written the map-generation software, but so far
has not been able to get the problem solved. As a convenience to users,
I've also recently been including links to the individual tabular tracks,
prepared by myself, which John had archived on his website. Now, due to
family concerns, John has not had time to place the tracks for recent
cyclones on the website. I have checked the websites listed at the end
of the summaries and found that the entire November track file has been
archived on two of them. The links are:
http://australiasevereweather
http://www.typhoon2000.ph
UPDATE TO ABOVE NOTE: John has now gotten his website up and running
again. The link is:
http://www.tropicalcyclone2005
The December track file may be found here as well. Also, John has
already created graphics for the January, 2007, cyclones. The page
has been redesigned and is very user-friendly now. To view any item
of interest, click on the green bar to the right.
As time permits we hope to make track graphics available for cyclones
during the latter half of 2006.
(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.)
******************************
DECEMBER HIGHLIGHTS
--> Yet another typhoon moves through Philippines
--> Intense tropical cyclone forms in Southwest Indian Ocean
--> Possible subtropical storm forms off coast of Brazil
******************************
!!!!!!!!!! EXTRA FEATURE !!!!!!!!!!
A REVIEW OF THE 2006 TROPICAL CYCLONE SEASON
FOR THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
Following is a tabular summary of all the tropical depressions,
tropical storms, hurricanes, and typhoons which occurred in the
Northern Hemisphere between 1 January and 31 December 2006, as
reported in the Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summaries prepared
by the author.
(1) Number - this is the sequential cyclone number assigned by either
TPC/NHC, CPHC in Honolulu, or JTWC. If neither of these
agencies issued any warnings, no number will be given.
(2) Name - the name (if any) assigned by either TPC/NHC, CPHC, IMD,
or JMA (and PAGASA for Western North Pacific systems in
their area of warning responsibility).
(3) Dates - range of dates for which tracking information for the
cyclone is available in the Global Tropical Cyclone
Tracks files prepared by the author.
(4) Pressure - Lowest central pressure (either estimated or recorded)
during the lifetime of the cyclone. For Atlantic and
Northeastern Pacific systems these will be the values
reported in operational advisories from TPC/NHC or
CPHC. For Northwest Pacific systems the central
pressure estimates are taken from advisories issued by
the Japanese Meteorological Agency. An asterisk (*)
following the pressure indicates the reading was an
actual measured pressure normally obtained by a drop-
sonde released during an aerial reconnaissance
flight. Central pressure is given in millibars,
which is numerically equivalent to hectopascals.
(5) MSW - maximum 1-minute average sustained windspeed in knots.
For the Northwestern Pacific and North Indian Ocean
basins, these will be the highest value assigned
operationally by JTWC. For the Atlantic and Northeastern
Pacific basins, the MSW values are taken from the
official tropical cyclone reports prepared by the
TPC/NHC Hurricane Specialists and which are available
on TPC/NHC's website: <http://www.nhc.noaa.gov> .
(6) Basins - tropical cyclone basins where the cyclone tracked during
its life:
ATL - North Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea
NEP - North Pacific east of Longitude 180
NWP - North Pacific west of Longitude 180
(including South China Sea)
NIO - Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea
For tropical systems in the NWP basin, two additional columns of
information are given:
(1) The tropical storm serial number assigned by the Japanese
Meteorological Agency to tropical depressions which are deemed
to have reached tropical storm intensity. This does not always
agree with JTWC's assessment.
(2) An estimate of the maximum 10-minute average sustained wind.
The value given represents the highest 10-min avg MSW assigned
by any agency. If from any warning center other than JMA, a
numbered note below identifies which center's value is given.
For tropical systems in the NIO basin, an additional column lists
the alphanumeric storm identifier assigned by the India Meteorological
Department (IMD) for those systems deemed to have reached cyclonic
storm (i.e., tropical storm) status by that agency.
A number in parentheses (e.g. (1) ) following an entry refers to
a note following the entries for the given basin. A separate table
is given for each of the four Northern Hemisphere basins.
==============================
ATLANTIC BASIN
NUM NAME DATES CENT PRS MSW BASIN
------------------------------
01 Alberto 10-19 Jun 995 * 60 ATL
02 ----- 16-19 Jul 998 45 ATL (1)
03 Beryl 18-22 Jul 1001 * 50 ATL
04 Chris 01-06 Aug 1001 * 55 ATL
05 Debby 21-28 Aug 999 45 ATL
06 Ernesto 24 Aug-04 Sep 985 * 65 ATL
07 Florence 03-19 Sep 974 * 80 ATL
08 Gordon 10-24 Sep 955 105 ATL
09 Helene 12-27 Sep 955 * 105 ATL
10 Isaac 27 Sep-03 Oct 985 75 ATL
NOTES:
(1) This system was added during TPC/NHC's post-season analysis and
review. It was not carried operationally as a tropical cyclone.
There was no track for this system in the Global Tropical Cyclone
Tracks file prepared by the author.
==============================
NORTHEAST PACFICIC BASIN
NUM NAME DATES CENT PRS MSW BASIN
(mb
------------------------------
01E Aletta 27-31 May 1002 40 NEP
02E ----- 03-05 Jun 1005 30 NEP
03E Bud 11-17 Jul 953 110 NEP
04E Carlotta 12-20 Jul 981 75 NEP
05E Daniel 16-28 Jul 933 130 NEP
06E Emilia 21-31 Jul 990 55 NEP
07E Fabio 31 Jul-05 Aug 1000 45 NEP
08E Gilma 01-05 Aug 1004 35 NEP
09E Hector 15-24 Aug 966 95 NEP
01C Ioke (1) 19 Aug-07 Sep 920 140 NEP/NWP
10E Ileana 21-29 Aug 955 105 NEP
11E John 28 Aug-04 Sep 948 * 115 NEP
12E Kristy 30 Aug-09 Sep 985 70 NEP
13E Lane 13-17 Sep 952 * 110 NEP
14E Miriam 16-21 Sep 999 40 NEP
02C ----- 18-20 Sep 1007 30 NEP
03C ----- 26-28 Sep 1006 (2) 30 NEP/NWP
15E Norman 09-15 Oct 1000 45 NEP
16E Olivia 09-14 Oct 1000 40 NEP
04C ----- 13-14 Oct 1007 30 NEP
17E Paul 21-26 Oct 970 90 NEP
18E ----- 26-29 Oct 1007 30 NEP
--- ----- 30 Oct-03 Nov --- 55 NEP (3)
19E Rosa 08-10 Nov 1002 35 NEP
20E ----- 11 Nov 1007 30 NEP
21E Sergio 13-20 Nov 965 95 NEP
NOTES:
(1) Ioke's JMA tropical storm number after crossing into the Northwest
Pacific basin was 0612.
(2) The lowest CP of 1006 mb was assigned by JMA after system had moved
into the Northwest Pacific basin.
(3) This system's NRL invest number was '91C', and it occurred at a
rather high latitude in the Central and Eastern North Pacific.
The system definitely appeared to be at least subtropical in nature,
and very possibly was a tropical cyclone. The intensity is based
upon a track prepared by Dr. Karl Hoarau of Cergy-Pontoise
University, Paris.
==============================
NORTHWEST PACFICIC BASIN
JTWC NAME(S) JMA DATES CENT MSW MSW BASIN
NUM TROP STM PRS 1-MIN 10-MIN
NUM (mb) (kts) (kts)
------------------------------
--- Agaton ---- 20-27 Jan 1000 -- 30 NWP (1)
01W Basyang ---- 03-13 Mar 1004 35 30 NWP
02W Chanchu/Caloy 0601 08-20 May 930 135 90 NWP
03W Jelawat/Domeng 0602 26-29 Jun 994 45 40 NWP (2)
04W Ewiniar/Ester 0603 29 Jun-12 Jul 920 130 100 NWP
05W Bilis/Florita 0604 08-15 Jul 970 55 65 NWP (3)
06W Kaemi/Glenda 0605 17-26 Jul 955 90 80 NWP
07W Prapiroon/Henry 0606 28 Jul-05 Aug 965 70 70 NWP
08W Saomai/Juan 0608 04-11 Aug 925 140 95 NWP
09W Maria 0607 04-12 Aug 975 65 60 NWP
10W Bopha/Inday 0609 05-11 Aug 985 50 50 NWP
11W Wukong 0610 12-21 Aug 980 50 45 NWP
12W Sonamu/Katring 0611 13-16 Aug 992 45 40 NWP
13W ----- ---- 23-25 Aug 1000 30 25 NWP
14W Shanshan/Luis 0613 09-22 Sep 925 120 100 NWP
15W ----- ---- 12-13 Sep 1004 30 30 NWP
16W Yagi 0614 13-27 Sep 910 140 110 NWP
17W ----- ---- 22-25 Sep 996 35 30 NWP
18W Xangsane/ (4) 0615 25 Sep-02 Oct 950 125 85 NWP
19W Bebinca/Neneng 0616 28 Sep-06 Oct 990 45 45 NWP (1)
20W Rumbia 0617 02-06 Oct 985 35 45 NWP
21W Soulik 0618 08-17 Oct 955 90 75 NWP
22W Cimaron/Paeng 0619 26 Oct-06 Nov 910 155 105 NWP (5)
--- ----- ---- 06-09 Nov 1000 50 -- NWP (6)
23W Chebi/Queenie 0620 08-14 Nov 925 125 105 NWP (7)
24W Durian/Reming 0621 25 Nov-07 Dec 915 135 105 NWP
25W Utor/Seniang 0622 06-15 Dec 955 100 80 NWP
26W Trami/Tomas 0623 15-20 Dec 1000 30 35 NWP
NOTES:
(1) The highest 10-min avg MSW was assigned by PAGASA.
(2) PAGASA classified this system as a tropical depression on 24 June,
and later that same day upgraded it to tropical storm status.
(3) The highest 10-min avg MSW estimated by JMA was 60 kts. PAGASA was
the only warning agency (known to the author) who upgraded this
system to typhoon status.
(4) The PAGASA name for Typhoon Xangsane was Milenyo.
(5) The peak 1-min avg MSW of 155 kts was obtained from Dvorak analyses
performed by Dr. Karl Hoarau of Cergy-Pontoise University, Paris,
and is in agreement with intensity estimates from SAB and AFWA. The
highest 1-min avg MSW estimated by JTWC was 140 kts.
(6) This system appeared to be subtropical in nature. However, it was
assigned some tropical "T" Dvorak classifications by SAB who
designated it as '99W'. The peak intensity is based upon QuikScat
data.
(7) Dr. Karl Hoarau estimated the peak intensity for Chebi/Queenie at
135 kts. I have used JTWC's peak 1-min avg MSW of 125 kts, which
is good agreement with SAB's and AFWA's peak Dvorak ratings of
T6.5/6.5.
==============================
NORTH INDIAN OCEAN BASIN
NUM NAME IMD ID (1) DATES CENT PRS MSW BASIN
------------------------------
01A ----- ------- 13-17 Jan --- 40 NIO
02B Mala BOB0601 24-29 Apr --- 125 NIO
03B ----- ------- 02-04 Jul --- 35 NIO
--- ----- ------- 01-05 Aug --- 30 NIO
04A Mukda ARB0601 20-25 Sep --- 60 NIO
05B ----- ------- 28-30 Sep --- 35 NIO
--- Ogni BOB0602 28-30 Oct --- 45 NIO
NOTES:
(1) I have learned that IMD discontinued using the former alphanumeric
designators when official naming of tropical cyclones in the NIO
basin was initiated in 2004. The IDs listed above are unofficial
and will not appear in the future in any summaries, track files, and
hemisphere reviews prepared by the author.
******************************
ACTIVITY BY BASINS
ATLANTIC (ATL) - North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico
Activity for December: No tropical cyclones
North Atlantic Tropical Activity for December
------------------------------
In contrast to December, 2005, which was the most active December on
record in the Atlantic basin, the month of December, 2006, was its
normal quiet self. However, there was an interesting-looking system
in the subtropical eastern Atlantic near 28.7N/34.5W on the 19th which
exhibited some features often seen in subtropical cyclones. There was
some convection with organized curvature, and SSTs were in the 23 to
25 C range. The system formed in response to a surface front and the
cyclone phase space, utilizing GFS runs, kept it as a shallow, symmetric
warm-core system. Large-scale atmospheric parameters were not
particularly unfavorable for further development, but the system appeared
to move rather rapidly to the east with a frontal-looking convective
band ahead of it and did not show any additional signs of evolving into
a subtropical or tropical cyclone.
******************************
SOUTH ATLANTIC (SAT) - Atlantic Ocean South of the Equator
Activity for December: Possible subtropical storm
South Atlantic Tropical Activity for December
------------------------------
On 12 December Alexandre Aguiar of the MetSul Meteorologia Weather
Center in Sao Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, alerted a tropical
cyclone discussion group to the existence of a cyclonic system off the
coast of Brazil roughly near 20.0S/40.0W which appeared to possibly be
a subtropical system. The LOW was in the same general vicinity where
a tropical storm had formed in January, 2004--a couple of months before
the rather famous (or infamous) Cyclone Catarina. A ship in the area
had reported winds of 30 kts with a minimum SLP of 1009 hPa.
According to Roger Edwards, QuikScat data showed winds generally
increasing with radial distance from the center, especially toward the
Brazilian coast, which wouldn't be consistent with a purely tropical
cyclone. However, as Roger pointed out, there have been plenty of
so-called "neutercanes" and other subtropical systems in the North
Atlantic which have sent mixed signals in that they had similar
kinematic distribution, yet also some warm-core characteristics.
Jack Beven pointed out that a system at 20 degrees latitude would not
normally be expected to have much baroclinicity, which would increase
its chances of being tropical. However, to the southeast the system
appeared to be attached to a frontal system, while to the northwest it
seemed to be attached to ITCZ convection over Brazil. Since the LOW
was never completely isolated from the baroclinic zone/ITCZ cloudiness
and was always under westerly shear, it seems unlikely that it was a
purely tropical cyclone. Jack was of the opinion that it might have
been more along the lines of the rather well-known Australian East
Coast cyclones, which typically exhibit monsoon/ITCZ vorticity at low
levels with baroclinic forcing aloft.
Whatever its exact thermal nature, the December system constitutes
another entry into the catalogue of interesting South Atlantic tropical
and hybrid systems which have been revealed by satellite imagery since
the first publicized South Atlantic tropical depression in April, 1991.
******************************
NORTHEAST PACIFIC (NEP) - North Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 180
Activity for December: No tropical cyclones
******************************
NORTHWEST PACIFIC (NWP) - North Pacific Ocean West of Longitude 180
Activity for December: 2 tropical depressions **
1 tropical storm ++
1 typhoon
** - classified as tropical depressions by JMA only
++ - system was not upgraded to tropical storm status 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
Philippines' Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services
Administration (PAGASA). A very special thanks to Michael for the
assistance he so reliably provides.
In the title line for each storm I have referenced all the cyclone
names/numbers I have available: JTWC's depression number, the
JMA-assigned name (if any), JMA's tropical storm numeric designator,
and PAGASA's name for systems forming in or passing through their
area of warning responsibility.
Northwest Pacific Tropical Activity for December
------------------------------
Two named tropical cyclones formed during the month of December in the
Northwest Pacific basin. Typhoon Utor/Seniang became the sixth (and
thankfully final!) typhoon of the season to strike the Philippines.
Following a track somewhat to the south of the previous fall typhoons,
Seniang passed over the islands of Samar and Leyte and near Mindoro
Island before emerging into the South China Sea. Although not nearly
as destructive and deadly as its immediate predecessor, Durian/Reming,
Utor nonetheless left at least 30 persons dead with considerable
destruction at the Boracay Island resort. The other tropical storm,
Trami/Tomas, was a weak system which occurred in the Philippine Sea
during the third week of the month. (JTWC did not upgrade this system
to tropical storm status.)
There were two additional weak systems designated as tropical
depressions by JMA. A system east of Guam, near 15.0N/148.0E, was
referenced as a tropical depression by JMA at 12/0900 UTC. The system
was downgraded to a low-pressure area on the next bulletin, but was
re-upgraded to a tropical depression at 0600 UTC on 10 December, this
time near 17.0N/139.0E, moving west-northwestward at 10 kts. JTWC
assigned a Dvorak classification of T2.0/2.0 on this system at 10/0230
UTC, but lowered it to T1.0/1.0 three hours later. Based on JMA's
shipping bulletins, the depression recurved and by time of the final
reference at 11/0000 UTC was located near 20.0N/140.0E, moving north-
eastward at 10 kts. Another system was briefly referenced as a tropical
depression near 10.0N/154.0W at 1800 UTC on 10 December, but no further
mention was made of this system in JMA's shipping bulletins.
Reports follow on Typhoon Utor and Tropical Storm Tomas.
The online Wikipedia reports for the Northwestern Pacific cyclones may
be accessed at the following URL:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
TYPHOON UTOR
(TC-25W / TY 0622 / SENIANG)
6 - 15 December
------------------------------
Utor: contributed by the United States, is a Marshallese word meaning
"squall line"
A. Introduction and Storm Origins
------------------------------
Typhoon Utor was the 6th and final typhoon of 2006 to strike the
Philippines and the 5th in less than three months. Fortunately, the
storm was not as deadly as its immediate predecessor, Durian, but
nonetheless was blamed for at least 30 deaths. Utor seems to have
originated within an area of disturbed weather first noted approximately
265 nm southeast of Chuuk on 2 December. Convection was flaring over
a developing LLCC, shear was low, and outflow was favorable. The system
remained in the vicinity over the next few days, but on the 6th was
relocated to a point approximately 300 nm south-southwest of Guam and
the development potential upgraded to 'fair'. The system continued to
consolidate and at 0000 UTC on 7 December, JTWC issued the first warning
on Tropical Depression 25W, located roughly 95 nm west-southwest of Yap
and moving westward at 16 kts with an initial intensity of 25 kts. At
the same time JMA elevated the system to a 30-kt (10-min avg) depression.
B. Synoptic History
-------------------
TD-25W continued tracking westward south of a strong subtropical ridge
extending from Guam westward to the Luzon Strait and gradually continued
to strengthen. At 07/1800 UTC both JTWC and JMA upgraded the system to
tropical storm status with JMA naming it Utor. (PAGASA had assigned the
name Seniang to the depression after it entered that agency's AOR.)
Tropical Storm Utor was then located approximately 170 nm north-northwest
of Palau, tracking west-northwestward at 8 kts. The newly-christened
tropical storm intensified slowly at first, but underwent a spurt of
intensification on the 8th which resulted in its being upgraded to
Typhoon Utor at 0000 UTC on 9 December by JTWC, JMA and PAGASA. The
cyclone was then centered about 390 nm southeast of Manila and tracking
westward at 12 kts.
Shortly after being upgraded to typhoon status, Utor/Seniang reached
the Philippine Archipelago, being located over southeastern Samar Island
around 09/0600 UTC and near northwestern Leyte Island six hours later.
By 1800 UTC the storm's center was over the Jintotolo Channel and
surprisingly had continued to strengthen. Typhoon Utor/Seniang reached
its peak estimated intensity of 100 kts at 0000 UTC on 10 December while
centered just southeast of Mindoro Island or about 145 nm south-southeast
of Manila. Interestingly, PAGASA's MSW estimate remained at 65 kts
during Seniang's entire transit of the archipelago. Karl Hoarau
estimates that Utor's winds reached 115 kts (1-min avg) at 10/0000 UTC,
and this is supported by Dvorak ratings of T6.0/6.0 from both SAB and
AFWA around that time. The Dvorak rating from JTWC reached a peak of
T5.5/5.5 at 09/2330 UTC, so that agency's peak of 100 kts was based
solely on their own analysis. Based on reports of some of the damage
incurred at a resort in the Visayas, it seems very likely indeed that
Typhoon Utor/Seniang was stronger than most of the warnings were
implying.
Typhoon Utor entered the South China Sea around 1200 UTC on the 10th
and slowly began to weaken as it moved into a region with the competing
influences of good outflow but increasing vertical shear and entrainment
of drier air from the west. Utor's MSW dropped to 75 kts at 11/0000 UTC
and remained in the 75-80 kt range for the next day or so. However,
at 12/0600 UTC JTWC bumped the intensity back to 90 kts with the storm
centered about 390 nm southeast of Hainan Island. Also, JMA increased
their MSW estimates from 70 kts at 12/0000 UTC to 85 kts twelve hours
later. The primary reason for the re-intensification appeared to be very
good poleward outflow. The storm's heading was still west-northwesterly
at this juncture, but became increasingly northwesterly as time went by.
Utor reached a secondary peak intensity of 95 kts (per JTWC) at 13/0000
UTC while located approximately 235 nm southeast of Hainan and moving
northwestward at 5 kts.
The re-intensification was to be short-lived, however. After 13/1200
UTC Utor began to weaken rapidly due to the unfavorable influences of
increased vertical shear and dry air entrainment. At 1800 UTC JTWC
rather drastically reduced the MSW to 65 kts from 90 kts six hours
earlier, and at 14/0000 UTC dropped the winds to 35 kts and issued their
final warning with the dissipating system quasi-stationary approximately
175 nm east-southeast of Hainan Island. JMA downgraded Utor to a
tropical depression at 14/0600 UTC, and by 15/0000 UTC had further
demoted the system to a 20-kt low-pressure area.
The peak intensity and minimum CP estimated by JMA for Typhoon Utor
were 85 kts and 945 mb, respectively, during the re-intensification
episode over the South China Sea. While traversing the Philippines,
JMA's peak MSW estimate was 80 kts at 10/0000 UTC. The highest 10-min
avg MSW assigned by PAGASA was 70 kts at 12/0000 UTC as Utor/Seniang
was exiting that agency's AOR.
C. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
According to the Wikipedia online report, Typhoon Utor/Seniang left
at least 30 persons dead with 8 others missing in the Philippines. An
e-mail from Michael Padua of Naga City cited some information from a
friend of his which stated that "reports from Boracay Island Resort
via Bombo Radio: 1 dead, 100+ missing, hundreds of boats destroyed.
The island is stripped of trees and completely isolated. The island
hit by a 15 to 20-foot storm surge."
(Report written by Gary Padgett)
TROPICAL STORM TRAMI
(TC-26W / TS 0623 / TOMAS)
15 - 20 December
------------------------------
Trami: contributed by Vietnam, is a kind of tree belonging to the rose
family. Its flowers are pink or red without a fragrance and is
used as a decorative tree.
A. Introduction and Storm Origins
------------------------------
Tropical Storm Trami (known as Tomas in the Philippines) was the
final Northwest Pacific tropical cyclone of 2006. The system was a
minimal tropical storm per JMA's and PAGASA's analyses, but was treated
as only a tropical depression by JTWC. A LLCC developed on 14 December
about 435 nm east-southeast of Pohnpei. Microwave and animated multi-
spectral imagery revealed an area of mid-level cyclonic turning about
two degrees north of the LLCC. Outflow was favorable and vertical shear
was low to moderate. The disturbance moved westward and by early on
the 15th was located about 150 nm east-southeast of Pohnpei. Convection
was flaring near the LLCC and Pohnpei had reported a surface pressure
fall of 2.7 mb during the previous 24 hours. Hence, the potential for
development was elevated to 'fair'. JMA began monitoring the system as
a weak tropical depression in their High Seas Bulletins at 15/0600 UTC.
The system exhibited a broad circulation with weak multiple LLCCs and
poorly-organized deep convection on the 15th. A 15/0713 UTC AMSU image
had shown no indication of a well-defined LLCC, so the development
potential was downgraded to 'poor' in an interim STWO issued at 15/1300
UTC. By 0600 UTC on the 16th the system was located roughly 445 nm
southeast of Guam with little change in organization. However, by
17/0000 UTC deep convection had become more persistent with a 16/2114
UTC SSMI image depicting weak banding on the northern periphery of
the system which appeared to be wrapping into the center of circulation.
Vertical shear was low with fair divergence aloft, so JTWC once more
upgraded the development potential to 'fair' at this time. JMA had
upped their intensity estimate to 30 kts at 16/1200 UTC, and JTWC issued
their first warning on Tropical Depression 26W at 17/0300 UTC with the
center located about 230 nm southwest of Guam. The MSW was estimated
at 30 kts and the depression was moving west-northwestward at 17 kts.
B. Synoptic History
-------------------
JMA upgraded the depression to minimal tropical storm status and
assigned the name Trami at 17/1200 UTC. Tropical Storm Trami was then
centered approximately 385 nm west of Guam, moving west-northwestward
at 18 kts south of a 700-850 mb ridge to the north. The cyclone moved
quickly toward the Philippines, posing the threat of yet another typhoon
strike. However, Trami struggled against strong vertical shear and an
approaching cold front. After the storm entered PAGASA's AOR around
18/0600 UTC it was named Tomas by that agency, but having two names
still did not help the storm overcome the unfavorable environment.
JTWC issued their final warning on Trami at 18/1200 UTC, placing the
center approximately 700 nm southeast of Okinawa. Animated infrared
imagery and an 18/1040 UTC SSMI image depicted a burst of deep convection
over the north quadrant and no indication of a significant LLCC. An
18/0922 UTC QuikScat image had indicated an inverted trough situated
along 134E with strong convergent flow north of 15N where the deep
convection was flaring. An upper-level analysis indicated 30-40 kts
of vertical shear and strong poleward outflow associated with strong
mid-latitude westerlies impinging on the system. JMA and PAGASA main-
tained Trami/Tomas as a minimal tropical storm through 1800 UTC, but
both warning agencies downgraded it to depression status at 19/0000 UTC.
JMA continued to track the weakening system toward the Philippines for
another day, reducing it to a 20-kt low-pressure area at 20/0000 UTC.
According to Mike Middlebrooke of the NWS WFO on Guam, QuikScat data
clearly showed 35-40 kt winds north of the center around 17/2100 and
18/2100 UTC. Dvorak classifications from AFWA supported tropical storm
intensity through 18/1200 UTC, and were actually T3.0/3.0 at 16/2330
UTC, which was around the time that JTWC initiated warnings. In fact,
JTWC's Dvorak rating at 16/2300 UTC was T2.5/2.5 and was T2.0/2.5 at
17/0530 and 17/1130 UTC. However, SAB's classifications never rose
above T2.0/2.0. The preponderance of the evidence seems to justify
treating Trami as a minimal tropical storm.
C. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
No reports of damage or casualties resulting from Tropical Storm
Trami/Tomas have been received.
(Report written by Gary Padgett)
******************************
NORTH INDIAN OCEAN (NIO) - Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea
Activity for December: No tropical cyclones
******************************
SOUTHWEST INDIAN OCEAN (SWI) - South Indian Ocean West of Longitude 90E
Activity for December: 1 tropical disturbance
1 severe tropical storm **
1 intense tropical cyclone
** - wind measurements at landfall suggest that this system may have been
of tropical cyclone (i.e., hurricane) intensity
Sources of Information
-----------------
The primary sources of tracking and intensity information for
Southwest Indian Ocean tropical cyclones are the warnings issued by
the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre on La Reunion Island, part of
Meteo France (MFR), and the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre
for the basin. However, tropical cyclones in this region are named
by the Sub-regional Tropical Cyclone Advisory Centres in Mauritius and
Madagascar with longitude 55E being the demarcation line between their
respective areas of naming responsibility. The La Reunion centre only
advises these agencies regarding the intensity of tropical systems.
References to sustained winds imply a 10-minute averaging period unless
otherwise stated.
In the companion tropical cyclone tracks file, I occasionally
annotate positions from warnings issued by the Joint Typhoon Warning
Center (JTWC) of the U. S. Air Force and Navy, located at Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii, when they differ from MFR's coordinates by usually
40-50 nm or more. The JTWC warnings are also the source of the
1-minute average maximum sustained wind values included in the
tracks file. Additionally, information describing details of
satellite imagery and atmospheric circulation features included in
the narratives is often gleaned from the JTWC warnings.
Southwest Indian Ocean Tropical Activity for December
------------------------------
Three numbered tropical systems were tracked by RSMC La Reunion during
the month of December. Very small but intense Tropical Cyclone Bondo
formed shortly after mid-month and followed a westerly track at low
latitudes for several days, passing just south of the small island of
Agalega on the 20th at its peak intensity of 110 kts (10-min avg). The
storm eventually rounded the tip of Madagascar and moved southward just
off the island's northwestern coast, finally making landfall near the
city of Majunga as a severe tropical storm. A system late in the month
was numbered as Tropical Disturbance 04 but never strengthened to
tropical storm status. A new circulation formed within the larger area
of disturbed weather and became Tropical Storm Clovis. The history of
Tropical Disturbance 04 is contained in the report on Clovis.
Short reports with satellite pictures and small-scale maps for all
the Southern Hemisphere systems may be found at the following link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
INTENSE TROPICAL CYCLONE BONDO
(MFR-03 / TC-05S)
17 - 26 December
----------------------------
A. Introduction and Storm Origins
------------------------------
Tropical Cyclone Bondo (name contributed by Malawi) formed just west
of Diego Garcia and moved on a long trajectory which took it near the
small island of Agalega, later passing just off the northern tip of
Madagascar and ultimately inland on the west coast of that island near
Majunga. The storm was a small but very intense system, reaching an
estimated peak intensity of 110 kts (10-min avg), or 135 kts (1-min avg)
from JTWC. Fortunately, Bondo had weakened to below cyclone intensity
(i.e., 65 kts) before making landfall in northwestern Madagascar.
Bondo's origin can be traced to an area of disturbed weather which
was located west-southwest of Diego Garcia on 15 December. A satellite
bulletin issued by JTWC at 2330 UTC on the 16th yielded a Dvorak rating
of T2.0/2.0, which would imply a tropical depression with maximum 1-min
avg winds of 30 kts. MFR issued their first bulletin on Tropical
Disturbance 03 at 17/1200 UTC, locating the center approximately 450 nm
west-southwest of Diego Garcia. A few hours earlier, around 17/0200
UTC, JTWC had upgraded the development potential to 'good' and issued
a TCFA. Deep convection was flaring over a LLCC with convective bands
wrapping into the center. An upper-level analysis revealed that the
disturbance was located within a region of low vertical shear and with
good divergence and poleward outflow aloft. The system's organization
continued to improve, and at 1200 UTC on 18 December JTWC issued their
first warning on TC-05S, estimating the MSW at 35 kts (1-min avg).
Six hours later MFR upped Tropical Disturbance 09 to tropical depression
status, and at 19/0000 UTC the Subregional Tropical Cyclone Advisory
Centre in Mauritius named the storm Bondo. Tropical Storm Bondo was
then located about 240 nm east of Agalega, tracking westward at 11 kts
along the northern periphery of a mid-level subtropical ridge located
to the south. MFR estimated the intensity of Bondo at 40 kts (10-min
avg) at 19/0000 UTC.
B. Synoptic History
-------------------
To say that Bondo intensified rapidly, or even very rapidly, is an
understatement. Shortly after being upgraded to tropical storm status,
the central pressure began to plummet (as estimated by MFR), dropping
77 hPa in 24 hours and 61 hPa in 18 hours. At 19/0000 UTC Bondo was
a 40-kt tropical storm; eighteen hours later its winds had reached
105 kts (10-min avg). The center of this intense tropical cyclone was
at 19/1800 UTC located about 50 nm east-southeast of Agalega, and six
hours later had reached its estimated peak intensity of 110 kts only
about 25 nm southwest of the island. Although very intense, Bondo
was an extremely small tropical cyclone with gales extending outward
only about 20 nm to the north of the center and 40 nm to the south.
The radius of hurricane-force winds was estimated at only 10 nm (this
information based upon MFR's 20/0000 UTC warning). The minimum CP
estimated by MFR was 915 hPa at 20/0000 UTC, and the peak MSW (1-min
avg) estimated by JTWC was 135 kts at the same hour. The tropical
cyclone at the time was enjoying the combined benefits of low vertical
shear and excellent radial outflow as it tracked westward at 12 kts
along the northeastern periphery of a subtropical ridge anchored east
of La Reunion.
As Bondo tracked westward it encountered increasing vertical wind
shear along with reduced polar outflow. These factors, along with an
eyewall replacement cycle, caused the storm to weaken significantly
as it began to approach the northern tip of the island of Madagascar.
At 0600 UTC on 21 December MFR estimated the intensity at 100 kts.
Twenty-four hours later Bondo was downgraded to a 55-kt severe tropical
storm. The system had now begun tracking southwestward toward the
large island in response to a developing weakness in the subtropical
ridge associated with a deepening mid-latitude trough. At 1200 UTC
on the 22nd Bondo was located about 100 nm north-northeast of the
northern tip of Madagascar, moving slowly southwestward at 3 kts.
MFR's 10-min avg estimate was still 55 kts, but JTWC's 1-min avg MSW
estimate was 75 kts. Satellite imagery depicted deep convection rapidly
redeveloping with spiral curved bands wrapping into the storm's center.
Also, water vapor imagery revealed that an anticyclone had re-formed
over the cyclone, resulting in improved outflow.
Bondo slowly began to re-intensify as the environment became more
favorable. The storm continued to track slowly in a south-southwesterly
direction roughly parallel to the northwestern coastline of Madagascar.
JTWC upped their MSW estimate to 90 kts (1-min avg) at 23/1200 UTC, while
MFR estimated the intensity at only 60 kts (10-min avg). MFR re-upgraded
Bondo to tropical cyclone (i.e., hurricane) status at 24/0000 UTC with
the center located about 250 nm north-northeast of Majunga on the western
coast of Madagascar. Based on JTWC's analysis, Bondo reached a secondary
peak intensity of 115 kts at this time, based on Dvorak ratings of T6.0
from JTWC and AFWA. SAB's rating, however, at 23/2030 UTC was T5.0/5.0,
and MFR's was only T4.5/4.5. MFR upped the MSW to 75 kts at 24/0600 UTC
where it remained pegged for 24 hours. As Bondo continued moving
slightly west of due south along the Malagasy coastline it began to
slowly weaken due to land interaction and entrainment of drier air.
Both JTWC and MFR downgraded Bondo to a 60-kt tropical storm at 1200
UTC on Christmas Day with the center located only around 30 nm north-
northeast of Majunga. By 1800 UTC the center had made landfall and
was rapidly weakening. JTWC issued their final warning at 26/0000 UTC,
and MFR downgraded Bondo to a depression at the same time. The weakening
system continued to move generally southward over Madagascar with the
original center dissipating. The final MFR warning, issued at 1200 UTC
on 26 December, placed a LLCC back over water approximately 200 nm north
of Tulear, but noted that it was a "new" LOW which had generated within
the area of low pressure of the former Tropical Cyclone Bondo.
C. Meteorological Observations
------------------------------
According to Philippe Caroffe, Operational Head of RSMC La Reunion,
the eyewall passed only about 20 nm south of Agalega at peak intensity,
yet the station there recorded 10-min avg winds of less than gale force.
The SLP fell to just below 990 hpa--a 15-hPa drop from the ambient
pressure. According to the online Wikipedia report, the island of
Agalega received at least 280 mm of rainfall from the cyclone.
D. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
Two persons were killed in Madagascar, one due to a wall collapsing
on him, and another missing and presumed dead after taking his family
out in a canoe. The missing man's family survived, however. In Majunga
38 households were affected, some trees were downed, roofs were damaged,
and some locations lost electrical power.
(Report written by Gary Padgett)
TROPICAL STORM CLOVIS
(MFR-05 / TC-06S)
29 December - 4 January
------------------------------
A. Introduction and Storm Origins
------------------------------
Severe Tropical Storm Clovis (name contributed by Mauritius) formed
a short distance southeast of Agalega at the end of December and moved
on a general southwesterly trajectory which took it inland on the
eastern coast of Madagascar in early January. Clovis' beginnings lay
within an area of convection which had persisted roughly 400 nm west-
northwest of Diego Garcia on 24 December. Convective banding was
beginning to wrap into a developing LLCC and upper-level diffluence was
good, but vertical shear was moderate. JTWC upgraded the system's
potential for development to 'fair' in a STWO issued at 24/1800 UTC.
MFR initiated bulletins on Tropical Disturbance 04 at 1200 UTC on the
25th, placing a weak center about 300 nm west of Diego Garcia. Over
the next couple of days the system drifted toward the west-southwest
but remained weak. JTWC issued a TCFA at 26/2330 UTC as the LLCC
had moved under an area of deep convection in a region of low vertical
shear.
By 27/1800 UTC the disturbance was situated about 90 nm north of
Agalega within a region of moderate to high vertical shear which had
displaced the deep convection to the west of the LLCC. Twenty-four
hours later Tropical Disturbance 04 had drifted to a position about
135 nm west of Agalega. JTWC continued to re-issue TCFAs on this
system as it was moving into a region of weaker vertical shear. However,
the system was located under convergent flow associated with the north-
western periphery of an upper-level, near-equatorial ridge which was
inhibiting outflow. MFR's bulletin at 28/1800 UTC stated that the
system's organization did not warrant the issuance of regular warnings.
This warning, however, turned out to be the final one on Tropical
Disturbance 04.
At 1200 UTC on 29 December MFR issued the first statement on Tropical
Disturbance 05, which contained the following paragraph (slightly
edited):
"The low-level circulation center monitored and numbered 04 has
dissipated but the convective activity associated with ex-Tropical
Disturbance 04 has persisted. During the night, several related and
short-lived centers have probably existed at the mercy of convective
pulsations, mainly east of 55E. Last satellite imagery now shows a new
clockwise circulation organizing around a new center which appears to
be the main one. The dissipation of the first monitored system and the
genesis of this new one justifies the re-numbering."
JTWC's STWO issued at 29/1400 UTC also relocated the area of interest
further to the east. The previously issued TCFA for the region remained
in effect since the environment had become somewhat more favorable.
MFR's first bulletin on Tropical Disturbance 05 located the center
125 nm southeast of Agalega at 29/1200 UTC. The system slowly
strengthened as it drifted west-southwestward over the next couple of
days. MFR upgraded it to a 30-kt tropical depression at 0600 UTC on
31 December, and at the same time JTWC issued their first warning on
TC-06S with 35-kt winds (1-min avg). Six hours later MFR upgraded
the depression to Tropical Storm Clovis, located about 300 nm southwest
of Agalega with the MSW estimated at 40 kts. At the time of its
upgrade Clovis was tracking south-southwestward at 9 kts. (Note: Storms
in this basin are actually named by Subregional Tropical Cyclone Advisory
Centres in Mauritius (east of 55E) and Magadascar (west of 55E). Since
the center of this system was located just west of the line of
demarcation, presumably the name was bestowed by Madagascar's
Meteorological Service.)
B. Synoptic History
-------------------
Newly-christened Tropical Storm Clovis wasted no time in intensifying.
At 1800 UTC on 31 December (six hours after being upgraded), MFR bumped
the MSW up to 60 kts, although this was reduced slightly on the next
warning. The system was heading toward a weakness in the subtropical
ridge axis caused by a high-amplitude trough south of the Mozambique
Channel. Throughout the remainder of its life until making landfall
in Madagascar, Clovis followed a fairly smooth south-southwesterly track.
Winds remained in the 50-55 kt range (per MFR) on 1 January, but were
increased to 60 kts at 0600 UTC on 2 January, the storm being then
located about 375 nm west of Mauritius.
Clovis' winds remained at 60 kts for 24 hours before being lowered
to 50 kts at 03/0600 UTC. JTWC's estimated MSW (1-min avg) reached
65 kts at 02/1800 UTC, based on CI numbers of 4.0 from JTWC, AFWA and
SAB. MFR's Dvorak rating during this time also was T4.0/4.0,
corresponding to a 10-min avg intensity of 60 kts. As Clovis neared
Madagascar, a transient shortwave ridge built in poleward of the storm,
resulting in a more westerly track at a slower pace. Tropical Storm
Clovis made landfall in eastern Madagascar north of Mananjary around
0600 UTC on the 3rd with winds estimated at 50 kts (65 kts 1-min avg
MSW from JTWC). After the system had made landfall, it remained
quasi-stationary on the coast or just inland and gradually weakened.
JTWC issued their final warning at 04/0600 UTC, and MFR finalized Clovis
six hours later, noting that winds of 20-25 kts might still be
experienced along the coastline and out to sea for about 30 nm.
C. Meteorological Observations
------------------------------
A ship in the vicinity of 16.1S/55.1E reported ENE winds of 35-40 kts
at 2245 UTC on 30 December with a SLP of 1009 hPa and 3 m seas. This
observation was 6-12 hours before Clovis was upgraded to tropical storm
status by any of the warning centers, and suggests that perhaps the
system was stronger than thought. This fits in with the apparent rapid
intensification reflected in the warnings from 31/0600 to 31/1800 UTC.
AMSU data taken at 31/0949 UTC indicated a system near hurricane force.
The online Wikipedia report notes that Clovis passed about 11 nm
northwest of Tromelin Island around 1700 UTC on 31 December with winds
of 54 kts, gusting to 70 kts. It is assumed that this refers to a wind
observation measured on the island. At 1400 UTC the station on the
island measured a peak 10-min avg sustained wind of 49 kts with peak
gusts to 64 kts, and the wind was still increasing.
Karl Hoarau sent some observations from Madagascar which suggest that
Clovis was stronger than analyzed by JTWC and MFR at landfall. The small
airport of Nosy Varika (20.55S/48.6E) reported a 10-min avg wind of
59 kts at 03/0530 UTC with gusts exceeding 97 kts. Gusts of this
magnitude would suggest a 10-min avg wind of about 68 kts, or a 1-min avg
wind of 78 kts. A 37-GHz image at 03/0230 UTC (a few hours before land-
fall) showed a well-defined eye in the low levels.
D. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
No reports of damage of casualties resulting from Severe Tropical
Storm Clovis had been received.
(Report written by Gary Padgett)
******************************
NORTHWEST AUSTRALIA/SOUTHEAST INDIAN OCEAN (AUW) - From 90E to 135E
Activity for December: No tropical cyclones
Northwest Australia/Southeast Indian Ocean
Tropical Activity for December
------------------------------
A tropical LOW formed off Western Australia on 31 December.
Peripheral gales began on 1 January and on the 2nd the system was named
Tropical Cyclone Isobel. Isobel moved southward and made landfall in
Western Australia on the 3rd. It appears that during a post-storm
analysis and review of Isobel, a determination was made that the system
was not a true tropical cyclone and Isobel has since been declassified.
A full report on Isobel will be included in the January summary.
******************************
NORTHEAST AUSTRALIA/CORAL SEA (AUE) - From 135E to 160E
Activity for December: No tropical cyclones
******************************
SOUTH PACIFIC (SPA) - South Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 160E
Activity for December: No tropical cyclones
South Pacific Tropical Activity for December
------------------------------
At the beginning of the month Tropical Depression 05F/TC-04P was
operating over waters east and southeast of Guadalcanal in the Solomon
Islands. The system began to weaken on the 2nd and had dissipated by
the 4th. A short report on this depression may be found in the November
summary. No other systems were designated as tropical depressions by
RSMC Nadi during the month of December. The tropics lay completely
quiet after the spate of activity from late October through November
which had produced five numbered systems, including two of hurricane
intensity (Xavier and Yani).
******************************
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:
ftp://ftp.nhc.noaa.gov/pub
Information regarding how to interpret the coded reconnaissance
messages may be found at the following URL:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov
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:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov
Links to tropical products archives for earlier years are available at
the following URL:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov
JTWC warnings for past storms are archived on the NRL Monterrey website:
http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/tc
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:
http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/tc
http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu
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:
http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS
(2) For the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea:
http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS
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):
http://australiasevereweather
ftp://ftp.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd
http://www.tropicalcyclone2005
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:
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk
TROPICAL CYCLONE REPORTS AVAILABLE
JTWC now has available on its website the Annual Tropical Cyclone
Report (ATCR) for 2005 (2004-2005 season for the Southern Hemisphere).
ATCRs for earlier years are available also.
The URL is: https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil
Also, TPC/NHC has available on its webpage nice "technicolor"
tracking charts for the 2006 Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific
tropical cyclones; also, storm reports for all the 2006 Atlantic
and Eastern North Pacific cyclones are now available, as well as
track charts and reports on storms from earlier years.
The URL is: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov
A special thanks to Michael Bath of McLeans Ridges, New South Wales,
Australia, for assisting me with proofreading the summaries.
PREPARED BY
Gary Padgett
E-mail: garyp@alaweb.com
Phone: 334-222-5327
Kevin Boyle (Northwest Pacific)
E-mail: newchapelobservatory@btinternet
Simon Clarke (Northeast Australia/Coral Sea, South Pacific)
E-mail: scla4255@bigpond.net.au
******************************
******************************
Posted: 03.07.07 / Typhoon2000.ph, Typhoon2000.com