GARY PADGETT'S MONTHLY GLOBAL TROPICAL CYCLONE SUMMARY NOVEMBER, 2002 (For general comments about the nature of these summaries, as well as information on how to download the tabular cyclone track files, see the Author's Note at the end of this summary.) SPECIAL NOTE: There has been a change in the address of one of the archival sites where back issues of the monthly summaries and track files are catalogued. Chris Landsea has moved the files he was previously archiving on a computer at TPC/NHC to a machine at AOML/HRD. The address is: ************************************************************************* NOVEMBER HIGHLIGHTS --> Northwest Pacific remains quiet--only one tropical cyclone --> Southwest Indian Ocean season gets underway --> Two tropical cyclones in Bay of Bengal--one deadly ************************************************************************* ***** Feature of the Month for November ***** ADVANCED OBJECTIVE DVORAK TECHNIQUE This monthly feature is the third in a series highlighting some of the papers presented at the recent AMS 25th Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology in San Diego, California. As previously explained, three of the papers really excited me as they introduced new and innovative solutions to some of the problematic issues and challenges facing tropical cyclone forecasters today. The first of these I covered in the July, 2002, summary--Track Forecasting with a Kilo-member Ensemble, presented by Jonathan Vigh, a graduate research student at Colorado State University. The August, 2002, summary featured the Cyclone Phase Space technique developed by Bob Hart and Jenni Evans of Pennsylvania State University. The third and final feature in this series highlights the Advanced Objective Dvorak Technique (AODT). A paper on this topic was presented at the San Diego conference by Tim Olander of the University of Wisconsin's Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (UW-CIMSS), and had been authored by Tim, Chris Velden, also of UW-CIMSS, and Mike Turk of the NOAA/NESDIS Satellite Analysis Branch in Washington, DC. This paper will look at the following topics: . Introduction to Dvorak satellite analysis . Operational usage and feedback . Additions and improvements toward the development of the AODT . Future plans A. Introduction to Dvorak Satellite Analysis -------------------------------------------- A method of utilizing satellite imagery for estimating tropical cyclone intensity was first developed by Vern Dvorak in the early 1970s, and later expanded and refined in 1984. The Dvorak Technique (DT) has been the mainstay of tropical cyclone forecasters and researchers for estimating tropical cyclone intensity for many years. The DT was more or less "calibrated" with aircraft reconnaissance measurements of central pressure and estimates of MSW obtained from missions flown into Atlantic tropical cyclones. As useful as it is, the DT has some weaknesses also. First of all, as already noted, it was based upon reconnaissance flights into storms in one basin only, leaving questions about its validity for accurately estimating cyclone intensity in other regions since tropical cyclones in each basin often display unique features and characteristics. Secondly, the technique depends somewhat upon human interpretation of convective cloud patterns; hence, it is inherently subjective. For instance, TPC/NHC routinely utilizes satellite estimates from three independent agencies, and often all three do not agree on the final T-number. And lastly, once a final Dvorak rating is assigned to a cyclone, the matching intensity represents an average MSW for storms having that particular T-number. For example, it's rather elementary to even say so, but just because all analysts may agree that a Dvorak rating of T7.0 best fits a given cyclone, that doesn't mean its MSW is guaranteed to be exactly 140 kts. To help ameliorate some of the subjectivity inherent with manual Dvorak analysis, work was begun years ago to develop a more purely objective technique. Ray Zehr of Colorado State University did some work toward this end as far back as the 1980s, and during the 1990s the current Objective Dvorak Technique (ODT) was developed by Chris Velden and Tim Olander. More detailed information on the ODT and its develop- ment can be found at the following URL: The ODT utilizes many of the rules and guidelines described in the original, subjective DT, and comparisons between ODT estimates of central pressure with aircraft reconnaissance measurements have shown that the ODT performance is commensurate with the operational intensity estimates obtained using the manual DT methodology. However, there have been isolated circumstances which have shown that further improvements are needed to the existing ODT in order to improve its accuracy over a wider variety of situations. This new-and-improved ODT--the Advanced ODT (AODT)--is based upon significant feedback from the ODT user community and ongoing advances in satellite remote sensing strategies. B. Operational Usage and Feedback --------------------------------- The ODT has been utilized as a guidance tool for several years at many tropical cyclone warning centers worldwide, including SAB, JTWC, and TAFB (at TPC). Based upon user feedback, at least two important areas of concern have been identified. One concerns the accuracy of ODT intensity estimates for storms outside the North Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific regions. The ODT was developed and tuned primarily against aircraft reconnaissance in situ measurements of Atlantic tropical cyclones. Some calibration was also performed from Northwest Pacific reconnaissance measurements prior to the mid-1980s, but the corresponding satellite imagery during that period had inferior spatial and temporal resolution compared with today's imagery and may not have been sufficient for precise ODT calibration in that region. Current use and comparisons with subjective DT estimates have generally shown that the ODT provides slightly stronger MSW estimates in the Northwest Pacific, but without aircraft reconnaissance in this region, it is difficult to verify whether the ODT estimates are an improvement or not. The same situation is true for other tropical cyclone basins. The other weakness of the current ODT noted by users is the occasional premature triggering of the "rapid intensification" flag. Built-in constraints to the standard DT often break down when a tropical cyclone is undergoing rapid intensification (RI), so a feature was incorporated into the ODT to accommodate rapidly intensifying cyclones. The RI option adjusted the time averaging scheme when rapid cyclone deepening was suggested, and is triggered when two environmental eyewall temperature threshold values are exceeded. These threshold values were determined empirically from a limited set of satellite images during Atlantic RI events. Due to inherent differences between Atlantic and Northwest Pacific tropical cyclones and the small number of cases used to define the eyewall cloud temperature thresholds, it is suspected that the RI flag triggers too often in Pacific storms, leading to significant intensity overestimation in certain cases. C. Additions and Improvements Toward the Development of the AODT ---------------------------------------------------------------- One primary focus of current research is to expand the ODT to include intensity estimates of storms of less than hurricane strength, i.e., tropical storms and depressions. The previous technique used temperature values only to estimate intensity--the eye temperature being the warmest value within 40 km of the center and the cloud region temperature the coldest temperature on the warmest ring (28-132 km). The new AODT has introduced a scene identification scheme similar to that defined in the original DT in order to better estimate cyclone intensity and especially that of weaker systems. Five eye classifications have been defined: clear eye, pinhole eye, large eye ( > than approximately 60-70 km in diameter), ragged eye, and obscured eye (as well as no eye). Five cloud scene categories have also been introduced/redefined: uniform CDO, embedded center, irregular CDO, curved band, and shear pattern. The curved band and shear pattern identification routines allow for estimation of intensity at and below tropical storm strength while the irregular CDO pattern covers transition scenes between TD/TS and hurricane intensities. Some supplementary DT rules have been incorporated with the intro- duction of the new scene type classifications. One such rule limits the change of intensity estimates over various time periods: Rule 8 within the original Dvorak technique. This addition will reduce large, unrealistic intensity changes observed with the AODT during certain scene transitions, and will guide the AODT intensity estimates to those observed with the traditional Dvorak technique estimates. Commensurate with this change, the time averaging scheme is now a 6-hour weighted average. Additional statistical analyses of the eye and surrounding cloud region temperature histograms have also been introduced to enhance the existing Fourier Transform analysis. The eye region analysis and surrounding cloud region analysis now focus on the spread and symmetry of temperature measurements, i.e., mean temperatures, rather than simply the "coldest-warmest" temperature values used in the previous version. More emphasis is also being placed on the organization and coverage of the convective cloud region in relation to the storm center. These new scene classifications lead to improved scene identification methodologies, which in turn should lead to more accurate intensity estimates over a wider range of tropical cyclone strengths. Several upgrades to the AODT have been incorporated in response to user feedback. First, the curved band analysis routine has been adjusted to examine different convective cloud features in order to obtain more accurate intensity estimates. An enhancement to the curved band analysis routine has also been added to determine the storm intensity at the user- selected storm center, and to also search for the storm center location where the maximum intensity estimate is found within the scene. Finally, the ability of the AODT to run in a totally automated mode has been requested to help alleviate the time constraints of forecasters when operating the AODT, and to help further reduce/eliminate the subjectivity inherent to tropical cyclone center location determination. An important modification is the removal of the RI flag. This removal was in response to user feedback and determination that the new AODT code sufficiently handles the analysis of such storms due to the addition/modification of various rules since the original ODT was independently analyzed at the various operational tropical cyclone forecasting centers. An additional upgrade regarding the AODT algorithm involves the actual programming code. This is being done to make the AODT available to users beyond those with a McIDAS computing environment. This transition has been successfully demonstrated operationally with the integration of the new code into the Navy TeraScan system for use at JTWC, and with inte- gration currently underway within the SIDAS at the Air Force Weather Agency and the N-AWIPS at TAFB. Also, an X-Windows/Motif version of the AODT is under development and will be available for UNIX and LINUX- based systems. This feature of the AODT significantly increases the size of the algorithm library, but allows for easier implementation of a platform-independent version. D. Future Plans --------------- Some features planned for future versions of the AODT include: (1) Exploration of additional infrared analysis techniques, such as removal of diurnal cloud temperature oscillations (2) Examination of additional geostationary satellite channels such as the water vapor channel and visible and shortwave infrared imagery (3) Integration of additional satellite information such as AMSU analysis and microwave imagery (TRMM, SSM/I) from polar-orbiting satellites The ultimate goal is to develop an advanced, expert system which fuses together unique observations from several different satellite-based platforms. E. Acknowledgements ------------------- I would like to thank Chris Velden for giving me permission to feature the AODT, and also Tim Olander for sending me a copy of the Powerpoint slides he used in his briefing in San Diego. The slides can be viewed at the following URL: This feature was taken from the abstract included in the manual distributed to attendees of the 25th AMS Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology along with more recent information obtained from Tim Olander and Chris Velden. The entire paper was reviewed by Chris and Tim, and portions of the text were added by them. Anyone who wishes may contact Tim and Chris by e-mail at the following addresses: Chris Velden: chris.velden@ssec.wisc.edu Tim Olander: tim.olander@ssec.wisc.edu ************************************************************************* ACTIVITY BY BASINS ATLANTIC (ATL) - North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico Activity for November: No tropical cyclones Atlantic Tropical Activity for November --------------------------------------- In contrast to November of 2001 when a record three hurricanes formed in the Atlantic basin, the month of November, 2002, was devoid of any tropical or subtropical cyclone activity. A broad, non-tropical low- pressure system formed well over 1000 nm east-southeast of Bermuda on 11 November and moved west-northwestward for a couple of days, generating gale-force winds mainly north of the center. The STWOs from TPC/NHC on the 11th and 12th indicated that there was a possibility for some slow development, but this never materialized. About a week later another disturbance formed several hundred miles northeast of Puerto Rico as the result of a broad surface trough interacting with an upper- level LOW, but again, no tropical or subtropical cyclone development occurred. ************************************************************************* NORTHEAST PACIFIC (NEP) - North Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 180 Activity for November: 1 tropical depression 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 November ------------------------------------------------ No named tropical storms or hurricanes developed in the Northeast Pacific basin during November. Hurricane Huko, which had formed late in October in the Central Pacific, was active in the extreme western part of the basin before crossing the International Dateline on 3 November to become a typhoon. As the month opened a broad zone of disturbed weather extended from the coast of Central America westward for several hundred miles. A large tropical disturbance slowly took shape and posed a potential for developing into a tropical depression, but the broad center moved inland on the 3rd east of Manzanillo. However, heavy rainfall and gusty winds affected portions of Mexico from the Gulf of Tehuantepec to Cabo Corrientes and extending well inland. Several days later another tropical disturbance appeared several hundred miles southeast of Acapulco and migrated westward. By the 14th convection had become sufficiently organized that advisories were begun on Tropical Depression 16E. The depression was centered about 475 nm south of Cabo San Lucas at 14/0000 UTC, and over the next couple of days moved on a slow, generally westward track. Strong upper-level south- westerlies created hostile shearing conditions over the depression, and after reaching a peak intensity of 30 kts, the system began to weaken. The final advisory on TD-16E was issued at 0000 UTC on 16 November and placed the convection-free center about 600 nm south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas. The discussion bulletin noted that shear over the LLCC was on the order of 70-80 kts. ************************************************************************* NORTHWEST PACIFIC (NWP) - North Pacific Ocean West of Longitude 180 Activity for November: 1 typhoon Sources of Information ---------------------- Most of the information presented below is based upon tropical cyclone warnings and significant tropical weather outlooks issued by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center of the U. S. Air Force and Navy (JTWC), located at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In the companion tropical cyclone tracks file, I normally annotate track coordinates from some of the various Asian warning centers when their center positions differ from JTWC's by usually 40-50 nm or more. All references to sustained winds imply a 1-minute averaging period unless otherwise noted. Michael V. Padua of Naga City in the Philippines, owner of the Typhoon 2000 website, normally sends me cyclone tracks based upon warnings issued by the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) and the Philippines' Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). Also, Huang Chunliang of Fuzhou City, China, sends me each month tracks obtained from warnings issued by the National Meteorological Center of China (NMCC), the Central Weather Bureau of Taiwan (CWBT) and the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO). 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 October ----------------------------------------------- On 3 November Central Pacific Hurricane Huko crossed the International Dateline, moving west-northwestward in the direction of Wake Island. The typhoon subsequently passed just north of the island, later recurving on a fairly smooth parabolic track and heading eastward back toward the Dateline. The complete report on Hurricane/Typhoon Huko can be found in the October summary. The only other tropical system to be warned on by any of the Northwest Pacific warning centers was Typhoon Haishen. This cyclone formed south- east of Guam and moved westward, passing south of the island as it reached tropical storm intensity. Haishen later strengthened into a typhoon of moderate intensity and recurved several hundred miles west of the Marianas Islands. TYPHOON HAISHEN (TC-30W / TY 0225) 20 - 27 November -------------------------------------- Haishen: contributed by China, is the Chinese 'God of the Sea' to whom sailors and fishermen would offer sacrifices for safe voyages before they set sail or when they encountered stormy weather A. Storm Origins ---------------- On 18 November an area of convection developed approximately 200 nm southwest of Chuuk. Animated visible imagery indicated disorganized cycling deep convection embedded in a monsoon trough. An 18/2144 UTC SSM/I pass depicted scattered convection along the periphery of a broad circulation with no central deep convection. A 200-mb analysis indicated that the disturbance lay within a region of good diffluence and weak vertical shear. By 19/0600 UTC the initial disturbance had dissipated but a new area of convection had formed approximately 210 nm northeast of Chuuk. Animated visible imagery suggested the presence of a large mid-level circulation while a 200-mb analysis indicated that the system was located beneath the axis of a near-equatorial ridge situated to its east. Vertical shear was weak and upper-level divergence good with both poleward and equatorward outflow channels. At 19/2000 UTC the disturbance was located about 340 nm southeast of Guam. There was some cycling deep convection associated with the LLCC, so the development potential was upgraded to fair. A TCFA was issued at 0200 UTC on the 20th due to increasing deep convection over the past few hours. Visible satellite imagery suggested a broad circulation with multiple LLCCs present; maximum winds were estimated at 20-25 kts. Earlier, at 20/0000 UTC, JMA had classified the system as a 25-kt (10-min avg) tropical depression. JTWC issued their first warning on Tropical Depression 30W at 0600 UTC. The center was located approximately 225 nm southeast of Guam, moving westward at a rather rapid 22 kts. By 1200 UTC TD-30W was already passing about 135 nm due south of Guam, racing westward at 25 kts. The MSW was upped to 30 kts based on CI estimates of 25 kts and recent QuikScat data. At 1800 UTC the forward pace had slowed a bit to 17 kts as JMA upgraded the depression to 35-kt Tropical Storm Haishen. NMCC followed suit and upgraded Haishen to tropical storm status at 0000 UTC on 21 November. B. Track and Intensity History ------------------------------ JTWC upgraded Haishen to tropical storm status at 21/0600 UTC when the center was located approximately 200 nm northeast of Yap. Haishen was still moving west-northwestward rather quickly at 17 kts as it was steered by a low to mid-level ridge to the north. This motion continued throughout the 21st--by 1800 UTC Haishen was centered about 420 nm west of Guam. Deep convection had continued to increase near the LLCC and satellite CI estimates had reached 45 kts, which was JTWC's 1800 UTC warning intensity. (JMA and NMCC were both estimating the 10-min avg MSW at 50 kts at 1800 UTC.) JTWC increased the MSW to 55 kts at 0000 UTC on the 22nd and to 60 kts at 0600 UTC. Haishen continued to consolidate, developing good poleward outflow and tightly-curved banding features. JTWC upgraded the storm to typhoon status at 1200 UTC when it was centered approximately 575 nm west-northwest of Guam, or about 620 nm south-southwest of Iwo Jima. A 60-nm diameter CDO had developed, and enhanced infrared imagery around 1800 UTC depicted a banding eye feature. Haishen's track had turned gradually toward the north as an approaching mid-latitude trough created a weakness in the subtropical ridge which had been guiding the storm. Typhoon Haishen continued tracking northward during the 23rd, turning toward the north-northeast by 1800 UTC. The storm continued to intensify as it moved northward with outflow being aided somewhat by contact with the westerlies. JMA and NMCC upgraded Haishen to typhoon status at 0600 UTC, and JMA upped the MSW (10-min avg) to their peak estimate of 75 kts six hours later. JTWC estimated the peak MSW at 95 kts at 1800 UTC and at 24/0000 UTC, based on CI estimates of 102 kts. SSM/I data indicated that Haishen had a small 14-nm diameter eye. The minimum CP estimated by JMA was 960 mb, and gales extended outward from the center 150 nm in most quadrants while the radius of storm-force winds was estimated at 45 nm. At 23/1800 UTC the eye of Typhoon Haishen was centered approximately 345 nm southwest of Iwo Jima, tracking north- northeastward at 13 kts. By 24/0000 UTC Haishen was beginning to show signs of impending extra- tropical transition: the eyewall had begun to erode and vertical shear was increasing. By 0600 UTC the eyewall had collapsed and JTWC and JMA lowered their respective MSW estimates to 85 kts and 70 kts. NMCC, interestingly, raised their 10-min avg MSW estimate to the peak of 70 kts at 0600 UTC, possibly to account for the storm's rapid north- northeastward motion at 30 kts. JTWC issued their final warning on Typhoon Haishen at 24/1800 UTC with the storm located 265 nm north- northeast of Iwo Jima and moving northeastward at 27 kts. Convection had weakened and the LLCC had become involved with a cold front. JMA classified Haishen as extratropical six hours later, and the system continued to race off to the northeast, gradually turning eastward. By 27/0600 UTC Haishen's remnants consisted of a 40-kt gale located a few hundred miles northeast of Midway Island. C. Meteorological Observations ------------------------------ Roger Edson reported from Guam that he experienced wind gusts to 40 kts as a large outer rainband of Haishen rolled over the island. Huang Chunliang sent me some observations from the island of Chichi Jima (WMO 47971) which he'd gleaned from JMA's website. The station recorded a peak sustained wind of 38 kts at 24/1200 UTC with the minimum SLP of 970.8 mb measured at 1300 UTC. The station's peak gust of 70 kts was recorded at 1150 UTC. Ships DEFA and WNRD recorded winds of 58 kts and 38 kts, respectively, as they encountered Haishen's extratropical remnants on the 26th. D. Damage and Casualties ------------------------ No reports of damage or casualties resulting from Typhoon Haishen have been received. (Report written by Gary Padgett) ************************************************************************* NORTH INDIAN OCEAN (NIO) - Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea Activity for November: 1 tropical cyclone of gale intensity 1 tropical cyclone of storm intensity ** - not classified as a tropical depression by JTWC Sources of Information ---------------------- Most of the information presented below is based upon tropical cyclone warnings and significant tropical weather outlooks issued by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center of the U. S. Air Force and Navy (JTWC), located at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Occasionally some information may be gleaned from the daily tropical weather outlooks and other bulletins issued by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), which is the World Meteorological Organization's Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC) for the basin. The reported maximum sustained winds (MSW) are based on a 1-minute averaging period, which is used by all U. S. civilian and military weather services for tropical cyclone warnings. For synoptic observations in the North Indian Ocean region, both 10-minute and 3-minute average winds are employed, but IMD makes no attempt to modify the Dvorak scale for estimating tropical cyclone intensity; hence, a 1-minute average MSW is implied. In the North Indian Ocean basin JTWC usually does not initiate warnings until a system has become well-organized and likely to attain tropical storm status within 48 hours. The reports on Tropical Cyclones 03B and 04B were written by John Wallace--a special thanks to John for his assistance. North Indian Ocean Tropical Activity for November ------------------------------------------------- Two tropical cyclones formed in the Bay of Bengal during November. One did not intensify very much above minimal gale force and remained well out in the Bay. The other one, however, after loitering off the East Coast of India as a weak cyclone, suddenly intensified and spurted northeastward, making landfall in India's West Bengal State near Calcutta before sweeping on into Bangladesh. Several dozen fishermen were known to have drowned as the storm caught them unawares, and several hundred more were reported missing. The cyclone also caused significant onshore damage in Bangladesh. TROPICAL CYCLONE (TC-03B) 10 - 12 November ------------------------------------ Tropical Cyclone 03B was first noted in an IMD bulletin at 0600 UTC on 10 November when it was located 145 nm east-southeast of Chennai (Madras), India. The depression tracked steadily northeastward and intensified to gale force at 1200 UTC on 11 November when it was centered approximately 465 nm south-southwest of Calcutta. It was at this time that the JTWC issued their first warning on TC-03B. The cyclone's intensity changed little until the 12th, when it accelerated to the northeast, reaching its estimated peak 1-min avg MSW of 55 kts at 0600 UTC when located 120 nm south-southwest of Calcutta. Use of the JTWC's MSW/CP relationship for NWP storms, first developed by Atkinson and Holliday (1977) yields an equivalent CP of 984 mb for a 55-kt system. (For better or worse, the JTWC has generally applied the same Atkinson and Holliday estimates to both NIO and NWP storms.) Warnings from the RMC Calcutta at 0530 UTC, however, indicated lower winds of about 30-40 kts, with a central pressure of 990 mb. It is not known if the discrepancy is due to different averaging periods or to different data sources; therefore, TC-03B's true peak intensity remains uncertain. (Editor's Note: At its peak this system was classified as a "severe cyclonic storm" by IMD, implying peak winds in the 48-63 kt range.) Tropical Cyclone 03B made landfall near Sagar Island soon after its peak, at 0900 UTC on 12 November. It weakened quickly once inland, and the final warning was issued on the remnant depression at 1200 UTC on the 12th when it was centered about 110 km northeast of Calcutta. Press reports indicate significant loss of life occurred with this cyclone, mostly fishermen lost at sea. At least 49 fishermen were drowned, and various reports listed anywhere from 111 to 560 missing. According to one source, the number of persons missing is difficult to assess since sometimes people return alive from the sea three to four weeks after a cyclone's passage. The Fisheries Minister for West Bengal State reported that nine trawlers sank off the Digha coast and only 66 fishermen survived. A report dated 15 November indicated that at least 47 fishing vessels were unaccounted for. In Bangladesh 170 fishermen were missing after the cyclone lashed that country's southern coast, destroying fishing villages and rice farms. Winds smashed bamboo huts, uprooted trees, and disrupted road travel between towns and villages along the Bay of Bengal coast. The capital city of Dhaka was inundated with heavy rains which flooded city streets, shutting down electrical power and forcing public transportation to cease operation. The heavy rains also wiped out winter rice and vegetable crops. More information about this cyclone's effects can be found at the following website: OR 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 complete Annual Tropical Cyclone Report (ATCR) for 2001 (2000-2001 season for the Southern Hemisphere). ATCRs for earlier years are available also. Recently added was the report for the Southern Hemisphere 2001-2002 season. The URL is: Also, TPC/NHC has available on its webpage nice "technicolor" tracking charts for the 2001 Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific tropical cyclones; also, preliminary storm reports for all the 2001 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 John Wallace (Eastern North Pacific, North Indian Ocean, Western Gulf of Mexico) E-mail: dosidicus@aol.com Kevin Boyle (Eastern Atlantic, Western Northwest Pacific, South China Sea) E-mail: newchapelobservatory@btinternet.com Simon Clarke (Northeast Australia/Coral Sea, South Pacific) E-mail: simon_clarke@iprimus.com.au ************************************************************************* ************************************************************************* >> Uploaded: 02-05-03 / Typhoon2000.com / Typhoon2000.ph