ATLANTIC PAGE


ATLANTIC CYCLONES

1997

NAME TYPE MAX WIND MIN PRES HURR CAT ORIGIN LANDFALL DATE
ANA TS 45 mph/
40 kts
1000/29.53" ---- Far Western Atlantic ---------- 6/29-7/3
BILL H 75 mph/
65 kts
987/29.15" 1 Far Western Atlantic ---------- 7/11-7/12
CLAUDETTE TS 45 mph/
40 kts
1003/29.62" ---- Far Western Atlantic ---------- 7/3-7/16
DANNY H 80 mph/
70 kts
984/29.06" 1 NW Gulf of Mexico Southern Louisiana
(Mississippi Delta)
Gulf Shores, Ala.
7/16-7/26
ERIKA MH 125 mph/
105 kts
946/27.94" 3 Mid-Atlantic ---------- 9/3-9/14
FABIAN TS 45 mph/
40 kts
1003/29.62" ---- North Atlantic ---------- 10/7-10/8
GRACE TS 45 mph/
40 kts
999/29.50" ---- North Atlantic ---------- 10/16-10/17
UN-NUMBERED** SS 50 mph/
45 kts
1003/29.62" ---- Far Western Atlantic ---------- 5/31-6/2

Red=IV-V Hurr Yellow=Hurr I-III Green=TS Purple=TD
**=Post-Analysis Track

ANA(6/29-7/3)

MAX WINDS=45 MPH MIN PRESS=1000 mb CATEGORY=TS

Ana Tracking Chart

Ana Tracking Details

TROPICAL STORM ANA WAS THE FIRST OF FOUR NAMED SYSTEMS TO REACH THEIR MAXIMUM INTENSITY IN JULY...PUTTING THE SEASONS PACE AHEAD OF NORMAL TEMPORARILY. ANA FORMED ON THE LAST DAY OF JUNE FROM A FRONTAL LOW OFFSHORE OF THE U.S. SOUTHEASTERN STATES. IT DEVELOPED IN AN ENVIRONMENT OF RATHER STRONG WINDS AT UPPER LEVELS WHICH ACCELERATED THE SYSTEM TOWARD THE NORTHEAST. ALTHOUGH THE SYSTEM BECAME A TROPICAL STORM WITH 45 MPH WINDS ON 1 JULY...THE STRONG UPPER-LEVEL WINDS PREVENTED FURTHER STRENGTHENING. ANA LOST ITS TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND BECAME EXTRATROPICAL OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC ON 4 JULY. IT THEN DISSIPATED.


BILL(7/11-7/12)

MAX WINDS=75 MPH MIN PRESS=987 mb CATEGORY=HURR 1

Bill Tracking Chart

Bill Tracking Details

HURRICANE BILL ALSO FORMED OFF THE U.S. SOUTHEAST COAST IN JULY...ON THE 11TH. IT ORIGINATED FROM AN UPPER-LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM. BILL MOVED SWIFTLY NORTHEASTWARD AHEAD OF A FRONTAL SYSTEM AND BECAME A HURRICANE ON THE 12TH...JUST BEFORE BECOMING ABSORBED BY THE FRONT SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES SOUTH OF NEWFOUNDLAND.


CLAUDETTE(7/13-7/16)

MAX WINDS=45 MPH MIN PRESS=1003 mb CATEGORY=TS

Claudette Tracking Chart

Claudette Tracking Details

THE FRONTAL SYSTEM THAT SWEPT HURRICANE BILL TO THE NORTHEAST WAS ALSO THE INITIATING DISTURBANCE FOR TROPICAL STORM CLAUDETTE. LIKE ANA AND BILL...CLAUDETTE ALSO CAME TO LIFE OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN ATLANTIC. IT TRANSFORMED FROM A FRONTAL LOW INTO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON 13 JULY AND REACHED TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH LATE THAT DAY. THE FIRST USE OF THE NOAA G-IV JET TO OBTAIN ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENTS OF A TROPICAL CYCLONE OCCURRED DURING CLAUDETTE. THE DATA CONFIRMED THAT CLAUDETTE DEVELOPED IN AN ENVIRONMENT OF RATHER STRONG WIND SHEAR. THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WAS RATHER SPORADIC IN THIS ENVIRONMENT AND MAXIMUM WINDS NEVER EXCEEDED ABOUT 45 MPH. ON THE 16TH...THE SYSTEM DEGENERATED INTO AN EXTRATROPICAL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM.


DANNY(7/16-7/26)

MAX WINDS=80 MPH MIN PRESS=984 mb CATEGORY=HURR 1

Danny Tracking Chart

Danny Tracking Details

DANNY FORMED FROM A WEAK LOW PRESSURE AREA OF NON-TROPICAL ORIGIN OVER THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO. IT BECAME A SLOW-MOVING HURRICANE THAT MADE LANDFALL WITH CATEGORY ONE INTENSITY NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER ON 18 JULY AND JUST SOUTHEAST OF MOBILE ON THE 19TH. DANNY DROPPED ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF RAIN...TO NEARLY 40 INCHES... OVER EXTREME SOUTHERN ALABAMA. AFTER CROSSING THE COAST AND WEAKENING BELOW STORM STRENGTH...THE CYCLONE MOVED OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES FOR FOUR DAYS AS A WEAK...YET WELL DEFINED ON SATELLITE IMAGES...DEPRESSION. HEAVY RAINS ALONG ITS PATH PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT INLAND FLOODING...ESPECIALLY IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND NORTH CAROLINA. WHEN THE CYCLONE NEARED THE VIRGINIA COAST...IT BEGAN INTENSIFYING AND WAS ONCE AGAIN A TROPICAL STORM WHEN IT EMERGED FROM THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST. DANNY THEN TURNED TOWARD SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND AND THE CENTER PASSED WITHIN 30 MILES OF NANTUCKET ISLAND ON 24 JULY. TROPICAL STORM-FORCE WINDS OCCURRED OVER THAT ISLAND AND THE CAPE COD AREA. THE STORM THEN TURNED AWAY FROM LAND AND EVENTUALLY MERGED WITH A FRONT OVER THE NORTH ATLANTIC ON THE 26TH. FOUR DEATHS ARE DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTED TO DANNY...ONE OFFSHORE ALABAMA...ONE RELATED TO A TORNADO IN SOUTH CAROLINA...AND TWO IN FLOODING IN CHARLOTTE...NORTH CAROLINA. MOST OF THE $100 MILLION IN DAMAGE RESULTING FROM DANNY OCCURRED IN ALABAMA.


FIVE(7/17-7/18)

MAX WINDS=35 MPH MIN PRESS=1008 mb CATEGORY=TD

Five Tracking Chart

Five Tracking Details


ERIKA(9/03-9/15)

MAX WINDS=125 MPH MIN PRESS=946 mb CATEGORY=MAJ. HURR 3

Erika Tracking Chart

Erika Tracking Details

ERIKA FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE OVER THE CENTRAL TROPICAL ATLANTIC OCEAN ON 3 SEPTEMBER. THE CYCLONE GRADUALLY INTENSIFIED WHILE MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST TO NORTHWEST. IT REACHED HURRICANE STRENGTH AND BECAME AN INCREASED THREAT TO THE NORTHEASTERN LEEWARD ISLANDS ON THE 5TH...BUT THEN TURNED TOWARD THE NORTH AND THE STRONGEST PART OF ITS CIRCULATION PASSED JUST TO THE NORTHEAST OF THOSE ISLANDS. ERIKA WAS BY FAR THE STRONGEST TROPICAL CYCLONE OF THE YEAR IN THE ATLANTIC WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF 125 MPH ESTIMATED ON THE 8TH AND 9TH...WHEN THE HURRICANE WAS CENTERED SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES TO THE SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA. OVER THE FOLLOWING FEW DAYS...THE TRACK OF ERIKA BECAME EASTWARD AND THE SYSTEM WEAKENED. IT STILL BROUGHT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS...HOWEVER...WITH HURRICANE FORCE GUSTS...TO SOME OF THE AZORES ISLANDS ON 15 SEPTEMBER. ERIKA THEN BECAME EXTRATROPICAL AND MOVED TOWARD THE NORTHEAST.


FABIAN(10/7-10/8)

MAX WINDS=45 MPH MIN PRESS=1003 mb CATEGORY=TS

Fabian Tracking Chart

Fabian Tracking Details

FABIAN ORIGINATED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE THAT PRODUCED ABOUT 5 INCHES OF RAIN OVER PORTIONS OF THE LESSER ANTILLES ON 29 SEPTEMBER. THE ASSOCIATED AREA OF LOW- PRESSURE THEN TURNED TOWARD THE NORTH AND BECAME ORGANIZED INTO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES TO THE NORTH OF PUERTO RICO ON THE 4TH. THE CYCLONE BECAME A WEAK TROPICAL STORM A DAY LATER BUT THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WAS FLEETING AND FABIAN LOST ITS TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS ON THE 8TH.


GRACE(10/16-10/17)

MAX WINDS=45 MPH MIN PRESS=999 mb CATEGORY=TS

Grace Tracking Chart

Grace Tracking Details

GRACE FORMED FROM ONE OF SEVERAL LOW LEVEL CYCLONIC CIRCULATIONS THAT SPUN UP ALONG A FRONTAL TROUGH EXTENDING EAST-NORTHEASTWARD FROM THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA TO THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC OCEAN. THE TROUGH BROUGHT UNSETTLED WEATHER TO THE AREA FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND... ON 15 OCTOBER...GALE FORCE WINDS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH A LOW THAT WAS THEN LOCATED JUST NORTH OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. THAT LOW BECAME TROPICAL STORM GRACE THE FOLLOWING DAY...WHEN THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY DEVELOPED NEAR THE CIRCULATION CENTER. GRACE NEVER COMPLETELY BECAME INDEPENDENT OF THE FRONTAL CIRCULATION AND...EARLY ON THE 17TH...ITS THUNDERSTORMS RAPIDLY DISSIPATED AND THE SYSTEM RETURNED TO EXTRATROPICAL STATUS.


POST-ANALYSIS:

UN-NUMBERED SUBTROPICAL STORM(5/31-6/2)

MAX WINDS=50 MPH MIN PRESS=1003 mb CATEGORY=SS

Un-NUMBERED SS Tracking Chart

Un-NUMBERED SS Tracking Details


THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER HAS CONCLUDED FROM A REANALYSIS OF DATA THAT AN EARLY SEASON CYCLONE... ORIGINALLY CLASSIFIED AS AN EXTRATROPICAL GALE...SHOULD BE DESIGNATED AN UNNUMBERED SUBTROPICAL STORM. IT ORIGINATED IN THE FINAL DAYS OF MAY FROM AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA. THE SYSTEM GRADUALLY STRENGTHENED AND ACCELERATED TOWARD THE NORTHEAST. IT IS NOW ESTIMATED FROM SATELLITE PICTURES TO HAVE BECOME A SUBTROPICAL DEPRESSION AND THEN A SUBTROPICAL STORM ABOUT 100-200 MILES OFF THE U.S. SOUTHEAST COAST EARLY ON 1 JUNE. RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT DATA SUGGEST THAT THE SUBTROPICAL STORM WAS AT ITS STRONGEST ON THE EVENING OF THE 1ST WHEN THE SYSTEM WAS CENTERED OFF THE NORTH CAROLINA OUTER BANKS. THE CYCLONE BECAME EXTRATROPICAL ABOUT 24 HOURS LATER WHILE MOVING EASTWARD...WELL TO THE SOUTH OF NOVA SCOTIA.

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