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Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary October 1997
[Summaries and Track Data] [Prepared by Gary Padgett]
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Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary October 1997 [Summaries and Track Data] [Prepared by Gary Padgett] |
MONTHLY GLOBAL TROPICAL CYCLONE SUMMARY
OCTOBER, 1997
This is the first of what I hope will be many such monthly summaries
chronicling tropical cyclone activity around the globe. These should
be considered as a very preliminary, "quick look" overview of the
tropical cyclones that occur in each month. The cyclone tracks (that
will be 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.
A very, very special thanks is due to Dr. Chris Landsea of NOAA's
Hurricane Research Division for asking me to write these summaries;
for all his excellent and very helpful suggestions; and for offering
to archive the summaries on AOML/HRD's computer system. A very
special thanks is due also to Dr. Jack Beven of TPC/TAFB for all the
information and suggestions he passed along to me and for providing
me with some details of two interesting subtropical, hybrid-type
storm systems in the far eastern Atlantic during October. Two other
persons who have been most helpful in providing me with information
on South Pacific cyclones are Mark Kersemakers at the Fiji Tropical
Cyclone Warning Centre and Steve Ready of the Meteorological Service
of New Zealand. A special thanks to these gentlemen also.
Chris and I made the decision not to send the track files via
e-mail. They can be retrieved in the following manner:
(a) FTP to: hrd-type42.nhc.noaa.gov [140.90.176.206]
(b) Login as: anonymous
(c) For a password use your e-mail address
(d) The files will be named with an obvious nomenclature--using
October as an example: oct97.tracks
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.
Prepared by: Gary Padgett
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 334-222-5327
***********************************************************************
OCTOBER HIGHLIGHTS
--> Three intense supertyphoons roam Western Pacific waters
--> Mexico experiences deadliest hurricane in more than 20 years
--> South Pacific season gets off to an active, early start
***********************************************************************
ACTIVITY BY BASINS
ATLANTIC (ATL) - North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico
Activity for October: 2 tropical storms
2 possible subtropical storms
Tropical Storm Fabian (TC #7) 7-8 October
-------------------------------------------
Tropical Storm Fabian was a short-lived, insignificant storm which
developed in a hostile environment of upper southwesterly shear. The
storm developed from a tropical wave which left the African coast on
22 Sep. The wave traveled westward with little change, reaching the
Lesser Antilles on 29 Sep. A weak broad area of low pressure turned
northward, passing over Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. At this
point the LOW turned northeastward, moving with the upper-level flow,
thereby reducing the relative shear.
Depression advisories on Tropical Depression Seven were initiated
at 1500 UTC on 7 Oct when centered about 500 nm east-southeast of
Bermuda, but the system had been recognized as a tropical depression
or borderline tropical storm for a couple of days. Fabian was
operationally classified as a tropical storm at 1500 UTC on 8 Oct,
with the center about 750 nm east-southeast of Bermuda. This was
based on a 40-kt wind report from ship ZCBB7 at 1200 UTC. Shortly
thereafter Fabian was declared extratropical.
In a post-storm analysis of all available data, it was determined
that at the time of the ship report the system was already becoming
extratropical, and that the 40-kt wind was likely associated with a
developing cold front. The "best track" for Fabian classifies the
system as a tropical depression at 1800 UTC on 4 Oct, and as a
minimal tropical storm at 1800 UTC on 5 Oct.
The preliminary storm report on Tropical Storm Fabian, which
includes the analyzed "best track", can be found on the Tropical
Prediction Center's website at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/fabian.html>.
Some of the information presented above was obtained from this
report.
Tropical Storm Grace (TC #8) 16-17 October
--------------------------------------------
Tropical Storm Grace developed from an extratropical gale that
had initially formed along a frontal zone that extended from the
Caribbean northeastward into the central Atlantic. Winds had reached
gale force around the LOW by 0000 UTC on 15 Oct, and about a day
later enough deep convection had formed near the center for the
system to be classified as a tropical cyclone. Grace was
operationally classified as a tropical storm at 1500 UTC on 16 Oct,
with the center about 550 nm east-northeast of San Juan, Puerto
Rico. Grace moved rather rapidly east-northeastward and lost most
of its tropical characteristics by 1500 UTC on 17 Oct. The last
advisory, issued at this time, declared Grace to be an extratropical
LOW about 1200 nm east-northeast of Puerto Rico.
Grace retained some non-tropical features throughout its
lifetime -- the circulation never became completely separated from
the frontal trough in which Grace developed, and a band of convection
seemed to connect the storm with another extratropical cyclone to its
northeast. Grace's maximum intensity of 40 kts occurred about the
time the first tropical storm advisory was issued.
The preliminary storm report on Tropical Storm Grace, which
includes the analyzed "best track", can be found on the Tropical
Prediction Center's website at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/grace.html>.
Some of the information presented above was obtained from this
report.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
There were two weather systems in the far eastern Atlantic during
October that were possibly classifiable as subtropical storms, based
on satellite imagery. A special thanks to Jack Beven for sending
me some infomation on these storms for inclusion in this summary.
Possible Subtropical Storm #1 2-7 October
-------------------------------------------
The first of the eastern Atlantic subtropical systems was seen
near 36N, 12W on 2 Oct. It drifted southwestward with 25-30 kt
winds to near 33N, 15W on 4 Oct, at which time it turned east-
southeastward. The system turned east-northeastward and intensified
on 5 Oct. The east-northeastward motion continued into 6 Oct when
the storm reached its maximum intensity of 55-65 kts. An eye was
briefly visible at this time. The cyclone turned eastward and
rapidly weakened later on 6 Oct. The system passed near Gibraltar
on 7 Oct and dissipated over the extreme western Mediterranean Sea
later that day.
The exact nature of this system remains uncertain due to lack of
data near the center at maximum intensity. (There were several ship
reports of 30-40 kt winds in the large LOW the cyclone was embedded
in, but none from the core.) Despite the appearance of an eye, the
upper-level environment was not one normally associated with a
hurricane. This system will be reviewed for possible inclusion in
the best track database at a later time.
Possible Subtropical Storm #2 25-27 October
---------------------------------------------
The second subtropical system first organized itself while passing
over the Azores on 25 Oct. The origin of this system appears to have
been an extratropical LOW that formed along the southeastern U.S.
coast on 19 Oct. That LOW moved northeastward to near 43N, 42W on
22 Oct, then drifted eastward on 23 Oct. The LOW moved southeastward
toward the Azores on 24 Oct, and persistent central convection
appeared on 25 Oct.
The cyclone moved east-northeastward throughout its life and made
landfall on the Iberian Peninsula near the Spain-Portugal border on
27 Oct. It weakened to a low pressure area over land later that day.
Maximum winds from satellite estimates were 35-40 kts. There were
several ship reports of 30-40 kt winds, and at least one land station
reported 30-kt winds. However, observations from the core are again
lacking.
Given its origin and the lack of data near the center, the exact
nature of this system also remains uncertain. It will also be
reviewed for inclusion in the best track database at a future time.
***********************************************************************
NORTHEAST PACIFIC (NEP) - North Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 180
Activity for October: 3 tropical depressions
1 hurricane
Tropical Depression Olaf (TC-17E) 5-12 October
------------------------------------------------
Tropical Storm Olaf had made landfall in late September along
Mexico's Gulf of Tehuantepec coastline. After weakening over
land, the remnants of Olaf drifted slowly westward for several
days. By 5 Oct, while located about 500 nm southwest of Cabo
San Lucas, the system had become sufficiently organized enough
that depression advisories were issued once again, beginning at
2100 UTC. Over the next three days Olaf drifted slowly generally
in an east-southeasterly direction. During this period the
maximum sustained winds were never estimated at more than 30 kts.
By 2100 UTC on 8 Oct Olaf had become disorganized and the advisories
were dropped. The remnants at this time were located about 400 nm
southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico.
During this time destructive Hurricane Pauline was raking the
coastline of Mexico from the Gulf of Tehuantepec region to the
Acapulco area and beyond. By 10 Oct Pauline had dissipated inland
between Acapulco and Manzanillo. Early on 11 Oct a ship reported an
easterly wind of 25 kts and a pressure of 1004 mb, while later in the
day another ship reported winds of 30 kts. Depression advisories
were begun for the third time on the Olaf system at 1200 UTC.
Olaf was at this time located about 175 nm south-southeast of
Manzanillo. During the next 24 hrs Olaf drifted northward toward
the Mexican coast. The center seemed to stall along the coast just
to the southeast of Manzanillo. Satellite fixes indicated that
Olaf possibly approached tropical storm intensity once more during
this time. On 12 Oct visible pictures indicated that the center
had moved inland and was dissipating.
Hurricane Pauline (TC-18E) 6-10 October
-----------------------------------------
Advisories were initiated on Tropical Depression 18-E at 0300 UTC
on 6 Oct, when the system was centered about 250 nm south of Salina
Cruz, Mexico. The depression drifted east-southeastward for about
12 hrs, and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Pauline at 0900 UTC.
After 1500 UTC on the same day, Pauline abruptly turned to the north
and intensified, reaching hurricane strength by 1800 UTC. Pauline
intensified very rapidly, reaching an initial peak intensity of 115
kts by 0900 UTC on 7 Oct. The hurricane was moving almost due
northward at this time, but began to move on a more north-
northwesterly track late on 7 Oct, and then on a northwesterly track
early on the 8th.
The maximum sustained winds dropped slightly to 100 kts during
this time, but increased again to 115 kts as the storm began to
approach the Mexican coast in the western Gulf of Tehuantepec
region late on 8 Oct. Minimum central pressure at this time was
estimated to be 948 mb. The center reached the coastline around
2100 UTC on 8 Oct about 100 nm west-southwest of Salina Cruz with
maximum sustained winds estimated near 105 kts. Pauline turned more
to a west-northwesterly heading and moved up the southern Mexican
coast with the eye remaining just inland from the shoreline. The
center of Pauline passed just to the north of Acapulco around
0900 UTC on the 9th. Acapulco reported a maximum sustained wind
of 40 kts with a peak gust of 51 kts. Based on this observation
it is believed that Pauline's maximum winds were around 70 kts at
this time.
After passing Acapulco Pauline began to weaken steadily. The
storm was downgraded to a tropical storm at 0300 UTC on 10 Oct
while located about 75 nm east-southeast of Manzanillo, and to a
depression six hours later. The low-level circulation had completely
dissipated over the mountains of south-central Mexico by late on
the 10th.
Hurricane Pauline was probably Mexico's greatest natural disaster
since the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, and was the deadliest tropical
cyclone to affect the country since Hurricane Liza in Sep, 1976, in
which over 400 lives were lost near La Paz. The hurricane lashed
the coastline from near Salina Cruz to well northwest of Acapulco.
The greatest death and destruction seems to have occurred in the
Acapulco area. Torrential rains of up to 16 inches caused deadly
flash floods and mudslides on the densely inhabited hillsides
surrounding the resort city. Some early press reports indicated
that over 400 persons perished, but official figures from the
Mexican government put the death toll at around 230, with hundreds
of thousands left homeless.
NOTE: The preliminary storm reports for Olaf and Pauline (as well
as all the 1997 Eastern North Pacific tropical cyclones) have just
been added to the Tropical Prediction Center's website. The URL for
the homepage is: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov> . A link to the 1997
Eastern Pacific storm reports can be found on the left side of the
screen.
Tropical Depression 03-C 6-7 October
--------------------------------------
The third tropical depression of the year to form in the Central
Pacific began about 600 nm east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii on 6 Oct.
The first depression advisory was issued at 1500 UTC. The depression
remained weak, with maximum sustained winds never estimated stronger
than 25 kts. The system moved at a fairly good clip on a westerly
to west-northwesterly track, but was unable to strengthen due to
strong westerly shear aloft. The last advisory was issued at 2100
UTC on 7 Oct with the center dissipating about 200 nm south of the
Big Island.
Tropical Depression 04-C 31 October-->
----------------------------------------
Another tropical depression formed in the Central Pacific early
on 31 Oct. At 0900 UTC the depression was centered about 250 nm
south-southeast of Johnston Atoll with 30-kt winds. The depression
moved in a general west-southwesterly direction for most of the day,
and by 2100 UTC was located about 325 nm south-southwest of Johnston
Atoll. Although initially forecast to reach tropical storm
intensity, by 2100 UTC the system was weakening, with maximum
sustained winds having dropped to 25 kts.
***********************************************************************
NORTHWEST PACIFIC (NWP) - North Pacific Ocean West of Longitude 180
Activity for October: 2 tropical depressions
1 tropical storm
3 supertyphoons
NOTE: All the tracking and intensity information contained below on
Western North Pacific tropical cyclones is based solely on
operational warnings issued by the Joint Typhoon Warning
Center, Guam.
Tropical Storm Hank (TC-25W) 3-4 October
------------------------------------------
Tropical Storm Hank was a short-lived South China Sea cyclone in
early October. The first warning, classifying Hank as a tropical
storm, was issued at 0000 UTC on 3 Oct, when the storm was centered
about 475 nm south-southwest of Hong Kong. Hank reached its peak
intensity of 40 kts by 0600 UTC and began to slowly weaken
thereafter. The system drifted rather erratically westward at first,
then began to move generally in a northwesterly direction roughly
parallel to the Vietnamese coast. Hank was downgraded to a tropical
depression at 1800 UTC on 3 Oct, and was dissipating off the coast
of Vietnam by 1200 UTC on 4 Oct. No reports of any damage or
casualties due to Tropical Storm Hank have been received by the
author.
Tropical Depression 26-W 4-7 October
--------------------------------------
Tropical Depression 26-W formed around 0000 UTC on 4 Oct about
450 nm west-northwest of Guam. The depression drifted erratically
at first, then began to move in a general west-northwesterly
direction for the next couple of days. Maximum intensity occurred
early on 6 Oct when winds were estimated at 30 kts. Thereafter
the depression began to weaken, with the last warning at 0000 UTC
on 7 Oct placing the dissipating system roughly midway between Guam
and the northern tip of Luzon.
Supertyphoon Ivan (TC-27W) 13-24 October
------------------------------------------
Supertyphoon Ivan was one of three intense supertyphoons that were
spawned in the Western Pacific during October. The system was first
classified as a depression on 13 Oct at 0600 UTC when located a
little more than 200 nm north-northeast of Truk. The depression was
upgraded to Tropical Storm Ivan at 1800 UTC about 250 nm northwest
of Truk. Ivan moved generally on a west-northwesterly track for a
couple of days, passing about 50 nm south of Guam at around 1500 UTC
on the 14th as a strong tropical storm. Ivan reached typhoon
strength early on 15 Oct when located about 200 nm west of Guam, and
began to move in a more westerly direction.
The typhoon passed about 425 nm to the north of Palau around
1200 UTC on the 16th. Peak intensity, with maximum sustained winds
estimated at 160 kts, was attained at 1800 UTC on 17 Oct with the
storm centered in the Philippine Sea about 425 nm east of Manila.
By early on the 18th Ivan had turned to a west-northwesterly course,
which became more northwesterly as the storm approached northeastern
Luzon. On 20 Oct Typhoon Ivan sliced across the northeastern tip
of Luzon with maximum sustained winds estimated at around 120 kts.
Information obtained by the author on Earthweek's website
(http://www.earthweek.com) indicates that 2 lives were lost in the
Philippines, while several thousand farm animals were killed and
several thousand acres of crops were destroyed.
After passing Luzon Ivan turned due north, then east, and finally
began to accelerate in a northeasterly direction. Maximum winds were
slowly decreasing during this period, with Ivan being downgraded to a
tropical storm at 1200 UTC on 21 Oct when centered about 150 nm
northeast of the northeastern tip of Luzon. The weakening tropical
storm passed about 250 nm southeast of Okinawa early on 24 Oct, and
had transformed into an extratropical cyclone by 1200 UTC on the same
date, centered about 325 nm west-northwest of Iwo Jima.
Supertyphoon Joan (TC-28W) 13-24 October
------------------------------------------
Joan was the second October supertyphoon, and was remarkable for
maintaining supertyphoon intensity (maximum sustained winds of 130
kts or greater) for almost 5 days. The first warning on Tropical
Depression 28-W was issued at 0600 UTC on 13 Oct, placing the center
about 150 nm north of Kwajalein. Tropical Storm Joan was named a
day later about 175 nm east-northeast of Eniwetok Atoll. For about
a week Joan followed a general west-northwesterly track which took it
from its point of origin in the Marshall Islands, through the central
Marianas, to its point of recurvature about 500 nm west of the
northernmost Marianas. The storm reached typhoon intensity at
1800 UTC on 15 Oct when passing about 400 nm north of Pohnpei.
Supertyphoon intensity was reached when located about 300 nm
east-northeast of Guam at 0600 UTC on the 17th. Peak intensity of
160 kts occurred six hours later.
Supertyphoon Joan, with maximum sustained winds estimated at 135-
140 kts, passed through the Marianas Islands chain around midday on
18 Oct (local time). The eye of Joan apparently passed about 50 nm
north of Saipan. After passing the Marianas Joan continued on its
west-northwesterly track until it recurved rather sharply to the
east-northeast at around 1800 UTC on 20 Oct. At this time Joan was
still a supertyphoon with an intensity of 160 kts located roughly
500 nm west of the northernmost Marianas. A still-intense Typhoon
Joan passed about 125 nm north of Iwo Jima around 0000 UTC on 22 Oct
packing winds up to 115 kts. There were reports of very heavy surf
with waves up to 22 ft (7 meters) from the southern islands of
Japan. By 0000 UTC on 24 Oct, about 700 nm northwest of Wake Island,
Joan was transforming into a deep and vigorous extratropical cyclone
with winds estimated at 80 kts.
No reports of damage or casualties as a result of Supertyphoon
Joan have been received by the author. If anyone does have any such
information and would be kind enough to e-mail it to me, I will
include it in a future summary.
Supertyphoon Keith (TC-29W) 27 October-->
-------------------------------------------
The third supertyphoon of October developed slowly in the Marshall
Islands. Tropical Depression 29-W had formed by 1800 UTC on 27 Oct
about 125 nm south-southeast of Kwajalein. Tropical Storm Keith was
named six hours later, but the system intensified very slowly at
first, not reaching typhoon strength until 30 Oct. Keith also moved
very slowly on a westerly to west-northwesterly course for the first
two days, moving out of the Marshall Islands and passing just to the
north of the Federated States of Micronesia. Typhoon Keith, with
maximum sustained winds estimated at 90 kts, passed about 100 nm
north of Pohnpei at 1800 UTC on the 30th. At this point Keith had
begun to deepen rapidly; and as the month of October closed, the
storm had become a supertyphoon with 130-kt winds located about
600 nm east-southeast of Guam.
November's summary will contain details on the subsequent history
of Supertyphoon Keith, including its passage through the southern
Marianas.
Tropical Depression 30-W (Linda) 31 October-->
------------------------------------------------
The system that was to become Typhoon Linda (not to be confused
with the intense Eastern Pacific hurricane of the same name in Sep)
was first classified as a depression at 1800 UTC on 31 Oct, unusually
far south in the South China Sea, west of the northern tip of the
island of Borneo.
November's summary will contain details of Linda's deadly trek
across southern Vietnam, the Gulf of Thailand, the Malay Peninsula,
and its re-intensification in the North Indian Ocean basin.
***********************************************************************
NORTH INDIAN OCEAN (NIO) - Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea
Activity for October: No tropical cyclones
***********************************************************************
SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN (SIO) - South Indian Ocean West of Longitude 90E
Activity for October: No tropical cyclones
***********************************************************************
AUSTRALIAN REGION (AUS) - From Longitude 90E Eastward to Longitude 160E
Activity for October: No tropical cyclones
***********************************************************************
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (SWP) - South Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 160E
Activity for October: 1 tropical depression **
1 tropical cyclone of gale intensity
1 tropical cyclone of storm intensity
The Southwest Pacific Basin got off to one of its earliest starts
on record. Only a little more than four months elapsed between the
demise of Tropical Cyclone Keli in June (ending the 1996/97 season)
and the appearance of Tropical Cyclone Lusi, heralding the beginning
of the 1997/98 season. The last time such a narrow interval
occurred between cyclone seasons was in 1972, which was also an El
Nino year.
Many thanks to Mark Kersemakers of the Fiji Tropical Cyclone
Warning Centre at Nadi, and to Steve Ready of the New Zealand
Meteorological Service, Wellington, for supplying me with many
details on these South Pacific systems. These gentlemen have been
most kind in passing along information to me, as well as placing
me on e-mail lists which often contain snippets of information on
the effects of tropical cyclones in this region. Also, a special
thanks to Jon Gill of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology for
putting me in touch with Mark and Steve.
** - this system was classified as a minimal tropical storm by the
Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) on Guam
Tropical Cyclone Lusi (TC-02P) 8-12 October
---------------------------------------------
A tropical depression was first recognized by the Fiji TCWC at
0000 UTC on 8 Oct with only 20 kt winds (10-min avg) and located
about 750 nm northwest of Fiji. The system moved little for a
couple of days, and then began to move generally to the south.
The depression had only moved about 30 nm from its point of origin
when it was named Tropical Cyclone Lusi at 1200 UTC on the 9th. Over
the next few days Lusi moved southward, passing between Fiji and
Vanuatu. At 0600 UTC on 11 Oct the center of Lusi passed about
225 nm west of Fiji. At this time Lusi was near its peak intensity
of 50 kts (10-min avg).
The storm turned a little more to the southeast and seemed to
stall about 150 nm southwest of Fiji on the 11th. Lusi began to
weaken about this time due to the effects of cooler sea surface
temperatures and increased vertical shear. The system was downgraded
to a depression at 0600 UTC on 12 Oct about 350 nm south of Fiji.
Lusi brought a few gales and some heavy rainfall to some of the
southwestern-most islands in the Fiji group; otherwise there were
no appreciable effects from this cyclone on any of the South Pacific
islands.
A report of 30-kt winds from ship 3EST7 on 8 Oct was the basis for
JTWC initiating advisories. Adjusting from the 1-min maximum
sustained wind utilized by JTWC to the 10-min average wind employed
by Fiji, the maximum wind estimates from the two warning centers
agree very well, except the final warning at 0600 UTC on 12 Oct.
Fiji downgraded Lusi at this time to a 30-kt depression, while JTWC
labeled the system as an extratropical gale with 45-kt winds. The
miminum central pressure in Tropical Cyclone Lusi, as reported by
the Fiji TCWC, was 985 mb on 10 and 11 Oct.
Tropical Depression 03-P 26-28 October
----------------------------------------
This system was a short-lived tropical depression which formed to
the west of Rotuma and about 375 nm northwest of Fiji. The Fiji TCWC
issued a bulletin at 0000 UTC on 26 Oct, warning of the possibility
of gales developing within 200 miles of the center. Subsequent
warnings indicated that a few gales perhaps did occur southwest of
the system.
The system drifted generally southeastward over the next couple of
days, dissipating well northwest of Fiji late on 27 Oct due to strong
wind shear.
Warnings issued by JTWC on Guam assigned 35-kt winds (1-min avg)
to this system, and satellite intensity estimates by the Brisbane
TCWC could have implied minimal tropical storm intensity using 1-min
avg winds; however, satellite estimates from NPMOC (Pearl Harbor) and
AFGWC implied only a tropical depression.
Tropical Cyclone Martin (TC-04P) 31 October-->
------------------------------------------------
The Fiji TCWC at Nadi began monitoring a disturbance lying to the
north of the Northern Cook Islands on 27 Oct. Convection was quite
unorganized and the system was being affected detrimentally by strong
upper-level northeasterly winds. A weak low-level circulation was
apparent, drifting very slowly to the west or southwest. Over the
next three days the convection showed only slight improvement in
organization, being very diurnal in nature and still affected by
moderate to strong vertical shear.
By early on 31 Oct the system began to show marked organization.
The preliminary "best track" from Fiji shows the system classified
as a depression with 20-kt winds (10-min avg) by 0000 UTC on that
date. During the afternoon and evening it was clear that the system
was developing rapidly, and Tropical Cyclone Martin was named at 1500
UTC on the 31st about 350 nm northwest of Samoa. At this time Martin
was located just north of Pukapuka, the westernmost island in the
Northern Cooks. At 1800 UTC Pukapuka reported a pressure of 997 mb
and "estimated" winds of 60 kts. Due to the relatively high pressure,
these winds are considered to have likely been gusts, and probably
over-estimated. The 1800 UTC warning from JTWC gave Martin an
intensity of 55 kts (1-min avg) while Fiji reported it as 40 kts
(10-min avg).
The subsequent history of Tropical Cyclone Martin's destructive
swath through the Cooks and French Polynesia will be covered in the
summary for November.
***********************************************************************
***********************************************************************
|
Document: summ9710.htm
Updated: 18th March 2008 |
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