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Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary November 1997
[Summaries and Track Data] [Prepared by Gary Padgett]
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Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary November 1997 [Summaries and Track Data] [Prepared by Gary Padgett] |
MONTHLY GLOBAL TROPICAL CYCLONE SUMMARY
NOVEMBER, 1997
Since we've changed some of the dissemination routes since the
October summary was released, I'll repeat the introductory remarks
for the benefit of any person who did not receive that summary.
This is the second 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. 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.
If anyone did not receive the October summary and would like a copy,
please e-mail me a request and I'll be happy to forward it to them.
Prepared by: Gary Padgett
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 334-222-5327
*************************************************************************
NOVEMBER HIGHLIGHTS
--> Southern Mexican coast experiences another hurricane strike
--> Southern Marianas and Vietnam struck by typhoons
--> Most active November on record in the South Pacific
--> Cook Islands and French Polynesia struck by cyclones
*************************************************************************
ACTIVITY BY BASINS
ATLANTIC (ATL) - North Atlantic Ocean , Caribbean Sea , Gulf of Mexico
Activity for November: No tropical cyclones
*************************************************************************
NORTHEAST PACIFIC (NEP) - North Pacific East of Longitude 180
Activity for November: 1 tropical depression
1 hurricane
Hurricane Rick (TC-19E) 7-10 November
---------------------------------------
An area of disturbed weather a few hundred miles south of the
Mexican coast had become sufficiently organized by 7 Nov that
advisories were initiated on Tropical Depression 19-E at 2100 UTC
with the system centered about 500 nm south of Manzanillo. The
depression drifted slowly and erratically northward for the next 24
hrs with only slow intensification. A ship located about 30 nm south
of the center reported 25-kt winds and a pressure of 1006 mb at 1200
UTC on 8 Nov. By 2100 UTC the system had turned to a more
northeasterly course and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Rick about
250 nm southwest of Acapulco.
Rick continued to intensify, becoming a hurricane at 0600 UTC on
9 Nov when located about 125 nm south-southwest of Acapulco. The
hurricane was by this time moving on a more east-northeasterly course
toward the same portion of the southern Mexican coast that was struck
by Hurricane Pauline a month earlier. Peak intensity of 75 kts and
an estimated central pressure of 980 mb were attained at 1500 UTC when
the hurricane was centered about 100 nm southeast of Acapulco. The
east-northeasterly movement continued, bringing the center of Rick
onshore near Puerto Escondido at around 0300 UTC on 10 Nov with
maximum sustained winds estimated near 65 kts. At 2145 UTC on 9 Nov
Puerto Escondido was reporting a sustained wind of 26 kts with gusts
to 35 kts. The last advisory on Rick at 2100 UTC on 10 Nov located
the dissipating depression in the Mexican state of Chiapas near the
Guatemalan border.
Hurricane Rick brought over 10 inches of rain to the state of
Oaxaca, causing mudslides and flash floods in some of the same areas
severely affected by Pauline in October. More than 2000 persons were
left homeless, but no fatalities have been reported.
The preliminary storm report on Hurricane Rick, which includes
the analyzed "best track", can be found on the Tropical Prediction
Center's website at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/rick.html>.
Tropical Depression 04-C 31 October-1 November
------------------------------------------------
Tropical Depression 04-C, which had developed on 31 Oct, was
located at 0300 UTC on 1 Nov about 425 nm southwest of Johnston Atoll
and was already weakening. By 1200 UTC the weak depression, with
only 20-kt winds, was dissipating about 125 nm east of the dateline,
far to the southwest of Johnston.
*************************************************************************
NORTHWEST PACIFIC (NWP) - North Pacific West of Longitude 180
Activity for November: 2 typhoons
1 supertyphoon
Supertyphoon Keith (TC-29W) 27 October-8 November
---------------------------------------------------
As the month of November opened, Supertyphoon Keith was located
about 500 nm east-southeast of Guam moving on a west-northwesterly
course toward the southern Marianas. At 1800 UTC on 1 Nov Keith
reached its estimated peak intensity of 160-kt sustained winds
(1-min avg). There were some reports stating that Keith appeared to
be almost on a par with Supertyphoon Tip of October, 1979, in which a
reconnaissance flight measured the world's lowest known sea level
pressure of 870 mb. Since no flights were made into Keith, the
actual central pressure will never be known.
The eye of Supertyphoon Keith moved through the Marianas Islands
about 0600 UTC on 2 Nov (late afternoon local time), passing between
the islands of Rota and Tinian with maximum sustained winds estimated
at 150-155 kts. Keith continued on its west-northwesterly heading
until it recurved to the northeast early on 5 Nov about 650 nm west-
northwest of Guam. Peak winds had dropped to 110 kts by this time.
Keith continued to accelerate to the east-northeast and slowly
weakened. The storm passed only about 50 nm north of Iwo Jima at
0600 UTC on 7 Nov with maximum winds estimated at 75 kts. Keith
became extratropical about 1200 UTC on 8 Nov when located about
850 nm northwest of Wake Island.
Dozens of homes and buildings on Rota and Tinian were reported to
have been destroyed or heavily damaged, but no reports of deaths or
injuries have been received by the author.
Typhoon Linda (TC-30W) 31 October-9 November
----------------------------------------------
Tropical Depression 30-W, which had formed late on 31 Oct west
of northern Borneo, reached tropical storm intensity by 0000 UTC
on 1 Nov about 425 nm east-southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
(formerly Saigon). Linda moved on a westerly to west-northwesterly
course which took it across the southern tip of Vietnam in the
Mekong River delta region. At the time of landfall the operational
JTWC track assigns Linda maximum sustained winds of 55 kts.
After emerging into the Gulf of Thailand, Linda reached minimal
typhoon intensity of 65 kts at 1800 UTC on 2 Nov. The typhoon
continued across the Gulf of Thailand, making landfall again on the
Malay Peninsula in southern Thailand, about 120 nm south-southwest
of Bangkok. As Linda approached land it began to weaken somewhat,
with winds estimated at 50 kts near the time of landfall in Thailand.
By 0000 UTC on 4 Nov the center was beginning to emerge into the
Andaman Sea. The subsequent history of Linda can be found in this
summary in the section covering the North Indian Ocean basin.
Information obtained by the author, which includes some reports
from the Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,
placed the death toll in Vietnam at over 500, with over 3300 persons
missing. Most of the dead or missing were fishermen lost at sea.
Many thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed, and more than
450,000 hectares of rice paddies were inundated. Linda was
reportedly the deadliest typhoon to affect Vietnam since 1904.
Typhoon Mort (TC-31W) 10-16 November
--------------------------------------
Warnings were begun on Tropical Depression 31-W at 1800 UTC on
10 Nov placing the developing system about 300 nm west-southwest
of Guam with 25-kt winds. The system was upgraded to Tropical
Storm Mort 12 hrs later about 100 nm farther west. Mort continued on
a west-northwesterly track throughout most of its lifetime. Typhoon
status was reached at 1800 UTC on 12 Nov about 375 nm north-northwest
of Palau. Mort's winds never increased above minimal typhoon
strength of 65 kts. Late on 13 Nov the storm began to encounter
strong upper-level shear. The warning issued at 0000 UTC on 14 Nov
abruptly downgraded the system to a minimal tropical storm with
35-kt winds. Mort at this time was located about 475 nm east of
Manila. Over the next couple of days, Mort re-intensified back to
55 kts, but began to weaken again as it approached the island of
Luzon. The last warning on Mort at 0600 UTC on 16 Nov downgraded
the storm to a 25-kt depression near Baler on the central coast of
Luzon. The dissipating system moved inland and dissipated over
central Luzon.
*************************************************************************
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
1 tropical cyclone of typhoon intensity
Typhoon Linda (TC-30W) 31 October-9 November
----------------------------------------------
Tropical Storm Linda emerged into the Andaman Sea around 0000 UTC
on 4 Nov, moving off the coast of Myanmar about 275 nm southeast of
Yangan (formerly Rangoon). Estimated maximum sustained winds at
this time were 45 kts. For the next several days Linda moved slowly
and sometimes erratically on a general westerly to west-northwesterly
track which took the storm through the Andaman Islands and into the
Bay of Bengal proper. Linda regained typhoon intensity on 6 Nov at
1200 UTC when centered about 450 nm south of Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Typhoon intensity persisted for only about 18 hrs, then the storm
began to slowly weaken. Linda moved slowly and erratically in the
central Bay of Bengal as it weakened--the last warning being issued
at 0600 UTC on 9 Nov. The dissipating depression at this time was
located about 450 nm south-southeast of Calcutta.
Tropical Cyclone 03-A 8-9 November
------------------------------------
Tropical Cyclone 03-A was a short-lived system of minimal tropical
cyclone intensity which formed in the western Arabian Sea. The first
warning, issued at 0600 UTC on 8 Nov, located the cyclone about
150 nm south of Socotra Island with 35-kt winds. The system moved
inland over the northeastern peninsula of Somalia around 0000 UTC on
9 Nov. Although subsequent warnings tracked the system northward
back out over the Gulf of Aden, the final warning issued at 1800
UTC stated that the system had dissipated over Somalia.
No reports of any adverse effects of this cyclone have been
received by the author.
Tropical Cyclone 04-A 10-14 November
--------------------------------------
The second tropical cyclone in the Arabian Sea within less than a
week was first classified as a depression at 0000 UTC on 10 Nov about
550 nm south-southwest of Bombay. Tropical Cyclone 04-A moved on a
fairly smooth west-northwesterly course until around 0600 UTC on
13 Nov, when it curved to the southwest from a location about 450 nm
southeast of Masirah Island off the coast of Oman. The system
by this time was beginning to weaken due to the effects of strong
vertical wind shear.
Tropical Cyclone 04-A dissipated about 435 nm south-southeast of
Masirah after 0000 UTC on 14 Nov. Peak intensity of 55 kts maximum
sustained winds was reached at 0600 UTC on 11 Nov with the storm
centered about 535 nm southwest of Bombay. During the time that the
cyclone was near peak intensity, maximum wind estimates ran a little
higher than usual for the given satellite T-numbers due to above-
normal ambient pressures in the storm's vicinity.
*************************************************************************
SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN (SIO) - South Indian Ocean West of Longitude 90E
Activity for November: No tropical cyclones
*************************************************************************
AUSTRALIAN REGION (AUS) - From Longitude 90E Eastward to Longitude 160E
Activity for November: 1 tropical cyclone of storm intensity **
** - possibly reached hurricane intensity -- was classified as a
hurricane in warnings issued by JTWC
Tropical Cyclone Nute (TC-05P) 18-21 November
-----------------------------------------------
Tropical Cyclone Nute began in the Southwest Pacific Basin on
11 Nov and was named by the Fiji TCWC at 1200 UTC when located
far to the north of Vanuatu. Nute crossed longitude 160E and
entered the Brisbane TCWC's area of warning responsibility at
1800 UTC on 19 Nov. At this time the storm was located about
475 nm west-northwest of Vila, Vanuatu. Maximum 10-min avg winds
at this time were 60 kts, but there is a possibility that the
winds will be increased to hurricane force in post-storm analysis.
A warning issued by the JTWC on Guam at this time reported maximum
winds in Nute to be 70 kts (1-min avg). Nute was at peak intensity
about this time with its central pressure estimated at 975 mb.
Nute did not move very far into Australian waters before it began
to weaken and turn southward. By late on 20 Nov (UTC) Nute had
rapidly weakened due to strong vertical shear and entrainment of
dry air, and Guam wrote the last warning on the system. Brisbane
downgraded Nute to a depression at 0000 UTC on 21 Nov but reported
that a few gales remained in the southern semicircle. The last
warning issued at 1200 UTC placed the LOW about 375 nm west of
Noumea, New Caledonia.
*************************************************************************
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (SWP) - South Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 160E
Activity for November: 1 tropical cyclone of storm intensity
2 tropical cyclones of hurricane intensity
The month of November continued the active streak which began in
October. According to Steve Ready of the New Zealand Meteorological
Service, this was the most active month of November on record in
the South Pacific. Much of the information below was supplied
by Steve and by Mark Kersemakers of the Fiji Meteorological Service.
A special thanks to these gentlemen for their assistance.
Tropical Cyclone Martin (TC-04P) 31 October-5 November
--------------------------------------------------------
Tropical Cyclone Martin had formed on 31 Oct a few hundred miles
northwest of Samoa. At 0000 UTC on 1 Nov the intensifying cyclone
was centered about 250 nm west of Manihiki Atoll in the Northern
Cooks, moving very slowly east-southeastward. By 0600 UTC on 2 Nov
the cyclone passed about 60 nm south of Manihiki with maximum winds
estimated at 60 kts (10-min avg). Continuing on to the southeast,
Martin reached hurricane force at 1800 UTC when located about 165 nm
southeast of the atoll. As assessed by the Fiji TCWC, Martin reached
peak intensity of 80 kts on 3 Nov around 1200 UTC about 300 nm west-
northwest of Tahiti.
Early on 4 Nov the cyclone began to weaken steadily and accelerated
to the southeast, passing over 200 nm to the south of Tahiti. Warning
responsibility was handed over to Wellington when the system crossed
latitude 25S at 0600 UTC on 5 Nov. The last warning available to
the author (at 1200 UTC) placed the minimal tropical cyclone about
750 nm southeast of Tahiti, or about 550 nm west of Pitcairn Island.
Tropical Cyclone Martin was quite destructive on Manihiki Atoll.
When the center was closest to the island, the AWS reported a lowest
pressure of 994 mb, sustained winds of 39 kts (10-min avg), and a
highest gust of 56 kts. However this was the last official report
from the station before it was demolished by the storm surge. There
were 10 known fatalities on Manihiki with 10 more persons reported
missing (and presumed drowned). Almost every building on the island
was destroyed by the storm surge--even a concrete water tank broke
under the onslaught of the waves.
At its maximum intensity Martin passed near the westernmost islands
in the Socitey group (Bellingshausan, Mopelia, and Scilly) where 8
deaths were reported.
Tracking positions contained in the warnings issued by the Naval
Pacific Meteorology and Oceanography Center (NPMOC) at Pearl Harbor
were in reasonable agreement with Fiji's, though not as close as with
some other cyclones. The highest 1-min sustained wind reported by
NPMOC was 100 kts on 3 Nov, during which time Fiji's maximum 10-min
avg wind was 80 kts. Converting 100 kts to its 10-min equivalent
yields 87 kts, or a difference of only 7 kts. This is in very good
agreement, considering the uncertainties inherent in estimating
tropical cyclone intensities from satellite imagery.
Tropical Cyclone Nute (TC-05P) 18-21 November
-----------------------------------------------
The first bulletin on a developing tropical depression was issued
by the Fiji TCWC at Nadi at 0000 UTC on 18 Nov, locating the system
about 425 nm north-northwest of Vila, Vanuatu. The depression moved
southwestward and was upgraded to Tropical Cyclone Nute at 1200 UTC
when located 450 nm northwest of Vila. Nute continued to intensify
as it moved to the southwest with maximum winds reaching 60 kts by
0600 UTC on 19 Nov. At 1800 UTC the storm crossed longitude 160E
and entered the Australian region of warning responsibility.
Warnings on Nute for the remainder of its life were issued by the
Brisbane TCWC. See the portion of this summary covering the
Australian region for the history of Nute in that area.
Tropical Cyclone Osea (TC-06P) 22-28 November
-----------------------------------------------
Bulletins were begun on a new tropical depression at 0000 UTC on
22 Nov located about 250 nm east-northeast of Manihiki Atoll in the
Northern Cooks. The depression remained weak and drifted very
slowly southward for the next couple of days. Warnings were begun
by NPMOC at 1200 UTC on 23 Nov. The system was moving very slowly
on a southerly course when it was named by the Fiji TCWC on 24 Nov
at 0000 UTC. The first warning on Tropical Cyclone Osea placed the
center about 200 nm east-southeast of Manihiki.
Osea began to intensify and moved a little faster on a general
southeasterly course. Hurricane intensity was reached at 1200 UTC
on 25 Nov about 300 nm west-northwest of Tahiti with peak winds of
80 kts occurring from 0000 UTC to 1200 UTC on 26 Nov. Thereafter
the cyclone began to steadily weaken. The center of Osea passed
over 200 nm south of Tahiti around 0000 UTC on 28 Nov with winds
of only 35 kts. The last bulletin issued at 0600 UTC downgraded
the system to a depression about 250 nm south-southeast of Tahiti.
Cyclone Osea was quite destructive to some of the islands of
French Polynesia. Over 700 homes were destroyed or badly damaged
on Maupiti, Bora-Bora, and Raiatea. On Maupiti (pop. 1100) about
95% of the infrastructure (including the town hall, two schools,
and an airfield) were destroyed; while on Bora-Bora (pop. 4500)
roughly 30% of the infrastructure was destroyed. Very fortunately
there was no loss of life reported from Tropical Cyclone Osea.
Comparing tracking and intensity information issued by NPMOC
to the official warnings from Nadi--the position coordinates were
in excellent agreement. There were several instances when NPMOC's
maximum wind estimates (1-min avg) were somewhat less than Fiji's
maximum 10-min avg winds; however the peak intensity estimates of
90 kts (NPMOC) and 80 kts (Fiji) were in excellent agreement.
*************************************************************************
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