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Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary December 2005
[Summaries and Track Data] [Prepared by Gary Padgett]


                  MONTHLY GLOBAL TROPICAL CYCLONE SUMMARY

                              DECEMBER, 2005
                                

  (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

   --> Rare December hurricane roams Atlantic waters for 5 days
   --> Atlantic's 27 named storm forms late in month and continues into
       January
   --> Two cyclonic storms form in Bay of Bengal

  *************************************************************************

                   ********** EXTRA FEATURE **********

               A REVIEW OF THE 2005 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 2005, 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 basin the MSW and
              central pressure 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
                                       (mb)    (kts)
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
  01   Arlene        08-13 Jun          989 *    60                ATL
  02   Bret          28-30 Jun         1002 *    35                ATL
  03   Cindy         03-08 Jul          991 *    65                ATL (1)
  04   Dennis        05-13 Jul          930 *   130                ATL
  05   Emily         11-21 Jul          929 *   140                ATL (2)
  06   Franklin      21-31 Jul          997      60                ATL
  07   Gert          23-25 Jul         1005 *    40                ATL
  08   Harvey        02-12 Aug          994 *    55                ATL
  09   Irene         04-18 Aug          970      90                ATL
  10   -----         13-14 Aug         1008      30                ATL
  11   Jose          22-23 Aug          998 *    50                ATL (7)
  12   Katrina       23-31 Aug          902 *   150                ATL
  13   Lee           28 Aug-02 Sep     1006      35                ATL
  14   Maria         01-12 Sep          962     100                ATL
  15   Nate          05-12 Sep          979      80                ATL
  16   Ophelia       06-20 Sep          976 *    75                ATL
  17   Philippe      17-24 Sep          985 *    70                ATL
  18   Rita          18-26 Sep          895 *   155                ATL (3)
  19   -----         30 Sep-02 Oct     1006      30                ATL
  20   Stan          01-05 Oct          977 *    70                ATL
  21   Tammy         05-06 Oct         1001 *    45                ATL
  22   -----         08-09 Oct         1008      30                ATL (4)
  23   Vince         09-11 Oct          988      65                ATL
  24   Wilma         15-26 Oct          882 *   160                ATL (5)
  25   Alpha         22-24 Oct          998      45                ATL
  26   Beta          27-31 Oct          960 *   100                ATL (8)
  27   Gamma         14-21 Nov         1002 *    45                ATL (6)
  28   Delta         21-30 Nov          980      60                ATL
  29   Epsilon       28 Nov-09 Dec      981      75                ATL
  30   Zeta          30 Dec-06 Jan      994      55                ATL
 
  NOTES:
  
  (1) Operationally, Cindy was treated as a tropical storm.  It was
      upgraded to a hurricane in post-storm analysis.
  
  (2) Emily's peak MSW was upped from 135 kts to 140 kts during post-storm
      analysis, thereby upgrading the storm to Category 5 status.
  
  (3) Rita's minimum CP was lowered from 897 mb to 895 mb and peak MSW 
      upped from 150 kts to 155 kts during post-storm analysis.

  (4) System was classified as a subtropical depression.
  
  (5) Wilma's peak MSW was upped from 150 kts to 160 kts during post-storm
      analysis.  The CP of 882 mb is the lowest ever measured in an
      Atlantic tropical cyclone.
  
  (6) Gamma's peak MSW was upped from 40 kts to 45 kts during post-storm 
      analysis.

  (7) Jose's minimum CP was lowered from 1001 mb to 998 mb and peak MSW 
      upped from 45 kts to 50 kts during post-storm analysis.

  (8) The official TPC/NHC report on Beta is not yet available online, so
      the CP and MSW given here represent the operational values.
  
  ************************************************************************
  
                          NORTHEAST PACFICIC BASIN
  
  NUM  NAME          DATES           CENT PRS   MSW               BASIN
                                       (mb)    (kts)
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  
  01E  Adrian        17-20 May          982      70                NEP
  02E  Beatriz       21-24 Jun         1000      45                NEP
  03E  Calvin        26-29 Jun         1000      45                NEP
  04E  Dora          04-06 Jul         1006      35                NEP
  05E  Eugene        18-20 Jul          989      60                NEP
  01C  -----         03-05 Aug         1008      25                NEP
  06E  Fernanda      09-16 Aug          979      75                NEP
  07E  Greg          11-15 Aug         1000      45                NEP
  08E  Hilary        19-25 Aug          970      90                NEP
  09E  Irwin         25-28 Aug         1000      45                NEP
  10E  Jova          12-25 Sep          960     100                NEP
  11E  Kenneth       14-30 Sep          948     115                NEP
  12E  Lidia         17-19 Sep         1003      40                NEP
  13E  Max           18-22 Sep          987      70                NEP
  14E  Norma         23-27 Sep          994      55                NEP
  15E  Otis          28 Sep-03 Oct      970      90                NEP
  16E  -----         15-20 Oct         1006      30                NEP
  
  ************************************************************************
  
                          NORTHWEST PACFICIC BASIN
  
  JTWC    NAME(S)      JMA     DATES         CENT    MSW   MSW    BASIN
  NUM                TROP STM                PRS    1-MIN 10-MIN
                       NUM                   (mb)   (kts) (kts)
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  
  01W  Kulap           0501  13-19 Jan        985     60    50     NWP
  02W  Roke/Auring     0502  13-19 Mar        980     65    60     NWP (1)
  ---  -----           ----  18 Apr          1006     --    30     NWP (2)
  03W  Sonca/Bising    0503  20-29 Apr        940    115    90     NWP (1)
  ---  Crising         ----  15-18 May       1004     --    30     NWP
  04W  Nesat/Dante     0504  30 May-14 Jun    930    125   110     NWP (1)
  ---  Emong           ----  04-07 Jul       1000     --    30     NWP
  05W  Haitang/Feria   0505  10-20 Jul        915    140   130     NWP (1)
  06W  Nalgae          0506  18-25 Jul        992     50    45     NWP
  07W  Banyan          0507  20-31 Jul        980     60    60     NWP (1)
  08W  Washi           0508  28-31 Jul        985     45    50     NWP (1)
  09W  Matsa/Gorio     0509  30 Jul-08 Aug    950     90    90     NWP (1)
  10W  Sanvu/Huaning   0510  09-14 Aug        985     65    60     NWP (3)
  ---  (NMCC-02)       ----  09-12 Aug        994     --    30     NWP (1)
  11W  Mawar           0511  19-29 Aug        930    130   110     NWP (1)
  12W  Guchol          0512  19-26 Aug        980     60    55     NWP
  13W  Talim/Isang     0513  26 Aug-02 Sep    925    125   130     NWP (1)
  ---  -----           ----  27-30 Aug       1000     --    30     NWP
  14W  Nabi/Jolina     0514  29 Aug-11 Sep    925    140   120     NWP (1)
  15W  Khanun/Kiko     0515  05-16 Sep        945    115   100     NWP (1)
  ---  -----           ----  12-14 Sep        998     --    30     NWP (4)
  16W  Vicente         0516  15-19 Sep        985     40    45     NWP
  17W  Damrey/Labuyo   0518  19-27 Sep        955     90   110     NWP (1)
  18W  Saola           0517  19-28 Sep        950    100    90     NWP (1)
  19W  Longwang/Maring 0519  25 Sep-03 Oct    930    130   120     NWP (1)
  20W  -----           ----  06-08 Oct       1006     30    30     NWP
  21W  Kirogi/Nando    0520  09-20 Oct        935    125   100     NWP (1)
  22W  Kai-tak         0521  25 Oct-02 Nov    950     90    80     NWP
  23W  Tembin/Ondoy    0522  06-12 Nov       1000     45    45     NWP (5)
  24W  Bolaven/Pepeng  0523  13-20 Nov        975     75    65     NWP (1)
  25W  Quedan          ----  16-22 Dec       1000     40    30     NWP
  
  NOTES:
  
  (1) The highest 10-min avg MSW was assigned by NMCC.
  
  (2) Classified as a tropical depression by JMA and CWB of Taiwan only.
  
  (3) The highest 10-min avg MSW was assigned by NMCC and HKO.
  
  (4) This depression was the predecessor of Cyclonic Storm Pyarr in the
      North Indian Ocean basin.  Only the Thai Meteorological Department
      tracked the system as a continuous entity from its birth in the
      South China Sea until its demise inland in India.
  
  (5) The highest 10-min avg MSW was assigned by NMCC and PAGASA.
  
  ************************************************************************
  
                         NORTH INDIAN OCEAN BASIN
  
  NUM  NAME        IMD ID       DATES        CENT PRS   MSW       BASIN
                                               (mb)    (kts)
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  
  01B  -----      -------     08-10 Jan         ---      25        NIO
  02B  Hibaru     BOB0501     13-17 Jan         ---      35        NIO
  ---  Pyarr      BOB0502     14-21 Sep         998      35        NIO (1)
  03B  -----      -------     02-03 Oct         ---      35        NIO
  04B  -----      -------     26-28 Oct         ---      35        NIO
  ---  -----      -------     20-22 Nov         998      30        NIO
  05B  Baaz       BOB0503     27 Nov-03 Dec     998      45        NIO
  06B  Fanoos     BOB0504     05-12 Dec         984      65        NIO (2)
  07B  -----      -------     15-24 Dec         994      50        NIO
  
  NOTES:
  
  (1) This system's origins lay with a South China Sea depression which
      existed from 12-14 September.  Only the Thai Meteorological
      Department tracked the system as a continuous entity from its birth
      in the South China Sea until its demise inland in India.
  
  (2) The peak 10-min avg MSW assigned by the Thai Meteorological
      Department was 65 kts.
  
  *************************************************************************
  
                             ACTIVITY BY BASINS

  ATLANTIC (ATL) - North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico

  Activity for December: 1 tropical storm
                         1 hurricane **

  ** - system formed in late November but reached hurricane intensity in
       early December


                         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:
  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.


                  Atlantic Tropical Activity for December
                  ---------------------------------------

     Two tropical cyclones roamed Atlantic waters during December.  The
  first was Hurricane Epsilon, which formed in late November and reached
  hurricane intensity on 2 December.  Epsilon continued as a hurricane for
  five days--establishing a new record number of hurricane days for the
  month of December.  Tropical Storm Zeta formed on 30 December and became
  the first inter-annual Atlantic tropical cyclone since Hurricane Alice
  in 1954-1955.  While extremely interesting from a climatological point
  of view, Epsilon and Zeta roamed subtropical waters far removed from
  any land areas and were of concern only to shipping interests.  The
  report on Hurricane Epsilon was included in the November summary--a short
  report on Zeta follows.

     As a reminder, just about all of the official TPC/NHC storm reports
  for 2005 Atlantic tropical cyclones are now available online at the
  following link:

  http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/2005atlan.shtml>



                           TROPICAL STORM ZETA
                                 (TC-30)
                         30 December - 6 January
               -------------------------------------------

     The official TPC/NHC storm report on Tropical Storm Zeta, co-authored
  by Richard Knabb and Daniel Brown, is now available on NHC's website.

     Tropical Storm Zeta, the 30th numbered cyclone and 27th tropical
  storm of the incredible record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season,
  became the first inter-annual tropical cyclone in 51 years, and only the
  second on record.  The last tropical cyclone to form in December and
  continue into January was Hurricane Alice from 30 December 1954 to
  5 January 1955.   That particular hurricane was named as the first
  storm of 1955 when the Hurricane Hunters went out on 2 January to
  investigate a system for which ships had been reporting strong winds.
  The reconnaissance aircraft found a fully-developed hurricane, so being
  January, it was named Alice.   Later the storm was traced to a
  disturbance first noted on 30 December 1954, so officially it is now
  considered the final tropical cyclone of 1954.

     Hurricane Alice, however, was not being carried operationally as a 
  tropical cyclone at the moment when the big ball dropped in Times Square,
  so Tropical Storm Zeta has the distinction of being the first Atlantic
  cyclone for which real-time advisories were written in two different
  calendar years.

     Zeta's origins lay in the interaction between a weakening frontal
  boundary and an upper-tropospheric trough.   A closed LOW formed along
  the surface trough on 29 December about 675 nm northwest of the Cape
  Verde Islands.  Early on 30 December the system began to quickly
  acquire tropical characteristics and the first advisory on Tropical
  Storm Zeta was issued at 1700 UTC that day, placing the center about
  930 nm southwest of the Azores with 45-kt winds.  Over the next week
  the out-of-season storm meandered to the northwest, then southwestward,
  westward, and finally west-northwestward as it weakened.  Zeta had to
  battle shear throughout its lifetime, but proved to be very tenacious.
  The peak intensity, 55 kts, was reached at two different times: at 1800
  UTC on 1 January, and again at 0000 UTC on 3 January after weakening
  to 45 kts at 02/1200 UTC.

     Based on a careful post-storm study of the available data, it has
  been concluded that the original LOW became a tropical depression
  around 0000 UTC on 30 December and a tropical storm by 0600 UTC.  The
  Atlantic Best Tracks file shows the aforementioned Hurricane Alice as
  reaching tropical storm intensity at 1200 UTC on 30 December, so Zeta
  falls short by six hours of tying the record for the latest tropical
  storm to form in any calendar year.   More meteorological details of
  Tropical Storm Zeta may be found in the excellent NHC online report.

     A graphic depicting the operational track of Tropical Storm Zeta
  may be found at the following link:

  http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/atlantic/BT-IMAGES/2005-30L-ZETA.gif>

     No deaths or damages have been attributed to Tropical Storm Zeta.

  (Report written by Gary Padgett, based in part on the official TPC/NHC
  report by Rich Knabb and Dan Brown)

  *************************************************************************

  MEDITERRANEAN (MED) - Confines of the Mediterranean Sea

  Activity for December: 1 possible tropical or subtropical cyclone


                   A Tale of Two Mediterranean Cyclones
                   ------------------------------------

     I am including this section to call attention to two cyclonic storms
  in the Mediterranean Sea during the final quarter of 2005.  I do not
  have much information about either, but I just wanted to document them
  in case anyone is interested in trying to obtain satellite imagery and
  study them further.

  (1) The first system moved off the Libyan coast early on 26 October with
      strong convection and appeared to develop a circulation as it moved
      northeastward to just east of Sicily as a small, compact convective
      system.  No eye was apparent in Meteosat imagery.   Julian Heming
      sent me a couple of images of this system, one being a visible
      picture at 1100 UTC on 27 October.  This image shows a very small
      system located just east of Sicily and south of the "toe" of Italy.
      Based on its appearance it does not seem likely that it would have
      been very intense.

  (2) The second system occurred in mid-December.  A visible image taken
      at 0845 UTC on 15 December depicts a well-developed cyclonic system
      with a prominent eye-like feature centered between the island of
      Crete and the coast of Libya.   It does in many ways resemble a small
      tropical or subtropical cyclone.     The image also shows the
      entrainment of North African dust into the cyclone.  The link to this
      particular image is:

      http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/realtime/single.php?2005349/crefl2_143.A2005349112500-2005349113000.500m.jpg>

  *************************************************************************

  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:  1 tropical storm


                         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
               ------------------------------------------------

     The slackness in Northwest Pacific tropical cyclone activity which
  began in October continued into the final month of 2005.  Only one
  tropical cyclone formed during the month, and it was classified as a
  tropical storm by JTWC only, and a weak one at that.  Tropical Storm 25W
  (named Quedan by PAGASA) formed near the southwestern Philippines and
  moved generally westward across the South China Sea.  While southeast of
  Vietnam on the 19th it became better organized and was upgraded to a
  minimal tropical storm by JTWC.  The next day, however, it weakened and
  the remnants drifted west-southwestward toward the Malay Peninsula.  A
  short report on this cyclone, written by Kevin Boyle, follows.



                             TROPICAL STORM
                           (TC-25W / QUEDAN)
                            16 - 22 December
                 -------------------------------------

      Tropical Storm 25W was first mentioned as a suspect area in JTWC's 
  STWO at 0600 UTC 15 December when it was located approximately 95 nm 
  south-southeast of Tandag, Philippines.  PAGASA first classified the 
  disturbance as a tropical depression at 16/1200 UTC, naming it Quedan. 
  The system slowly organized in a low shear environment and under good 
  divergence aloft, and two TCFAs were issued, first at 17/0200 UTC and 
  then at 18/0200 UTC.  The first warning was released at 18/1200 UTC, 
  locating the centre 305 nm southeast of Nha Trang, Vietnam.  TD-25W/
  Quedan strengthened the northeast monsoon flow across the South China
  Sea as it interacted with a HIGH over central China. 

     Tracking west to west-northwestwards, TD-25W strengthened and was 
  upgraded to a 35-kt tropical storm at 0000 UTC 19 December, located 
  approximately 260 nm south-southeast of Nha Trang, Vietnam.  It reached 
  a peak intensity of 40 kts twelve hours later.  Thereafter, the system 
  began to weaken and fall apart as it continued west to west-
  northwestwards into a hostile wind shear environment and cooler SSTs. 
  It was downgraded to a tropical depression on JTWC's final warning, 
  issued at 20/0600 UTC, after the LLCC had become fully-exposed and the 
  deep convection had largely diminished.  The final warning located the 
  centre approximately 195 nm southeast of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.  JMA 
  continued to track the residual weak depression for another couple of 
  days west-southwestwards until it reached the Malayan Peninsula near 
  the Thai-Malaysian border around 22/0600 UTC.

     JMA never raised their 10-min avg MSW estimate above 30 kts and did 
  not upgrade the system to a tropical storm.  Therefore, this tropical 
  cyclone was never assigned an international name.  The Meteorological 
  Department of Thailand also treated 25W/Quedan as a 30-kt tropical 
  depression.

     A graphic depicting the track of this tropical storm may be found
  at the following link:

  http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/w_pacific/BT-IMAGES/2005-25W-NONAME.gif>

     No damages or casualties have been reported in association with
  Tropical Storm 25W/Quedan.

  (Report written by Kevin Boyle)

  *************************************************************************

  NORTH INDIAN OCEAN (NIO) - Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea

  Activity for December:  2 cyclonic storms **
                          1 severe cyclonic storm ++

  ** - one of these was not classified as a cyclonic storm by IMD; another
       formed in November but was still active in early December

  ++ - system was not upgraded to 'severe cyclonic storm' status by IMD


                         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.


              North Indian Ocean Tropical Activity for December
              -------------------------------------------------

     The fairly active fall transition season in the Bay of Bengal
  continued unabated into December.  Cyclonic Storm Baaz, which developed
  late in November, was still on the charts during the first couple of
  days of December.  Following that, two more tropical storms formed
  during the first half of the month, making this the first December since
  1987 to see the formation of two tropical storms in the North Indian
  Ocean.  Based on both JTWC's and TMD's analyses, Cyclonic Storm Fanoos
  reached hurricane intensity just off the southeastern Indian coast but
  weakened before making landfall.   Around mid-month, Tropical Cyclone 07B
  formed just east of Sri Lanka but eventually dissipated without affecting
  any populated areas.   The TMD also regarded TC-07B as a tropical storm,
  but RSMC New Delhi treated it only as a deep depression; hence, no name
  was assigned.  Reports on both the December cyclones follow.



                         CYCLONIC STORM FANOOS
                           (BOB0504 / TC-06B)
                             5 - 12 December
               -----------------------------------------
                                              
  Fanoos: contributed by Pakistan

     JTWC issued a STWO at 0200 UTC on 4 December which noted that an area
  of convection had persisted over the Bay of Bengal about 850 nm east-
  southeast of Madras, India.   Satellite imagery depicted a developing
  LLCC near the convection.  A gradient-level analysis indicated that the
  developing circulation was embedded within a region of sharp troughing
  and increasing 850-mb vorticity values, and a concurrent upper-level
  analysis revealed that the disturbance was under moderate vertical shear
  with favorable poleward divergence.  The development potential was
  assessed as 'poor', but this was upgraded to 'fair' 24 hours later
  after convection had increased over the LLCC, which itself was better
  defined than on the previous day.   A TCFA was issued at 1430 on the
  5th of December, upgrading the potential for development to 'good'.
  The system by that time had moved westward to a point approximately
  650 nm east of Madras.   The TCFA noted that the MSW were estimated at
  30-35 kts, so if the system had been located in the Northwest Pacific
  basin, it would have already been classified as a tropical depression
  or possibly even a tropical storm.

     The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) began classifying the LOW
  as a tropical depression at 05/1800 UTC, and JTWC issued their first
  warning on Tropical Cyclone 06B at 06/0000 UTC, locating the center
  about 550 nm east of Madras and moving northwestward at 7 kts.  The
  cyclone was forecast to move westward along the southwestern periphery
  of a low to mid-level steering ridge, but by late on the 6th the
  steering flow was making a transition from the ridge to the northeast
  to a more dominant ridge to the west.   This resulted in a southwestward
  track on the 7th and into the 8th of December.  The cyclone increased
  in intensity slowly due to the presence of moderate vertical shear.
  The IMD had classified the system as a deep depression at 0900 UTC on
  6 December, and at 0300 UTC on the 7th upgraded it to cyclonic storm
  status and assigned the name Fanoos--the 4th named North Indian Ocean
  cyclone of 2005.

     Cyclonic Storm Fanoos continued to slowly increase in intensity as it
  returned to a westerly track on the 8th.  The ridge over the eastern
  Arabian Sea, which had induced the southwesterly motion, was weakening
  and a ridge over the Bay of Bengal was expected to build to the west.
  SAB's Dvorak ratings reached T4.0 (65 kts) as early as 08/0830 UTC, but
  JTWC was more conservative with their intensity estimates, keeping Fanoos
  at 55 kts through the 8th and finally reaching a peak of 65 kts at 1800
  UTC on the 9th.  The cyclone at that time was located approximately
  165 nm south-southeast of Madras, moving west at 9 kts.   Fanoos moved
  inland on the southeast Indian coast near Vedaranniyam with a MSW of
  about 50-55 kts around 0300 UTC on 10 December, and once inland had
  weakened into a depression by 1800 UTC.  The TMD continued to track the
  weakening system west-southwestward across southern India and into the
  southeastern Arabian Sea through 12/0000 UTC.

     The TMD's peak intensity for Fanoos was also 65 kts, but treated as a
  10-min avg.  This agrees with JTWC's and SAB's assessments that Fanoos
  reached hurricane intensity.  TMD's landfall intensity was also in the
  same range as that estimated by JTWC.  New Delhi, however, never
  estimated the intensity of Fanoos to be higher than 40 kts, and had
  downgraded the system to a deep depression (i.e., 30 kts) before it made
  landfall.

     A graphic displaying the track of Cyclonic Storm Fanoos may be found
  at the following link:

  http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/indian/BT-IMAGES/2005-06B-FANOOS.gif>

     There were no fatalities reported in association with Cyclonic Storm
  Fanoos.  However, the heavy rains associated with the dying storm were
  responsible for wreaking havoc to agricultural crops in the Tamil Nadu
  region, especially in the districts of Thanjavur and Nagapattinam.

     Following are two links which have some additional information on the
  effects of Fanoos:

  http://www.telegraphindia.com/1051211/asp/nation/story_5586447.asp>

  http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/12/11/stories/2005121103630100.htm>

  (Report written by Gary Padgett)



                            TROPICAL CYCLONE
                                (TC-07B)
                            15 - 24 December
                  ------------------------------------

     The third tropical cyclone to form in the Bay of Bengal in less than
  three weeks had its beginnings in a persistent area of convection which
  formed on the 14th about 600 nm east of Colombo, Sri Lanka.  Satellite
  imagery revealed a broad but symmetric area of low-level turning with
  deep convection on the northern periphery.  The disturbance was located
  under low vertical shear with good outflow and increasing 850-mb
  vorticity.  The development potential was upgraded to 'fair' at 1200 UTC
  on the 15th since the LLCC had become well-defined.   The disturbance
  continued to move to the west, and by 2000 UTC on 16 December was located
  about 250 nm east of Colombo.   A 16/1510 UTC SSM/I pass as well as
  multi-spectral satellite imagery had shown deep convection increasing
  over the LLCC, so JTWC issued a TCFA at that time.  In the meantime, IMD
  had classified the system as a depression as early at 15/1200 UTC.

     The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) began issuing bulletins on
  the tropical depression at 17/0000 UTC, and at the same time JTWC issued
  their first warning on Tropical Cyclone 07B.  The center was then located
  about 220 nm east of Colombo and moving westward at 6 kts along the
  southern periphery of a mid-level ridge building over the Bay of Bengal.
  The initial intensity was set at 35 kts.  Shortly afterward, however,
  TC-07B shifted to a north-northwestward track which it would follow for
  more than two days.  The intensity remained steady at first, but at 0600
  UTC on 18 December JTWC bumped up the MSW to 50 kts--the peak for the
  storm.  It was then located just under 200 nm southeast of Madras, India.
  TC-07B was caught in a broad, mid-level cyclonic environment with
  separate ridges to the east and west.  As the influence of the ridge
  centered over Indochina lessened, the cyclone was forecast to track
  slowly poleward and roughly parallel to the coast of India.  This was
  indeed what happened.  JTWC decreased their MSW estimate to 45 kts at
  1800 UTC due to weakening convection and increasing shear, but TMD
  upped their intensity to 45 kts at the same time.  Also, satellite
  intensity estimates from SAB reached a peak of T3.5--55 kts--at 1430
  UTC on 19 December.

     Movement became slow and erratic on the 19th and the storm drifted
  generally to the east for a couple of days.  JTWC's intensity remained
  at 45 kts through 20/0000 UTC, then began to slowly decline.  At 1200
  UTC the MSW was lowered to 40 kts.  Vertical wind shear was moderate
  and the LLCC had become partially-exposed.  By late on the 21st a mid-
  latitude trough over northern India had begun to interact with the
  cyclone and it began to track northeastward.  The weakening continued
  and JTWC issued their final warning at 22/0000 UTC, placing the 25-kt
  center approximately 310 nm east of Madras and moving northeastward at
  9 kts.  The TMD continued to track the system through 24/0000 UTC when
  it had reached a point just west of the coast of Myanmar.

     The peak 10-min avg MSW estimated by the TMD was 45 kts, in good
  agreement with JTWC and SAB.  New Delhi, however, never upgraded TC-07B
  to cyclonic storm status, estimating the peak intensity at 30 kts.
  Hence, no name was assigned to the system.

     A graphic displaying the track of Tropical Cyclone 07B may be found
  at the following link:

  http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2005/indian/BT-IMAGES/2005-07B-NONAME.gif>

     No damage or casualties are known to have resulted from this tropical
  cyclone.

  (Report written by Gary Padgett)

  *************************************************************************

  SOUTHWEST INDIAN OCEAN (SWI) - South Indian Ocean West of Longitude 90E

  Activity for December:  1 tropical depression **

  ** - system formed in the Western Australian region and was treated as
       a cyclone of gale intensity by JTWC


           Southwest Indian Ocean Tropical Activity for December
           -----------------------------------------------------

     No tropical systems formed over South Indian Ocean waters west of 90E
  during December.  A tropical LOW which originated in the Australian
  Region moved westward across 90E and was numbered Tropical Depression 06
  by MFR.    JTWC treated this system as a minimal tropical storm and
  designated it as TC-04S.  A short report on this system is included in
  the following section of this summary covering the Northwest Australia/
  Southeast Indian Ocean region.

  *************************************************************************

  NORTHWEST AUSTRALIA/SOUTHEAST INDIAN OCEAN (AUW) - From 90E to 135E

  Activity for December:  1 tropical LOW **

  ** - system moved into the Southwest Indian Ocean basin and was treated
       as a cyclone of gale intensity by JTWC


                         Sources of Information
                         ----------------------

     The primary sources of tracking and intensity information for
  Northwest Australia/Southeast Indian Ocean tropical cyclones are 
  the warnings and advices issued by the Tropical Cyclone Warning
  Centres at Perth, Western Australia, and Darwin, Northern Territory. 
  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 the Australian centres' coor-
  dinates 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.

     For portions of the system's history lying west of longitude
  90E, the following applies:

     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.


                 Northwest Australia/Southeast Indian Ocean
                       Tropical Activity for December
                 ------------------------------------------

     A tropical LOW formed in the western portion of BoM Perth's AOR late
  in the month and was designated as TC-04S by JTWC.  This system moved
  westward across 90E into the Southwest Indian Ocean basin and was
  numbered Tropical Depression 06 by RSMC La Reunion.  A short report on
  this system follows.



                           TROPICAL DEPRESSION
                            (MFR-06 / TC-04S)
                             21 - 29 December
                 ---------------------------------------

     The daily STWO issued by BoM Perth on 19 December mentioned a weak
  tropical LOW located just west of the boundary of their AOR (longitude
  90E) which had a moderate chance of developing in the next three days.
  The LOW persisted and shifted slightly eastward into Perth's region
  of responsibility.  Since development into a tropical cyclone was a
  possibility, gale warnings were initiated at 1800 UTC on 21 December.
  The initial warning placed the center approximately 400 nm west-
  northwest of the Cocos Islands.  The LOW initially moved southward, then
  curved to the west-southwest, moving out of Perth's AOR without further
  intensification around 0300 UTC on the 23rd.  JTWC included the system
  in a STWO issued at 22/1800 UTC, noting that convection was displaced
  to the southwest of a partially-exposed LLCC.  Upon moving west of 90E
  early on 23 December, MFR assumed responsibility for issuing marine
  bulletins, numbering the system as Tropical Depression 06.

     After around 0000 UTC on 24 December the tropical depression's track
  became more southwesterly as it was steered along the periphery of a
  subtropical ridge to the southeast.  At 24/0100 UTC JTWC issued an
  interim STWO, upgrading the potential for development to 'fair' based
  upon an increase in convection near the center of circulation.  The
  first JTWC warning on TC-04S was issued at 24/0600 UTC with the MSW
  estimated at 35 kts (1-min avg).  This was the peak intensity estimated
  by JTWC.  Shortly afterward, MFR downgraded the system to a 25-kt
  tropical disturbance with 30-kt winds possible in the southern semi-
  circle well-removed from the center.  The system at the time was located
  approximately 750 nm east-southeast of Diego Garcia.   Easterly shear
  continued to inhibit intensification as the disturbance continued to
  track southwestward.  JTWC issued their final warning on TC-04S at
  1800 UTC on 25 December--at the same time MFR reduced their estimate
  of the central winds to only 20 kts.  The final warning was issued by
  MFR at 0600 UTC on 26 December and placed the center about 400 nm
  south-southeast of Diego Garcia.

     The story of Tropical Disturbance 06 wasn't quite finished, however.
  MFR resumed bulletins on the system at 27/0600 UTC since environmental
  conditions had become slightly more favorable and deep convection had
  re-organized during the night.  The center by that time had moved to a
  position about 465 nm northeast of Rodrigues with the southwesterly
  motion continuing.  The MSW was estimated at 25 kts, but the system
  remained poorly organized and was unable to strengthen further.  Shear
  continued to plague the disturbance and it began to weaken again on the
  28th.  The second "final" warning from MFR was issued at 0600 UTC on
  29 December and placed the weak 20-kt LLCC about 150 nm west-southwest
  of Rodrigues.

     A graphic displaying the track of this system may be found at the
  following link:
 
  http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/database/2006/SOHEM/BT-IMAGES/2006-04S-NONAME.gif>

     No damage or casualties have been attributed to this system.

  (Report written by Gary Padgett)

  *************************************************************************

  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:  3 tropical depressions


                        Sources of Information
                        ----------------------

     The primary sources of tracking and intensity information for
  South Pacific tropical cyclones are the warnings and advisories
  issued by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres at Nadi, Fiji (for
  waters north of latitude 25S), and Wellington, New Zealand (for
  waters south of latitude 25S).  References to sustained winds imply
  a 10-minute averaging period unless otherwise stated.


                South Pacific Tropical Activity for December
                --------------------------------------------

     The 2005-2006 tropical cyclone season in the South Pacific Ocean
  east of 160E got underway in December with the formation of three
  tropical depressions.  None of these, however, developed into tropical
  cyclones (i.e., tropical storms).  All three of these systems formed
  in regions of moderate vertical shear and in general moved into areas of
  even higher shear.  RSMC Nadi numbered these three systems but issued
  no gale warnings.  None of the three depressions were likely to have
  generated central winds any higher than 20-25 kts, and no tracks were
  included for them in the companion tropical cyclone tracks file.

     The first of the trio, TD-01F, was first mentioned on 1 December
  when it was located about 225 nm southeast of American Samoa.  This
  short-lived system moved eastward and was last referenced at 2100 UTC
  on the 2nd when it was located about 85 nm east of Palmerston Island.

     A Tropical Disturbance Summary issued at 03/1800 UTC noted that
  TD-02F had formed and was located about 475 nm northeast of Port Vila,
  Vanuatu.  This depression moved slowly and erratically over the next
  few days generally in a southerly direction.  The final reference to
  this system at 2100 UTC on 6 December placed it roughly 235 nm north-
  northeast of Port Vila.

     The third system, TD-03F, was quite long-lived, being in existence
  for 10 days in mid-December.  At 1800 UTC on the 8th a Tropical
  Disturbance Summary noted that it was located about 125 nm northeast
  of Pago Pago, American Samoa.  The depression moved very slowly and
  erratically, the center being relocated at times.  It perhaps had the
  best chance of the three to develop, but some drier air which got
  entrained into the system tended to inhibit the maintenance of deep
  convection, and as it moved farther to the southeast, vertical shear
  increased.  The final reference to TD-03F, at 18/0600 UTC, placed the
  center about 450 nm south of Tahiti.

  *************************************************************************

         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/products/nhc/recon/>

     Information regarding how to interpret the coded reconnaissance
  messages may be found at the following URL:

     http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/reconlist.shtml>

  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/archive/2004/index.shtml>

  Links to tropical products archives for earlier years are available at
  the following URL:

     http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastall.shtml>

  JTWC warnings for past storms are archived on the NRL Monterry website:

     http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/tc_pages/tc_home.html>

  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_pages/tc_home.html>

     http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/tropic/tropic.html>

  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/TROP/trop-epac.html>

  (2) For the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea:

     http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/trop-atl.html>

     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.com/cyclones/>
    http://www.typhoon2000.ph>
    http://mpittweather.com>
    ftp://ftp.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/pub/landsea/padgett/>
    http://www.tropicalcyclone2005.com/>


     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/weather/tropicalcyclone>
    

                    TROPICAL CYCLONE REPORTS AVAILABLE

     JTWC now has available on its website the Annual Tropical Cyclone
  Report (ATCR) for 2004 (2003-2004 season for the Southern Hemisphere).
  ATCRs for earlier years are available also.

     The URL is:  http://199.10.200.33/jtwc.html>

     Also, TPC/NHC has available on its webpage nice "technicolor"
  tracking charts for the 2004 Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific
  tropical cyclones; also, storm reports for all the 2004 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:  [email protected]
  Phone:  334-222-5327

  Kevin Boyle  (Eastern Atlantic, Western Northwest Pacific, South
                China Sea)
  E-mail:  [email protected]

  Simon Clarke  (Northeast Australia/Coral Sea, South Pacific)
  E-mail:  [email protected]

  *************************************************************************
  *************************************************************************

Document: summ0512.htm
Updated: 26th March 2006

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