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Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary March 2008
[Summaries and Track Data] [Prepared by Gary Padgett]

                   MONTHLY GLOBAL TROPICAL CYCLONE SUMMARY

                                 MARCH, 2008

  (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.)

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

                              MARCH HIGHLIGHTS

   --> Intense tropical cyclone strikes Mozambique while another stirs
       central South Indian waters
   --> Two cyclones in waters off Western Australia

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

                     WIKIPEDIA TROPICAL CYCLONE REPORTS

     Short reports with satellite pictures and small-scale maps for all 
  tropical cyclones may be found at the following links:

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Atlantic_hurricane_season>

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Pacific_hurricane_season>

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Pacific_typhoon_season>

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_North_Indian_cyclone_season>

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007-08_Southern_Hemisphere_tropical_cyclone_season>

  For some storms more detailed reports have been prepared.  In those cases
  I will include the specific links in the reports for the applicable
  tropical cyclones.

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

                    !!!!!!!!!!  EXTRA FEATURE !!!!!!!!!!

             WESTERN HEMISPHERE TROPICAL CYCLONE NAMES for 2008

     Tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and
  Caribbean Sea are assigned names by the Tropical Prediction Center/
  National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.   A separate alphabetical
  set of alternating male/female names is used each year with the name
  of the first tropical storm beginning with the letter "A".  Names are
  repeated every six years.  The names of hurricanes which cause a lot
  of damage and/or fatalities are usually retired from the list with
  another name of the same alphabetical rank and gender replacing it.
  Following the 2007 season, the names Dean, Felix, and Noel were retired
  and have been replaced with Dorian, Fernand, and Nestor, respectively.

     The list of names for 2008 is the same one used during the slightly
  below normal hurricane season of 2002 when twelve tropical cyclones
  were named with four reaching hurricane intensity.  The names of the
  two major hurricanes of 2002, Isidore and Lili, were retired, primarily
  from damage caused by the storms in Cuba and Mexico, and have been
  replaced with the names Ike and Laura. 

     TPC/NHC also has warning responsibility for the Eastern North
  Pacific Ocean from the west coast of Mexico out to longitude 140W.
  Six separate alphabetical sets of names are used for this basin in
  the same manner as in the Atlantic.  Initially, the Eastern Pacific
  name sets contained only 21 names, omitting "Q" and "U" and ending
  with the letter "W", as in the Atlantic.  When the active 1985 season
  threatened to exhaust the list, the names Xina, York and Zelda were
  drafted to accommodate any additional storms which might develop.
  (Hurricane Xina was named in late October, 1985.)  The decision was
  made sometime in the latter 1980s to extend the list with these three
  names in odd-numbered years, and to add the names Xavier, Yolanda and
  Zeke in even-numbered years (to preserve the alternating gender
  scheme).  During the Northeast Pacific's year of record activity in
  1992, all 24 names were allotted to tropical cyclones forming east of
  140W, ending with Tropical Storm Zeke in late October.  Had more storms
  developed, they would have been named with the letters of the Greek
  alphabet (Alpha, Beta, etc), which is also the backup plan for the
  Atlantic basin in case more than 21 tropical storms develop in a single
  season.

     The list of names for this year was last used in 2002 when twelve
  tropical cyclones were named.  In 2002 Kenna was the name of a very
  destructive hurricane which struck Mexico's west coast, so that name
  was retired and replaced with Karina in this year's list.

     The Central Pacific Hurricane Center, located in Honolulu, has
  tropical cyclone warning responsibility for that portion of the North
  Pacific Ocean lying between longitudes 140W and 180.  The majority of
  the tropical storms and hurricanes seen in that region are visitors
  from east of 140W, but on the average about one tropical storm forms
  in the Central Pacific each year, and when this happens, the storm is
  given a Hawaiian name.   The list consists of four sets of twelve
  names each, using only the letters of the Hawaiian alphabet.  All the
  names are used--the first storm to form in a given year is assigned
  the next available name on the list.  The last tropical cyclone named
  by CPHC was Ioke in 2006.

     Names for 2008 are (** indicates name has already been assigned):


            ATLANTIC                EASTERN PACIFIC        CENTRAL PACIFIC

    Arthur **      Laura         Alma **        Marie           Kika
    Bertha **      Marco         Boris **       Norbert         Lana
    Cristobal **   Nana          Cristina **    Odile           Maka
    Dolly **       Omar          Douglas **     Polo            Neki
    Edouard        Paloma        Elida **       Rachel          Omeka
    Fay            Rene          Fausto **      Simon           Pewa
    Gustav         Sally         Genevieve **   Trudy           Unala
    Hanna          Teddy         Hernan         Vance           Wali
    Ike            Vicky         Iselle         Winnie          Ana
    Josephine      Wilfred       Julio          Xavier          Ela
    Kyle                         Karina         Yolanda         Halola
                                 Lowell         Zeke            Iune

  *************************************************************************
                        
                            ACTIVITY BY BASINS

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

  Activity for March:  No tropical cyclones

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

  NORTHEAST PACIFIC (NEP) - North Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 180

  Activity for March:  No tropical cyclones

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

  NORTHWEST PACIFIC (NWP) - North Pacific Ocean West of Longitude 180

  Activity for March:  1 tropical depression **

  ** - classified as a tropical depression by JMA only


                Northwest Pacific Tropical Activity for March
                ---------------------------------------------

     March was a quiet month in the Western North Pacific.  JTWC did not
  classify any system as a tropical depression.  JMA classified a low-
  pressure area as a weak tropical depression on 26 March.  Since this
  remained weak, I never compiled a track for it.  As I've related earlier,
  my computer's hard drive experienced a crash in mid-May and I lost all
  files I'd saved, which would have included JMA's High Seas Bulletins and
  JTWC's STWOs.  However, relying on memory, I think this minor system
  was quite short-lived and was located in the Philippine Sea to the east
  of the southern Philippines.

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

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

  Activity for March:  No tropical cyclones

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

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

  Activity for March:  1 moderate tropical storm
                       2 intense tropical cyclones


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

     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.

     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 MFR's coordinates 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.


             Southwest Indian Ocean Tropical Activity for March
             --------------------------------------------------

     March was an active month in the Southwest Indian basin with three
  named systems, two of which were intense tropical cyclones (10-min avg
  MSW >= 90 kts--essentially equivalent to a Saffir/Simpson Category 3).
  Intense Tropical Cyclone Jokwe followed a long trajectory from well
  northeast of Mauritius westward across the northern tip of Madagascar
  to a rendezvous with the coast of Mozambique.  After brushing the coast-
  line, Jokwe turned southward and spent several more days cruising down
  the Mozambique Channel.  Kamba was another intense tropical cyclone but
  remained in the eastern portion of the basin far from any islands.  
  Tropical Storm Lola was a short-lived minimal tropical storm which moved
  westward to the north of Mauritius late in the month.  Reports on all
  three systems follow.



                       INTENSE TROPICAL CYCLONE JOKWE
                              (MFR-12 / TC-22S)
                                 4 - 15 March
             --------------------------------------------------

  Jokwe: name contributed by Botswana

     The first of two intense tropical cyclones to form in March and the
  third of the season in the Southwest Indian basin, Jokwe followed a
  long trajectory from a few hundred miles west of Diego Garcia, across
  the northern tip of Madagascar, thence across the Mozambique Channel to
  scrape the coast of Mozambique, and finally slowly moving down the
  central Channel where it eventually stalled and dissipated.  Jokwe was
  a moderate tropical storm when it crossed northern Madagascar and was
  responsible for relatively minor damage.  However, it struck Mozambique
  as an intense tropical cyclone and left behind at least 16 direct
  fatalities and damage estimated at greater than $8 million (USD).  The
  peak estimated intensity of 105 kts (10-min avg) with a CP of 930 mb
  occurred just off the coast of Mozambique.

     One very interesting aspect of Tropical Cyclone Jokwe was that it
  reached tropical cyclone (i.e., hurricane) intensity four times,
  weakening to severe tropical storm status in between.  This may be a
  new record for the Southwest Indian Ocean for the number of distinct
  times a tropical storm has been upgraded to cyclone status.  Of course
  some of these upgradings are subject to disappear in the final Best
  Track due to adjustments made during the post-storm review process.

     Following is a brief synopsis of Jokwe's ups and downs in intensity:

  (1) First upgraded to 65 kts at 06/1200 UTC, up from 40 kts only six
      hours earlier!

  (2) Weakened to 60 kts at 07/0000 UTC, but re-upgraded to 65 kts at
      07/1200 UTC.  Reached peak intensity of 105 kts at 08/0000 UTC.

  (3) Weakened back to TS status at 09/0600 UTC due to land interaction,
      but regained 65 kts at 09/1800 UTC after moving back over Channel.
      Reached secondary peak of 90 kts at 11/0000 UTC.

  (4) Weakened back to TS status at 12/0000 UTC, but briefly regained
      65 kts at 13/0600 UTC before weakening for the final time.

     All this is based on MFR's official 10-min avg intensity estimates.
  Following JTWC's 1-min avg MSW history, Jokwe reached hurricane intensity
  only two times.  JTWC's peak intensity of 100 kts is significantly less
  than MFR's equivalent 1-min avg peak of 120 kts.  However, somewhat
  surprisingly, for much of Jokwe's history JTWC's intensity estimates
  run higher than MFR's.  Dr. Karl Hoarau states that he completely agrees
  with MFR's peak intensity for Tropical Cyclone Jokwe.

     The very detailed Wikipedia report on Jokwe may be found at the
  following URL:

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Jokwe>

  (Report written by Gary Padgett)



                       INTENSE TROPICAL CYCLONE KAMBA
                              (MFR-13 / TC-23S)
                                 7 - 12 March
             --------------------------------------------------

  Kamba: name contributed by the Comoros

     The second intense tropical cyclone to form in early March, Tropical
  Cyclone Kamba's entire life cycle occurred while Tropical Cyclone Jokwe 
  was operating farther to the west.  Kamba formed in the extreme eastern
  portion of the Southwest Indian basin (just west of 90E), and followed
  a generally west-southwesterly track for several days, eventually
  curving to the south.   The initial disturbance tracked westward from
  BoM Perth's AOR in early March.  MFR issued the first bulletin on
  Tropical Disturbance 13 at 0000 UTC 7 March, locating the center with
  25-kt maximum winds about 500 nm west of the Cocos Islands.  The system
  was upgraded to a 30-kt tropical depression at 07/1200 UTC as it
  continued to increase in organization--at the same hour JTWC issued their
  first warning on TC-23S (40-kt 1-min avg MSW).   The depression was
  relocated back farther to the east at 1800 UTC, but the west-
  southwesterly motion continued.    MFR retained the winds at 30 kts for
  the next 24 hours, but JTWC upped their 1-min avg MSW estimate to 55 kts
  at 08/0000 UTC.

     Tropical Storm Kamba with 35-kt winds was christened at 0000 UTC on
  9 March while centered approximately 725 nm slightly south of due west
  of the Cocos Islands.  By this time JTWC's MSW had reached 60 kts (1-min
  avg).  Kamba intensified rather slowly for the next 30 hours, but on
  10 March the cyclone underwent a rapid intensification episode with the
  winds increasing from 65 to 100 kts in twelve hours.  The peak intensity
  of 100 kts (per MFR) with a CP of 930 mb was reached at 10/1800 UTC with
  Kamba centered about 800 nm south-southeast of Diego Garcia.  JTWC's peak
  1-min avg MSW of 110 kts occurred at 10/1200 UTC, but that agency did not
  issue a warning at the time of MFR's peak intensity.  Shortly before
  the rapid intensification began, Tropical Cyclone Kamba's track had
  turned to the south.  This carried the cyclone into a more hostile 
  environment and it weakened almost as rapidly at it had intensified.  
  The intensity dropped from 95 kts at 11/0600 UTC to 55 kts eighteen hours
  later at 12/0000 UTC, and JTWC issued their final warning on Kamba at the
  latter hour.  At 12/1200 UTC Kamba had become extratropical and MFR 
  issued the final bulletin, placing the center near 25.6S/80.3E, or about
  1200 nm south-southeast of Diego Garcia.   Maximum central winds were
  estimated to be around 25-30 kts, but gales were occurring up to 300 nm
  from the center in the southern semicircle.

  NOTE: In their JMV file, JTWC lists the MSW for 10/1800 UTC (the time of
  MFR's peak) at 95 kts.  MFR's peak 10-min avg wind of 100 kts equates to
  a 1-min avg MSW of 115 kts.  Dr. Karl Hoarau states that he agrees with
  MFR on Kamba's intensity with Dvorak CI numbers running around T6.0 from
  1600-1700 UTC.

     No reports of casualties or damage are known to have resulted from
  Tropical Cyclone Kamba.

  (Report written by Gary Padgett)



                        MODERATE TROPICAL STORM LOLA
                              (MFR-14 / TC-25S)
                                20 - 26 March
              ------------------------------------------------

  Lola: name contributed by Madagascar

     MFR initiated bulletins on weak Tropical Disturbance 14 at 1200 UTC
  on 20 March with the center located approximately 465 nm northeast of
  Mauritius.  Maximum central winds were estimated at only 15 kts, but
  winds of 25-30 kts were occurring well to the south of the center.
  By 21/1800 UTC the disturbance had moved westward to a point about
  300 nm north-northeast of Mauritius.  MFR upgraded the system to a 30-kt
  tropical depression, while JTWC issued their first warning on TC-25S.
  The depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Lola six hours later when
  located about 275 nm north-northeast of Mauritius.  Lola was a poorly-
  organized tropical storm with gales occurring only in the southern
  quadrants and at some distance from the center.  The system remained
  classified as a minimal tropical storm for only eighteen hours--at
  22/1800 UTC MFR downgraded Lola back to tropical depression status with
  the center having moved to a point about 260 nm due north of Mauritius.
  However, JTWC assigned their peak intensity of 45 kts (1-min avg) at
  this time.

     The ex-Lola system continued to meander westward for several days
  following its brief flirtation with tropical storm intensity.   MFR
  lowered the intensity to 25 kts at 23/1200 UTC, but warnings indicated
  that 30-kt winds were occurring at a distance from the center in the
  southern semicircle.  JTWC maintained TC-25S at tropical storm intensity
  through 24/0600 UTC, at which time it was downgraded to 30-kts and the
  final warning issued.   MFR issued their final warning at 26/1200 UTC,
  indicating that in the area between Mauritius, St. Brandon and Tromelin
  winds were very locally reaching 30 kts under areas of strong convection.
  The latest visible imagery had revealed a very ill-defined system with
  multiple LLCCs evident near 16.3S/57.3E, another near 17.7S/56.5E, and
  a third possibly located near 18.3S/58.9E.  Neither of these was
  specified in the actual warning, but I selected the second one (about
  160 nm north-northwest of Mauritius) for inclusion in the tabular track
  as it was nearest to the previous warning position.

     No reports of damage or casualties resulting from Tropical Storm Lola
  have been received.

  (Report written by Gary Padgett)
  
  *************************************************************************

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

  Activity for March:  1 tropical cyclone
                       1 severe tropical cyclone


                          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.

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

     Two tropical cyclones graced waters off northwestern Australia during
  the month of March.  Tropical Cyclone Ophelia formed just off the 
  Kimberley coast on the first day of the month from a tropical LOW which
  had formed over the Northern Territory and drifted westward.  Ophelia
  moved westward for several days and strengthened to Category 2 status
  before turning southward and weakening.  Severe Tropical Cyclone Pancho
  formed near Christmas Island and moved on a general southeasterly track
  toward Western Australia, reaching Category 4 intensity along the way,
  but weakened as it approached the continent.  Short reports on these two
  cyclones follow.



                        TROPICAL CYCLONE OPHELIA
                                (TC-21S)
                          27 February - 7 March
              --------------------------------------------

     A tropical LOW was noted overland in the Northern Territory on
  27 February.  The system remained quasi-stationary for a day or so,
  then began to drift slowly westward.  It moved out over the Timor Sea
  early on 1 March where it began to quickly intensify.  BoM Perth named
  the system Tropical Cyclone Ophelia at 1200 UTC while located about 45 nm
  north of Cape Leveque.  Ophelia moved generally westward over the next
  few days and intensified into a Category 2 (Australian Scale) cyclone
  on the 2nd, reaching a peak intensity of 60 kts near 18.3S/119.2E at
  02/1800 UTC.   At the same time JTWC assigned their peak 1-min avg MSW
  of 65 kts.  The cyclone weakened slightly, then maintained an intensity
  of 50-55 kts for the next three days before weakening.  Ophelia turned
  to the southwest on 4 March and to the south-southwest the next day.
  JTWC issued their final warning on the weakening cyclone at 06/1800 UTC,
  and BoM Perth downgraded Ophelia to a tropical LOW and issued their
  final warning six hours later with the center well west of Carnarvon.

     No damage or casualties are known to have resulted from Tropical
  Cyclone Ophelia.

     A report on the cyclone, along with a track graphic, is available
  at the following URL:

  http://www.bom.gov.au/announcements/sevwx/wa/watc20080225.shtml>

  (Report written by Gary Padgett)



                       SEVERE TROPICAL CYCLONE PANCHO
                                  (TC-26S)
                               24 - 30 March
             --------------------------------------------------

     Severe Tropical Cyclone Pancho formed to the west-southwest of
  Christmas Island and tracked toward the south-southeast toward Western
  Australia, but weakened and dissipated well offshore.   BoM Perth
  initiated gale warnings on the developing LOW at 0200 UTC 24 March,
  and JTWC issued their first warning on TC-26S at 24/1200 UTC.  The
  system had reached tropical cyclone intensity by 25/0600 UTC and was
  assigned the name Pancho.  The cyclone intensified steadily, reaching
  its peak intensity of 90 kts (CP of 938 mb) at 27/0000 UTC while
  centered near 19.0S/105.9E, or several hundred miles to the west-
  northwest of Exmouth.  This ranks Pancho as a Category 4 cyclone on
  the Australian Scale.  JTWC's peak 1-min avg MSW of 95 kts agrees well
  with Perth's assessment.   Soon afterward, however, Pancho encountered
  increasing vertical shear and cooler SSTs, so weakening was fairly
  rapid.  The cyclone was downgraded to a LOW on 29 March about 135 nm
  west-southwest of Carnarvon.

     Pancho brought no strong winds to the coast of Western Australia,
  but it was associated with heavy rainfall in the west Pilbara and
  Gascoyne with a 24-hour total of 157 mm at Minderoo, ending at 9:00 AM
  (local) on the 27th.  The remnants of the former cyclone passed near
  Perth on the 31st, resulting in unseasonably heavy rains across the
  southwestern portion of Western Australia.

     A report on Severe Tropical Cyclone Pancho, along with a track
  graphic, may be accessed at the following URL:

  http://www.bom.gov.au/announcements/sevwx/wa/watc20080323.shtml>

  (Report written by Gary Padgett)

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

  NORTHEAST AUSTRALIA/CORAL SEA (AUE) - From 135E to 160E

  Activity for March:  No tropical cyclones

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

  SOUTH PACIFIC (SPA) - South Pacific Ocean East of Longitude 160E

  Activity for March:  1 tropical depression **
                       
  ** - classified as a minimal tropical storm by JTWC


                         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.

     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 Southern Hemisphere
  centres' coordinates 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.


                  South Pacific Tropical Activity for March
                  -----------------------------------------

     As was the case with February, no named tropical cyclones formed over
  South Pacific waters east of 160E during March.    One system was 
  identified as a tropical depression by RSMC Nadi, and was briefly
  classified as a minimal tropical storm by JTWC.  A short report on
  Tropical Depression 14F/Tropical Cyclone 24P follows.



                            TROPICAL DEPRESSION
                             (TD-14F / TC-24P)
                               19 - 23 March
                  ---------------------------------------

     An area of disturbed weather west of the Republic of Vanuatu had
  acquired enough organization by late on 19 March that RSMC Nadi
  designated it as Tropical Disturbance 14.  The poorly-defined center
  was located about 275 nm west of Port Vila at 19/2100 UTC.  A few hours
  later Nadi classified it as a tropical depression.  JTWC issued their
  first warning on TC-24P at 20/1800 UTC with the 35-kt center located
  about 250 nm west-southwest of Port Vila.   The system was moving
  southwestward in the general direction of New Caledonia, but ran into
  an unfavorable environment of moderate to high vertical shear.  It
  began to weaken and JTWC issued their final warning at 21/1800 UTC
  with the center about 135 nm east-northeast of Noumea, New Caledonia.
  The remnant LOW curved back to the west-southwest and Nadi issued their
  final bulletin at 23/2100 UTC with the center located approximately
  250 nm west of Noumea.

     RSMC Nadi's highest 10-min avg wind estimate for TD-14F was 30 kts,
  and JTWC's peak 1-min avg MSW was 35 kts.  Dvorak intensity estimates
  from JTWC, CPHC and Brisbane all reached T2.5/2.5 for this system,
  while the highest rendered by SAB was T2.0/2.0.  So TC-24P was likely
  a brief, minimal tropical storm based on a 1-min avg MSW criterion.

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

  (Report written by Gary Padgett)

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

         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 Monterrey 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>

  (4) Cyclone Tracking Information
  --------------------------------

     There is a U. S. Navy site that tracks tropical cyclones at 6-hourly
  intervals which often includes pre and post-advisory positions.  The
  link to the site is:

  http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/atcf_web/doc_archives/>

     Steve Young has compiled many of these tracks onto a single webpage
  which is very user-friendly:

  http://home.earthlink.net/~shy9/tc1.htm>


     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, and
  Chris Landsea):

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


     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 2006 (2005-2006 season for the Southern Hemisphere).
  ATCRs for earlier years are available also.

     The URL is:  http://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php>

     Also, TPC/NHC has available on its webpage nice "technicolor"
  tracking charts for the 2007 Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific
  tropical cyclones; also, storm reports for all the 2007 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  (Northwest Pacific)
  E-mail:  [email protected]

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

Document: summ0803.htm
Updated: 29th August 2008

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