Report on Hurricane Season

FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...

SEVEN TROPICAL CYCLONES FORMED DURING AUGUST. IN ADDITION...

ALEX...WHICH FORMED AT THE END OF JULY...REACHED TROPICAL STORM AND

HURRICANE STRENGTH IN AUGUST. THE TOTAL OF EIGHT TROPICAL CYCLONES

REACHING STORM STRENGTH IS A NEW AUGUST RECORD...BREAKING THE

PREVIOUS RECORD OF SEVEN SET IN 1933 AND 1995. THE EIGHT NAMED

STORMS THAT HAVE FORMED SO FAR IN 2004 IS TWICE THE NORMAL NUMBER

OF 4.

HURRICANE ALEX ORIGINATED FROM A LOW PRESSURE AREA AND BECAME A

TROPICAL DEPRESSION OFF THE NORTHEAST FLORIDA COAST ON 31 JULY. IT

DRIFTED ERRATICALLY FOR 2 DAYS...BECAME A TROPICAL STORM ON 1

AUGUST...AND ON 2 AUGUST...BEGAN MOVING NORTHEASTWARD ALONG THE

SOUTHEASTERN U.S. COAST. ALEX BECAME A HURRICANE ON 3 AUGUST AND

THE CENTER PASSED WITHIN ABOUT 10 MILES OF CAPE HATTERAS NORTH

CAROLINA THAT AFTERNOON WITH MAXIMUM WINDS NEAR 100 MPH...CATEGORY

2 ON THE SAFFIR/SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. ALEX THEN ACCELERATED

NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. ALEX REACHED ITS

PEAK INTENSITY OF 120 MPH...CATEGORY 3...ON 5 AUGUST AT IT WAS

PASSING A FEW HUNDRED MILES SOUTH OF THE CANADIAN MARITIMES. ALEX

BECAME EXTRATROPICAL IN THE FAR NORTH ATLANTIC THE NEXT DAY. NO

DEATHS HAVE BEEN REPORTED. ALEX BROUGHT CATEGORY 1 HURRICANE

CONDITIONS TO THE OUTER BANKS OF NORTH CAROLINA. DAMAGE TOTALS ARE

NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.

TROPICAL STORM BONNIE FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE AND BECAME A

TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON 3 AUGUST OVER THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC SEVERAL

HUNDRED MILES EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES. THE DEPRESSION MOVED

ACROSS THE CENTRAL LESSER ANTILLES THE NEXT DAY WITHOUT DISTINCTION

AND THEN DEGENERATED INTO A TROPICAL WAVE. THE WAVE MOVED WEST TO

NORTHWESTWARD FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND REDEVELOPED INTO TROPICAL STORM

BONNIE ON 9 AUGUST JUST NORTH OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA IN THE GULF

OF MEXICO. BONNIE TURNED NORTHWARD AND NORTHEASTWARD ON 10 AND 11

AUGUST AND ITS WINDS REACHED 65 MPH. WEAKENING ON 12 AUGUST...

BONNIE MOVED INLAND NEAR APPALACHICOLA ON THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AS

A MINIMAL TROPICAL STORM.

CHARLEY ORIGINATED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE AND BECAME A TROPICAL

DEPRESSION ON 9 AUGUST JUST EAST OF BARBADOS. IT MOVED QUICKLY

WEST-NORTHWESTWARD ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN WHILE STRENGTHENING. IT

PASSED JUST SOUTH OF JAMAICA ON 11 AUGUST AS A HURRICANE AND PASSED

JUST NORTH OF GRAND CAYMAN THE NEXT DAY. IT TURNED TOWARD THE

NORTH-NORTHWEST AND ITS CENTER PASSED JUST EAST OF THE ISLE OF

YOUTH EARLY ON 13 AUGUST. THE HURRICANE MADE LANDFALL NEAR PLAYA

DEL CAJIO WITH CATEGORY 3 WINDS OF 120 MPH AND MOVED OVER WESTERN

CUBA. CHARLEY WEAKENED SOME OVER THE LOWER STRAITS OF FLORIDA.

TURNING NORTHWARD...THE HURRICANE PASSED OVER THE DRY TORTUGAS AS A

CATEGORY 2 HURRICANE. CHARLEY THEN TURNED NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD AND

ACCELERATED TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST COAST OF FLORIDA...INTENSIFYING

RAPIDLY JUST PRIOR TO LANDFALL. CHARLEY MADE LANDFALL ON THE

SOUTHWEST COAST OF FLORIDA NEAR CAYO COSTA...JUST NORTH OF CAPTIVA

DURING THE EVENING OF 13 AUGUST WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS

TENTATIVELY ESTIMATED AT 145 MPH. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE EYEWALL

IMPACTED PUNTA GORDA AND NEIGHBORING PORT CHARLOTTE WITH

DEVASTATING RESULTS. THE HURRICANE TRAVERSED THE CENTRAL FLORIDA

PENINSULA RESULTING IN A SWATH OF DESTRUCTION ACROSS THE STATE.

THE CENTER PASSED NEAR KISSIMMEE AND ORLANDO EARLY ON 14

AUGUST...BY WHICH TIME THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAD DECREASED TO

AROUND 85 MPH. CHARLEY WAS STILL OF HURRICANE INTENSITY WHEN THE

CENTER MOVED OFF THE NORTHEAST COAST OF FLORIDA NEAR DAYTONA BEACH.

AFTER MOVING INTO THE ATLANTIC...CHARLEY CAME ASHORE AGAIN NEAR CAPE

ROMAIN SOUTH CAROLINA MIDDAY ON 14 AUGUST WITH HIGHEST WINDS OF

ABOUT 80 MPH. THE CENTER THEN MOVED JUST OFFSHORE AND MADE ANOTHER

LANDFALL AT NORTH MYRTLE BEACH WITH WINDS NEAR 75 MPH. CHARLEY

SOON WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL STORM OVER SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA.

ON 15 AUGUST CHARLEY BECAME EXTRATROPIOCAL OVER VIRGINIA WHILE

EMBEDDED IN A FRONTAL ZONE. CHARLEY'S EXTRATROPICAL REMNANTS MOVED

RAPIDLY NORTHEASTWARD...AND WERE ABSORBED BY THE FRONTAL ZONE NEAR

SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS.

CHARLEY WAS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR 10 DEATHS IN THE UNITED

STATES...9 IN FLORIDA AND 1 IN RHODE ISLAND. THERE WERE ALSO 4

DIRECT DEATHS IN CUBA AND 1 IN JAMAICA. AN ADDITIONAL 16 U.S.

DEATHS ARE INDIRECTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO CHARLEY. THE PROPERTY

CLAIMS SERVICE REPORTS INSURED DAMAGES OF 6.755 BILLION DOLLARS IN

FLORIDA...25 MILLION DOLLARS IN NORTH CAROLINA AND 20 MILLION

DOLLARS IN SOUTH CAROLINA...FOR A TOTAL OF 6.8 BILLION DOLLARS IN

INSURED LOSSES. THE INSURANCE INFORMATION INSTITUTE REPORTS AN

ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 7.4 BILLION DOLLARS IN INSURED LOSSES. THE

PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES OF THE DAMAGE TOTAL RANGE FROM 13 TO 15

BILLION DOLLARS. THIS WOULD MAKE CHARLEY THE SECOND COSTLIEST

TROPICAL CYCLONE IN U.S. HISTORY.

DANIELLE DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE ABOUT 240 MILES

SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS. IT BECAME A TROPICAL

STORM LATE ON THE 13TH A SHORT DISTANCE SOUTH OF THE CAPE VERDE

ISLANDS. DANIELLE MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AND BECAME A HURRICANE

THE NEXT DAY. IT SPENT THE REST OF ITS EXISTENCE OVER THE OPEN

WATERS OF THE FAR EASTERN ATLANTIC...REACHING A PEAK INTENSITY OF

105 MPH...BEFORE DISSIPATING ON THE 21ST ABOUT 855 MILES

WEST-SOUTHWEST OF THE AZORES.

TROPICAL STORM EARL WAS SHORT-LIVED. IT FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE

ON 13 AUGUST OVER THE CENTRAL TROPICAL ATLANTIC OCEAN. IT MOVED

QUICKLY WESTWARD...BECAME A TROPICAL STORM ON 14 AUGUST...AND THEN

CROSSED THE CARIBBEAN WINDWARD ISLANDS ON 15 AUGUST WITH BRIEF BUT

HEAVY RAINS AND WINDS TO 45 MPH. EARL DEGENERATED TO AN OPEN

TROPICAL WAVE LATER THAT DAY OVER THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN SEA.

FRANCES FORMED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE AND BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION

OVER THE FAR EASTERN TROPICAL ATLANTIC OCEAN ON 24 AUGUST. MOVING

WEST-NORTHWEST TO NORTHWESTWARD...THE DEPRESSION BECAME A TROPICAL

STORM THE NEXT DAY AND A HURRICANE ON 26 AUGUST WHILE LOCATED IN

THE CENTRAL TROPICAL ATLANTIC. STEADILY STRENGTHENING...FRANCES

TURNED WESTWARD ON 30 AUGUST. AS THE MONTH ENDED...FRANCES WAS

LOCATED ABOUT 125 MILES NORTH OF PUERTO RICO AND MOVING WESTWARD

WITH WINDS OF 140 MPH.

GASTON DEVELOPED SLOWLY FROM AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE ASSOCIATED WITH

A DECAYING FRONTAL ZONE AND BECAME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON 27

AUGUST ABOUT 140 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA.

DRIFTING ERRATICALY...THE DEPRESSION BECAME A TROPICAL STORM THE

NEXT DAY AND CONTINUED TO STRENGTHEN AS IT BEGAN TO MOVE TOWARD THE

COAST. ON THE MORNING OF 29 AUGUST...GASTON MOVED INLAND JUST WEST

OF MCCLELLANVILLE SOUTH CAROLINA WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF ABOUT 70

MPH. THAT EVENING...GASTON WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION NEAR

FLORENCE SOUTH CAROLINA. GASTON MOVED NORTHEASTWARD OVER NORTH

CAROLINA AND ACROSS THE THE DELMARVA PENINSULA ON THE 30TH...AND

LATE IN THE DAY RESTRENGTHENED TO A TROPICAL STORM AS IT MOVED BACK

OVER WATER. AT MONTHS END...GASTON WAS BEGINNING TO LOSE TROPICAL

CHARACTERISTICS SOUTH OF NOVA SCOTIA.

GASTON PRODUCED WIDESPREAD FLOODING ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA...NORTH

CAROLINA...AND VIRGINIA...WITH RAINFALL TOTALS EXCEEDING 12 INCHES

IN SOME LOCATIONS. CASUALTY AND DAMAGE STATISTICS ARE NOT YET

AVAILABLE.

HERMINE FORMED ON A FRONTAL ZONE ON 29 AUGUST OVER THE WESTERN NORTH

ATLANTIC ABOUT 350 MILES WEST OF BERMUDA. IT MOVED NORTHWARD ON THE

NEXT DAY WITH WINDS REACHING 50 MPH. HERMINE WEAKENED AND BECAME

EXTRATROPICAL EARLY ON 31 AUGUST AS IT MOVED ACROSS EASTERN

MASSACHUSETTS WITH WINDS UP TO 35 MPH.

PRELIMINARY STATISTICS

NAME DATES MAX WIND DEATHS U.S. DAMAGE

(MPH) ($MILLIONS)

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H ALEX 31 JUL - 6 AUG 120 0 N/A

TS BONNIE 3-12 AUG 65

H CHARLEY 9-14 AUG 145 15 14,000

H DANIELLE 13-21 AUG 105

TS EARL 13-15 AUG 45

H FRANCES 24 AUG - 135

TS GASTON 27 AUG - 70 N/A N/A

TS HERMINE 29-31 AUG 40

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N/A = NOT AVAILABLE

FORECASTER LAWRENCE/FRANKLIN/AVILA/BEVEN/PASCH/STEWART