000
ABNT30 KNHC 011204
TWSAT 
MONTHLY TROPICAL WEATHER SUMMARY
NWS/TPC NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
8 AM EDT MON SEP 1 2003

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

FOUR TROPICAL CYCLONES DEVELOPED DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST...
TROPICAL STORM ERIKA...TROPICAL DEPRESSION NINE...HURRICANE
FABIAN...AND TROPICAL STORM GRACE.  AFTER AN UNUSUALLY ACTIVE
JULY...AUGUST ACTIVITY WAS NEAR NORMAL.

TROPICAL STORM ERIKA FORMED IN THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO ON THE
14TH AFTER A LONG TRACK ACROSS THE ATLANTIC AS AN AREA OF DISTURBED
WEATHER.  IT MOVED RAPIDLY ACROSS THE CENTRAL GULF AND MADE
LANDFALL IN EXTREME NORTHEASTERN MEXICO ABOUT 45 MILES SOUTH OF
BROWNSVILLE TEXAS ON THE MORNING OF THE 16TH...WITH PEAK WINDS OF
70 MPH.  THE CYCLONE DISSIPATED EARLY ON THE 17TH OVER THE
MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN MEXICO.  TWO PERSONS DIED IN MONTEMORELOS
MEXICO WHEN THEY TRIED TO CROSS A BRIDGE THAT WAS PARTIALLY UNDER
WATER AND THEIR TRUCK WAS SWEPT AWAY BY FLOOD WATERS.  ERIKA
PRODUCED SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS IN EXTREME SOUTH
TEXAS...BUT DAMAGE WAS EXTREMELY MINOR.  IN MEXICO...DAMAGE TO ROOFS
AND CARS WAS REPORTED IN MATAMOROS...AND NUMEROUS HIGHWAYS IN
NORTHEASTERN MEXICO WERE BLOCKED BY MUD SLIDES.

TROPICAL DEPRESSION NINE WAS A SHORT-LIVED TROPICAL CYCLONE THAT
DEVELOPED FROM A FAST-MOVING TROPICAL WAVE IN THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN
SEA DURING THE AFTERNOON OF 21 AUGUST.  THE DEPRESSION MOVED WEST-
NORTHWESTWARD AND DEGENERATED INTO A TROPICAL WAVE THE FOLLOWING
AFTERNOON SOUTH OF HISPANIOLA.

HURRICANE FABIAN...THE STRONGEST OF THE SEASON THUS FAR...DEVELOPED
FROM A LARGE TROPICAL WAVE ABOUT 370 MILES WEST OF THE SOUTHERN
CAPE VERDE ISLANDS ON 27 AUGUST.  MOVING WESTWARD...THE CYCLONE
STRENGTHENED TO A TROPICAL STORM ON 28 AUGUST.  FABIAN
BECAME A HURRICANE ON 29 AUGUST...INTENSIFIED INTO A CATEGORY 3
HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE ON 30 AUGUST...AND 
REACHED CATEGORY 4 STATUS ON THE 31ST.  ON THAT DAY FABIAN WAS
LOCATED ABOUT 500 MILES EAST OF THE NORTHERN LESSER ANTILLES AND
WAS MOVING ON A WESTWARD TO WEST-NORTHWESTWARD HEADING.

TROPICAL STORM GRACE DEVELOPED FROM A TROPICAL WAVE THAT MOVED
ACROSS THE YUCATAN PENINSULA AND INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF OF
MEXICO LATE ON 29 AUGUST.  DEVELOPMENT WAS INHIBITED BY STRONG
VERTICAL WIND SHEAR BUT ON 30 AUGUST THE SHEAR LESSENED AND A
TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMED ABOUT 335 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF CORPUS
CHRISTI TEXAS. REPORTS FROM A SHIP AND A RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT
INDICATED THAT THE CYCLONE HAD STRENGTHENED INTO TROPICAL STORM
GRACE LATER THAT DAY.  GRACE MOVED IN A GENERAL NORTHWESTWARD
DIRECTION AND REMAINED POORLY ORGANIZED UNTIL IT MADE LANDFALL
ALONG THE CENTRAL TEXAS COAST NEAR PORT O'CONNOR ON 31 AUGUST. THE
SYSTEM CONTINUED TO MOVE INLAND AND QUICKLY WEAKENED TO A
DEPRESSION.  THERE ARE NO REPORTS OF DAMAGE OR CASUALTIES AT THIS
TIME.  HOWEVER...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL OF 4 TO 6 INCHES FELL OVER
PORTIONS OF THE UPPER-TEXAS AND SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA COASTS.  AT
MONTHS END THE DEPRESSION WAS LOCATED NEAR WACO TEXAS.

SUMMARY TABLE - AUGUST 2003

NAME              DATES            MAX WIND - MPH     DEATHS
----------------------------------------------------------------
TS ERIKA         14-17 AUG              70               2
TD NINE 21-22 AUG35 0
H FABIAN 27 AUG -       140 0
TS GRACE 30 AUG -        40 0
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NOTE...DATES ARE BASED ON UNIVERSAL COORDINATED TIME...UTC

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