Tropical Storm 2009

Hurricane Bill now Category 4 storm in Atlantic

2009-08-19T06:36:00.001-07:00

MIAMI – Hurricane Bill became a dangerous Category 4 storm with top sustained winds near 135 mph early Wednesday, and forecasters said it could get even stronger as it howls over the open Atlantic.

The National Hurricane Center said people in the Leeward Islands should monitor Bill's progress, though the core of the storm was expected to pass well to the northeast of the islands late Wednesday and early Thursday.

"The wind sheer is light and the waters are warm," Todd Kimberlain, a forecaster at the center, said Tuesday. "Those are two essential ingredients not just for the formation, but also the maintenance, of hurricanes."

Early Wednesday, Bill was centered about 460 miles east of the Leeward Islands and moving west-northwest near 16 mph.

The most significant threat could be to Bermuda, which the storm could pass in three or four days, Kimberlain said. But it also could move directly between Bermuda and the eastern coast of the U.S. without making landfall.

Either way, people near the coast can expect wave swells and rip currents in the next few days, Kimberlain said.

Meanwhile, people in flood-prone Haiti and the Dominican Republic awoke to good news Tuesday as it appeared Ana, the first named storm of the Atlantic season, had largely spared their shared island.

The two countries that share the island of Hispaniola are vulnerable to storms, with many impoverished people clustered along rivers, but there were no reports of major damage from the remnants of Tropical Storm Ana. The system had been downgraded to a tropical depression and then largely dissipated before reaching Haiti and the Dominican Republic, but its rains were still considered a potential threat.

Forecasters had revised their Atlantic hurricane season predictions for this season after the first two months passed without any named storms developing.

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Associated Press writer Jonathan M. Katz in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, contributed to this report.Full Story

Tropical Storm Claudette threatens Florida Panhandle

2009-08-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. -- Brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, Tropical Storm Claudette was bringing heavy rain to the Florida Panhandle Sunday, likely becoming the first tropical storm to strike the U.S. mainland this year.

Claudette had winds of at least 50 mph, but was not expected to cause significant flooding or wind damage. Lurking more ominously in the Atlantic was Tropical Storm Bill, which was quickly turning into a powerful storm over warm waters in the open Atlantic with sustained winds of 65 mph. Ana, a tropical storm that had also been churning in the Atlantic, had weakened to a depression.

Heavy rain began in the afternoon in Pensacola as Claudette approached. On Pensacola Beach, the National Park Service closed low-lying roads that connect the restaurants and hotels to the undeveloped National Seashore and historic Fort Pickens Fort.

The Park Service said campers would be ordered to leave the area because of the likelihood of the road flooding.

In Panama City, the Bay County Emergency Operations Center opened a shelter at a local high school for residents of low-lying areas and people with special needs.

Earlier along Pensacola Beach, surfers under gray skies enjoyed the waves and tourists mingled on the beach, despite a tropical storm warning covering most of the Panhandle, from the Alabama state line to the Suwanee River more than 300 miles to the east.

Miguel Gonzalez, on vacation from North Carolina, was unconcerned about the storm as he readied his children for day on Pensacola Beach. But he said his family would head in when the rain started.

"We will just stay out there for an hour or so, take a few pictures and then leave," he said.

Rainfall of 3 to 5 inches was expected, with isolated areas getting up to 10 inches, forecasters said.

"We may see some heavy rains as a result, but we don't expect any high winds or coastal flooding," said John Dosh, manager of Emergency Management. "This event is a good example of how quickly a tropical storm can develop. We won't always have a lot of warning. This is why citizens need to be prepared throughout hurricane season."

Pensacola Beach is still recovering from Hurricane Ivan, which devastated the western Florida Panhandle and parts of Alabama in 2004.

At 5 p.m. EDT, Claudette was about 40 miles west-southwest of Apalachicola and moving northwest near 14 mph. Its center was expected to reach the northern Gulf Coast by Sunday evening.

Meanwhile, Ana's winds had diminished to 35 mph and was expected to make landfall at the Leeward Islands early Monday. Watches were posted for Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Antigua, St. Maarten and several other islands in the area. Ana was forecast to bring 2 to 4 inches of rain.

Tropical Storm Bill, however, was intensifying far from land in the open Atlantic, and could become a hurricane late Sunday or on Monday.

In the Pacific, Hurricane Guillermo had winds that had dropped to 85 mph, and it was expected to lose steam in the next day. Guillermo was moving west at 14 mph, about 995 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii, and didn't threaten any land.

Despite the storms, a warmer weather pattern called El Nino over the Pacific Ocean is generally expected to damper the formation of tropical storms in the Caribbean and Atlantic this year, said Brian Daly, a meteorologist with the national weather service in Mobile, Ala.

"It's pretty frequent that an El Nino year would be somewhat delayed with fewer storms," Daly said.

Forecasters revised their Atlantic hurricane season predictions after the first two months of the season passed without any named storms developing. Full Story

Tropical Storm Bill become hurricane

2009-08-17T23:31:00.000-07:00

MIAMI — Tropical Storm Bill has strengthened to become the first Atlantic hurricane of the season, the National Hurricane Center said Monday. The storm, whose maximum sustained winds rose to 75 miles an hour, is expected to continue gathering force in the next few days as it churns toward the United States.

The storm was still well away from land in the Atlantic Ocean at 4 a.m. Eastern time, centered some 1,160 miles east of the lesser Antilles, but was moving quickly west-northwest.

Within five days, forecasters said, Bill’s winds could strengthen to as high as 155 m.p.h. But they said they saw signs that counterwinds, known as wind shear, might begin to dampen the force of the storm before it reached full strength.

Meanwhile, Claudette, the first storm to come ashore, weakened to a tropical depression as it moved over southern Alabama from the Florida Panhandle. It dumped heavy rains as its maximum sustained winds fell to 35 miles an hour.

The first named storm of the season, Ana, has also weakened into a tropical depression over the Caribbean Sea and appeared to pose no threat to the United States.

Tropical storms form over warm ocean waters and are classified as named storms when their winds exceed 39 m.p.h. When they strengthen to at least 74 m.p.h., the storms are reclassified as hurricanes.

Through Sunday evening, the storm that is now called Hurricane Bill was heading on a gradually curving path that would not strike the coast of the United States, but forecasters said they expected the storm’s direction to become more northerly over the next few days, somewhat increasing the chances of it striking southern Florida. Full Story

Tropical storm warning issued for northwest Fla

2009-08-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

MIAMI — A tropical storm warning was issued Sunday for the Florida Panhandle as a newly formed depression swirled off the coast and threatened to bring rain and possible flooding to the area.

The warning was issued for areas east of the Alabama state line to the Suwanee River. Rainfall of 3 to 5 inches was forecast, with isolated showers of up to 10 inches in northwest Florida, forecasters said. The area likely will see tropical storm conditions within the next 24 hours.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said the depression was expected to be near Florida’s northern Gulf Coast by late Sunday afternoon. It was moving to the north-northwest at about 16 mph, with maximum sustained winds around 35 mph. At 8 a.m. EDT on Sunday, it was about 125 miles from south-southeast of Apalachicola.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Guillermo was swirling in the Pacific as a Category 2 storm, and tropical storms Ana and Bill were moving over open waters in the Atlantic.

Guillermo had weakened slightly, with maximum sustained winds dropping to 100 mph. It was expected to lose more steam and dwindle to a tropical storm in the next day or two. Guillermo was moving west at 15 mph, about 1,150 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii.

Tropical Storm Bill had winds of up to 45 mph. It was expected to build momentum and become a hurricane in the next few days, but it was still far out in the Atlantic, moving west at 13 mph about 1,640 miles east of the Lesser Antilles.

The Leeward Islands were keeping a close eye on Ana. The storm was expected to make landfall there early Monday.

A tropical storm watch remained in effect for the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, Antigua, Barbuda, St. Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius. Tropical storm conditions were possible within the next 36 hours.

Ana was moving west near 20 mph. At 8 a.m. EDT, the storm was about 470 miles east-southeast of the Leeward Islands. Full Story

Tropical storm ana

2009-08-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

MIAMI -- Tropical Storm Ana has formed over the Atlantic and could strengthen as it heads toward the Leeward Islands, forecasters said Saturday.

Track the storm on the WSBTV.com special Hurricane Section.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Ana could trigger a tropical storm watch for parts of the Leeward Islands later Saturday. It could be approaching the islands by Monday. It was 1,075 miles west of the islands early Saturday.

Ana, the first named storm of the Atlantic season, could slowly strengthen in the next couple of days as it moves to the west at 16 mph. Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Guillermo was swirling in the Pacific as a Category 3 storm. Winds were near 115 mph as the hurricane moved to the west-northwest at 16 mph. It was about 1,450 miles west of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula early Saturday morning.

However, Guillermo was expected to weaken Saturday and become even less powerful Sunday as it moves over cooler waters.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Full Story

Hurricane Bill gathers strength out in Atlantic

2009-08-17T19:27:00.000-07:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – The first hurricane of this year's Atlantic season gathered force far out to sea Monday, while two weaker storm systems drenched the northeastern Caribbean and the Florida Panhandle with rain.

Hurricane Bill was expected to become a major storm in the next couple of days, with winds topping 110 mph (177 kph) as it moved on a track expected to be near Bermuda by the end of the week.

The storm is very large, with tropical winds extending out 200 miles, so Bermuda faced a potential threat even if the Atlantic island avoided a direct hit, said Nick Camizzi, a forecaster with the British territory's weather service.

"We are keeping an eye on it for sure," Camizzi said.

It was too soon to tell if Bill would threaten the eastern coast of the United States, said John Cangialosi, a meteorologist at the U.S. National Hurricane Center. It was not expected to threaten Florida.

"The system is certainly large and eventually will be a powerful hurricane," Cangialosi said. But colder waters and wind shear could weaken it when it moves farther north.

What began as Tropical Storm Ana, the first named storm of the season, weakened into a tropical depression as it raced past the Leeward Islands, U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, apparently moving too quickly to cause more than minor flooding.

But even as the system dissipated it posed a potential threat to Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where impoverished riverside communities are extremely vulnerable to flooding.

Dominican authorities evacuated more than 100 people from areas at risk for flooding and mudslide, but the rains turned out lighter than expected as the broke apart.

Still, officials maintained flood alerts for 12 provinces in the east, warning that the storm could drop up to 150 millimeters (6 inches) of rain in some areas.

"As of now the rivers are rising above their normal levels, but nonetheless we do not have flooding, thank God," said Carlos Paulino, a deputy director of the Center for Emergency Operations in the Dominican capital, Santo Domingo.

Officials in neighboring Haiti, devastated last year by four successive storms that killed some 800 people and caused $1 billion in damage, said they were relieved that Ana had weakened. But residents were warned to continue exercising caution around rivers and coastal areas.

In Puerto Rico, rain from Ana flooded highways in the capital, San Juan, and three schools closed as a precaution in the northern coastal city of Arecibo. The U.S. territory was expecting 2 to 4 inches of rain.

Ana was moving at a relatively fast pace, said Dave Roberts, a Navy hurricane specialist at the U.S. hurricane center. Although tropical storm watches were canceled for the storm Monday afternoon, Roberts said it could still be a big rain event for Haiti and the Dominican Republic, especially in higher elevations.

Along the Florida Panhandle, Tropical Storm Claudette quickly weakened after it made landfall at Fort Walton Beach, and was downgraded to a tropical depression with winds of about 30 miles per hour.

The storm wasn't expected to cause significant flooding or wind damage as it moved northwest into Alabama and Mississippi.

A man in his mid-20s died after being pulled from surf as Claudette approached Sunday. In Bay County, authorities searched for another man whose boat ran aground Sunday night, though they believed he made it ashore. Neither man's identity was released.

After the storm passed east of Pensacola Beach on Monday morning, joggers and tourists seeking sea shells dotted the beach.

Far out in the Pacific, Hurricane Guillermo weakened to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds near 60 mph. Guillermo was centered about 695 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii, and moving west-northwest near 18 mph.

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Associated Press writers Melissa Nelson in Pensacola and Kelli Kennedy in Miami contributed to this report. Full Story