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Tropical Storm Dean (2001)

 

 
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Tropical Storm Dean (2001)
 
 
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Tropical Storm Dean was a moderate tropical storm that affected at least twelve islands along its path from the tropical Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
 to east of Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada

File:Atlantic Canada.svgAtlantic Canada, also known as the Atlantic provinces, is the List of regions of Canada of Canada comprising four Provinces and territories of Canada located on the Atlantic Ocean: the three Maritimes ? New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island ? and Newfoundland and Labrador....
. Dean developed from a tropical wave
Tropical wave

Tropical waves, or easterly waves, also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic region, are a type of atmospheric Trough , an elongated area of relatively Low pressure area, oriented north to south, which move from east to west across the tropics causing areas of cloudiness and thunderstorms....
 on August 22 over the Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles

The Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees, are part of the Antilles, which together with the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Greater Antilles form the West Indies....
, and was initially predicted to intensify further to reach hurricane status. However, strong wind shear
Wind shear

Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind wind speed and wind direction over a relatively short distance in the Earth's atmosphere....
 quickly weakened Dean to cause it to dissipate on August 23. The remnants turned northward, and redeveloped on August 26 to the north of Bermuda
Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, it is situated around 1770 kilometres northeast of Miami, Florida, and 1350 kilometres south of Halifax Regional Municipality, Canada....
.






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Tropical Storm Dean was a moderate tropical storm that affected at least twelve islands along its path from the tropical Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
 to east of Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada

File:Atlantic Canada.svgAtlantic Canada, also known as the Atlantic provinces, is the List of regions of Canada of Canada comprising four Provinces and territories of Canada located on the Atlantic Ocean: the three Maritimes ? New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island ? and Newfoundland and Labrador....
. Dean developed from a tropical wave
Tropical wave

Tropical waves, or easterly waves, also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic region, are a type of atmospheric Trough , an elongated area of relatively Low pressure area, oriented north to south, which move from east to west across the tropics causing areas of cloudiness and thunderstorms....
 on August 22 over the Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles

The Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees, are part of the Antilles, which together with the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Greater Antilles form the West Indies....
, and was initially predicted to intensify further to reach hurricane status. However, strong wind shear
Wind shear

Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind wind speed and wind direction over a relatively short distance in the Earth's atmosphere....
 quickly weakened Dean to cause it to dissipate on August 23. The remnants turned northward, and redeveloped on August 26 to the north of Bermuda
Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, it is situated around 1770 kilometres northeast of Miami, Florida, and 1350 kilometres south of Halifax Regional Municipality, Canada....
. Located over warm waters and in an area of favorable conditions, Dean steadily strengthened while moving to the northeast, and peaked just below hurricane status on August 27 about 465 miles (750 km) southwest of Newfoundland. The storm subsequently weakened over cooler waters, and became extratropical on August 28.

The precursor tropical wave dropped heavy rainfall and produced moderate winds throughout the Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles

The Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees, are part of the Antilles, which together with the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Greater Antilles form the West Indies....
, though no serious damage was reported. In Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a Autonomy Territories of the United States of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands....
, rainfall of up to 12.7 inches (322 mm) produced widespread flooding across the island. Thousands were left without power or water, and two houses lost their roofs from the storm. The passage of Dean resulted in $7.7 million (2001 USD, $9.4 million 2008  USD) in damage in Puerto Rico. The storm produced light to moderate rainfall in Bermuda
Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, it is situated around 1770 kilometres northeast of Miami, Florida, and 1350 kilometres south of Halifax Regional Municipality, Canada....
 and later in Newfoundland, though no damage was reported.

Meteorological history

A large tropical wave with minimal convection moved off the coast of Africa
Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
 near Dakar
Dakar

Dakar is the capital city of Senegal, located on the Cap-Vert, on the country's Atlantic Ocean coast. It is Senegal's largest city. Its position, on the western edge of Africa , is an advantageous departure point for trans-Atlantic and European trade; this fact aided its growth into a major regional seaport....
 between August 14 and August 15. It moved westward, and gradually developed thunderstorms across the wave axis. On August 21, while located about 450 miles (725 km) east of the Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles

The Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees, are part of the Antilles, which together with the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Greater Antilles form the West Indies....
, convection increased further within the system, though unfavorable upper-level wind shear
Wind shear

Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind wind speed and wind direction over a relatively short distance in the Earth's atmosphere....
 prevented rapid development. It continued to become better organized, and though a Reconnaissance flight
Hurricane Hunters

Hurricane Hunters are aircraft that fly into tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic Ocean and Northeastern Pacific Ocean for the specific purpose of directly measuring weather data in and around those storms....
 into the system reported strong winds, it lacked a surface circulation. Late on August 21 the wave passed through the northern Lesser Antilles, and subsequent to a decrease in wind shear the system became much better organized on August 22. A surface circulation formed, and the system developed into Tropical Storm Dean on August 22 near Saint Croix
Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

Saint Croix is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent Districts and sub-districts of the United States Virgin Islands of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States....
. Dean was upgraded directly to a tropical storm due to the presence of 50 mph (80 km/h) winds in the storm.

Reconnaissance Aircraft and surface reports confirmed the existence of a circulation. Dean moved northwestward at 22 mph (35 km/h), under the influence of the Bermuda High
Anticyclone

In meteorology, an anticyclone is a weather meteorological phenomenon in which there is a descending movement of the air and a high pressure area over the part of the planet's surface affected by it....
 to its northeast. The storm strengthened slightly to reach winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) later on August 22, though the circulation was exposed on the western edge of the convection due to the storm's quick forward motion and persistent wind shear
Wind shear

Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind wind speed and wind direction over a relatively short distance in the Earth's atmosphere....
. Initial forecasts predicted the shear to decrease, allowing Dean to attain hurricane status with winds of over 80 mph (130 km/h). However, an upper-level trough
Trough (meteorology)

A trough is an elongated region of relatively low atmospheric pressure, often associated with weather fronts.Unlike fronts, there is not a universal symbol for a trough on a weather chart....
 produced an increase of shear over the storm, and by August 23 Dean weakened to a tropical depression. Hours later, the circulation dissipated, and Dean degenerated into a tropical wave to the east of the Bahamas. Regeneration was considered unlikely at the time.

The remnants of Dean turned to the north, and became embedded within a large mid-level trough off the East Coast of the United States
East Coast of the United States

The East Coast of the United States, also known as the "Eastern Seaboard" or "Atlantic Seaboard", refers to the easternmost coastal states in the central and northern United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada....
. Convection increased around the system early on August 24. The system became better organized, with indications of a broad surface circulation forming about 400 miles (645 km) west-southwest of Bermuda
Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, it is situated around 1770 kilometres northeast of Miami, Florida, and 1350 kilometres south of Halifax Regional Municipality, Canada....
. However, a reconnaissance flight into the remnants of Dean reported a broad low pressure area
Low pressure area

A low pressure area, or "low", is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower in relation to the surrounding area. Low pressure systems form under areas of upper level divergence on the east side of upper troughs, or due to localized heating caused by greater insolation or active thunderstorm activity....
 with the strongest winds and convection located far from the area of minimum pressure, indicating it had some non-tropical characteristics
Tropical cyclone

A tropical cyclone is a storm characterized by a large low pressure system center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and flooding rain....
. The weak disturbance passed to the west of Bermuda early on August 25, and subsequently began to drift to the northeast. The remnants of Dean produced convection near its developing circulation, and on August 26, while located 220 miles (350 km) north of Bermuda the system organized sufficiently enough to be re-classified a tropical depression. Operationally, the National Hurricane Center
National Hurricane Center

The National Hurricane Center , located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, is the division of National Weather Service's Tropical Prediction Center responsible for tracking and predicting the likely behavior of tropical depressions, tropical storms and tropical cyclone....
 did not re-initiate advisories until fifteen hours later.

The depression continued to the northeast, and re-strengthened into Tropical Storm Dean early on August 27 while located 580 miles (930 km) south of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The convection became better organized, and Dean steadily strengthened as it tracked northeastward. A ship near the center of Dean confirmed the storm re-developed. The convection near the center greatly organized, and an eye feature
Eye (cyclone)

The eye is a region of mostly calm weather found at the center of strong tropical cyclones. The eye of a storm is a roughly circular area and typically 30?65 km in diameter....
 began to develop. Remaining over warm waters, Dean continued to strengthen and reached peak winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) late on the 27th while located about 465 miles (750 km) southwest of Cape Race
Cape Race

Cape Race is a point of land located at the southeastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland , Canada. Its name is thought to come from the original Portugal name for this cape, "Raso", or "bare"....
, Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is a Provinces and territories of Canada of Canada, on the country's Atlantic Ocean coast in northeastern North America....
. The eye feature failed to develop further, and after maintaining its peak intensity for 12 hours Dean weakened over progressively cooler waters. The convection quickly diminished, and on August 28 Dean became extratropical while located 145 miles (235 km) east-southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland. The extratropical storm continued northeastward until being absorbed by a frontal low
Surface weather analysis

Surface weather analysis is a special type of weather map that provides a view of weather elements over a geographical area at a specified time based on information from ground-based weather stations....
 on August 29.

Impact and preparations


Caribbean

About a day before Dean developed, the National Hurricane Center advised interests in the northern and central Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles

The Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees, are part of the Antilles, which together with the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Greater Antilles form the West Indies....
 to monitor the progress of the storm. Routine statements issued by the National Hurricane Center warned for the possibility of strong winds and heavy rains. However, because Dean formed after it passed the islands, no tropical cyclone warnings or watches
Tropical cyclone warnings and watches

Warnings and watches are two levels of alert issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity....
 were issued. The precursor tropical wave dropped moderate to heavy rainfall throughout the Lesser Antilles, including 1.5 inches (38 mm) in Nevis
Nevis

Nevis is an island in the Caribbean, located near the northern end of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, about 220 miles southeast of Puerto Rico and 50 miles west of Antigua....
. On Antigua
Antigua

Antigua is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda....
, the system produced sustained winds of 30 to 35 mph (48 to 56 km/h), with gusts of over 50 mph (80 km/h) on higher terrain. In Saba
Saba

Saba is the smallest island of the Netherlands Antilles, located at . It consists largely of the dormant volcano, Mount Scenery , the highest point of the Kingdom of the Netherlands....
, the wave dropped around 1 inch (25 mm) of rain, and due to the threat for mudslides several schools were closed early. Officials at the Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport
Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport

Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport is the only airport on the Caribbean island of Saba, in the Netherlands Antilles. It is well known among experienced fliers for the way in which airplanes must approach or take off from the airport....
 canceled several flights due to the system. Rough seas on Saba led to many ships and boats remaining at port. The precursor disturbance dropped heavy rainfall on Saint Martin
Saint Martin

Saint Martin is a tropical island in the northeast Caribbean, approximately 300 km east of Puerto Rico. The 87 km? island is divided roughly in half between France and the Netherlands Antilles ; it is the smallest inhabited List of divided islands....
 of around 5 inches (129 mm), resulting in flooding in some low-lying areas. Due to the threat of the wave, schools were advised to close early, and officials enacted preparations to reduce flooding. Rough waves on the southern portion of the island broke a cargo vessel from its moorings and washed it ashore. On Tortola
Tortola

Tortola is the largest and most populated of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands which form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands....
, the combination of heavy rainfall and strong winds left houses without cable, though no damage was reported there.

The precursor disturbance to Tropical Storm Dean produced 1.07 inches (27 mm) of rain in Saint Thomas
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea, a county and constituent Districts and sub-districts of the United States Virgin Islands of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States....
, where winds reached 40 mph (64 km/h) with gusts to 48 mph (77 km/h). 6 to 8-foot (1.8 to 2.4-m) seas caused disruptions in the coastal waters of the United States Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands

The United States Virgin Islands is a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles....
. On Saint Croix
Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

Saint Croix is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent Districts and sub-districts of the United States Virgin Islands of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States....
, the system produced 0.49 inches (12 mm) of rain and peak wind gusts of 47 mph (76 km/h). There, minor flooding was reported. Moderate wind gusts downed small trees and branches in Saint Croix and Saint John
Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands

Saint John is an island in the Caribbean Sea and a constituent Districts and sub-districts of the United States Virgin Islands of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States....
, and some roads were damaged in Saint John, as well. Heavy rains and gusty winds caused power outages throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands. The passage of Tropical Storm Dean resulted in minor damage totaling to $20,000 (2001 USD, $24,400 2008 USD).

Tropical Storm Dean dropped heavy rainfall across Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a Autonomy Territories of the United States of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands....
, peaking at 12.7 inches (322 mm) in Salinas
Salinas, Puerto Rico

Salinas is a small municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Aibonito, Puerto Rico and Cayey, Puerto Rico; southeast of Coamo, Puerto Rico, east of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico; and west of Guayama, Puerto Rico....
. Winds were generally light across the island. The passage of Dean resulted in widespread flooding in eastern and southern Puerto Rico, collapsing two bridges and one road. Several highways were under water, and one car was swept away by the floodwaters. The four inside the vehicle were later rescued and unharmed. Throughout the island, about 1,320 houses were flooded, and two houses experienced collapsed roofs. The rains left various towns without power or water. By the night after the storm passed the island, more than 16,000 were without power, while almost 70,000 lacked potable water. Over 130 people were evacuated from low-lying areas to hurricane shelters. Two people were injured in Peñuelas
Peñuelas, Puerto Rico

Pe?uelas is a Municipalities of Puerto Rico in Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, east of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, west of Ponce, Puerto Rico and north of the Caribbean Sea....
, and three were injured in Nagüabo
Nagüabo, Puerto Rico

Naguabo is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the east coast of the island, north of Humacao, Puerto Rico; south of R?o Grande, Puerto Rico and Ceiba, Puerto Rico; and east of Las Piedras, Puerto Rico....
 when the ceiling of a day care center collapsed, though no deaths occurred on the island. One airline canceled seventeen flights in and out of the island, and one cruise line was required to alter its path to both Dean and earlier due to Tropical Storm Chantal
Tropical Storm Chantal (2001)

Tropical Storm Chantal was a poorly forecast Atlantic hurricane tropical cyclone that moved across the Caribbean Sea in August 2001. Chantal developed from a tropical wave on August 14 in the tropical Atlantic Ocean....
. Damage in Puerto Rico totaled to $7.7 million (2001 USD, $9.4 million 2008 USD), of which $2.1 million (2001 USD, $2.6 million 2008 USD) was from agricultural damage.

Bahamas, Bermuda, and Canada

Shortly after Dean formed, the government of the Bahamas issued a tropical storm warning
Tropical cyclone warnings and watches

Warnings and watches are two levels of alert issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity....
 for the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands
Turks and Caicos Islands

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the West Indies, the larger Caicos Islands and the smaller Turks Islands, known for tourism and as an offshore financial centre....
. The threat of the storm resulted in the cancellation of several flights in and out of Providenciales
Providenciales

Providenciales, is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The island has an area of and a population of 30,542, making it the largest island in population and the third largest in area....
. When the storm weakened and ultimately dissipated, the warnings were canceled. As a result, effects on the Bahamas were minimal.

The remnants of Dean produced unsettled conditions across Bermuda
Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, it is situated around 1770 kilometres northeast of Miami, Florida, and 1350 kilometres south of Halifax Regional Municipality, Canada....
, including a wind gust of 41 mph (66 km/h) and light rainfall of 0.31 inches (8 mm). The passage of Dean resulted in the coldest day of August 2001 on the island.

Dean produced wind gusts peaking at 63 mph (103 km/h) in Newfoundland, along with rainfall up to 4.2 inches (107 mm) in eastern Newfoundland. On land, wave heights reached 30 feet (9.3 m), while a buoy
Buoy

A buoy is a floating device that can have many different purposes. It can be anchored or allowed to drift. The word, of Old French or Middle Dutch origin, is now most commonly , although some orthoepy have traditionally prescribed the pronunciation ....
 offshore reported a peak wave height of 47 feet (14.4 m).

Lack of retirement

Because damage was not extreme, the name Dean was not retired after this year; however a different Hurricane Dean
Hurricane Dean

The name Dean was used for five tropical cyclones in the Northern Atlantic Ocean:*1983 Atlantic hurricane season#Tropical Storm Dean, which struck the coast of Virginia, causing minor erosion and flooding...
 in 2007 was retired, and was replaced by Dorian for the 2013 season.

See also

  • List of Atlantic hurricanes
  • Timeline of the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season
    Timeline of the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season

    The timeline of the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season documents all the storm formations, strengthening, weakening, landfall , Extratropical cyclone#Extratropical transition, as well as dissipation....


External links