2000 Atlantic hurricane season
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The 2000 Atlantic hurricane season was an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. It officially started June 1, 2000, and lasted until November 30, 2000.
The most notable storm of the season was Hurricane Keith, which numerous fatalities and large amounts of damage in Belize, Nicaragua and Honduras. The only other notable storm was Hurricane Alberto, which became one of the longest-lived Atlantic tropical cyclones.
Template:Infobox Hurricane Season
Storms
Hurricane Alberto
Main article: Hurricane Alberto
Alberto formed on August 3 while just south of the Cape Verde islands. It made the transition from tropical storm to hurricane strength three times. After forming, Alberto headed west-northwest, then headed back to the east and performed a large loop. On the 23rd, Alberto was classified as extratropical. The extratropical Alberto headed north-northeast and passed over northwestern Iceland before dissipating near Jan Mayen on August 25. Alberto is not known to have caused any damage. It was the third-longest-lived tropical cyclone of record in the Atlantic.
Tropical Storm Beryl
Beryl formed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico on August 14. Beryl headed west and landfall occurred the next day 30 n mi north of La Pesca, Tamaulipas (90 n mi south of Brownsville, Texas). Beryl caused extensive flooding in Tamaulipas, with one reported drowning death. Monetary damage estimates for Mexico are not available, and there were no reports of damage in southern Texas.
Tropical Storm Chris
Tropical Storm Chris formed several hundred miles east of the Lesser Antilles on August 18. It dissipated a day later. No damage was reported.
Hurricane Debby
Debby formed east of the Windward Islands on August 20. The storm strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane the next day. Debby remained a somewhat disorganized hurricane for the rest of its life. It moved west, passing over the Leeward Islands, and just north of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. Debby disippated off the southern coast of Cuba on the 24th. Debby caused no direct deaths, and only moderate damage to the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico. In Cuba, the remnants of Debby helped relieve a severe drought.
Tropical Storm Ernesto
Ernesto was a short-lived storm that formed on September 2. A minimal tropical storm for all of its short life, Ernesto dissipated on the 4th.
Hurricane Florence
A cold front that left North America in the second week of September spawned a low pressure system that took on tropical characteristics and was named Florence on September 11. It quickly reached hurricane strength the same day. Florence meandered for several days before taking a track to the northeast that took it past Bermuda. As it reached cooler waters, Florence weakened and on the 17th was absorbed by an extratropical low while south of Newfoundland. Florence was responsible for no reported damage or direct fatalities.
Hurricane Gordon
Tropical Depression Eleven formed just east of the Yucatan Peninsula on September 14. After cutting across land into the Gulf of Mexico, the depression began heading north-northeast and on the 16th was upgraded to Tropical Storm Gordon. A day later, it reached hurricane strength. Gordon began weakening rapidly as it approached Florida, and made landfall near Cedar Key, Florida on the 18th as a tropical storm. The remnants of Gordon continued up the east coast of the United States for several days before being absorbed by another system.
Twenty three deaths in Guatemala are blamed on flooding caused by the tropical depression that became Gordon. One drowning death was reported at Pensacola, Florida. Damage in Florida was largely limited to downed trees and power lines, and is estimated at $10.8 million. No monetary damage figures for Guatemala are available.
Tropical Storm Helene
Tropical Depression Twelve formed east of the Windward Islands on September 15. It weakened, and travelled across the Caribbean. Late on the 19th, it regained tropical depression status, and on the 21st was named Tropical Storm Helene while in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. The storm turned north, and made landfall at Fort Walton Beach, Florida on September 22. The system weakened to a tropical depression, but stayed intact as it moved across the southern US and passed over the North Carolina coast and back over water. Helene regained tropical storm strength and headed rapidly east-northeast. It merged with a cold front on the 25th. One person was killed by a tornado generated as the tropical depression moved through South Carolina. Flooding was reported in Tallahassee, Florida.
Hurricane Isaac
Isaac was a powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane that remained at sea. It becamed a named storm on September 22. Isaac moved west-northwest for the next week, strengthening as it moved. As it reached Category 4 intensity with 140 mph winds, it began a turn from moving northwest to a more northeasterly track. During the turn, Isaac weakened greatly and by October 1 had fallen to tropical storm strength. Later that day, it became extratropical. The extratropical storm continued to the northeast, and was absorbed by a larger low pressure system north of Scotland. Although it remained well away from North America, Isaac generated waves that capsized a boat off Long Island, and one of the passengers drowned.
Hurricane Joyce
Satellite observations of Joyce are inconclusive about when it became a named storm, but it became a Category 1 hurricane on September 28 while midway between Africa and the Lesser Antilles. A weakening Joyce headed west and dropped to a tropical depression as it crossed into the Caribbean Sea on October 1. It dissipated the next day. No damage was reported.
Hurricane Keith
Main article: Hurricane Keith
A long-lived tropical wave organized into a tropical depression while 60 n mi north-northeast of Cape Gracias a Dios, Nicaragua on September 28. A day later it was classified as Tropical Storm Keith. Keith began to rapidly intensify as it moved slowly west, reaching Category 4 strength. Keith weakened slightly and after its eyewall passed over Ambergris Cay and Caye Caulker, Belize on October 1, it spent two days meandering off the coast of Belize. During this time it weakened dramatically and was a Category 1 hurricane when it made landfall in Belize between Belize City and Chetumal, Quintana Roo.
It passed through Belize into Campeche, and from there back into the Gulf of Mexico. After emerging over water, Keith restrengthened and was a minimal hurricane at its second landfall just north of Tampico.
Keith is responsible for twenty-four deaths, twelve due to flooding in Nicaragua. Monetary damage in Belize is estimated at 225 million USD. No damage estimates are available for Keith's finall landfall in Mexico, or for Guatemala where it caused flooding.
Tropical Storm Leslie
A subtropical depression that moved off the eastern coast of Florida organized into Tropical Storm Leslie on October 5 while 200 n mi east of St. Augustine, Florida. It remained a weak tropical storm as it moved east, then north-northeast, and became extratropical on the 7th. No damages were associated with Leslie or the subtropical depression. However, the disturbance that formed them was responsible for $700 million in damage in Florida, most of it agricultural losses.
Hurricane Michael
Michael formed from a subtropical storm several hundred miles southwest of Bermuda on October 17, and became a hurricane later that day. On the 18th, Michael began rapidly moving to the northeast, and by October 20 had made landfall in Newfoundland. It became extratropical and was absorbed by a larger low the next day. Damage in Newfoundland was light.
Tropical Storm Nadine
Nadine was a short-lived tropical storm that formed roughly 600 n mi east-southeast of Bermuda on October 20. The storm began inensifying, but conditions quickly became unfavorable for development, and Nadine degenerated to a weak extratropical low on the 22nd. No damage is associated with Nadine.
Unnamed Subtropical Storm
A subtropical storm formed in the latter days of October. This storm never attained tropical characteristics. It traveled northeast off the east coast of the United States. It dissipated several miles south of Nova Scotia without making landfall.
2000 storm names
The following names were used for named storms that formed in the north Atlantic in 2000. The names not retired from this list will be used again in the 2006 season. This is the same list used for the 1994 season. Storms were named Joyce, Leslie, Michael, and Nadine for the first time in 2000. Names that were not assigned are marked in gray.
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Retirement
The World Meteorological Organization retired one name in the spring of 2001: Keith. It will be replaced in 2006 by Kirk.
See also
External link
- National Hurricane Center 2000 Atlantic hurricane season summary (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/2000.html)