Anyway... on with the report...
Gary Padgett wrote: HURRICANE CHARLEY
(TC-03)
9 - 16 August
-------------------------------------
A. Storm Origins
----------------
A tropical wave moved off the western coast of Africa on 4 August.
The system moved rapidly westward with little sign of development until
the 8th, when it was located some 750 nm east of the Windward Islands.
Even then, associated thunderstorm activity was not well-organized.
On the early morning of the 9th the wave was located about 130 nm east of
the Windwards, moving west-northwestward at 22 kts with no signs of
tropical cyclone formation. However, later on during the morning showers
and thunderstorms became much better organized and surface pressures had
fallen significantly over the islands. A Special Tropical Disturbance
Statement was issued at 1345 UTC which noted that Barbados had reported
wind gusts to 46 kts during the previous couple of hours. Subsequent
surface observations from Trinidad and Margarita showed west-southwest
and west-northwest winds, respectively, of about 10 kts, establishing
the fact that a surface circulation existed. Hence, advisories were
initiated at 1745 UTC on Tropical Depression 03, located about 45 nm
southeast of Grenada and moving westward at 19 kts. Visible satellite
imagery depicted a very well-organized system with distinct banding
features. TD-03 was forecast to intensify to hurricane intensity in
72 hours.
B. Synoptic History
-------------------
TD-03 faired rather well as it traversed the typically unfavorable
southeastern Caribbean Sea. During the evening banding appeared less
impressive than earlier, but new convection formed near the center of
circulation. At 0900 UTC on 10 August the depression was upgraded to
Tropical Storm Charley, located about 390 nm south-southeast of Santo
Domingo and moving west-northwestward at 21 kts. The cyclone had become
better organized overnight, and even though outer bands of deep
convection were currently minimal, the circulation occupied a large
envelope and outflow was excellent in all directions. Dvorak classi-
fications from all agencies were T2.5. As the day progressed Charley
slowly became better organized, and the first U. S. Air Force Reserves
reconnaissance flight into the storm, around 2000 UTC, found a tight
center with a CP of 999 mb and peak FLWs of 72 kts just to the northeast
of the center. Based on the aircraft data and a CI estimate of 55 kts
from TAFB, Charley's MSW was increased to 55 kts at 11/0300 UTC. The
storm was still moving rapidly west-northwestward from a position about
260 nm east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica.
The reconnaissance mission into the storm around 11/0600 UTC found
that the CP had dropped to 995 mb with a closed eyewall present. A
flight around midday found peak FLWs of 80 kts at 850 mb; hence, Charley
was upgraded to the season's second hurricane at 1800 UTC when located
approximately 80 nm south of Kingston, Jamaica. The young hurricane
was moving west-northwestward at the slightly slower pace of 16 kts.
During the evening Charley was sporting a small, closed eyewall of only
8 nm as it began to turn slightly more toward the northwest. The storm
continued to strengthen during the night--winds were upped to 75 kts at
12/0600 UTC. An upper-level LOW to the west had been inhibiting outflow
in that sector, but this feature began retreating westward away from the
cyclone, leading to a lessening of shear and improved outflow. By 1500
UTC Charley was moving northwestward at 15 kts, and the track gradually
became more north-northwesterly as the day progressed. In an inter-
mediate advisory at 1800 UTC, Charley's MSW was upped to 90 kts, making
it a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir/Simpson scale. The hurricane was
then located about 165 nm south-southeast of Havana, Cuba. This upgrade
was based on a peak FLW of 105 kts and a 92-kt dropsonde surface wind.
The CP was only down to 980 mb, but the storm was moving into a region
of higher-than-average surface pressures, implying that the usual
pressure/wind relationship might not be valid.
At 13/0300 UTC Hurricane Charley was moving north-northwestward toward
the southern coast of Cuba, being located between the Isle of Youth and
the Cuban mainland about 45 nm south of Havana. By 0600 UTC the hurri-
cane had almost crossed the island and was situated only 22 km west of
downtown Havana. Even though operationally Charley was a Category 2
hurricane when it reached Cuba, meteorological observations from the
island indicate that the hurricane had reached intense hurricane status,
or Category 3 on the Saffir/Simpson scale. The maximum 1-min avg wind
recorded in Cuba was 103 kts with a minimum SLP of 966 mb. A storm
surge of 3.7 m was measured in Playa Cajio along the southern coast of
Havana Province. (More of the Cuban observations follow in Section C.)
Reconnaissance observations revealed that Charley did not weaken very
much at all after crossing Cuba. Shortly after the eye had cleared the
northern coast, a plane found a CP of 970 mb with peak 700-mb winds of
104 kts. Also, Key West radar showed Doppler winds higher than 100 kts.
The MSW was upped to 95 kts at 0900 UTC. Things began to happen very
rapidly and dramatically during the morning of Friday, 13 August. An
eyewall dropsonde around 13/1200 UTC indicated that the MSW was still
near 95 kts, but the CP had dropped 5 mb to 965 mb between 1200 and 1400
UTC. By 1500 UTC Charley's motion had become northerly at 16 kts, and
two hours later the storm was moving north-northeastward at 18 kts. The
1700 UTC intermediate advisory upgraded Charley to a Category 3 hurricane
with 110-kt winds, located about 60 nm south-southwest of Ft. Myers, FL.
At about the same time, a reconnaissance aircraft found that the pressure
had fallen further to 954 mb and measured a peak FLW of 141 kts. On
this basis, a special advisory was issued at 1800 UTC upgrading Charley
to a Category 4 hurricane with a MSW of 125 kts.
Charley's pressure continued to fall, and the final reconnaissance
fix at 1956 UTC, just before the eye reached the coast, found a CP of
941 mb and a peak FLW of 148 kts. The eye of Charley moved inland near
Cayo Costa around 2000 UTC. The operational MSW at the time of landfall
was 125 kts, and this value has been widely reported in the media as the
landfall intensity. However, the 13/2100 UTC NHC discussion bulletin
noted that the FLW of 148 kts corresponds to a surface MSW of 130 kts,
and I have learned from a reliable source that in all probability
Charley's official landfall intensity will be 130 kts. An unofficial
gust of 110 kts was recorded near Punta Gorda along with a 943.6 mb
surface pressure. Charley began weakening as it moved quickly north-
northeastward across the Florida Peninsula. At 2300 UTC the center was
about 100 km south-southwest of Orlando with the MSW estimated at 100
kts, and by 14/0300 UTC had passed very near that city and was nearing
the Atlantic coast near Daytona Beach. The estimated MSW had decreased
to 75 kts by this time, based on surface and WSR-88D Doppler wind data.
By 0600 UTC on 14 August the center of Hurricane Charley had emerged
into the Atlantic just off the Florida coast and was located about 165 nm
south-southwest of Charleston, South Carolina. A reconnaissance plane
found peak FLWs of 88 kts in the eastern quadrant with a CP of 994 mb,
so the MSW remained at 75 kts in the 14/0900 UTC advisory. By 1200 UTC
the storm was located about 30 nm south-southeast of Charleston and was
racing to the north-northeast at 25 kts. At 1500 UTC radar and surface
observations indicated that the center of Charley was on the coast near
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with the CP down to 989 mb. The MSW by
this time had dropped to 65 kts, and the former Category 4 hurricane
was downgraded to a tropical storm three hours later when located over
eastern North Carolina about 55 km north of Wilmington. Wrightsville
Beach reported a sustained wind of 61 kts at 1736 UTC, so the MSW was
held at 60 kts for the 2100 UTC advisory.
At 15/0000 UTC the center of Tropical Storm Charley was located just
east of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and racing northeastward at 29 kts.
Winds had decreased to near 45 kts and the storm was beginning to lose
tropical characteristics. By 15/0600 UTC Charley was passing about
35 nm east of Atlantic City, New Jersey, with peak winds of only minimal
tropical storm intensity. Charley made a final landfall around 0900 UTC
on Long Island near the town of Farmingville, and by 1200 UTC was located
in the vicinity of Boston. The final TPC/NHC advisory on Charley was
issued at 15/1500 UTC with the system located east of Cape Cod and still
moving quickly northeastward. The extratropical remnant was forecast to
lose its identity in a frontal zone, and apparently this happened, as
OPC made its final reference to the post-Charley system at 16/0000 UTC.
Hurricane Charley's recurvature at a fairly low latitude in the Gulf
of Mexico was more typical of a late September or October hurricane.
The rather unusual track was due to an unseasonably strong shortwave
trough moving into the southeastern U. S. This same trough had recurved
Tropical Storm Bonnie into the eastern Florida Panhandle the day before
Charley savagely struck the Charlotte Harbor communities. Charley was
the first of four destructive hurricanes to strike the state of Florida
during the historic 2004 Atlantic hurricane season, and the first of
three to bring hurricane-force winds to many of the inland counties
located on the Peninsula. Hurricane Charley was also the first major
hurricane to strike the Charlotte Harbor since at least 1944. Following
is a list of the stronger hurricanes to strike this area of Florida
since 1871, and none appears to have been anywhere near as intense as
Charley:
(1) Oct, 1873 - A major hurricane made landfall in the Charlotte Harbor
area, destroying Punta Rassa (this from ATLANTIC HURRICANES by Dunn
and Miller). The reanalyzed Best Track file assigns a MSW of about
100 kts and a SLP of 959 mb at landfall. Records indicate that the
surge reached a height of 4.3 metres.
(2) Sep, 1894 - A Category 2 hurricane with winds of 90 kts made landfall
in the Charlotte Harbor area.
(3) Oct, 1910 - The famous "loop" hurricane made landfall a little to the
south of Port Charlotte and to the north of Fort Myers. The
reanalyzed Best Track file assigns a MSW of 105 kts at landfall.
(4) Oct, 1944 - The final hurricane of 1944 made landfall between the
Charlotte Harbor area and Tampa. Based on the old Best Track file
(the ongoing reanalysis has not yet reached 1944) the MSW appears
to have been about 105 kts.
It is interesting to note that all the major hurricanes affecting this
region occurred after the first of October except for Hurricane Charley,
which illustrates the fact that Charley's track was most unusual for a
mid-August hurricane.
C. Meteorological Observations
------------------------------
(1) Cuba
--------
As Charley crossed Cuba hurricane-force winds extended about 13 nm
to the right of the center and 10 nm to the left of the track--a very
small hurricane indeed. As noted above, the strongest wind measured
on the island during Charley's passage was a 1-min avg sustained wind
of 103 kts at the Vaisala meteorological station located at the airport
in Playa Baracoa, just west of Havana City, and just inside the eastern
eyewall. The station measured peak gusts of 130 kts and a minimum SLP
of 974 mb. Another Vaisala station at San Antonio de los Banos measured
a maximum 1-min avg wind of 97 kts, gusting to 115 kts, before the
sensors were blown away. The station in Guira de Melena, also in the
eastern eyewall, reported a MSW of 92 kts, peak gusts of 116 kts, and
a minimum SLP of 971.6 mb. The minimum SLP of 966 mb mentioned earlier
was estimated, based on a consideration of the available data and the
distance of the various stations from the center of the eye.
Charley was a rather dry hurricane in Cuba--rainfall amounts of 100 to
150 mm were reported only in restricted areas near the path of the eye.
Eyewitnesses (no pun intended) reported that the stars could be clearly
seen during the passage of Charley's eye, and there were some reports of
a reddish-like appearance of the sky within the eye. A storm surge of
3.7 m above MSL was observed in Playa Cajio, where 360 houses were simply
swept away. The ocean spread up to 2.6 km inland at that point, and
penetrated 1.5 km inland at Surgidero de Batabano, where the surge height
was 2.8 m.
(The information in this section comes from an excellent Preliminary
Report on Hurricane Charley in Cuba prepared by Dr. Jose Rubiera, Dr.
Maritza Ballester and Dr. Cecilia Gonzalez, National Forecasting Center,
Instituto de Meteorologia, Cuba.)
(2) Reconnaissance Aircraft
---------------------------
A few comments from Rich Henning, a member of the U. S. Air Force's
53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron:
"In the case of Charley, the MSLP hung around 970 mb all night (with
a 700-mb core temperature of only 12-14 C), then it dropped 29 mb (with
a 10-mb drop in about 90 minutes) as the 700-mb core temperature spiked
up to 20 C and the eye contracted to 5 miles. The 13/1930 UTC fix
included an astonishing description of 138-kt winds ONE MILE southeast
of the eye center." Charley provided a fascinating case study of meso-
scale core processes gone amok.
As noted above, the lowest CP and peak FLW measured by reconnaissance
aircraft was 941 mb and 148 kts, respectively, at 13/1956 UTC--shortly
before Charley's eye made landfall in Florida.
(3) Florida
-----------
As noted above, one of the NHC advisories alluded to an unofficial
gust (estimated) of 110 kts along with a 943.6 mb SLP measured at Punta
Gorda. Storm chaser Mike Theiss was in the Charlotte Harbor area during
the passage of the eye (which lasted only 5 minutes) and recorded a
minimum pressure of 944 mb. Peak gusts of 90 kts and 95 kts were
estimated at Arcadia and Wauchula, respectively, by Emergency Management
personnel. The peak gust recorded by a NWS station was 97 kts at Punta
Gorda at 13/2035 UTC.
The following table contains reports of sustained winds (2-min avg)
exceeding storm force (48 kts):
County City Dir (deg) Spd (kts) Date/Time (UTC)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Osceola Kissimmee ??? 53 14 / 0035
Orange Orlando 160 67 14 / 0105
Orange Orlando 130 57 14 / 0129
Seminole Sanford 120 63 14 / 0210
Volusia Daytona Beach 200 48 14 / 0353
Volusia Ormond Beach 100 59 14 / 0315
The following table contains reports of peak gusts exceeding hurricane
force (64 kts):
County City Dir (deg) Spd (kts) Date/Time (UTC)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Osceola Kissimmee ??? 65 14 / 0035
Orange Orlando 160 91 14 / 0105
Orange Orlando 120 74 14 / 0129
Seminole Sanford 120 80 14 / 0210
Volusia Daytona Beach 200 72 14 / 0353
Volusia Ormond Beach 100 75 14 / 0315
Note: The above values represent the highest found. Many of the ASOS
sites failed during the height of the hurricane.
Two NASA wind towers near Cape Canaveral at 16.5 m above ground level
reported sustained winds or 53 kts and 56 kts with both reporting peak
gusts of 75 kts. The Wind Shear Alert System (33.5-45.7 m above ground
level) at Daytona Beach International Airport reported a maximum gust
of 84 kts.
As Hurricane Charley passed through Florida rather quickly, rainfall
amounts were not particularly impressive. The highest storm total amount
was 141 mm at Sanford in Seminole County, recorded between 12/1200 and
14/1200 UTC. Kissimmee recorded 132 mm during the same 48-hour period.
Apopka in Orange County recorded a 24-hour total of 102 mm between
13/0400 and 14/0400 UTC.
Estimates place the magnitude of the peak storm surge at 4-5 metres.
More meteorological observations can be found at the following links:
<http://www.srh.noaa.gov/tbw/CharleyWebPage.shtml>
<http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/charley/PSHMLB.txt>
D. Damage and Casualties
------------------------
(1) Cuba
--------
There was a lot of damage reported to housing, crops, trees, power and
telephone lines and overall infrastructure in the western portion of
Havana Province, in the west of Havana City and the eastern part of Pinar
del Rio. However, only four fatalities were reported from this major
Category 3 hurricane, the first of such an intensity to strike Havana
Province since 1948. Very severe damage was sustained by agriculture.
Hundreds of hectares of banana plantations were destroyed by the winds.
Even edible root plantations, such as yucca, were heavily damaged.
Citrus plantations were stripped of fruit, and tens of thousands of
mango, guava and avocado trees were also blown down and the fruit lost.
Reports indicate that some 40,500 homes were heavily damaged and 8300
houses totally destroyed.
In addition to the four fatalities reported in Cuba, one death was
attributed to the hurricane in Jamaica.
(2) Florida
-----------
Hurricane Charley was the second most destructive hurricane ever to
strike the state of Florida, the most destructive being Category 5
Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The most concentrated destruction was in
the communities of Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte in the Charlotte
Harbor area of southwest Florida. Total dollar estimates of insured
losses range from around $7.5 to $11 billion, with total damages likely
to exceed $15 billion. In the Charlotte Harbor area, approximately
10,000 homes were destroyed with another 16,000 severely damaged. Many
of these were no doubt mobile homes, which are not designed to withstand
the extreme winds encountered in intense tropical cyclones. On the
day after the passage of Charley an estimated 1.3 million persons were
without electrical power. One source estimated the number of persons
initially without power at 2 million.
An estimated 1.4 million people evacuated their homes prior to the
approach of Hurricane Charley. Some 2300 stayed in local shelters.
A close call came at Arcadia, about 20 miles inland, where one wall
collapsed at a civic center which was being utilized as an evacuation
shelter for some 1200 people. Very fortunately, only one person was
injured as a result of the incident and her injuries were minor.
Charley's winds played havoc with small aircraft at the Charlotte
Airport with many planes ripped apart by the fierce winds. An observer
reported seeing one small plane flying down the runway as if were about
to take off.
The U. S. Labor Department reported that new applications for
unemployment insurance increased by a seasonally adjusted 10,000 to
343,000 for the week ending 21 August. Half of this 10,000 rise was
attributed to claims stemming from Hurricane Charley.
Hurricane Charley was directly responsible for nine deaths in Florida
with 16 more indirectly attributable to the storm. Most of the indirect
deaths occurred post-storm and were due to things like electrocution,
heart problems, carbon monoxide poisoning, automobile accidents, and heat
strokes. One man died when he fell from a tree, and another died when
a tree fell on him. Many post-storm injuries were reported due to things
like stepping on nails, tripping over debris, chainsaw accidents, auto-
mobile accidents at intersections where traffic lights were inoperative,
bruises, cut and strains. Hurricane-related stress also caused an
increase in heart attacks and respiratory problems, and many people
became ill with diarrhea and vomiting after drinking contaminated tap
water.
(3) Carolinas and Northward
---------------------------
The Property Claims Service reports that insured damages due to
Charley were estimated at $25 million in North Carolina and $20 million
in South Carolina. In the state of Rhode Island, one death was reported
as a direct casualty of Hurricane Charley.
(4) Additional Information
--------------------------
More information on storm damage can be found in the reports prepared
by the Tampa and Melbourne NWS offices referenced in Section C.3 above.
In addition, many articles dealing with the impact of Hurricane Charley
and subsequent storms may be found at the following URL:
<http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/vLND>
Following are some links supplied by John Wallace which contain
additional information on the impact of Hurricane Charley:
<http://www.palmbeachpost.com/storm/content/weather/special/storm/2004/atlan
tic/charley/news.html>
<http://www.palmbeachpost.com/storm/content/business/epaper/2004/08/24/a1d_i
nsure_0824.html>
<http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/109421485563.htm>
E. Storm Chaser Reports
-----------------------
Following are short write-ups sent by storm chasers Mike Theiss and
Jim Leonard, who were eyewitnesses to Charley's fury in the Charlotte
Harbor area.
(1) Mike Theiss
---------------
"I documented Hurricane Charley at Charlotte Harbor and never imagined
this storm would turn out to be like this. I had a window blown out from
a piece of a flying roof, a large telephone pole with a big transformer
landed behind my truck, and I had debris slamming against my car during
the real intense eyewall which lasted for about 20 minutes. All I can
say is "UNREAL". I had heard reports of this storm intensifying, but I
had no idea it got as strong as it did. I recorded a pressure of 944 mb
and was in "Awe" in the eye of this beast. The core was very small and
tight and I was in the eye for around 5 minutes. The damage in the area
I was in reminded me of Andrew's aftermath, but in a smaller area. I
observed concrete structures blown apart, every building at least
de-roofed, trees snapped in half, and large billboard signs with only
the poles left twisted beyond belief. I drove a few miles down the road
and the damage was bad, but nowhere near the devastation in Charlotte
Harbor. I haven't seen any radar loops yet of it making landfall and
can't wait. I will post pics in a few days. I have to focus on getting
my truck in the shop to get repaired."
More pictures and video clips may be found at Mike's website:
<http://www.eyeinthetropics.com/>
(2) Jim Leonard
---------------
"First of all, many thanks to Eric Blake for his frequent radar
updates during the entire afternoon of the chase. We started the morning
at a friend's house at Cape Coral, a suburb of Ft. Myers. By late
morning I noticed the eye of the hurricane began to show a slight NNE
heading, so the plan to head up to Sarasota was adjusted southward. As
we headed over the bridge from Cape Coral to the city of Ft. Myers, I saw
a long rainfree cloud base approaching from the south. I turned the van
around and went back to the bridge to get in a better position. The
cloud line moved over our position without doing anything when all of a
sudden overhead and to the NE I noticed rapid scud motion which I figured
would lead to a potential tornado. At that moment I saw a large spray
ring on the bay about a half mile to the northeast. We could only see
this for a few seconds as there were too many trees in the way. Then a
heavy rain over us occurred and obscured the vortex. Once the rain let
up the cloud base circulation moved NW. At that time I saw rapidly
circulating scud tags for a couple minutes more before losing sight of
it.
"As the afternoon wore on we drove north and south between Ft. Myers
and North Port like a yo-yo as the center of the hurricane wobbled NNE.
An average-sized eyewall would have been much easier to place ourselves
in its track. As this storm was so small in size you had to be really
accurate to get in its path. Also, we had to find the safest structure
and have the best tree scenes during the strongest winds. We ended up
in the ground-level parking garage of a hospital between Port Charlotte
and Charlotte Harbor. While searching for our spot the winds were
averaging 40 to 50 kts in gusts when a sudden gust of 70 kts occurred.
We had to take cover fast! A second gust probably 60 kts or so occurred
as a tree branch blasted out my left rear window of the van--this while
video was rolling, great audio! Minutes later we positioned ourselves
in the parking garage as all hell broke loose!
"The core of this hurricane was so small and its forward movement so
rapid that the winds increased amazingly fast. We were probably in
an area of better constructed buildings as just a few blocks either side
of us damage to structures was much worse. During the first half winds
in my estimation were in the 120 to 130 mph range. There were many
sections of roofing material flying around and I filmed the roof of a
bank as it came off in pieces across the parking lot from us. The wind
speed dropped off dramatically as the northern portion of the eye moved
across--this took about two or three minutes--when all of a sudden the
winds shifted to the NNE, then eventually north with the rain really
blinding at this time. I estimated the gusts at the height of this part
as high as 135 to 140 mph. The strongest winds on the back side lasted
about 15 to 20 minutes. It was like going through a 15-mile-wide
tornado! About 30 minutes later we began a brief damage survey before we
headed back home. I noticed how the intense damage was definitely in
streaks, which is typical in rapidly deepening hurricanes. The eyewall
was characterized by very turbulent gusts, which is a common occurrence
when the eyewall convection is very intense. This would account for
the streaks of intense damage. This was first noted in Hurricane Celia
in August, 1970, in Corpus Christi, Texas, a storm with a similar central
pressure and storm size at landfall."
More information may be available on Jim's website:
<http://www.cyclonejim.com/>
(Report written by Gary Padgett)
