A couple of quick random questions

[mtm4319]

First...



Am I looking at this correctly? Jerry in 1995 strengthened into a tropical storm just as it made landfall on the Florida coast; maintaines TS intensity traveling diagonally through the Peninsula; and then decreased to a depression just as it went back into the Gulf? Quite odd.

Second: most tropical systems are identified as tropical depressions first (winds of maybe 30 or 35 mph). Occasionally, the first advisories will begin at tropical storm strength (usually 40 mph). Does anyone know the highest initial wind speed for a newly named tropical storm? This would have to be rapidly strengthening enough to bypass the TD phase entirely and get to mid-tropical storm strength within about 6 hours.

Thanks for any answers.

[Swimdude]

I've certainly seen the TD phase by-passed before. It happens once every couple of years, to my knowledge...

As for your other question, I think you might just be looking at the colors wrong. That's a weakening over Florida and once again strengthening over the Gulf.

[mtm4319]

As for your other question, I think you might just be looking at the colors wrong. That's a weakening over Florida and once again strengthening over the Gulf.

That's what I thought at first, but then I saw this topic...

Here's one: it features Humberto, Iris, and Jerry, plus a couple of waves.

551
ABNT20 KNHC 240917
TWOAT
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
530 AM EDT THU AUG 24 1995

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

THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER IS ISSUING ADVISORIES ON TROPICAL STORM JERRY LOCATED INLAND NEAR THE CENTRAL FLORIDA EAST COAST...ON HURRICANE IRIS LOCATED ABOUT 450 MILES EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES ...AND ON HURRICANE HUMBERTO LOCATED ABOUT 1100 MILES WEST OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS.

DISORGANIZED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE EASTERN/CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A WESTWARD-MOVING TROPICAL WAVE. THERE ARE NO SIGNS OF DEVELOPMENT.

A STRONG TROPICAL WAVE LOCATED A FEW HUNDRED MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS CONTINUES WELL ORGANIZED. SOME SLOW DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SYSTEM IS POSSIBLE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

ELSEWHERE...TROPICAL STORM FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH FRIDAY.

AVILA

[DoctorHurricane2003]

To answer your second question............the one I automatically know of is Hurricane Noel in 2001 which became a hurricane on the first advisory.

[StormsAhead]

To answer your first question, the post-season analysis said that:

"Based on measurements from a NOAA plane, it is estimated that the system strengthened to a tropical storm around 1200 UTC on the 23rd. Tropical Storm Jerry made landfall later that same day near Jupiter, Florida as a 35-knot storm. Jerry moved northwest to west-northwest across the Florida peninsula, weakening back to a tropical depression by 1800 UTC on the 24th while nearing the upper west coast of Florida."
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1995jerry.html

So yes, you are reading it right. The depression became a tropical storm just before making landfall in Florida, and weakened back to a depression just before moving off the coast. This slow weakening is unusual, but could happen, if, say, it was about to strengthen rapidly just before moving inland.

[timNms]

If I'm not mistaken, Camille went from an "inverted V" shaped wave to tropical storm on their first advisory. Of course, that was in 1969.