000
ACPN60 PHFO 011015
TWSCP
TROPICAL WEATHER SUMMARY FOR THE CENTRAL NORTH PACIFIC
NWS CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER HONOLULU HI
1230 AM HST SAT DEC 1 2007
FOR THE CENTRAL NORTH PACIFIC...BETWEEN 140W AND 180
...2007 CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE SEASON REVIEW...
THE CENTRAL NORTH PACIFIC HURRICANE SEASON HAD A TOTAL OF TWO
TROPICAL CYCLONES...INCLUDING ONE HURRICANE AND ONE TROPICAL
DEPRESSION. NO TROPICAL CYCLONES FORMED OVER THE CENTRAL NORTH
PACIFIC OCEAN THIS YEAR. BOTH TROPICAL SYSTEMS ORIGINATED OVER THE
NORTHEASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN SEVERAL DAYS PRIOR TO CROSSING LONGITUDE
140W INTO THE CENTRAL PACIFIC. THE ONLY CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE...
FLOSSIE...MAINTAINED CATEGORY 4 INTENSITY ON THE SIMPSON/SAFFIR
SCALE FOR THE FIRST FEW DAYS AFTER IT ENTERED THE CENTRAL PACIFIC.
FLOSSIE WAS ALSO THE FIRST TROPICAL CYCLONE SINCE HURRICANE JIMENA
OF 2003 THAT REQUIRED THE ISSUANCE OF TROPICAL CYCLONE
WATCHES/WARNINGS IN THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
THE FIRST TROPICAL CYCLONE OF 2007...TROPICAL DEPRESSION COSME...
CROSSED LONGITUDE 140W ON 18 JULY AS A SWIRL OF LOW CLOUDS THAT WAS
COMPLETELY DEVOID OF DEEP CONVECTION. COSME HAD BEEN A MINIMAL
HURRICANE FOR A BRIEF PERIOD TWO DAYS EARLIER ACCORDING TO THE
NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER. HOSTILE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS DID NOT
ALLOW THE DEPRESSION TO REGAIN TROPICAL STORM INTENSITY...BUT
INTERMITTENT FLARE UPS OF DEEP CONVECTION PERMITTED COSME TO
MAINTAIN MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS OF AT LEAST 30 MPH FOR SEVERAL DAYS
AS IT MOVED OVER THE CENTRAL NORTH PACIFIC. BUOY 51002 REPORTED SEAS
OF 18 FEET AND 8.5 MINUTE AVERAGE WIND SPEEDS OF 28 KT WITH GUSTS TO
35 KT ON 21 JULY AS COSME PASSED 65 MILES TO THE SOUTH. EVEN THOUGH
COSME PASSED ABOUT 225 MILES SOUTH OF HILO ON THE BIG ISLAND OF
HAWAII...IT TRANSPORTED A LARGE AREA OF MOISTURE FAR TO THE NORTH.
THE INTERACTION OF THIS MOISTURE WITH THE TERRAIN BROUGHT UP TO 7
INCHES OF MUCH NEEDED RAIN TO PARTS OF THE BIG ISLAND. BY 22 JULY...
THE DEPRESSION FINALLY SUCCUMBED TO TWO DAYS OF VERY STRONG VERTICAL
WIND SHEAR.
THE SECOND CENTRAL PACIFIC TROPICAL CYCLONE OF 2007...HURRICANE
FLOSSIE...CROSSED LONGITUDE 140W ON 11 AUGUST. FLOSSIE WAS A VERY
IMPRESSIVE HURRICANE WITH A DISTINCT EYE EMBEDDED WITHIN A SOLID
EYEWALL AND A VERY IMPRESSIVE UPPER LEVEL OUTFLOW PATTERN. THE
HURRICANE MAINTAINED MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF 130 TO 140 MPH
FOR THE FIRST TWO DAYS AFTER IT ENTERED THE CENTRAL PACIFIC. FLOSSIE
WAS A RELATIVELY SMALL TROPICAL CYCLONE WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 39
MPH OR GREATER EXTENDING OUT ABOUT 100 MILES FROM THE CENTER IN THE
NORTHERN SEMICIRCLE DURING THIS SAME TIME PERIOD.
A HURRICANE WATCH AND A TROPICAL STORM WARNING WERE ISSUED FOR THE
BIG ISLAND ON 13 AUGUST. FORTUNATELY...THE LONG ANTICIPATED INCREASE
IN VERTICAL WIND SHEAR TOOK ITS TOLL ON FLOSSIE AND IT WEAKENED
RAPIDLY TO A TROPICAL STORM. FLOSSIE WAS FINALLY DOWNGRADED TO A
TROPICAL DEPRESSION LATE ON 15 AUGUST.
EVEN THOUGH THE CENTER OF FLOSSIE PASSED ABOUT 100 MILES DUE SOUTH
OF SOUTH POINT ON THE BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII...IT GENERATED VERY LARGE
WAVES ALONG THE SOUTHEAST FACING SHORELINE OF THAT ISLAND. SURF
HEIGHTS WERE ESTIMATED TO BE NEAR 20 FEET. IN FACT...COINCIDENT WITH
THE PASSAGE OF FLOSSIE...A 44 ACRE LAVA BENCH SLIPPED INTO THE OCEAN
DURING THE NIGHT ON 13 AUGUST. IT IS POSSIBLE THIS LOSS OF SHORELINE
WAS DUE TO THE LARGE SURF FROM THE HURRICANE...A 5.4 MAGNITUDE
EARTHQUAKE THAT OCCURRED AROUND THE SAME TIME OR A COMBINATION OF
BOTH EVENTS. NO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OR INJURIES WERE REPORTED ON THE
BIG ISLAND.
SUMMARY TABLE...DATA ONLY FOR THE CENTRAL PACIFIC...
NAME DATES MAX. WIND EST. MINIMUM PRESSURE
--------------------------------------------------------------
TD COSME 18-22 JUL 30 KT/35 MPH 1008 MB/29.77 IN
HURR FLOSSIE 11-16 AUG 120 KT/140 MPH 949 MB/28.02 IN
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...VISIT THE CPHC WEB SITE AT...
/IN LOWERCASE/...WWW.WEATHER.GOV/CPHC
$$
HOUSTON/BROWNING/KODAMA
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