Tropical Storm Gamma (2005)

Tropical Storm Gamma (2005)

Infobox Hurricane
Name=Tropical Storm Gamma
Type=Tropical storm
Year=2005
Basin=Atl
Image location=Tropical storm gamma.jpg

Gulf of Honduras
Formed=November 13, 2005
Dissipated=November 20, 2005
1-min winds=45
Pressure=1002
Da

Inflated=1
Fatalities=37 direct, 4 indirect
Areas=Lesser Antilles, Honduras, Belize
Hurricane season=2005 Atlantic hurricane season

Tropical Storm Gamma affected much of the Caribbean Islands and Honduras during November. Gamma was the 27th tropical depression and 24th tropical storm of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. The wave began its life on November 3 off Africa. The wave crossed the Atlantic Ocean for ten days and intensified into Tropical Depression 27 on November 13. The depression continued through the Caribbean Sea and weakened into a tropical wave on November 16. The remnants strengthened into Tropical Storm Gamma on November 18. The storm dissipated on November 22 over Honduras and Nicaragua. 37 people were killed directly, most in Honduras. 4 others were killed indirectly by Tropical Storm Gamma.

Meteorological history

A tropical wave formed off the coast of Africa on November 3. For a late-season tropical wave, the system kept an unusually high amount of convection as it trekked across the Atlantic Ocean. [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/TCR-AL282005_Gamma.pdf NHC's Gamma Report] ] The National Hurricane Center began to track the wave when it was located about convert|100|mi|km off the coast of Barbados. [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/text/TWOAT/2005/TWOAT.200511130329 Tropical Weather Outlook - November 12 - 10:30 PM] ] The low-pressure system changed little during November 13, producing locally heavy rains to the Caribbean Islands. [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/text/TWOAT/2005/TWOAT.200511132229 Tropical Weather Outlook - November 13 - 5:30 PM] ] But upper-level shearing winds abated, making conditions conducive for tropical development, [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/text/TWOAT/2005/TWOAT.200511132229] and by November 14 the system had formed Tropical Depression 27. [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/text/TWOAT/2005/TWOAT.200511140308] http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al272005.discus.001.shtml?] An upper-level trough near the Greater Antillies continued to provide westerly sheer that briefly stalled the development,http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al272005.discus.002.shtml?] but the system's strong convection persisted.http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al272005.discus.003.shtml?] A break in the shear enabled the storm to briefly reach tropical storm-status on November 15, but the hostile environment quickly returned and weakened the newly christened "Gamma" back into a tropical depression that same day. A deeplayered subtropical high pressure ridge over the southwestern Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico propelled the system westward across the Carribean Sea at more than convert|25|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on and the storm's center was sheered away entirely [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al272005.discus.008.shtml?] [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al272005.discus.010.shtml?] The NHC, believing that the system was disipating, announced that it was issuing its last advisory on November 16. [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al272005.discus.011.shtml?] Soon after, the system slowed down on November 17. A tropical wave had formed over the country of Panama in early November and had produced rainfall in several countries. It merged into the remnants of Tropical Depression 27 near Honduras on November 18. Tropical Depression 27 strengthened back into a tropical storm on November 18 and became known as Tropical Storm Gamma. Gamma slowly strengthened, reaching peak winds of 50 mph (80 km/h). The cyclone entered wind shear and rapidly weakened. It weakened into a tropical depression on November 19 and into a remnant low early on November 21. The remnant low dissipated on November 22 near the Honduran-Nicagaruan border.

Preparations

The government of Honduras issued tropical storm warnings for the islands in the Bay of Honduras on November 18. A tropical storm warning was also issued for Belize. Also watches and warnings were discontinued by November 20. Because the storm was not predicted to make landfall (and it did not), few preparations were taken in Honduras for the storm. However, constant rainfall for well over a day as Gamma wandered offshore caused floods that forced over 30,000 people to abandon their homes.

Impact

Death toll

As of January 24 2006, a total of thirty seven people were reported dead as a direct result of Tropical Storm Gamma, mostly in Honduras, with 13 missing in Honduras. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051122/sc_afp/latamweatherhonduras_051122171833 (Link dead as of 15 January 2007)]

Caribbean islands

Two people were killed by a mudslide in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on the island of Bequia as what would become Gamma, at the time only Tropical Depression Twenty-seven, passed the region. Seven homes were also destroyed by flood waters in the region and others were damaged. [http://www.palmbeachpost.com/storm/content/storm/2005/atlantic/gamma/news.html Palm Beach Post - Lifetime of Tropical Storm Gamma] ] Heavy rains from Tropical Depression 27 made roads impassible in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and blow out two bridges in the island of Trinidad. The airport on St.Vincent was closed when Tropical Depression 27 poured rain and debris on the runways. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/11/15/ap/world/mainD8DT17303.shtml New Caribbean Storm Claims First Victims] ]

Other effects across other areas of the Lesser Antilles were minimal and no greater than that of a normal rain event. The deaths of two fishermen in Jamaica were reported to be blamed on Gamma. [ [http://www.newsdaily.com/TopNews/UPI-1-20051118-22313200-bc-us-tropical-1stld.xml NewsDaily: TopNews - Erin drenches Houston, blamed for 1 death ] ]

Central America

Thirty-four people died in Honduras with at least thirteen others missing. [http://cidi.org/disaster/05b/ixl219.html Damage Report on Tropical Storm Gamma in Honduras] ] All deaths were due to flooding and mudslides rather than wind damage as tropical storm-force winds did not impact the mainland. These areas had already been affected by Hurricane Wilma and Hurricane Beta had affected the country in late October. According to the COCEP, the Honduran civil emergency committee, dozens of bridges were washed away and about 2,000 homes were destroyed. According to the NHC, 10 bridges were destroyed due to flooding, and 7 damaged. And convert|5200|acre|km2 worth of banana crops was destroyed, causing $13-18 million (2005 USD) in damage. Floods covered most of Islas de la Bahía department.

An unofficial report of convert|4.44|in|mm of rain was reported on Roatan Island.

Five fishermen who were at sea during Tropical Storm Gamma have been reported missing and, as of November 25, were feared dead pending examination of five unidentified bodies found on the Honduran coast. [http://www.reporter.bz/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=803&Itemid=2 The Reporter ] ] Three people were killed in a plane crash during Gamma's outer bands; it was deemed weather was a factor.http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051122/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/belize_gamma_deaths (Link dead as of 15 January 2007)] Other effects to Belize were minimal.

Aftermath

After the storm turned out to sea, Honduran authorities executed helicopter rescues for individuals and families stranded by flood waters, and UN agencies began airlifting food and water to impacted areas.fact|date=October 2007 The government of Andalucía, in Spain, donated 40 million lempiras to aid in disaster efforts, and the United States sent helicopters to help in the distribution of food among those impacted by the storm. [cite web | author = Government of Honduras | title = Honduras: Ayuda internacional fluye con inmediatez | language = es icon | date = November 21, 2005 | accessdate = 2006-07-13 | publisher = ReliefWeb | url = http://wwwnotes.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/480fa8736b88bbc3c12564f6004c8ad5/02f3dd1cc45f8912c12570c10048223f?OpenDocument ] Because damage was minimal, "Gamma" was not retired and will be used again whenever the regular list of names is used up.

Naming and records

After all of the twenty one predetermined hurricane names for the 2005 season were exhausted following Hurricane Wilma, the Greek alphabet was used, beginning with Tropical Storm Alpha. This storm was designated Gamma once it was known to have reached tropical storm status (after it regenerated). This was the first time that the name Gamma had been used for a tropical cyclone.

By virtue of being the only twenty-fourth tropical storm to form in any Atlantic hurricane season, Gamma also holds the record for being the earliest twenty-fourth tropical storm, reaching tropical storm strength on November 18. Gamma also extended the 2005 season's record for tropical storms to twenty-four, which was exceeded four more times and ended at twenty-eight storms due to Tropical Storm Zeta and a post-season addition of an unnamed storm occurring in October. Additionally, Gamma tied the record set during the 1992 Eastern Pacific hurricane season for most storms in a single basin monitored by NOAA.

ee also

*Tropical cyclone
*List of 2005 Atlantic hurricane season storms

References

External links

*The NHC's [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/GAMMA.shtml? archive on Tropical Storm Gamma] .
*Yahoo! News [http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051122/sc_afp/latamweatherhonduras_051122171833 story] (Link dead as of 01:42, January 15 2007 (UTC))


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