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Tropical Storm Bonnie (2004)

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Storms

   CAPTION: Tropical Storm Bonnie

   Tropical storm ( SSHS)
   Tropical Storm Bonnie approaching Florida.
   Tropical Storm Bonnie approaching Florida.
     __________________________________________________________________

   Formed August 3, 2004
   Dissipated August 14, 2004
   Highest
   winds
   65  mph (105  km/h) (1-minute sustained)
   Lowest pressure 1001 mbar ( hPa)
   Damage $1.27 million dollars (2004 USD)
   Fatalities 3 direct, 1 indirect
   Areas
   affected Leeward Islands, Jamaica, Yucatán Peninsula, Florida, Georgia,
   South Carolina, North Carolina, Maine.
   Part of the
   2004 Atlantic hurricane season

   Tropical Storm Bonnie was a small tropical storm that made landfall on
   Florida in August 2004. Bonnie, the second storm of the season,
   developed from a tropical wave on August 3 to the east of the Lesser
   Antilles. After moving through the islands, its fast forward motion
   caused it to dissipate; however, it later regenerated into a tropical
   storm near the Yucatán Peninsula. Bonnie reached peak winds of 65 mph
   (105 km/h) over the Gulf of Mexico, turned to the northeast, and hit
   Florida as a 45 mph (70 km) tropical storm. The storm accelerated to
   the northeast and became an extratropical cyclone to the east of New
   Jersey. Bonnie was the first of five tropical systems to make landfall
   on Florida in the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season, and the second of a
   record eight disturbances to reach tropical storm strength during the
   month of August.

   Bonnie's impact was minimal. Throughout the Caribbean Sea, the storm
   mainly caused light rainfall; and in Florida, rainfall caused flooding
   and minor damage. The tropical storm caused a tornado outbreak across
   the Southeastern United States, killing three and causing over
   $1 million (2004 USD) in damage. Bonnie is most notable for making
   landfall on Florida the day before Hurricane Charley struck.

Storm history

   Storm path
   Enlarge
   Storm path

   A tropical wave left the coast of Africa on July 29 and entered the
   Atlantic Ocean. It moved westward, attaining convection and a mid-level
   circulation. Convection steadily increased, and, upon the development
   of a low-level circulation centre, the system organized into Tropical
   Depression Two on August 3 while 415 miles (670 km) east of Barbados.
   It moved rapidly westward at speeds of up to 23 mph (37 km/h); after
   crossing through the Lesser Antilles on August 4, it degenerated back
   into a tropical wave.

   The tropical wave continued to move rapidly to the west-northwest,
   until it reached the western Caribbean Sea. While south of Cuba, the
   system slowed down to regenerate convection, and it re-developed into a
   tropical depression on August 8. Operationally, the system was
   classified a tropical wave until a day later. The depression moved
   through the Yucatán Channel, and intensified into Tropical Storm Bonnie
   on August 9 while 70 miles (115 km) north of the Yucatán Peninsula.
   Bonnie, to the north of Charley on August 12, 2004
   Enlarge
   Bonnie, to the north of Charley on August 12, 2004

   Bonnie continued to the west-northwest; late on August 9, the storm
   presented a 9-mile (15-km) wide eyewall, a very unusual occurrence in a
   small and weak tropical storm. Bonnie quickly strengthened while
   turning to the north, a directional shift caused by a break in the
   mid-level ridge. The storm briefly weakened late on August 10; it
   re-strengthened again the following day to attain a peak intensity of
   65 mph (105 km/h). Soon after, strong southwesterly wind shear
   disrupted the storm, causing Bonnie to weaken again. On August 12,
   Bonnie made landfall just south of Apalachicola as a 45 mph (70 km/h)
   tropical storm. It quickly weakened to a tropical depression, and
   accelerated northeastward through the southeastern United States. After
   paralleling the Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina coastlines,
   Bonnie lost its tropical characteristics on August 14 to the east of
   New Jersey. Its remnant low continued northeastward, making landfall in
   Massachusetts and Maine and continuing into Atlantic Canada.

Preparations

   16 hours before the storm moved through the Lesser Antilles, the
   government of Saint Lucia issued a tropical storm warning. Guadeloupe,
   Martinique, Dominica, St. Maarten, Saba, St. Eustatius, Puerto Rico and
   the U.S Virgin Islands issued tropical storm watches.

   In combination with the threat of Hurricane Charley, Bonnie forced the
   evacuation of 154  oil platforms and 32  oil rigs. The stoppage of
   production was equivalent to over 1.2 million barrels of crude oil, or
   0.2% of the annual oil production in the Gulf of Mexico. Natural gas
   reserves were also limited. The lack of gas production due to the
   storms was equivalent to 7.4% of the total daily production in the Gulf
   of Mexico.

   Early forecasts for Bonnie indicated that the storm might make landfall
   as an 80 mph (130 km/h) Category 1 hurricane. In response to the
   threat, fifteen shelters in seven northwestern Florida counties were
   put on standby. In the hours before landfall, two shelters were opened,
   four were put on standby, and health and cleanup teams were deployed to
   the area. Parts of Gadsden, Wakulla, and Levy Counties issued voluntary
   evacuations, and numerous schools were closed. In anticipation of the
   threat, Florida Governor Jeb Bush issued a state of emergency.

Impact

   Bonnie was a weak storm through most of its path, dropping only light
   rainfall and causing minimal damage. South Carolina and North Carolina
   experienced the worst of the storm, where a tornado outbreak killed
   three people and caused moderate damage.

Caribbean Sea

   While traversing the Lesser Antilles as a tropical depression, Bonnie
   was moving very rapidly; consequently, most islands only experienced
   minor effects. For example, Saint Lucia received light and sporadic
   rainshowers, with sustained winds of 20 to 25 mph (32 to 40 km/h) and
   gusts to 35 mph (55 km/h). In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
   however, the depression dropped up to 9.2 inches (235 mm) of rain in 24
   hours. The rainfall blocked storm drains, including those near the
   airport, which was forced to shut down. In addition, the rainfall
   caused debris to collect on roads throughout the island. Although the
   storm passed only 70 miles (110 km) north of the Yucatán Peninsula,
   Bonnie only 0.6 inches (15 mm) of rain due to its small size.

North America

   Tornado damage from Bonnie
   Enlarge
   Tornado damage from Bonnie

   In Florida, Bonnie produced up to 4.1 inches (104 mm) of rainfall in
   Pace, with peak wind gusts of 42 mph (68 km/h). Bonnie was accompanied
   by a four-foot storm surge; moderate wave action caused slight beach
   erosion. Rainfall and storm surge flooded roads, forcing the evacuation
   of 2,000 residents in Taylor County. The winds downed trees and caused
   scattered power outages. A tornado in Jacksonville damaged several
   businesses and houses.
   Rainfall totals of Tropical Storm Bonnie.
   Enlarge
   Rainfall totals of Tropical Storm Bonnie.

   Bonnie spawned a tornado outbreak across the Mid-Atlantic. One such
   tornado in Pender County, North Carolina destroyed 17 homes and damaged
   59 houses, causing three deaths and $1.27 million in damage (2004 USD).
   In Stella, Bonnie generated a waterspout that struck a campground,
   damaged nine trailers, and wrecked small boats. A tornado in Richlands
   damaged several houses as well. In South Carolina, tornadoes across the
   state damaged nine homes. A suspected tornado in Danville, Virginia
   destroyed the roofs of several businesses. In South Carolina, rainfall
   peaking at 6.07 inches (154 mm) in Loris caused flooding across the
   state. The flooding, including a one foot depth along U.S. Route 501,
   washed away a road and a bridge in Greenville County. In addition,
   600 people across the state were left without electricity.

   In Pennsylvania, the remnants of the storm dropped up to 8 inches
   (200 mm) of rain in Tannersville. The rainfall caused the Schuylkill
   River to reach a crest peak of 12.89  ft (4 m) at Berne. The flooding
   blocked several roads across eastern Pennsylvania. In addition, Bonnie
   produced gusty winds, leaving thousands without power from downed power
   lines. In Delaware, the storm dropped up to 4 inches (100 mm) of rain,
   forcing 100 to evacuate from the floodwaters. The flooding closed part
   of U.S. Route 13, and an overflown creek in New Castle County caused
   moderate flooding damage to stores. In Maine, moisture from the
   remnants of Bonnie produced heavy rainfall, with localized totals of up
   to 10 inches (250 mm). The rainfall flooded or washed out roads across
   the eastern portion of the state. In Aroostook County, near the town of
   St. Francis, the rainfall caused a mudslide, narrowing a county road to
   one lane.

   Bonnie, as an extratropical low combined with a frontal system,
   continued to produce moderate rainfall in Canada, peaking at 3.5 inches
   (90 mm) in Edmundston, New Brunswick. The rainfall caused basement
   flooding and road washouts; slick roads caused a traffic fatality in
   Edmundston.

Aftermath

   22 hours after Bonnie struck Florida, Hurricane Charley passed over the
   Dry Tortugas. This was the first time in recorded history that two
   tropical storms struck Florida in one day. Before Bonnie and Charley,
   the most recent example of two tropical storms hitting the state in a
   short amount of time was Hurricane Gordon and Tropical Storm Helene in
   September 2000, which hit five days apart. Originally, it was thought
   that two storms in the 1906 season hit the state within 12 hours;
   however, the suspected tropical storm was downgraded to a tropical
   depression in a more recent analysis.

   Because Bonnie hit Florida immediately before Charley, damage between
   the two storms was often difficult to differentiate. President George
   W. Bush responded to the storm by declaring much of Florida a Federal
   Disaster Area on August 13, 2004. Because the damage was minimal, the
   name Bonnie was not retired; it will be reused in the 2010 Atlantic
   hurricane season.

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