Hurricane Jose (1999)
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| Category 2 hurricane (SSHS) | ||
|---|---|---|
 Hurricane Jose over the Lesser Antilles in mid-October, 1999. |
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| Formed | October 17, 1999 | |
| Dissipated | October 25, 1999 | |
| Highest winds |
|
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| Lowest pressure | 979 mbar (hPa) | |
| Damage | <$5 million (1999 USD) <$5.7 million (2005 USD) |
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| Fatalities | 2 direct | |
| Areas affected |
Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico | |
| Part of the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season |
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Hurricane Jose was a Category 2 hurricane that affected the Leeward Islands between October 20 and October 25, 1999. It was the fourteenth tropical cyclone, twelfth named storm, and eighth hurricane of the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season.
Jose formed on October 8 while 400 miles east of the Windward Islands. The storm quickly strengthened into a hurricane and over 2,000 people were evacuated from islands in its path. It moved northwest, and as the hurricane passed over Antigua, Saint-Barthélemy and St. Martin on the October 20 and October 21. Over a foot of rain fell on St. Martin. It weakened to a tropical storm as it approached the U.S. Virgin Islands and as it neared Puerto Rico, Jose turned to the north-northeast. Jose remained on a near-straight line track into the north Atlantic until it lost its tropical characteristics on October 25. It then merged with a non-tropical system.
Jose caused one death in Antigua and one in St. Martin. Extensive damage was reported in St. Martin from flooding and mud slides, but no dollar value is attached to this. Damage to the affected US areas was minimal.
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[edit] Storm History
The hurricane originated from a tropical wave that moved of the coast of Africa on October 8.[1] The tropical wave moved slowly westward for several days until it was halfway between the Lesser Antilles and Africa on October 15. On October 17, the system was declared a tropical depression at 1800 UTC near the Windward Islands. While moving west-northwestward, the depression was upgraded to tropical storm status and was named Jose on October 18.[1]
By October 19, a strong mid-tropospheric high over the southwestern north Atlantic was predicted to steer Tropical Storm Jose to a west-northwestward track. But the high pressure ridge weakened and thus the storm to turn north. Jose became a hurricane on October 19 and was centred about 150 miles east of the Leeward Islands. As it neared the islands, Jose's minimum central pressure reached its lowest, 979 mbar (hPa). Six hours later, winds reached a peak of 100 mph (165 km/h), while just before, it had winds of only 90 mph (80 kts), resulting in two different peaks.[1]
Turning back on a northwest direction, Hurricane Jose struck the northern Leeward Islands, passing over Antigua around midday on October 20. The center of the storm then moved near St. Barthelemy and St. Martin on October 21.[1] As Jose moved over the Leeward Islands, a strong vertical wind shear disrupted the storm and Jose weakened to a tropical storm by the time it reached Tortola in the British Virgin Islands on October 21. On the same day, Jose turned back to the northwest as the center passed 50 miles east of Puerto Rico.
Between October 22 and October 23, Jose turned northeastward and sped up. Jose then briefly regained hurricane strength as it bypassed east of Bermuda. The storm continued northeastward before being declared an extratropical storm on August 25, when it merged with a mid-latitude low and a front associated with the low.[1]
[edit] Preparations
Twenty-four shelters were set up to be used when Jose passed over. But only 506 people used the shelters.[2]
[edit] Impact
Antigua and Barbuda was strongly affected by the hurricane. The storm was damage was severe in both of the islands while damage was less in St. Kitts and Nevis was minor because the hurricane passed northward of those islands.
[edit] Antigua and Barbuda
In Antigua and Barbuda, there was considerable flooding of major roads and 2,000 people were severely affected and were evacuated. About 516 of the people were housed in emergency shelters.[3] Across the island, the storm killed one person, injured 12, left an elderly blind man missing,[4] and 500 houses were destroyed including a newly built church.[5][3] In the village of Crab´s Hill, 64 of the 81 houses were ether seriously damaged or destroyed.[3] The hurricane also disrupted 50% of telephone service and 90% of the homes were left without electricity.[3] A wind gust of 102 mph (164 km/h) was reported by the Antigua Meteorological Service on the 20th.[6]
[edit] Rest of Caribbean
In St. Kitts and Nevis, flooding was the principal hazard as several main roads were washed out and landslides were reported. In St Maarten, rainfall totaled to 13.75 inches, though much of the Leeward Islands received 12 to 15 inches of rain. Because of the rain, numerous mudslides and flash floods were reported, damaging buildings and roads. One person was reported have perished due to the storm's ferocity.[1] Dominica received no more than a little rain, only being persistent for one morning.[7] Damage in Puerto Rico was minimal, though up to 5 inches of rain fell in some areas on the island. The highest reported rainfall there was 6.54 inches in Rio Blanco Lower.
[edit] Aftermath
After the storm, several villages in Antigua and Barbuda were declared disaster areas and Red Cross workers were called to clean up the damage.[3]
[edit] Lack of retirement
Despite the damage, the name Jose was not retired by the World Meteorological Organization in the spring of 2000 and so it was used again in 2005 Atlantic hurricane season for a moderate tropical storm and is currently on the list of names for the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Antigua and Barbuda Damage report
- Jose report
- BBC News
- Jose Damage report
- Associated Press
- Irish Examiner
- The Prime Minister of Antigua's address to the nation about Jose
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1999jose.html
- ^ http://1001resources.com/hosting/users/AT/news/Jose/reports/overview.html
- ^ a b c d e http://www.ifrc.org/docs/appeals/99/3199.pdf
- ^ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/ACOS-64CFMH?OpenDocument
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/weather/huricane/1999/atlantic/wjantigua.htm
- ^ http://stormcarib.com/hurr99c.htm
- ^ http://www.avirtualdominica.com/hurricanejose.htm
