| Tropical Storm (SSHS) | |
|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Sebastien near the Lesser Antilles. | |
| Formed | October 20, 1995 |
| Dissipated | October 25, 1995 |
| Highest winds | 1-minute sustained: 65 mph (100 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 1001 mbar (hPa; 29.56 inHg) |
| Fatalities | None reported |
| Damage | Minimal |
| Areas affected | Puerto Rico, Lesser Antilles |
| Part of the 1995 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Tropical Storm Sebastien was the twentieth cyclone of the active 1995 Atlantic hurricane season. Sebastien originated from a tropical wave that near the coast of Africa on October 13 and moved westward toward the Caribbean Sea. The wave increased in convection and became Tropical Depression Twenty on October 20, strengthening into a tropical storm within 12 hours of formation. Sebastien encountered a tropical low off of Puerto Rico and entered some southwesterly wind shear, which stopped strengthening at 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) on October 23. The now-depression Sebastien made landfall in Anguilla on the morning of October 24. Sebastien soon entered a low-level flow and encountered wind shear, becoming a remnant low on October 25 near the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. While over that area, it produced moderate rain, but damage was minimal, and no deaths were reported.
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Sebastien originated from a tropical wave that formed off the west coast of Africa on October 13 and moved westward across the Atlantic until October 19. The next day shower activity increased with the tropical wave and it was declared a depression by the afternoon of October 20. Twelve hours after forming, the depression became a tropical storm, named Sebastien.[1] Upon doing so, the depression had become better organized and then gained a good outflow.[2]
By that night, the National Hurricane Center was forecasting Sebastien to intensify somewhat.[3] Afterword, wind shear halted further intensification, and little more was expected.[4] Instead, it started to intensify.[1] Sebastien started interacting with a low pressure area near Puerto Rico at that time the system reached its peak of 65 mph (100 km/h) and a peak pressure 1001 millibars later on October 22, based on ship reports.[1] However, it was originally believed to be weaker.[5] At this time, it was located a few hundred nautical miles northeast of the northern Leeward Islands.
Not long after, the associated steering circulation near Sebastien's center turned the storm to the north and entered southwesterly wind shear, which prevented the system from strengthening into a hurricane. It started to move with the low-level flow from the southwest at this time,[1] thus causing that storm to move into the storm into the southwesterly wind shear and caused Sebastien to weaken. As a response, the storm weakened into a tropical depression the next day. The tropical cyclone made landfall in Anguilla as a weak tropical depression the next day. Sebastien degenerated into a remnant low on the morning of October 25 while located due east of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the remnants continued westbound.[1]
As Tropical Storm Sebastien turned towards the Caribbean Sea on October 23, the National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm watch for the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.[1] Other islands were on alert as the NHC stated that the watch area may need to be expanded.[6] Still recovering from Hurricane Marilyn less than a month ago, residents living in damaged homes reportedly evacuated their homes.[7] However, the watch was discontinued 24 hours later after the storm weakened to a tropical depression.[1]
The remnants of Sebastien produced moderate rainfall across parts of Puerto Rico between October 24 and 26, with most areas receiving at least 0.25 in (6.4 mm) of rain. A maximum of 3.53 in (90 mm) fell in Quebradillas.[8] Offshore, satellites estimated that up to 12.6 in (320 mm) of rain fell due to Sebastien.[9] Throughout the Leeward Islands, there were no reports of casualties or damages; however,[1] offshore, three ships recorded gale-force winds in relation to the storm.[10]