Number 22, November 2, 2008
The Hurricane Herald
This is the monthly newsletter of WikiProject Tropical Cyclones. The Hurricane Herald aims to give a summary, both of the activities of the WikiProject and global tropical cyclone activity. If you wish to change how you receive this newsletter, or no longer wish to receive it, please add your username to the appropriate section on the mailing list. This newsletter covers all of October 2008.
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Storm of the month
Deep Depression ARB 02 caused the 2008 Yemen floods. On October 19 the IMD noted that an area of low pressure which located to the south east of Salalah, Oman had intensifed in to a tropical depression and was assigned the number ARB 02. On October 21 IMD updated the system to a Deep Depression while it lay 700 km south of Salalah, Oman near the east coast of Somalia. It lost its strength while crossing the Gulf of Aden due to entry of dry air and land interaction as it passed close to the northeastern coast of Somalia. It later was downgraded to a Depression, named TC 03B by the JTWC. On October 24 it made landfall on the south-eastern coast of Yemen, leaving at least 26 civilians and six soldiers dead while trapping hundreds of people due to flooding and torrential rainfalls. The latest figure of casualties is of 184 persons dead and 100 others missing, mostly from the region of Hadhramawt, where the storm made landfall. A total of 733 houses were destroyed in the governorates of Hadhramaut and Al Mahrah, while 22,000 people were displaced. The Yemeni Government declared the two aforementioned governorates as disaster zones.
Other tropical cyclone activity
- Atlantic Ocean– In the Atlantic, four tropical cyclones formed this October. Tropical Storm Marco formed in the Bay of Campeche on October 6. It made landfall on October 8 and is one of the smallest Atlantic tropical cyclones since 1988. Tropical Storm Nana formed October 12 in the middle of the open Atlantic. It had no impact anywhere and dissipated October 14. Hurricane Omar formed October 13 and dissipated October 18. Eventually peaking as a Category 4 hurricane, Omar passed through the Lesser Antilles twice, including once near peak intensity. Fortunately, it caused only one indirect death. Tropical Depression Sixteen formed on October 16 and dissipated two days later after making landfall. It killed 16 to 20 people in Central America.
- Eastern Pacific Ocean– In the eastern north Pacific, three tropical cyclones formed this October. Hurricane Norbert formed October 3 and dissipated October 12. The strongest storm thus far this season, Norbert is the first hurricane to strike the west coast of the Baja California Peninsula since 1968. Eight deaths have been blamed on the hurricane.. Tropical Storm Odile formed October 8 and paralleled the coast of Mexico before dissipating on October 12. Tropical Depression Seventeen-E formed on October 23 and dissipated the next day without impacting land.
- Western Pacific Ocean– In the western north Pacific, two tropical cyclones formed. Tropical Storm Bavi formed October 18 in the open Pacific. It never came near land and dissipated three days later. Tropical Depression Twenty Two-W formed on October 13 in the Gulf of Tonkin and made landfall on October 15. It dissipated inland the next day.
- North Indian– In the northern Indian Ocean, two cyclones formed. Besides Deep Depression ARB 02, which caused flooding that killed 184 people in Yemen, Cyclonic Storm Rashmi formed October 25 and made landfall three days later. It killed two people.
- South-West Indian – The 2008-09 South West Indian Ocean Season got off to an early start with two pre season zones of disturbed weather. The first zone of disturbed weather formed on October 6 and did not develop any further. Whilst the second zone of disturbed weather formed on October 16 and developed in to Moderate Tropical Storm Asma.
Member of the month
The October member of the month is Hurricanehink. Since joining the project near its inception, Hurricanehink has been involved in bringing forty two articles, eighteen lists and six topics to featured status. Just this month, Hurricanehink was mentioned in the Signpost Dispatch. Hurricanehink has also been the regular distributor for this newsletter.
New members
New and improved articles
- There were new pieces of Featured content : Hurricane Dean (FT), Timeline of the 2007 Pacific hurricane season, Tropical Storm Hanna (2002), Timeline of the 2006 Pacific hurricane season
- New Good articles include: Hurricane Hernan (2008), Effects of Tropical Storm Allison in Texas, Hurricane Frances, Hurricane Joyce (2000), Hurricane Elida (2008), Tropical Storm Lester (2004), Tropical Storm Arlene (1959), Tropical Storm Rosa (2006), Cyclone Daman, Hurricane Donna, Hurricane Rosa (1994), 1994 Pacific hurricane season, Hurricane Fern (1971), Tropical Storm Frances (1998), and 1982 Pacific typhoon season
- New storm articles include: Hurricane Marie (2008) Tropical Storm Dora (2005), Tropical Storm Karina (2008), Hurricane Norbert (2008), Cyclone Cliff, Tropical Storm Arlene (1959), Tropical Storm Rosa (2006), Hurricane Otis (2005), Tropical Storm Kika (2008), Cyclone Elisa (2008), Tropical Storm Lidia (2005), Tropical Depression Fifteen (2007), Tropical Depression Seven (2002)
- New non-storm articles include: 1966 Pacific hurricane season, 1854 Atlantic hurricane season, Timeline of the 2003 Pacific hurricane season, 2009 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
Main Page content
- Entries from articles: Tropical Storm Lester (2004), Hurricane Rosa (1994), Tropical Storm Kirsten (1966), 1854 Atlantic hurricane season appeared on the Main Page in the Did you know column during October.
- Meteorological History of Hurricane Wilma appeared as Today's Featured Article on October 26.
- 2008 Yemen floods, caused by Deep Depression ARB 02, appeared on the Main Page in the In the News section.
Storm article statistics
| Grade | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 FA
|
42 | 46 | 47 | 48 |
 A
|
18 | 18 | 19 | 19 |
 GA
|
139 | 145 | 161 | 187 |
| B | 15 | 14 | 17 | 12 |
| C | 98 | 99 | 107 | 113 |
| Start | 202 | 197 | 201 | 201 |
| Stub | 10 | 15 | 19 | 20 |
| Total | 524 | 537 | 571 | 600 |
| ω | 2.94 | 2.92 | 2.92 | 2.88 |
| percentage ≥Less than C |
40.5 | 39.5 | 38.5 | 36.8 |
| percentage ≥GA or better |
38.0 | 39.3 | 39.8 | 42.3 |
Project News
A discussion concerning sandboxes for next year's articles has begun. Please consider working on sandboxes so they will be ready to publish. As tropical cyclones can form at any time in the western Pacific and northern Indian Oceans, these two season's should be made ready for cyclones by December. Ideally, due to the possibility of pre-season storms, the eastern Pacific and Atlantic seasons should also be ready by then, but they should at least be ready by the northern-Hemisphere antipeak in late February and early March. Seasons for the years 2010 to 2015 should be given the name "Post-2009 {ocean name} {cyclone term} seasons", as in "Post 2009 Atlantic hurricane seasons".
A category for tropical cyclone articles of very-low importance has been introduced. Although discussion is still ongoing, a rating of very-low-importance will generally be given to weak cyclones that do not have impact or set any sort of record.
Editorial
This month, our usual editor, Hurricanehink, has been on a semi-wikibreak until further notice. I am filling in as editor and distributor on an interim basis. The newsletter will continue as normal during that time. Thank you. Miss Madeline | Talk to Madeline 00:49, 2 November 2008 (UTC)