The Atlantic Hurricane season officially ends November 30, annually.
The 2013 season was remarkably quiet with the formation of
- Thirteen (13) Named Storms
- Two (2) Hurricanes
The presence of large amounts of dry, stable air over the Atlantic and the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) inhibited Tropical Cyclone formation.
Of interest to the island of Dominica was the formation of Tropical Storm Chantal.
On Sunday July 7, 2013, a strong tropical wave located in the mid-Atlantic was upgraded to Tropical Storm Chantal.
A Tropical Storm Warning was issued for Dominica as of 11pm that night as the center of the storm was forecast to past about 100 miles to the south of the island on Tuesday (within 36 hours).
Residents were alerted through various media to finalize all preparedness activities and await 'Chantal.'
Indeed, the center of 'Chantal' passed 70 miles to the south of Dominica on Tuesday July 9, 2013 at about 11am moving near 29mph with sustained winds of 60mph (NHC). However, on island, rainfall was minimal (1.5 inches over 24 hours) and highest wind gust was 50mph.
Road networks, Housing and Agricultural sectors, DOMLEC and DOWASCO reported various levels of damage.
Posted: 25/11/2013