282 
ABNT30 KNHC 011723
TWSAT 
MONTHLY TROPICAL WEATHER SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
1230 PM EST SUN NOV 01 1998

FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...

TWO TROPICAL CYCLONES...HURRICANES LISA AND MITCH...FORMED IN THE
ATLANTIC BASIN DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER.  MITCH BECAME THE
STRONGEST HURRICANE IN THAT BASIN DURING THE PAST TEN YEARS.  

LISA MOVED MOSTLY NORTHWARD OVER THE EASTERN NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN
FROM 5-9 OCTOBER AND THEN BECAME EXTRATROPICAL.  LISA BRIEFLY
BECAME A MINIMAL HURRICANE WITH 85 MPH WINDS ON THE 9TH.  IT DID
NOT AFFECT LAND.

MITCH FORMED IN THE SOUTHWEST CARIBBEAN SEA FROM A TROPICAL WAVE
ABOUT 360 MILES SOUTH OF KINGSTON JAMAICA LATE ON THE 21ST.  THE
SYSTEM INITIALLY MOVED SLOWLY WESTWARD AND INTENSIFIED TO A TROPICAL
STORM.  MITCH THEN MOVED SLOWLY NORTHWARD...THEN NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD
ON THE 23RD AND 24TH AND GRADUALLY GAINED STRENGTH.  BY EARLY ON THE
24TH...MITCH BECAME A HURRICANE.  LATER THAT DAY...AS IT TURNED
TOWARD THE WEST...MITCH BEGAN TO INTENSIFY RAPIDLY.  IN ABOUT 24
HOURS ITS CENTRAL PRESSURE DROPPED 52 MB...TO 924 MB BY THE
AFTERNOON OF THE 25TH.  FURTHER DEEPENING...I.E. STRENGTHENING...
TOOK PLACE AND THE CENTRAL PRESSURE REACHED A MINIMUM OF 905 MB
ABOUT 40 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SWAN ISLAND ON THE AFTERNOON OF THE
26TH.  THIS PRESSURE IS THE FOURTH LOWEST EVER RECORDED IN AN
ATLANTIC HURRICANE THIS CENTURY...TIED WITH HURRICANE CAMILLE IN
1969.  THIS ALSO REPRESENTS THE LOWEST PRESSURE EVER RECORDED FOR AN
OCTOBER HURRICANE IN THE ATLANTIC BASIN THIS CENTURY.  AT ITS PEAK
INTENSITY...MITCH/S MAXIMUM 1-MINUTE SUSTAINED SURFACE WINDS WERE
ESTIMATED TO BE 180 MPH... A CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE ON THE
SAFFIR/SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE.  

AFTER PASSING OVER SWAN ISLAND...MITCH BEGAN TO GRADUALLY WEAKEN ON
THE 27TH WHILE MOVING SLOWLY WEST THEN SOUTHWEST TOWARD THE BAY
ISLANDS OFF THE COAST OF HONDURAS.  THE CENTER PASSED VERY NEAR THE
ISLAND OF GUANAJA...AND IT WREAKED HAVOC THERE AS WELL AS ON THE
NEIGHBORING ISLAND OF ROATAN.  FROM MID-DAY ON THE 27TH TO EARLY ON
THE 29TH...THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE ROSE 59 MB.  THE CENTER OF
THE HURRICANE MEANDERED NEAR THE NORTH COAST OF HONDURAS...THEN IT
MOVED SOUTHWARD AND INLAND...WEAKENING TO A TROPICAL STORM...ON THE
29TH.  MITCH MOVED SLOWLY OVER HONDURAS AND GUATEMALA ON THE 30TH
AND 31ST...WHILE GRADUALLY WEAKENING TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION. 
MITCH GENERATED TORRENTIAL RAINS OVER PORTIONS OF HONDURAS AND
NICARAGUA WHERE THE ASSOCIATED FLOODS WERE DEVASTATING. SOME HEAVY
RAINS ALSO OCCURRED IN NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES. MITCH WEAKENED TO A
DEPRESSION YESTERDAY AND IS CURRENTLY LOCATED OVER SOUTHWESTERN
GUATEMALA.  IT CONTINUES TO PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN OVER PORTIONS
OF CENTRAL AMERICA AND SOUTHEASTERN MEXICO.
    
SUMMARY TABLE...

     NAME           DATES          WIND     DEATHS     U.S. DAMAGE
 ------------       -----          ----     ------     ----------
    LISA        05 OCT -  09 OCT     75        0            0
    MITCH       21 OCT -  31 OCT    180       485+          0  

GUINEY/LAWRENCE/RAPPAPORT/PASCH