Tropical cyclone season summary: 2017
Despite the severity of the 2017 tropical cyclone season, the Atlantic Basin of Canada received only minor impacts. The Canadian Hurricane Centre (CHC) tracked a total of four systems. The first system was Hurricane Gert which tracked well offshore over the Grand Banks south of Newfoundland. The second system to be tracked by the CHC was Potential Tropical Cyclone (PTC) Ten. PTC’s are disturbances of tropical origin that have not achieved sufficient organization to be defined as a tropical cyclone, but are forecast by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami to give tropical cyclone conditions to land areas within 48 hours. PTC Ten did not become a tropical storm or hurricane and therefore doesn’t have a final track on the seasonal track map. The CHC sent two messages on the disturbance. The third system was Hurricane Jose, which only had some wave and wind effects over the southern Maritimes marine forecast district. The fourth system was Hurricane Maria. Maria barely reached the CHC response zone, however the CHC did monitor and issue some bulletins due to ocean swell and enhanced rainfall along a front indirectly related to Maria.
Figure 1: Storms of tropical origin affecting Canadian territory in 2017
Long description
Canadian Hurricane Centre (CHC) map depicting storm tracks for storms of tropical origin affecting Canadian territory. These storm tracks include those of Hurricane Jose, Hurricane Gert and Hurricane Maria.
Hurricane Gert
The first storm to be tracked by the CHC was Hurricane Gert. There were no direct impacts to land in Canada associated with Gert. However, long period swells of 2 to 3 metres were observed along south-facing coastlines of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland with the highest swells reaching the Avalon Peninsula. Gale to storm-force winds affected the southern Grand Banks as Gert tracked just to the south.
Hurricane Gert formed from a tropical wave that moved westward from the African Coast on August 2. After moving slowly across the Atlantic Ocean, the disturbance became Tropical Storm Gert in the southwestern Atlantic late on August 13. Then early on August 15, Gert became the second hurricane of the 2017 hurricane season, while located well east of the Carolinas. Hurricane Gert then accelerated east-northeastward reaching its maximum intensity as a category 2 storm early on August 17 at 40 degrees north while south of Nova Scotia. Later on August 17, Gert weakened below hurricane status and then became post-tropical southeast of Newfoundland.
Figure 2: Track map of Hurricane Gert
Long description
Track readings issued by the Canadian Hurricane Centre for Hurricane Gert #8 (eighth storm of the season):
August 14, 2017, 9 am ADT, wind speed 75 km/h (29.9 N/72.3 W).
Status: Tropical Storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
August 14, 2017, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 95 km/h (30.9 N/72.2 W).
Status: Tropical Storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
August 14, 2017, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 110 km/h (31.0 N/72.3 W).
Status: Tropical Storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
August 15, 2017, 3 am ADT, wind speed 120 km/h (31.5 N/72.3 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
August 15, 2017, 9 am ADT, wind speed 120 km/h (32.3 N/72.7 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
August 15, 2017, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 120 km/h (33.3 N/71.8 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
August 15, 2017, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 130 km/h (34.3 N/70.9 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
August 16, 2017, 3 am ADT, wind speed 140 km/h (35.3 N/69.8 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
August 16, 2017, 9 am ADT, wind speed 155 km/h (37.0 N/67.4 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
August 16, 2017, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 155 km/h (38.2 N/64.0 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
August 16, 2017, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 155 km/h (39.5 N/61.7 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
August 17, 2017, 3 am ADT, wind speed 155 km/h (40.6 N/55.6 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
August 17, 2017, 9 am ADT, wind speed 150 km/h (42.3 N/51.7 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
August 17, 2017, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 130 km/h (44.0 N/48.0 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
August 17, 2017, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 110 km/h (45.9 N/43.9 W).
Status: Post-tropical storm as shown by a post-tropical symbol on a black track line.
Hurricane Jose
The third storm to require attention from the CHC was Hurricane Jose. The storm gave gale-force easterlies and large waves to offshore marine areas southwest of Nova Scotia. Swell waves of 3 to 4 metres occurred along the South Shore of Nova Scotia from Yarmouth County to Queens County. Farther east, swell waves of 2 to 3 metres were observed along the coast. Winds along the coast were light to moderate and very little precipitation from Jose reached the coast.
Hurricane Jose formed from a tropical wave that moved off the west coast of Africa on August 31. After several days moving westward over the Atlantic Ocean, the tropical wave organized to become Tropical Storm Jose on September 5. Jose continued to intensify and became a hurricane late on September 6. Hurricane Jose reached a maximum intensity on September 9 as a category 4 storm with winds of 135 knots (250 km/h) as it passed just north of the Leeward Islands.
Then on September 11, Jose made a clockwise turn well southwest of Bermuda and weakened to a tropical storm. After completing the loop, Jose turned northward and regained hurricane strength. Then on September 20, Jose weakened again to a tropical storm. As a weakening tropical storm on September 21, Jose stalled off the coast of New England and on September 22 became post-tropical and then dissipated.
Figure 3: Track map of Hurricane Jose
Long description
Track readings issued by the Canadian Hurricane Centre for Hurricane Jose #11 (eleventh storm of the season):
September 18, 2017, 3 am ADT, wind speed 150 km/h (32.6 N/71.6 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 18, 2017, 9 am ADT, wind speed 140 km/h (33.4 N/71.5 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 18, 2017, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 120 km/h (34.3 N/71.3 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 18, 2017, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 120 km/h (35.1 N/71.2 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 19, 2017, 3 am ADT, wind speed 120 km/h (35.7 N/71.2 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 19, 2017, 9 am ADT, wind speed 120 km/h (36.6 N/71.5 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 19, 2017, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 120 km/h (36.7 N/71.7 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 19, 2017, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 120 km/h (37.8 N/71.0 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 20, 2017, 3 am ADT, wind speed 110 km/h (38.3 N/69.2 W).
Status: Tropical storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
September 20, 2017, 9 am ADT, wind speed 100 km/h (39.0 N/69.9 W).
Status: Tropical storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
September 20, 2017, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 110 km/h (39.3 N/69.5 W).
Status: Tropical storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
September 20, 2017, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 110 km/h (39.5 N/68.6 W).
Status: Tropical storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
September 21, 2017, 3 am ADT, wind speed 95 km/h (39.7 N/68.0 W).
Status: Tropical storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
September 21, 2017, 9 am ADT, wind speed 95 km/h (39.9 N/67.8 W).
Status: Tropical storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
September 21, 2017, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 95 km/h (39.5 N/68.0 W).
Status: Tropical storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
September 21, 2017, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 85km/h (39.6 N/68.1 W).
Status: Tropical storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
September 22, 2017, 3 am ADT, wind speed 85 km/h (39.5 N/68.5 W).
Status: Post-tropical storm as shown by a post-tropical storm symbol on a black track line.
September 22, 2017, 9 am ADT, wind speed 85 km/h (39.7 N/68.8 W).
Status: Post-tropical storm as shown by a post-tropical storm symbol on a black track line.
Hurricane Maria
Hurricane Maria was the fourth storm to be tracked by the CHC. Maria produced large swell waves of 2 metres along the south coast of Nova Scotia and 3 metres along the south coast of Newfoundland. Moisture well ahead of Maria became absorbed by a cold front sweeping across Atlantic Canada. Rainfall along the front was enhanced over the southern Avalon Peninsula where rainfall warnings were issued.
Hurricane Maria formed from a tropical wave that was located southwest of Cabo Verde on September 13. The disturbance moved westward and became Tropical Storm Maria on September 16. Maria intensified rapidly on September 17 and 18. After becoming a hurricane on September 17, Maria doubled its intensity from 130 km/h sustained winds that evening to 260 km/h sustained winds by the evening of September 18. Maria then struck Dominica causing catastrophic damage. Maria weakened slightly but then restrengthened and reached its peak intensity late on September 19 with maximum sustained winds of 280 km/h.
Early on September 20, Maria made landfall near Yabucoa, Puerto Rico with sustained winds of 250 km/h. Maria then weakened to category 2 storm after moving offshore of Puerto Rico. However, Maria regained some strength to a category 3 storm as it moved northwestward for a few days before entering a hostile environment. Maria then weakened to a minimal hurricane and fluctuated between tropical storm strength and minimal hurricane strength before taking a sharp right turn eastward into the Atlantic away from the coast of the United States. Maria then became a tropical storm and gradually lost strength as it tracked well south of Atlantic Canada on September 29 and 30.
Figure 4: Track map of Hurricane Maria
Long description
Track readings issued by the Canadian Hurricane Centre for Hurricane Maria:
September 26, 2017, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 120 km/h (33.8 N/73.3 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 26, 2017, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 110 km/h (34.1 N/73.0 W).
Status: Tropical storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
September 27, 2017, 3 am ADT, wind speed 110 km/h (34.8 N/73.0 W).
Status: Tropical storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
September 27, 2017, 9 am ADT, wind speed 110 km/h (35.3 N/72.8 W).
Status: Tropical storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
September 27, 2017, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 120 km/h (35.6 N/72.5 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 27, 2017, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 120 km/h (36.3 N/72.0 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 28, 2017, 3 am ADT, wind speed 120 km/h (36.6 N/71.0 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 28, 2017, 9 am ADT, wind speed 110 km/h (36.7 N/69.8 W).
Status: Tropical storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
September 28, 2017, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 110 km/h (36.9 N/68.3 W).
Status: Tropical storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
September 28, 2017, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 110 km/h (37.1 N/66.7 W).
Status: Tropical storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
September 29, 2017, 3 am ADT, wind speed 100 km/h (37.2 N/64.4 W).
Status: Tropical storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
September 29, 2017, 9 am ADT, wind speed 95 km/h (37.2 N/62.0 W).
Status: Tropical storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
September 29, 2017, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 95 km/h (37.9 N/58.6 W).
Status: Tropical storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
September 29, 2017, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 100 km/h (38.7 N/55.4 W).
Status: Tropical storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
September 30, 2017, 3 am ADT, wind speed 100 km/h (39.9 N/51.7 W).
Status: Tropical storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
September 30, 2017, 9 am ADT, wind speed 100 km/h (41.1 N/48.0 W).
Status: Tropical storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
September 30, 2017, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 95 km/h (42.9 N/43.6 W).
Status: Post-Tropical storm as shown by a post-tropical storm symbol at the end of a black track line.
September 30, 2017, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 95 km/h (44.5 N/39.7 W).
Status: Post-Tropical storm as shown by a post-tropical storm symbol at the end of a black track line.