Tropical cyclone season summary: 2019
The 2019 hurricane season produced the biggest impact to Canadian territory since the 2010 season. Three tropical cyclones were tracked by the Canadian Hurricane Centre (CHC). The first storm that the Canadian Hurricane Centre (CHC) tracked was Tropical Storm Erin. The second storm tracked was Hurricane Dorian, which made landfall as a large post-tropical storm at hurricane strength and produced the biggest impact during the 2019 season. The last tracked storm was Hurricane Humberto.
Figure 1: Storms of tropical origin affecting Canadian territory in 2019
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 Dorian, Tropical Storm Erin and Hurricane Humberto.
Tropical Storm Erin
The first storm that the Canadian Hurricane Centre (CHC) tracked was Tropical Storm Erin. Erin formed from an area of low pressure and thunderstorms east of the Carolinas on August 27. However, Erin weakened to a tropical depression on August 28 while encountering strong vertical wind shear. Tropical Depression Erin accelerated north and then northeastward, and then became post-tropical as it merged with a baroclinic trough during the morning of August 29, about 465 km east of Norfolk, Virginia. The combined system of Post-Tropical Storm Erin and the trough then moved to lie just east of Shelburne, Nova Scotia during the evening of August 29. The system then moved into the Gulf of St. Lawrence on August 30 and dissipated.
Figure 2: Track map of Tropical Storm Erin
Long description
Track readings issued by the Canadian Hurricane Centre for Tropical Storm Erin #6 (sixth storm of the season):
August 26, 2019, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 55 km/h (31.7 N/72.3 W).
Status: Tropical Depression as shown by a tropical depression symbol on a green track line.
August 27, 2019, 3 am ADT, wind speed 55 km/h (31.5 N/72.1 W).
Status: Tropical Depression as shown by a tropical depression symbol on a green track line.
August 27, 2019, 9 am ADT, wind speed 55 km/h (31.5 N/71.6 W).
Status: Tropical Depression as shown by a tropical depression symbol on a green track line.
August 27, 2019, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 55 km/h (31.6 N/71.1 W).
Status: Tropical Depression as shown by a tropical depression symbol on a green track line.
August 27, 2019, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 55 km/h (32.1 N/71.9 W).
Status: Tropical Depression as shown by a tropical depression symbol on a green track line.
August 28, 2019, 3 am ADT, wind speed 65 km/h (32.4 N/72.2 W).
Status: Tropical Storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
August 28, 2019, 9 am ADT, wind speed 65 km/h (33.0 N/72.7 W).
Status: Tropical Storm as shown by a tropical storm symbol on a blue track line.
August 28, 2019, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 55 km/h (33.7 N/73.1 W).
Status: Tropical Depression as shown by a tropical depression symbol on a green track line.
August 28, 2019, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 55 km/h (34.9 N/72.6 W).
Status: Tropical Depression as shown by a tropical depression symbol on a green track line.
August 29, 2019, 3 am ADT, wind speed 55 km/h (36.2 N/71.9 W).
Status: Tropical Depression as shown by a tropical depression symbol on a green track line.
August 29, 2019, 9 am ADT, wind speed 55 km/h (37.4 N/70.7 W).
Status: Post-Tropical Storm as shown by a post-tropical storm symbol on a black track line.
August 29, 2019, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 55 km/h (40.2 N/68.0 W).
Status: Post-Tropical Storm as shown by a post-tropical storm symbol on a black track line.
August 29, 2019, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 80 km/h (42.9 N/65.9 W).
Status: Post-Tropical Storm as shown by a post-tropical storm symbol on a black track line.
August 30, 2019, 3 am ADT, wind speed 75 km/h (45.0 N/63.3 W).
Status: Post-Tropical Storm as shown by a post-tropical storm symbol on a black track line.
Hurricane Dorian
Dorian began as Tropical Depression 5, which formed from a tropical wave between the Cape Verde Islands and the Lesser Antilles on August 24. It became Tropical Storm Dorian later that day. Dorian reached hurricane strength on August 28 while making landfall in the US Virgin Islands. Dorian then underwent rapid intensification reaching category 5 strength on September 1. The storm then made landfall over Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas with winds of 295 km/h. On September 2, Dorian moved over Grand Bahama Island and stalled just north of the Island for 36 hours. On September 1 and 2, Hurricane Dorian caused catastrophic damage in the northwestern Bahamas and was the strongest hurricane to affect the region in modern history. It also tied the Labour Day hurricane of 1935 for the strongest landfalling hurricane recorded in the Atlantic Basin.
After stalling just north of Grand Bahama Island for 36 hours, Hurricane Dorian began to move northwestward on September 3. Dorian then veered to the north, tracking just east of the Florida coast. Hurricane Dorian continued moving northward on September 4, then veered northeastward on the morning of September 5, remaining just offshore of the coast of the Carolinas. On September 5, Dorian regained strength and became a category 3 hurricane. Dorian made landfall over Cape Hatteras on the morning of September 6, then began to accelerate towards Atlantic Canada. Increasing wind shear caused Dorian to weaken to a category 1 storm early on September 7 as it approached the southern marine areas of the Maritime Provinces. As Dorian began extratropical transition later on September 7, the wind field expanded considerably. The storm approached the coast of Nova Scotia and at 6 pm ADT was declared post-tropical by the National Hurricane Centre with intensity at the cusp between category 1 and category 2 strength. At 7:15 pm ADT. on September 7, Dorian made landfall just south of Halifax at Sambro Creek. Post-tropical Storm Dorian continued moving northeastward, tracking over northern Nova Scotia, near the eastern tip of Prince Edward Island and then into the northeastern Gulf of St. Lawrence by the morning of September 8. Later that day, Dorian crossed the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland just below hurricane strength and by the morning of September 9, Dorian was moving out of Canadian waters and farther off into the North Atlantic Ocean.
Figure 3: Track map of Hurricane Dorian
Long description
Track readings issued by the Canadian Hurricane Centre for Hurricane Dorian:
September 4, 2019, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 167 km/h (30.1 N/70.8 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 4, 2019, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 176 km/h (30.7 N/79.8 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 5, 2019, 3 am ADT, wind speed 185 km/h (31.3 N/79.7 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 5, 2019, 9 am ADT, wind speed 185 km/h (32.2 N/79.4 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 5, 2019, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 176 km/h (32.8 N/78.9 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 5, 2019, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 167 km/h (33.6 N/77.9 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line
September 6, 2019, 3 am ADT, wind speed 157 km/h (34.1 N/77.0 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 6, 2019, 9 am ADT, wind speed 148 km/h (35.3 N/75.5 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 6, 2019, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 148 km/h (36.4 N/73.8 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 6, 2019, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 148 km/h (37.8 N/71.5 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 7, 2019, 3 am ADT, wind speed 140 km/h (39.1 N/69.1 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 7, 2019, 9 am ADT, wind speed 148 km/h (40.7 N/66.4 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 7, 2019, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 148 km/h (42.8 N/65.6 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 7, 2019, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 148 km/h (45.0 N/63.2 W).
Status: Post-Tropical Storm as shown by a post-tropical storm symbol on a black track line.
September 8, 2019, 3 am ADT, wind speed 130 km/h (47.4 N/75.5 W).
Status: Post-Tropical Storm as shown by a post-tropical storm symbol on a black track line.
September 8, 2019, 9 am ADT, wind speed 130 km/h (49.4 N/59.9 W).
Status: Post-Tropical Storm as shown by a post-tropical storm symbol on a black track line.
September 8, 2019, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 120 km/h (51.0 N/58.0 W).
Status: Post-Tropical Storm as shown by a post-tropical storm symbol on a black track line.
September 8, 2019, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 102 km/h (51.5 N/55.5 W).
Status: Post-Tropical Storm as shown by a post-tropical storm symbol on a black track line.
September 9, 2019, 3 am ADT, wind speed 93 km/h (53.4 N/52.3 W).
Status: Post-Tropical Storm as shown by a post-tropical storm symbol on a black track line.
Hurricane Humberto
The third storm that the CHC tracked was Hurricane Humberto. Humberto formed from a long-lived tropical wave interacting with an upper-level low pressure system near the Bahamas on September 13th. Humberto quickly strengthened to a major hurricane and struck Bermuda on September 19th. The storm was already beginning its transition to post-tropical status at that time and completed transition before impacting the southern Canadian marine forecast district. There was minimal impact over land – only southeastern Newfoundland experienced some rain and that was an indirect effect associated with a weather front.
Figure 4: Track map of Hurricane Humberto
Long description
Track readings issued by the Canadian Hurricane Centre for Hurricane Humberto:
September 18, 2019, 9 am ADT, wind speed 185 km/h (31.9 N/68.9 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 18, 2019, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 195 km/h (32.8 N/67.2 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 18, 2019, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 195 km/h (34.0 N/65.2 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 19, 2019, 3 am ADT, wind speed 195 km/h (34.8 N/62.8 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 19, 2019, 9 am ADT, wind speed 195 km/h (36.0 N/60.9 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 19, 2019, 3 pm ADT, wind speed 176 km/h (37.8N/59.7 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 19, 2019, 9 pm ADT, wind speed 157 km/h (39.5 N/58.6 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
September 19, 2019, 3 am ADT, wind speed 195 km/h (40.6 N/58.0 W).
Status: Post-Tropical Storm as shown by a post-tropical storm symbol on a black track line.
September 19, 2019, 9 am ADT, wind speed 195 km/h (34.0 N/65.2 W).
Status: Hurricane as shown by a hurricane symbol on a red track line.
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