Tropical Storm Bonnie (2004)

Tropical Storm Bonnie was a tropical storm that made landfall on Florida in August 2004. The second storm of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season, Bonnie developed from a tropical wave on August 3 to the east of the Lesser Antilles. After moving through the islands, its fast forward motion caused it to dissipate. However, Bonnie later regenerated into a tropical storm near the Yucatán Peninsula. Bonnie attained its peak intensity with maximum 1-minute sustained winds of Template:Convert and a minimum central pressure of 1001 mbar (29.56 inHg) on August 11 while located over the Gulf of Mexico. Afterwards, the storm turned to the northeast and hit Florida with winds of Template:Convert. The storm accelerated to the northeast and became an extratropical cyclone to the east of New Jersey. Bonnie was the first of five tropical systems in the 2004 season to make landfall in Florida, coming ashore the day before Hurricane Charley struck. Bonnie was also the second of a record eight storms to reach tropical storm strength during the month of August.

Bonnie's impact was minimal. Throughout the Caribbean Sea, the storm's effects consisted primarily of light rainfall, and in Florida, heavy rainfall caused flooding and minor damage. The tropical storm caused a tornado outbreak across the Southeastern United States which killed three people and inflicted over $1 million (2004 USD) in damage.

Meteorological history

Template:Storm path The origins of Bonnie were in a tropical wave that emerged from the coast of Africa on July 29 and entered the Atlantic Ocean. It moved westward, attaining convection and a mid-level circulation. Convection steadily increased, and, upon the development of a low-level circulation center, the system organized into Tropical Depression Two on August 3 while Template:Convert east of Barbados. It moved rapidly westward at speeds of up to Template:Convert; after crossing through the Lesser Antilles on August 4, it degenerated back into a tropical wave.<ref name="tcr">Template:Cite web</ref> The tropical wave continued to move rapidly to the west-northwest, until it reached the western Caribbean Sea. While south of Cuba and through the Cayman Islands, the system slowed down to regenerate convection, and it re-developed into a tropical depression on August 8.<ref name="tcr"/> Operationally, the system was classified a tropical wave until a day later.<ref name="bondis7">Template:Cite web</ref> The depression moved through the Yucatán Channel, and intensified into Tropical Storm Bonnie on August 9 while Template:Convert north of the Yucatán Peninsula.<ref name="tcr"/>

File:Tropical Cyclones Bonnie and Charley (2004).jpg

Bonnie to the north of Charley on August 12

Bonnie continued to the west-northwest; late on August 9, the storm presented a 9-mile (15-km) wide eyewall, a very unusual occurrence in a small and weak tropical storm.<ref name="bondis8">Template:Cite web</ref> Bonnie quickly strengthened while turning to the north, a directional shift caused by a break in the mid-level ridge.<ref name="bondis10">Template:Cite web</ref> The storm briefly weakened late on August 10; it re-strengthened again the following day to attain a peak intensity of Template:Convert. Soon after, strong southwesterly wind shear disrupted the storm, causing Bonnie to weaken again. On August 12, Bonnie made landfall just south of Apalachicola as a Template:Convert tropical storm. It quickly weakened to a tropical depression, and accelerated northeastward through the southeastern United States. After paralleling the Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina coastlines, Bonnie lost its tropical characteristics on August 14 to the east of New Jersey.<ref name="tcr"/> Its remnant low continued northeastward, making landfall in Massachusetts and Maine and continuing into Atlantic Canada.<ref name="raintot">Template:Cite web</ref>

Preparations

About 16 hours before the storm moved through the Lesser Antilles, the government of Saint Lucia declared a tropical storm warning. Guadeloupe, Martinique, Dominica, St. Maarten, Saba, St. Eustatius, Puerto Rico and the U.S Virgin Islands issued tropical storm watches.<ref name="tcr"/> Combined with the threat of Hurricane Charley, Bonnie forced the evacuation of 154 oil platforms and 32 oil rigs. The cease in production was equivalent to over 1.2 million barrels of loss in crude oil, or 0.2% of the annual oil production in the Gulf of Mexico. Natural gas reserves were also limited. The lack of gas production due to the storms was equivalent to 7.4% of the total daily production in the Gulf of Mexico.<ref name="gasstop">Template:Cite web</ref>

Early forecasts suggested that Bonnie would attain Template:Convert winds or Category 1 status.<ref name="bondis10"/> In response to the threat, 15 shelters in 7 northwestern Florida counties were put on standby.<ref name="shelter">Template:Cite web</ref> In the hours prior to landfall,2 shelters were opened, 4 were put on standby, and health and cleanup teams were deployed to the area.<ref name="shelter5">Template:Cite web</ref> Parts of Gadsden, Wakulla, and Levy Counties issued voluntary evacuations, and numerous schools were closed. In anticipation of the storm, Florida Governor Jeb Bush issued a state of emergency.<ref name="prep">Template:Cite web</ref>

Impact

Caribbean Sea

As a tropical depression, the storm moved rapidly through the Lesser Antilles; consequently, most islands only experienced minor effects. For example, Saint Lucia received light and sporadic rain showers, accompanied by sustained winds of Template:Convert and gusts to Template:Convert.<ref name="stlucia">Template:Cite web</ref> In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, however, the depression dropped up to Template:Convert of rain in 24 hours. The rainfall blocked storm drains, including those near the airport, which was forced to shut down. The rainfall caused debris to collect on roads throughout the island.<ref name="stvindam">Template:Cite web</ref> Although the storm passed just Template:Convert north of the Yucatán Peninsula, the storm dropped only Template:Convert of rain due to its small size.<ref name="mexrain">Template:Cite web</ref>

North America

File:Bonnie 2004 rainfall.png

Total rainfall map of Bonnie in the Eastern United States

In Florida, Bonnie produced up to Template:Convert of rainfall in Pace, with peak wind gusts of Template:Convert. Bonnie was accompanied by a Template:Convert storm surge; moderate wave action caused slight beach erosion. Rainfall and storm surge flooded roads, forcing the evacuation of 2,000 residents in Taylor County. The winds downed trees and caused scattered power outages.<ref name="August 2004-2">Template:Cite news</ref> A tornado in Jacksonville damaged several businesses and houses.<ref name="bontorn">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Bonnie triggered a tornado outbreak throughout portions of the Mid-Atlantic states. One tornado in Pender County, North Carolina destroyed 17 homes and damaged 59 houses, causing three deaths and $1.27 million in damage (2004 USD).<ref name="wilnws">Template:Cite web</ref> In Stella, Bonnie generated a waterspout that struck a campground, damaged nine trailers, and wrecked small boats.<ref name="stellator">Template:Cite news</ref> A tornado in Richlands damaged several houses as well.<ref name="richlandstor">Template:Cite news</ref> A suspected tornado in Danville, Virginia destroyed the roofs of several businesses.<ref name="bontorn"/> In South Carolina, tornadoes across the state damaged nine homes. Also, rainfall peaking at Template:Convert in Loris<ref name="raintot"/> caused flooding across the state. The flooding, including a one-foot depth along U.S. Route 501, washed away a road and a bridge in Greenville County. In addition, 600 people across the state were left without electricity.<ref name="scdam">Template:Cite web</ref>

In Pennsylvania, the remnants of the storm dropped up to Template:Convert of rain in Tannersville. The rainfall caused the Schuylkill River to reach a crest peak of Template:Convert at Berne. The flooding blocked several roads across eastern Pennsylvania. In addition, Bonnie produced gusty winds, leaving thousands without power.<ref name="August 2004">Template:Cite news</ref> In Delaware, the storm dropped up to Template:Convert of rain, forcing 100 to evacuate from the floodwaters. The flooding closed part of U.S. Route 13, and an overflown creek in New Castle County caused moderate flooding damage to stores.<ref name="August 2004-2"/> In Maine, moisture from the remnants of Bonnie produced heavy rainfall, with localized totals of up to Template:Convert. The rainfall flooded or washed out roads across the eastern portion of the state. In Aroostook County, near the town of St. Francis, the rainfall caused a mudslide which narrowed a county road to one lane.<ref name="aug2004">Template:Cite news</ref>

As an extratropical low combined with a frontal system, Bonnie continued to produce moderate rainfall in Canada, peaking at Template:Convert in Edmundston, New Brunswick. The rainfall caused basement flooding and road washouts; slick roads caused a traffic fatality in Edmundston.<ref name="candam">Template:Cite news</ref>

Aftermath and records

Twenty-two hours after Bonnie struck Florida, Hurricane Charley passed over the Dry Tortugas. This was the first time in recorded history that two tropical storms struck Florida within 1 day. Previously, Hurricane Gordon and Tropical Storm Helene struck the state within five days of each other in September 2000. Originally, it was thought that two storms in the 1906 season hit the state within 12 hours;<ref name="space.com">Template:Cite news</ref> however, the suspected tropical storm was determined to be a tropical depression in a more recent analysis.<ref name="hurdat">Template:Cite web</ref> Bonnie was the first of five tropical systems to make landfall in Florida during the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season, and the second of a record eight disturbances to reach tropical storm strength during the month of August.<ref name="augrec">Template:Cite web</ref>

Because Bonnie hit Florida immediately before Charley, damage between the two storms was often difficult to differentiate. President George W. Bush responded to the storm by declaring much of Florida a Federal Disaster Area on August 13, 2004.<ref name="fema">Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• 2004 Atlantic hurricane season
• List of Florida hurricanes
• Other tropical cyclones named Bonnie
• Timeline of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season
• List of North Carolina hurricanes
• List of New England hurricanes
• List of New Jersey hurricanes

External links

• Template:NHC TCR url