Tropical Storm Fay (2002)
| Tropical storm (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Tropical Storm Fay near peak intensity on September 6
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| Formed | September 5, 2002 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | September 8, 2002 |
| Highest winds |
1-minute sustained: 60 mph (95 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 998 mbar (hPa); 29.47 inHg |
| Fatalities | None |
| Damage | $4.5 million (2002 USD) |
| Areas affected | Texas, northern Mexico |
| Part of the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Tropical Storm Fay was the sixth named storm of the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season; it was a moderate tropical storm which caused flooding in parts of Texas and Mexico. In early September, a trough of low pressure moved south into the Gulf of Mexico, and became stationary. A low pressure center developed along this trough, and on September 5, a Hurricane Hunter airplane reported that the system had gained sufficient organization to be a tropical depression, 95 miles (153 km) southeast of Galveston. The depression drifted south-southwest while strengthening, reaching its peak strength of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) on the morning of September 6. The system then made an abrupt turn to the west-northwest, and remained steady in strength and course until landfall the next day, near Matagorda. The system weakened at a fast rate after landfall, but its circulation would not totally dissipate for three more days.
The storm caused extremely heavy rainfall in inland areas; damage totalled $4.5 million (2002 USD; $5.2 million USD in 2007); no deaths occurred as a result of Fay.
In the first few days of September 2002, an upper-level trough emerged in the Gulf of Mexico and stalled. Thunderstorms developed along the trough and concentrated around a weak low pressure system. Gradually, the trough and associated low pressure drifted south into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. A low pressure area in the northwest Gulf of Mexico became the dominant circulation and slowly developed persistent convection near the center. On September 5, a reconnaissance aircraft investigated the system. During the flight, a low-level center became evident and some deep convection persisted; as a result, it was classified as a tropical depression. Wind shear within the Gulf of Mexico was weak and remained favorable to tropical cyclone formation. A reconnaissance flight later that day discovered an ill-defined circulation which led to low confidence of the location of the center of circulation. However, enough convection persisted for the depression to be upgraded into Tropical Storm Fay that evening.
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Wikipedia