Preliminary Report
Tropical Storm Dennis
23 - 28 August 1993

1993 PRELIMINARY REPORTS

Tropical Storm Arlene (TS)
Tropical Storm Bret (TS)
Tropical Storm Cindy (TS)
Tropical Storm Dennis (TS)
Hurricane Emily (3)
Hurricane Floyd (1)
Hurricane Gert (2)
Hurricane Harvey (1)

a. Synoptic History

On 21 August, a broad area of low pressure associated with a tropical wave moved off the African coast. This system was embedded within a large monsoon-type flow as indicated by satellite imagery and ship reports. Visible METEOSAT-3 and METEOSAT-4 images showed a distinct cyclonic rotation in the low clouds with increasing convection during the next day. The system became a tropical depression at 1200 UTC 23 August.

The depression moved slowly west and then west northwest steered by a weak deep-layer mean flow. Based on the analysis of satellite images, the depression reached tropical storm status at 1200 UTC 24 August. Dennis intensified a little more, reaching its estimated peak intensity of 52 mph and minimum pressure of 1000 mb at 0600 UTC 25 August, when convection was the strongest. Little change in intensity occurred during the next 24 to 30 hours, while the thunderstorm activity was gradually decreasing.

At that time, a rather strong middle to upper-level trough became established basically along 50°W north of 20°N, causing Dennis to move north northwestward. This track brought the storm over relatively cool waters and into an environment of increasing vertical shear, resulting in a separation of the low level circulation center from the convection. Dennis weakened and was downgraded to a tropical depression at 1200 UTC 27 August. It dissipated 24 hours later but the remnants meandered over the north Atlantic for a few more days.

b. Meteorological Statistics

No ship observations of tropical storm force winds near Dennis were received at the National Hurricane Center.

c. Casualty and Damage Statistics

There were no reports of casualties or damage associated with Dennis.