The month of September has been one of the most storm active months seen in recent times. In all three hurricanes, Ivan, Jeanne, Karl and Tropical Storm Lisa developed during the month with Ivan and Jeanne causing catastrophic damages and over 2000 loss of lives across the Caribbean and the Southern United States of America. Antigua and Barbuda and the other Leeward islands were generally spared. Rainfall for the month fell just below the average of 5.15 inches, yielding 4.49 at V.C Bird Int'l Airport. Winds were mainly from the East at 9.5 knots. The month's max temperature 33.5oC, occurred on the 12th at 18:00 and this turned out to be the year's maximum temperature to date as well. The year's most humid day 90.6 % occurred on the 14th while seas remained slight to moderate, waves 1.8m/6ft.
The month began with the islands in the environment of Hurricane Frances as it moved across Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, generating outbreaks of moderate to heavy showers and thunderstorms over these Islands. However only partly cloudy with some cloudy periods and a few scattered showers occurred across Antigua and Barbuda. These conditions generally persisted until the 4th when a disturbance in the upper levels of the atmosphere just east of the Leeward Islands, drifted westward leading to an unstable atmosphere and a few showers across the islands. A tropical wave evolved quickly into Hurricane Ivan on the 5th and moved westward, affecting the Windward islands, Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago. Grenada was hit the hardest as the island suffered severe damages on the evening of the 9th. The hurricane then moved Northwestward towards Jamaica and the Cayman islands and caused considerable damages to those islands. The environment of Hurricane Ivan resulted only in a few cloudy spells with scattered showers across Antigua and Barbuda on the 7th. Winds were mainly from the East at 12 knots while seas were mainly slight-moderate with waves 1.5m/5ft but 2.1-2.8m/7-9ft elsewhere across the Eastern Caribbean.
A tropical wave moved westward towards the islands on the 11th and gave rise to a few showers and isolated thunderstorms across the islands, and areas further South. The tropical wave later developed into tropical depression #11, located about 40 miles southeast of Guadeloupe. Tropical depression #11 evolved into Tropical Storm Jeanne on the 13th with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. The hurricane produced cloudy skies with showers and thunderstorms over the Leeward and Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. A rainfall amount of 2.82 inches was recorded at V.C Bird Int'l airport for the relevant period. The month's wettest day 41.7 millimeters was recorded on the 14th while the wettest 6-hour rainfall 38.4 millimeters was recorded at 18:00 on the 14th. A moist and unstable air mass continued due to the influence of Hurricane Jeanne until the 19th with a few more showers developing. Winds were mainly from the Southeast at 9.4 knots. Seas were slight to moderate wave 1.2 to 1.5 M or 4 to 5ft becoming moderate to locally rough waves 2.1/6-7ft at times.
A weak tropical wave approached the islands on the 19th. However, even with the general instability left in the wake of Tropical Storm Jeanne, conditions were generally fair with only brief scattered showers occurring up to the 24th. Winds were generally light and coming from the Southeast as generated by a weak high pressure ridge. The light winds in combination with day-time heating caused a few isolated convective showers to develop. Seas were slight to moderate waves 1.2 to 1.8 M or 5 to 6 ft. A mid to upper level trough located North of the Eastern Caribbean moved slowly Southwest across the Northeast Caribbean on the 27th. This trough generated an unstable air mass and dominated the weather across the islands up until the end of the month. It triggered afternoon thunderstorms with occasional heavy showers across the islands leading to the month second wettest day 29.7 millimeters on the 29th and 35.0 millimeters from the 24th. Winds were mainly variable at 6 knots while seas were slight to moderate wave 1.2 to 1.8 M or 4 to 6 ft.
MONTHLY WEATHER SUMMARY
FOR THE PERIOD 01/09/2004 AT 13:00 TO 01/10/2004 AT
12:00
| WX: | PARTLY CLOUDY |
| WINDS: | E'S AT 9.4 KNOTS |
| MAX 10-MIN WIND: | 18 KNOTS DATE: 11/09/2004 AT 14:00 |
| BARO PRESS: | 1013.1 MILLIBARS NORMAL |
| TOTAL RAINFALL: | 114.0 MILLIMETERS 4.49 INCHES MAX 24-HOUR 41.7 MM DATE: 14/09/2004 |
| MAX 6-HR RAINFALL: | 38.4 MILLIMETERS DATE: 14/09/2004 AT 18:00 |
| RAINFALL STATUS : | BELOW NORMAL |
| AVG MAX TEMP: | 29.8 DEGREES CELSIUS MAX: 33.5 DEGREES CELSIUS DATE: 12/09/2004 AT 18:00 |
| AVG MIN TEMP: | 26.0 DEGREES CELSIUS MIN: 21.9 DEGREES CELSIUS DATE: 15/09/2004 AT 06:00 |
| AVG TEMP: | 27.7 DEGREES CELSIUS WARMEST DAY: 28.9 DATE: 5/09/2004 COOLEST DAY: 24.9 DATE : 14/09/2004 |
| AVG REL HUM: | 77.7 % MOST HUMID-DAY: 90.6 % DATE : 14/09/2004 LEAST HUMID-DAY: 71.3 % DATE : 9/09/2004 |
Monthly Comparison with the long-term average Rainfall
Keithley Meade