Reimagined 2003 Atlantic hurricane season

Welcome to the reimagined 2003 Atlantic hurricane season! Everyone can edit this article (if you want to)!

Tropical Storm Ana
A weak, low pressure area formed on February 3 approximately 100 miles south of Tampa, Florida. It was very ragged and did not look very spectacular on satellite imagery. It could not strengthen that much due to its proximity to land. But on February 4, this area became a tropical wave as fast as a bomb. Thunderstorm activity increased, and its pressure dropped. A closed circulation was detected on February 5 by Hurricane Hunters, and the wave was upgraded into Tropical Depression One at 1200 UTC on February 5 75 miles south of Tampa. It was the first cyclone to complete cyclogenesis in February since 1952. The depression was close to land, but moved slowly, intensifying under climatologically low wind shear. Twelve hours after being initially classified, winds were upgraded to 40 miles per hour (mph), around 0000 UTC on February 6, being upgraded to a tropical storm and named Ana. This made it the second tropical storm in February history. Ana had a consistent pressure of 999 millibars (mb) throughout its duration. The tropical storm hugged the Florida coast for the next day, getting less organized on satellite imagery. Finally, around 1800 UTC on February 6, Ana made landfall near Saint Petersburg, Florida with 40 mph winds and a 999 mb pressure. Upon making landfall, Ana weakened to a tropical depression, and dissipated around 0600 UTC on February 7.

Hurricane Bill
On May 31, an unusual occurence occured. A tropical depression developed from a single thunderstorm cell. It was the first time this had ever occured in Atlantic hurricane history. The depression was numbered Two around 1200 UTC, but the story doesn't stop here. It rapidly intensified, gaining an exceptionally impressive satellite image in barely three hours. A Hurricane Hunters flight into the system confirmed 40 miles per hour (mph) winds and a 996 millibar (mb) pressure. It was named Bill. This was the first time a tropical storm had been named right on the hurricane season's start date (around 0600 UTC). However, Bill still had a trick up its hands. It explosively intensified to a minimal 80 mph hurricane in about 18 hours, another new record. Despite this, an eye feature was not that evident. And to top things off, Bill completely degenerated to a extratropical cyclone in one hour. The storm completely shocked National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasters.

Tropical Depression Three
On June 17, a weak, disorganized tropical wave formed. It did not organize at all, and looked like an extratropical cyclone on satellite imagery. Despite this, four days later, on June 21, it just creaked at 35 miles per hour (mph) and 1007 millibars. It was upgraded to Tropical Depression Three on that day, around 1200 UTC. Yet, some things happened. The depression never really got that strong, because it hit 1005 millibars, then was eaten by wind shear.

Hurricane Claudette
Around June 25, a tropical wave with 30 miles per hour (mph) winds formed approximately 500 miles north of San Juan, Puerto Rico. It wasn't very organized on satellite imagery, but had a 10% chance of developing on the National Hurricane Center's (NHC) Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook. Over the next couple of days, the disturbance got better organized, but could not be classified as a tropical depression because there was no closed circulation. The chances were upped to 60% on the outlook by June 28. That same day, 575 miles north-northeast of San Juan, Tropical Depression Four was classified by the NHC. It was evident the depression had 40 mph winds and a 992 millibar (mb) pressure 700 miles south-southeast of Bermuda. It was named Claudette by the NHC around 0300 UTC on June 30.

Claudette was in an area of high wind shear and cool sea surface tempratures (SST), but still stregthened at a normal pace. An eye developed on July 2. NHC forecasts predicted Claudette to dissipate within 24 hours due to the low wind shear. However, Claudette became a hurricane approximately 700 miles east of Bermuda, and turned north-northwest. Even though it was clearly in an area unfavorable for typical tropical cyclone formation, Claudette kept strengthening. Its pressure hit 983 mb, and its winds hit 100 mph, making it a Category 2.

Forecasters were upset over Hurricane Claudette's erractic and long motion. They repetitively forecasted Claudette's dissipation, but it lived on. By July 6, some forecasters had given up. The hurricane was still a Category 1, making loops here and there. It was now even annular, letting it live against the wind shear. No one knows why Claudette was doing this, but some professers claim Caludette was maintaining a strong intensity and good cloud cover. The clouds kept building, and Claudette got so symmetrical a pinhole eye developed around July 9. Then, something special happened.

Claudette suddenly weakened to a tropical storm on July 10 around 1500 UTC because wind shear was rapidly penetrating the center of the hurricane like a bullet. Cold SST's also weakened the system, and it further degenerated to a tropical depression twelve hours later. After eight days of hurricane status, Claudette was at its last breath. It lasted six more hours before degenerating into an extratropical cyclone.