Review of the Past Hurricane Season s1

RA IV/HC-36/4.2.(6), p. 2

REVIEW OF THE PAST HURRICANE SEASON

Reports of hurricanes, tropical storms, tropical disturbances and related flooding during 2013

Report of the Dominican Republic

(submitted by the Dominican Republic

1. INTRODUCTION

As far as the Dominican Republic was concerned, the hurricane season was not characterized by a great deal of activity. Only two tropical storms posed a threat: Chantal and Gabrielle.

Monitoring of Tropical Storm Chantal began on 8 July at 1 p.m. when it was located some 800 km to the east/southeast of Barbados, and civil defence bodies were immediately apprised of its meteorological status.

Tropical Storm Gabrielle developed rapidly as a tropical depression when it formed on Wednesday, 4 September at 5 p.m., making it necessary to issue immediate tropical storm warnings and advisories for parts of the southern and northern coast of the Dominican Republic.

2. THE EFFECTS OF TROPICAL STORMS CHANTAL AND GABRIELLE ON THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

2.1  Tropical Storm Chantal

On the afternoon of Monday 8 July, ONAMET, the National Meteorological Office of the Dominican Republic, issued a meteorological early warning regarding the existence of a tropical cyclone which, owing to its geographical location and probable trajectory, required closed monitoring by civil defence institutions and the general public, when the system was some 800 km to the east/southeast of Barbados, in the Lesser Antilles, moving at a speed of 41 kph and featuring winds of 75 kph.

At 5 p.m. of that same day, a tropical storm warning was issued for the southern coastline. This warning was then modified at 11 p.m., when it was changed to a tropic storm advisory for the southern coast and a tropical storm warning from Cabo Engaño to Cabo Francés Viejo on the northern coast, as Chantal was some 380 km off the eastern/southeastern coast of Barbados.

At 5 a.m. on Tuesday, 9 July, a tropic storm warning was issued for the entire northern coast, as Chantal was some 120 km to the east of Barbados. At 11 a.m. of that same day, a dual warning was issued for the first time in the Dominican Republic: (a) a tropical storm advisory for the entire country; and (b) a hurricane warning from Barahona to Cabo Engaño on the southern coast, and from Cabo Engaño to Samaná.

The point should be made that this arrangement made it difficult to explain the situation to the media and the general public. We feel that neither the public nor the media were prepared to deal with this type of communication.

On Wednesday 10 July at 2 p.m., the alert was downgraded to a tropical storm advisory for the entire country, as Chantal’s centre was located some 370 km to the south/southeast of the city of Santo Domino, moving eastwards at around 48 kph.

On the afternoon of Wednesday 10 July, the tropical storm advisory was cancelled for the entire country, as Chantal had moved away to a point some 430 km to the east/southeast of Jamaica.

Fig.1. IR image at 3.15 p.m. AST for Tropic Storm Chantal, showing its highest convection in the northeast, centre, south and southeast of the country.

Below is the map of accumulated rainfall for 9 and 10 July 2013 that Chantal generated as it passed through the Dominican Republic. There is a detailed weather station map (Figure 2) and another showing isohyets (Figure 3). In the capital and in the community of Polo to the southeast, values exceeded the 200 mm marks, whereas values between 100 and 200 mm were seen in Barahona, Pedernales, Oviedo, Bani, San Cristóbal and San Francisco Macorís.

Fig.2. Map showing accumulated rainfall values by weather station for 9 and 10 July

Fig.3. Map showing isohyets during Chantal’s passage, with the most significant values in the southeast, south, centre and northeast of the country.

According to the Emergency Operations Centre, some 933 homes were affected by flooding as rivers, streams and creeks overflowed. People also moved to shelters or homes of friends or family members, especially in the cities of Santo Domingo and San Cristóbal, located in the south of the country; also affected were communities in the northeast such as María Trinidad Sánchez, Nagua and San Francisco de Macorís and communities in the centre such as Monseñor Nouel (Bonao).

As far as the effects of winds are concerned, in general minimal damage was reported.

In addition, there were reports of urban flooding, which created traffic difficulties between some communities.

A firefighter clearing debris in the province of Monseñor Nouel was sucked into a culvert.

Fig.4. Map showing the breakdown of warnings issued by the Emergency Operations Centre.

2.2 Tropical Storm Gabrielle

At 5 p.m. on Wednesday 4 September, the National Meteorological Office sent a special bulletin to the Emergency Operations Centre, informing it of Tropical Depression 7 and issuing a tropical storm warning, as the depression could intensify before reaching the coast of the Dominican Republic. At this point in time, the centre of the depression was located 330 km to the southeast of Punta Cana (Cabo Engaño), featuring winds of 55 kph and moving to the northeast at a speed of 15 kph.

A tropic storm warning was issued for Santo Domingo to Cabo Engaño and a tropical storm advisory was issued for Cabo Engaño to Cabo Francés Viejo.

The initial storm warnings and advisories issued for the Dominican Republic were not changed until 11 a.m. on Thursday 5 September when, as Gabrielle turned into a tropical depression and stayed on its course to the northeast, indicating that the most likely trajectory would hit the eastern part of the country, the tropical storm warning for Santo Domingo to Cabo Engaño was cancelled and a tropical storm warning was issued for Cabo Engaño to Cabo Francés Viejo.

The roughly defined centre of Gabrielle was located some 90 km to the south of Punta Cana, at 2 p.m. on Thursday 5 September. The alert for Cabo Engaño to Cabo Francés Viejo was cancelled. When Gabrielle made landfall between the late afternoon and early evening of Thursday 5 September, all that remained were some clouds, at which point it was possible to pinpoint its circulation centre at some 45 km to the northeast of Punta Cana.

Fig.5. IR satellite image, showing Gabrielle on the afternoon of 5 September with its highest convection in Puerto Rico and to the southeast of the Dominican Republic.

Fig.6. Map based on input from the weather stations of the National Meteorological Service, showing Gabrielle’s passage.

Fig.7. Map of isohyets for accumulated rainfall during Gabrielle’s passage.

During Gabrielle’s passage through the eastern part of the country, the highest accumulated rainfall values ranged from 50 to 200 mm or even more for very isolated points in Dajabón, Loma de Cabrera and Monción (localities in the northeast), Bohechío, Constanza and Bona (centre), Gaspar Hernández, Moca Santiago and Salcedo (Cibao Valley), San José de Ocoa, Joaquín Balaguer Airport, San Cristóbal, Santo Domingo and Jardín Botánico (south), Sabana Grande de Boya, San Rafael del Yuna, Cotui, Sánchez, Samaná International Airport, Samaná and Cabrera (northeast), Miches and Punta Cana (east).

Based on the reports provided by the Emergency Operations Centre, in Cotuí Municipality, Sánchez Ramirez province in the northeast, some communities were isolated and 67 homes were affected. This situation was due to residual clouds from Gabrielle, which hung over the country.