Tropical Storm Cristobal was a relatively weak

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depen ...

that meandered in the western

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

prior to being absorbed into a frontal zone. The third named storm of the

2002 Atlantic hurricane season The 2002 Atlantic hurricane season was a near-average Atlantic hurricane season. It officially started on June 1, 2002, and ended on November 30, dates which conventionally limit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones deve ...

, Cristobal developed on August 5 near the coast of

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

from the same trough that spawned Tropical Storm Bertha. The storm tracked slowly southeastward in the early portion of its duration, and initially remained disorganized. Cristobal attained peak winds of 50 mph (85 km/h), and lost the characteristics of a tropical cyclone on August 8. The remnants brought moderate precipitation to

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

, and in combination with a high pressure system the storm caused three drownings on Long Island from rip currents.

Meteorological history

A trough extended from the northern

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

to the western

in early August. The trough remained nearly stationary, spawning Tropical Storm Bertha in the

and a tropical disturbance off the coast of

. The weak

low pressure area In meteorology, a low-pressure area, low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclement weather (such as cloudy, windy, with possible ...

off South Carolina drifted southward, with its associated deep

convection Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the conve ...

increasing in organization on August 4. By 1800 UTC on August 5, the system had acquired sufficient organization to be classified as Tropical Depression Three, while located about 175 miles (280 km/h) east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina. Upon becoming a tropical depression, the cyclone maintained outer

rainbands A rainband is a cloud and precipitation structure associated with an area of rainfall which is significantly elongated. Rainbands can be stratiform or convective, and are generated by differences in temperature. When noted on weather radar imag ...

and fair outflow. It tracked southeastward around the northeastern periphery of an

anticyclone An anticyclone is a weather phenomenon defined as a large-scale circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure, clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from ...

over

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. By August 6, the convection had diminished as outflow became restricted due to northeasterly

wind shear Wind shear (or windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical or horizont ...

; with a relatively dry environment, most of the convection was confined to the southern semicircle of the depression. Despite the circulation becoming elongated in the southwesterly flow of a southward moving

cold front A cold front is the leading edge of a cooler mass of air at ground level that replaces a warmer mass of air and lies within a pronounced surface trough of low pressure. It often forms behind an extratropical cyclone (to the west in the Northern ...

, a Hurricane Hunters flight late on August 6 reported that the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Cristobal about 315 miles (505 km) east of

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

. Tropical Storm Cristobal initially continued tracking southeastward, with its circulation reforming closer to the thunderstorms during each increase in convection. On August 7 the storm turned eastward, due to the influence of a large approaching mid to upper-level frontal zone. As the convection organized further, Cristobal intensified somewhat and attained peak winds of 50 mph (85 km/h). On August 8, increased dry air weakened the convection and caused Cristobal to accelerate east-northeastward. The low-level circulation interacted with the approaching frontal zone, and by 0000 UTC on August 9 Tropical Storm Cristobal was absorbed by the cold front about 350 miles (560 km) southeast of

Cape Hatteras, North Carolina Cape Hatteras is a cape located at a pronounced bend in Hatteras Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina. Long stretches of beach, sand dunes, marshes, and maritime forests create a unique environment where wind and waves shap ...

. The remnants continued northeastward, passing near Newfoundland on August 10 before weakening near

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...

on August 14.

Impact

As a tropical cyclone, Cristobal had minimal effects on land. However, its remnants brought unsettled conditions to

, including a 45 mph (72 km/h) wind gust at the

Bermuda International Airport L.F. Wade International Airport , formerly named Bermuda International Airport, is the sole airport serving the British overseas territory of Bermuda in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is located in the parish of St. George's and is northeast of B ...

. The combination of moisture from Cristobal and cold front into which it was absorbed produced 2.78 inches (71 mm) of rain there in a 24‑hour period. An annual powerboat race circumnavigating Bermuda had to be postponed by a week because of the adverse weather. Although Cristobal remained offshore during its evolution, rough seas and

rip currents A rip current, often simply called a rip (or misleadingly a '' rip tide''), is a specific kind of water current that can occur near beaches with breaking waves. A rip is a strong, localized, and narrow current of water which moves directly away ...

were felt along portions of the U.S. East Coast. On August 9, lifeguards in Volusia County, Florida, rescued about 25 swimmers caught in rip currents. Offshore winds from the storm were credited with ending a widespread outbreak of

jellyfish Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrell ...

stings affecting bathers along the northern Atlantic coast of Florida. Some 1,000 stings had been reported. Two ships recorded tropical storm force winds in association with the storm; one of them, a vessel with the call sign WUQL, reported sustained winds of 47 mph (76 km/h) from the west-southwest on August 7, while located about northeast of

Great Abaco Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

. Later, the extratropical remnants of Cristobal continued to interact with a high pressure system over the Mid-Atlantic states to generate dangerous swimming conditions further north. Along the south shore of Long Island, New York,

significant wave height In physical oceanography, the significant wave height (SWH, HTSGW or ''H''s) is defined traditionally as the mean ''wave height'' ( trough to crest) of the highest third of the waves (''H''1/3). Nowadays it is usually defined as four times the ...

s reached 4 feet (1.2 m), and rip currents resulted in three drowning deaths on August 10: one in Montauk; one just east of

Moriches Inlet Moriches Inlet ( ) is an inlet connecting Moriches Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The name Moriches comes from Meritces, a Native American who owned land on Moriches Neck.The Indian Place-Names on Long Island and Islands Adjacent, with Their Pro ...

; and one off Rockaway Beach. In the latter case, the victim had become exhausted after swimming out to save his son-in-law, an inexperienced swimmer, from the rip current.

References

{{Good article Cristobal Cristobal (2002) Cristobal (2002) Cristobal (2002) Cristobal

Meteorological history

Impact

See also

References