Tropical Storm Fay was the sixth named storm of the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season;it was a moderate tropical storm which caused flooding in parts of Texas and Northern Mexico. It formed from a trough of low pressure that moved south into the Gulf of Mexico,and became stationary. A low pressure center developed along this trough,and on September 5,a Hurricane Hunter aircraft reported that the system had gained sufficient organization to be classified a tropical depression,95 miles (153 km) southeast of Galveston. [1] The depression drifted south-southwest while strengthening,reaching its peak strength of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) on the morning of September 6. [2] The system then made an abrupt turn to the west-northwest,and remained steady in strength and course until landfall the next day,near Matagorda. [3] The system weakened rapidly after landfall degenerating into a remnant low on September 8,but the storm's circulation survived for another three days. [1]
The storm caused extremely heavy rainfall in inland areas;damage reached $4.5 million (2002 USD),though there were no fatalities due to Fay. [1]
Tropical cyclones of the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season | ||
---|---|---|