Paj,e r 4 



cooler than normal east of the Continental Diviae. Cooling was 

 rapid in December east of the Mississippi. There was a complete 

 absence of tropical storms in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean 

 Sea due to the unseasonable intrusion of cold air aloft and the 

 stronqer than normal high-altitude westerlies. 



JaQUaCi; " The entire Gulf of Mexico and the western North 

 Atlantic (WNA) were seasonally colder than last month. The 

 Middle Atlantic Pioht and the Gulf of Mexico were also 

 significantly colder than average. Warmer than average 

 temperatures were found offshore of the continental shelf from 

 3jN to the offing of the Gulf of Maine. There was also a large 

 patch of colder than average temperatures southeast of Nova 

 Scotia. The central Atlantic area was not significantly above or 

 be low averag e. 



The G 

 convol 

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 the S 

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u I f S t r 

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 March 

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months 



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Storm centers crossed the U.S. east coast farther north than 

 usual/^ only one passing south of Cape Hatteras (near Charleston^ 

 SC). Another crossed the lower Chesapeake Bayr and the rest 

 passed farther north. The Grand iBanks received a full measure of 

 severe storms this month. 



sli ght ly 



February - The Gulf Stream was 



for the month 



offshore of its 

 historical mean position for the month. Most of the western 

 North Atlantic was warmer than normals but with a -5C anomaly 



i\uiLr! HLidriLii- wda woiinri liioii nuriiiouA uul wilfi a j \. diiuiiidix 



cold patch at about 41IM/' 60Wx and a cold remnant south of Cape 

 Hatteras. The Gulf of Mexico was up to ?C below normal. The sea 

 surface temperature (SST) was seasonally colderr in the WNA^ than 

 "last nonth by C.bC to as much as b.lZf while the Gulf was 

 slinhtlv usrmer than last month. 



slightly warmer than last month. 



Eddy activity more than doubled this month from last month/^ from 

 one anticyclonic and one cyclonic eddy at the end of January to 

 two anticyclonic and four cyclonic eddies in late February (west 



44 



