Hurricane Flossie stayed far from land
By James West, USATODAY.com
Flossie, the sixth tropical cyclone in the Eastern Pacific
and the second one to reach hurricane status, stayed far from land during its
week long existence.
The cluster of thunderstorms that would become Hurricane
Flossie first developed into a tropical depression on Aug. 26, 2001. Moving
west initially, the depression moved away from Mexico's western coast.
Later on Aug. 26, winds topped 39 mph and the depression
was upgraded to Tropical Storm Flossie.
Over the course of the next day and a half, Flossie strengthened
as it moved west over the open water of the eastern Pacific. Late on Aug. 27,
the storm was upgraded to a hurricane.
From Aug. 27 to Aug. 29, Flossie continued to grow in strength
as it turned to the northwest, still far from any land. On Aug. 29, the winds
peaked at 105 mph. From that point onward, Flossie began to lose strength as
it moved over cooler water. By Aug. 30, winds dropped below 75 mph and the hurricane
was downgraded to a tropical storm.
From Aug. 30 to Sept. 1, Flossie continued to weaken. The
last advisory was issued on Sept. 1.