Meteorological History
Tropical Storm Gamma originated out of a tropical wave that moved off the western coast of Africa on November 3. For a late-season tropical wave, the system kept an unusually high amount of convection as it trekked across the Atlantic Ocean. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) began to actively track the wave when it was located about 100 miles (160 km) off the coast of Barbados. The low pressure area changed little during November 13, producing locally heavy rains in the Caribbean Islands, but not developing. However upper-level shearing winds abated, making conditions conducive for tropical development, and by November 14 the system had formed Tropical Depression Twenty-Seven.
An upper-level trough near the Greater Antilles continued to provide westerly shear that briefly stalled the development, but the system's strong convection persisted. A break in the shear on November 15 enabled the storm to briefly strengthen. Post season analysis showed during this period the system reached tropical storm-status and should have been christened Gamma, but as this was not seen at the time, the storm remained classified Tropical Depression Twenty-Seven. A deeplayered subtropical high pressure ridge over the southwestern Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico propelled the system westward across the Caribbean at more than 25 mph (40 km/h) and the storm's upper circulation was entirely separated from its deep convection and low level circulatory center. The NHC, believing that the system was dissipating, announced that it was issuing its last advisory on November 16. Soon after, the system slowed down on November 17.
A tropical wave, which had formed over Panama in early November and had produced rainfall in the region, merged into the waning remnants of Tropical Depression Twenty-Seven near Honduras on November 18. The system then restrengthened into a tropical storm on November 18 and was renamed Tropical Storm Gamma. The system's strengthening was slow, owing to the presence of high wind shear. It reached peak winds of 50 mph (80 km/h) before the shear exposed the center and its weakening trend began. Despite flares of convection, Gamma weakened into a tropical depression on November 20 and further into a remnant low early on November 21. The low quickly dissipated on November 22 near the Honduran-Nicaraguan border.
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