WRAL

Dean Weakens Into Tropical Depression

All Tropical Storm Watches And Warnings For Bahamas Canceled

MIAMI, 5:29 p.m. EDT August 23, 2001 -- Tropical Storm Dean was downgraded Thursday to a tropical depression and is expected to weaken into a tropical wave.

Reports from an Air Force Reserve hurricane hunter aircraft showed that Dean no longer has a closed wind circulation, the key feature of topical cyclones.

At 11 a.m. EDT Thursday, maximum sustained winds dropped to 35 mph from their peak of 60 mph. Further weakening is expected.

The remnants of Dean were located near latitude 22.4 north, longitude 70.2 west, or about 85 miles northeast of Grand Turk, Bahamas.

The system is moving toward the northwest near 17 mph, and the remnants are expected to turn northward over the 24 hours.

All tropical storm watches and warnings for the southern and central Bahamas were canceled.

Although Dean is weakening, rainbands trailing the system will continue to produce locally heavy rainfall and gusty winds over Puerto Rico and portions of the Dominican Republic today.

Meanwhile. hurricane forecasters are watching a strong tropical wave that was moving off the west coast of Africa on Thursday about 600 miles southeast of the Cape Verde Islands. Some additional development is possible during the next few days as this system tracks westward at 15 to 20 mph.

Historically, mid-August through mid-September is the most active period of tropical storm formation in the Atlantic Ocean.

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2001