Tropical Storm Philippe (2023)

Tropical Storm Philippe was a long-lived but weak and poorly organized tropical cyclone which affected the Caribbean, Maine, abs Canada during September and October 2023. The seventeenth named storm of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, Philippe formed from a tropical wave on September 23, near Cabo Verde. The storm brought heavy rainfall to the northern Leeward Islands, before transitioning to a post-tropical cyclone on October 6, south of Bermuda. After passing the islands, the extratropical low hit New England and the Maritimes on October 7 and 8, then entered Quebec, where it was absorbed by another frontal system.

Siphoning significant moisture from the ocean, Philippe delivered torrential rains throughout its trajectory, causing locally intense rainfall. Its winds also generated strong, persistent cyclonic swells and storm surge far from its center.

Meteorological history

On September 15, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) began monitoring a tropical wave located inland over West Africa, which moved offshore several days later. On September 20, the wave began interacting with a disturbance just to its west, giving rise to a broad area of low pressure the next day. The disturbance developed a well-defined center on the morning of September 23, west of Cabo Verde, and deep convection associated with it became sufficiently organized to support formation of Tropical Depression Seventeen.

Later that day, the system strengthened into Tropical Storm Philippe. The storm strengthened some on the morning of September 24, as it moved westward through warm waters, steered along the southern side of a mid-level ridge. Philippe struggled, however, to become better organized overall, due to persistent deep-layer west-southwesterly wind shear. As a result, its center became fully exposed and far removed to the west of the deep convection the following day.

Even so, there was a convective burst that formed near the center of circulation center late on September 26, which continued into the following day. A convective band also began developing on the eastern side of the circulation. Philippe's structure deteriorated somewhat on September 28, with satellite images showing an elongated circulation and multiple centers. As there was some deep convection on the east and southeast sides of what NHC determined was the main center, the system still met the requisite criteria of a tropical cyclone. The storm also stalled, generally drifting to the southwest due to its interaction with Tropical Storm Rina to its east. Philippe remained adrift the following morning, and sheared, with the low-level center pushed to near the western edge of the main area of deep convection.

Philippe continued moving erratically for the next few days, strong northwesterly wind shear precluded any significant strengthening from occurring during this time. On October 2, the storm turned toward the northwest, and made landfall on Barbuda that evening. Satellite imagery showed a sheared, asymmetrical storm. The storm transitioned into a post-tropical cyclone on October 6, as it approached Bermuda. The system passed near the islands later that day on its way North. The extra-tropical low began to affect Maine and the Canadian Maritimes on the afternoon of October 7, landing near Bar Harbor the following night. It crossed the state afterward and merged with another weather system over central Quebec on October 8.

Preparations and impact

Lesser Antilles

Several LIAT-airline flights were cancelled, and government offices and schools were closed in Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy. In Guadeloupe, some areas were left without running water, and isolated one community. Two roads and schools were closed, and 2,500 power outages occurred. Multiple middle schools were also damaged, and rainfall in Vieux-Fort, Guadeloupe

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