A tropical wave moved off the west coast of Africa on August 31st, accomapnied with a large area of showers and
thunderstorms. The disturbed weather area moved south of Cabo Verde, with a surface low developing 615 miles to its
west on the morning of September 4th. By the early morning of the 5th, the system was well enough orgainzed to be
declared a tropical depression. Strengthening continued and the depression became Tropical Storm Jose later
that morning. Moving west to west-northwest, Jose became a hurricane on the afternoon of the 6th and a major
hurricane by the 8th as it approached the Leeward Islands. A weakness in its steering ridge created by Irma near
Florida turned Jose northwestward late on the 9th, with the storm just missing Barbuda to the northeast.
Jose moved into the western subtropical North Atlantic thereafter, with northeasterly vertical wind shear
weakening the hurricane below major hurricane status early on the 11th. Over the next five days, Jose
looped aimlessly as it was stuck in a col in the steering pattern, partially caused by Irma. Upwelling under
the storm combined with northerly wind shear weakened Jose into a tropical storm early on the 15th. Later that
day, while moving over warmer waters, Jose regained hurricane intensity while recurving northwestward. After turning
northerly on the 17th, Jose crossed the north wall of the Gulf Stream and weakened by into a tropical storm again
by the morning of the 19th about 210 miles east of Virginia Beach. The system began to take on a more non-
tropical character as well, with the system becoming larger despite maintaining some central convection.
Jose slowed down again, wandering offshore New England while slowly weakening. Despite model forecasts for
Irma, and then Maria, absorbing the weakening and shrinking Jose, the system remained well separated from both
and eventually ejected northeast while dissipating offshore New England.
The graphics below show the storm total rainfall for Jose, which used information from the National Weather
Service River Forecast Centers, Forecast Offices, and CoCoRAHS.
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