Tropical Storm Edouard

Tropical Storm Edouard was the first of eight named storms to form in September 2002, the most such storms in the North Atlantic for any month at the time. The fifth tropical storm of the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season, Edouard developed into a tropical cyclone on September 1 from an area of atmospheric convection associated with a cold front east of Florida. Under weak steering currents, Edouard drifted to the north and executed a clockwise loop to the west. Despite moderate to strong levels of wind shear, the storm reached a peak intensity of on September 3, but quickly weakened as it tracked westward. Edouard made landfall on northeastern Florida on September 5, and after crossing the state it dissipated on September 6 while becoming absorbed into the larger circulation of Tropical Storm Fay. Florida received moderate rainfall from Edouard, with floods exceeding in the western portion of the state. Though Edouard was a tropical storm at landfall, wind speeds along the storm's path over land were light. The rain flooded several roads; however, there were no casualties, and damage was minimal. Meteorological history An area of cloudiness and rain showers developed several hundred miles east-southeast of Bermuda on August 25, likely in association with a low-level disturbance that formed along a cold front. For several days, it moved southwestward, and, while located on the southwestern end of an upper-level trough to the north of Puerto Rico, deep atmospheric convection throughout the system increased. The system tracked westward, and initially remained disorganized while surface pressures remained high. The system started to drift northwest and began to slowly organize on August 30 while located a few hundred miles northeast of the Bahamas. A broad low-pressure area developed on August 31, though convection remained disorganized as winds of were reported in squalls. Conditions remained favorable for continued organization, and convection persisted and increased across the system. The system developed into Tropical Depression Five on September 1 after developing a low-level circulation while located about east of Daytona Beach, Florida.