Cristobal (2008)

A low pressure area that formed along a stalled frontal trough near the southwest Florida coast became a well-defined surface circulation and was designated a tropical depression at 0000 UTC on 19 July 2008 about 60 nautical miles east of the Georgia–South Carolina border. The system strengthened to Tropical Storm Cristobal by 1200 UTC 19 July and moved northeastward close to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Cristobal continued northeast over the western Atlantic, reached peak strength on 22 July, then weakened over cooler waters and was absorbed by a larger extratropical cyclone by 1200 UTC 23 July.

Cristobal did not make any landfall as a tropical cyclone on the U.S. mainland. The storm moved very close to the North Carolina coast on 19–20 July, prompting a tropical storm warning from South Santee River, South Carolina, northward to the North Carolina–Virginia border (including Pamlico Sound). The warning was discontinued at 0300 UTC 20 July when the storm moved away from the coast. There were no reports of tropical-storm-force winds on land.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds peaked at 55 knots (about 63 mph) with a minimum central pressure of 998 millibars at 1200 UTC 22 July. At peak intensity Cristobal was a moderate tropical storm (below hurricane strength).

Storm surge and heavy rainfall impacts on land were limited. The strongest winds and surge remained offshore; there were no reports of measured tropical-storm-force winds on land in the United States. In Atlantic Canada, rains preceded the cyclone and produced intense rainfall along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. Environment Canada and buoy reports indicate strong offshore winds; for example, the East Scotia Slope NOMAD buoy (44137) reported a wind gust of 50 knots before it stopped reporting, suggesting the buoy may have been damaged. The report does not list specific landfall surge heights or inland rainfall totals for U.S. locations.

There were no reported fatalities or injuries attributed to Cristobal. Damage reports were minimal in the United States because the strongest winds stayed over the ocean; some buoy damage and intense coastal rain impacts occurred in Nova Scotia. Forecasts for Cristobal performed better than average for this storm—official NHC track and intensity errors were smaller than the long-term means for similar forecast periods. Another notable point was the observation of an eye-like feature on microwave satellite imagery near the time of peak intensity despite Cristobal remaining a tropical storm.