Rina — 2023

A tropical wave that moved off West Africa on September 22–23 organized into Tropical Storm Rina on September 28, 2023, over the central tropical Atlantic near Tropical Storm Philippe. Rina persisted through October 1 while generally moving west-northwest to northwest. The storm reached its peak intensity on September 29–30 before weakening as it moved farther northwest and dissipated by October 2. Rina did not make any landfalls. It remained over the open central Atlantic and no coastal watches or warnings were issued during its lifetime. The storm’s maximum sustained winds were 45 kt (about 52 mph) with an estimated minimum central pressure of 999 mb at its peak on September 29 (0600–1200 UTC). These values correspond to a moderate tropical storm, not a hurricane. There were no reports of storm surge or measured coastal inundation from Rina, and no notable rainfall totals reported at populated locations in the NHC record. Observations available for the storm came from satellites and scatterometer overpasses rather than from land stations. No deaths, injuries, or damage were reported in association with Rina. The NHC noted that because Rina remained well offshore there were no direct casualties or reported impacts. A noteworthy feature of Rina’s evolution was its close proximity to Tropical Storm Philippe; interactions between the two storms likely made Rina’s track harder to predict. Official track forecast errors for Rina were larger than recent averages, while intensity forecasts performed better than the recent mean.