Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Formed | September 15,1939 |
Dissipated | September 25,1939 |
Category 1 hurricane | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Highest winds | 75 mph (120 km/h) |
Lowest pressure | 971 mbar (hPa);28.67 inHg |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 45–93 direct |
Damage | $2 million (1939 USD) |
Areas affected | Southern California,northwestern Mexico |
Part of the 1939 Pacific hurricane season |
The 1939 California tropical storm,also known as the 1939 Long Beach tropical storm,and El Cordonazo (referring to the Cordonazo winds or the "Lash of St. Francis" (Spanish :el cordonazo de San Francisco)),was a tropical cyclone that affected Southern California in September 1939. Formerly classified a hurricane, [1] it was the first tropical cyclone to directly affect California since the 1858 San Diego hurricane, [2] and is the only tropical cyclone of tropical-storm strength (or greater) to make landfall in the U.S. state of California. [3] The storm caused heavy flooding,leaving many dead,mostly at sea. [1]
On September 15,a tropical depression formed off the southern coast of Central America. [4] It moved west-northwestward,passing southwest of the Revillagigedo Islands. It then turned north and then northeastward. [4] For some time,it was a hurricane,and it lost that intensity on or just before September 25. [1] The tropical storm made landfall near San Pedro,California,early on September 25, [1] with winds of severe gale strength. It dissipated later that day. [4] The strongest reported sustained wind was of Force 11 strength,which was reported by a ship,making this system a minimal hurricane. The lowest pressure was reported by the same ship,and was at 28.67 inHg (971 mb). [4]
Due to the rotation of the Earth,tropical cyclones in the Northern Hemisphere tend to move from east to west. This causes tropical cyclones to approach the West Coast of the United States infrequently. Another inhibiting factor for a California landfall is the surrounding water temperatures. Because of the water currents,the waters off the coast of California are rarely above 70 °F (21 °C),which is too cold for hurricanes to sustain themselves. [5] This tropical cyclone was rare enough that only three other eastern Pacific tropical cyclones brought tropical storm-force winds to the Continental United States during the twentieth century. The Long Beach Tropical Storm was the only one to make landfall;the other three hit Mexico before moving north,but didn't make landfall in California. [2]
The storm dropped heavy rain in California,with 5.66 inches (144 mm) falling in Los Angeles (5.24 inches or 133 millimetres in 24 hours) and 11.60 inches (295 mm) recorded at Mount Wilson,both September records. Over three hours,one thunderstorm dropped nearly 7 inches (180 mm) of rain on Indio. 9.65 inches (245 mm) fell on Raywood Flat,and 1.51 inches (38 mm) on Palm Springs. [1] 4.83 inches (123 mm) fell on Pasadena,a September record at the time. At the Citrus Belt near Anaheim,at least 4.63 inches (118 mm) of rain fell. The 11.60 inches (295 mm) at Mount Wilson is one of California's highest rainfall amounts from a tropical cyclone,although at least one system has a higher point maximum. [6] The rains caused a flood 2 to 4 feet (0.6 to 1.2 m) [7] deep in the Coachella Valley with heavy rain immediately preceding the tropical storm dropping 6.45 inches (164 mm) the day before the storm hit. [1] The Los Angeles River,which was usually low during September,became a raging torrent. [7]
With heavy rain immediately preceding the tropical storm,flooding killed 45 in Southern California. [8] At sea,48 were killed. [1] However,the National Hurricane Center only attributes 45 deaths to this system. [9] Six people caught on beaches drowned during the storm. Most other deaths were at sea. Twenty-four died aboard a vessel called the Spray as it attempted to dock at Point Mugu. The two survivors,a man and a woman,swam ashore and then walked five miles (8 km) to Oxnard. Fifteen people from Ventura drowned aboard a fishing boat named Lur. Many other vessels were sunk,capsized,or blown ashore. [7]
Many low-lying areas were flooded. The Hamilton Bowl overflowed,flooding the Signal Hill area. Along the shore from Malibu to Huntington Beach houses were flooded. Throughout the area,thousands of people were stranded in their homes. Streets in Los Angeles proper were covered with water,flooding buildings and stalling cars. Flooding in Inglewood and Los Angeles reached a depth of 2 to 3 feet (0.61 to 0.91 m). Construction on a flood control project in the Los Angeles River's channel by the Army Corps of Engineers was stopped by the flooding. Windows throughout Long Beach were smashed by the wind. At Belmont Shore and the Peninsula, [10] waves undermined ten homes before washing them away. Debris was scattered throughout the coast. Agriculture was disrupted. Crop damage in the Coachella Valley reached 75%. [7]
Rains washed away a 150-foot (46 m) section of the Southern Pacific Railroad near Indio,and a stretch of the Santa Fe main line near Needles. Waters backing up from a storm drain under construction in the San Gabriel Valley blocked California State Route 60. The pier at Point Mugu was washed away. In Pasadena,5000 people were left without electricity and 2000 telephones lost service. Communications throughout the affected area was disrupted or rendered impossible. [7] The total amount of damage was $2 million (1939 USD, [4] $42 million in 2022 USD).
The tropical storm was credited with at least one beneficial effect:it ended a vicious heat wave that had lasted for over a week and killed at least 90 people. [11]
People were caught unprepared by the storm, [1] which was described as "sudden". Some people were still on the beach at Long Beach when the wind reached 40 mph (64 km/h;35 kn),at which time lifeguards closed the beach. Schools were closed there. At sea,the Coast Guard and Navy conducted rescue operations,saving dozens of people. [7] In response to Californians' unpreparedness,the Weather Bureau established a forecast office for southern California,which began operations in February 1940. [1]
Hurricane Diana was a deadly tropical cyclone which made landfall in Mexico in August 1990. The fourth named storm and second hurricane of the season, Diana developed from a tropical wave in the southwestern Caribbean on August 4. Forming as a tropical depression, the system brushed Honduras before intensifying into a tropical storm the following day. Continuing to gradually strengthen, Diana made its first landfall in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula as a strong tropical storm late on August 5. The cyclone weakened slightly due to land interaction, before emerging into the Bay of Campeche on August 6. Once over water, warm sea surface temperatures allowed Diana to quickly become a hurricane and later peak as a Category 2 on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale on August 7. Shortly thereafter, the storm made landfall near Tampico, Tamaulipas, with winds of 100 mph (160 km/h). Rapid weakening ensued once the storm moved over the high terrain of Mexico, with Diana diminishing to a tropical depression roughly 24 hours after moving onshore. The cyclone later emerged into the Gulf of California on August 9 shortly before dissipating. The remnant disturbance was monitored until losing its identity over Arizona on August 14.
Hurricane Linda was an extremely powerful Category 5 hurricane that was, at the time, the most intense eastern Pacific hurricane on record, until it was surpassed 18 years later by Patricia. Forming from a tropical wave on September 9, 1997, Linda steadily intensified and reached hurricane status within 36 hours of developing. The storm rapidly intensified, reaching sustained winds of 185 mph (295 km/h) and an estimated central pressure of 902 millibars (26.6 inHg); both were records for the eastern Pacific until Hurricane Patricia surpassed them in 2015. The hurricane was briefly forecast to move toward southern California, but instead, it turned out to sea and lost its status as a tropical cyclone on September 17, before dissipating on September 21. Linda was the fifteenth tropical cyclone, thirteenth named storm, seventh hurricane, and fifth major hurricane of the 1997 Pacific hurricane season. Linda was also the most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 1997.
The 1939 Pacific hurricane season ran through the summer and fall of 1939. Before the satellite age started in the 1960s, data on east Pacific hurricanes was extremely unreliable. Most east Pacific storms were of no threat to land. However, 1939 saw a large number of storms threaten California.
The 1858 San Diego hurricane was a very rare hurricane that impacted Southern California. It is the only known tropical cyclone to directly impact California as a hurricane, although other systems have impacted California as tropical storms. The storm caused considerable damage to many homes and other structures in southern California, mainly around San Diego. A later estimate indicated that if a similar storm happened in 2004, it would have caused $500 million in damage.
The 1972 Pacific hurricane season was an ongoing event in tropical cyclone meteorology. There were few notable storms this year. Only one person was killed and storm effects were almost not serious at all. The most notable systems were Hurricane Celeste and Joanne. Celeste was the strongest storm of the season, and caused heavy damage to Johnston Atoll. Hurricane Joanne brought gale-force winds to the Continental United States and caused flooding in Arizona and northern Mexico, which killed one person. The only other system to directly impact land was Hurricane Annette.
Hurricane Nora was the first tropical cyclone to enter the Continental United States from the Pacific Ocean since Hurricane Lester in 1992. Nora was the fourteenth named tropical cyclone and the seventh hurricane of the 1997 Pacific hurricane season. The September storm formed off the Pacific coast of Mexico, and aided by waters warmed by the 1997–98 El Niño event, eventually peaked at Category 4 intensity on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale.
Hurricane Kathleen was a Category 1 Pacific hurricane that had a destructive impact in California. On September 7, 1976, a tropical depression formed; two days later it accelerated north towards the Baja California Peninsula. Kathleen brushed the Pacific coast of the peninsula as a hurricane on September 9 and made landfall as a fast-moving tropical storm the next day. With its circulation intact and still a tropical storm, Kathleen headed north into the United States and affected California and Arizona. Kathleen finally dissipated late on September 11.
Hurricane Marty was a Category 2 Pacific hurricane that caused extensive flooding and damage in northwestern Mexico just weeks after Hurricane Ignacio took a similar course. Marty was the thirteenth named storm, fourth hurricane, and the deadliest tropical cyclone of the 2003 Pacific hurricane season. Forming on September 18, it became the 13th tropical storm and fourth hurricane of the year. The storm moved generally northwestward and steadily intensified despite only a marginally favorable environment for development, and became a Category 2 hurricane before making two landfalls on the Baja California peninsula and mainland Mexico.
Hurricane Joanne was one of four tropical cyclones to bring gale-force winds to the Southwestern United States in the 20th century. A tropical depression developed on September 30, 1972. It then moved west northwest and intensified into a hurricane on October 1. Hurricane Joanne peaked as a Category 2 hurricane, as measured by the modern Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS), October 2. Joanne then slowed and began to re-curve. Joanne made landfall along the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula as a tropical storm. The tropical storm moved inland over Sonora on October 6 and was believed to have survived into Arizona as a tropical storm. In Arizona, many roads were closed and some water rescues had to be performed due to a prolonged period of heavy rains. One person was reportedly killed while another was electrocuted. A few weeks after the hurricane, Arizona would sustain additional flooding and eight additional deaths.
Hurricane Kay was a Category 2 hurricane that made landfall along the Pacific coast of the Baja California peninsula as a tropical storm. The twelfth named storm and eighth hurricane of the 2022 Pacific hurricane season, Kay originated from an area of disturbed weather that formed south of southern Mexico. Overall, damage from Kay totaled $10.62 million and it was responsible for five fatalities. Rain from the storm proved beneficial for firefighters battling the Fairview Fire in Southern California.