Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Formed | June 3,1995 |
Extratropical | June 6,1995 |
Dissipated | June 11,1995 |
Category 1 hurricane | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Highest winds | 75 mph (120 km/h) |
Lowest pressure | 987 mbar (hPa);29.15 inHg |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 1 direct |
Damage | $1.7 million (1995 USD) |
Areas affected | Yucatán Peninsula,Western Cuba,Florida,Georgia,Carolinas,Atlantic Canada |
IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1995 Atlantic hurricane season |
Hurricane Allison was the first tropical cyclone and first hurricane of the 1995 Atlantic hurricane season. It was an early season hurricane that delivered heavy rains and caused minor damage,primarily across Cuba,Florida and Georgia.
The storm developed on June 2,less than 48 hours after the official start of the hurricane season. It strengthened into a tropical storm early on June 3 and into a hurricane on June 4 in the Gulf of Mexico. It would make landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida on June 5 before tracking northward as an extratropical system. One death was reported in Cuba. Allison's early formation heralded the start of what would eventually become a very active 1995 hurricane season.
The origins of the system can be traced to a tropical wave that moved across the eastern Caribbean in the last week of May. The wave gradually organized itself as it entered the western Caribbean Sea on June 1. The circulation continued to close up on June 2 and that evening it was declared Tropical Depression One while east of Honduras. [1]
The depression was in an unusually low-shear environment for early June as it began tracking northward, [2] which allowed the system to strengthen into Tropical Storm Allison on the morning of June 3 as it tracked into the Yucatán Channel. Despite the fact that westerly wind shear began to increase, the warm water allowed Allison to gradually strengthen more that afternoon and evening. [3] Late that evening, while between the Yucatán Peninsula and Cuba, Allison developed a circular central dense overcast and became a high-end tropical storm. [4] As the storm emerged into the Gulf of Mexico, the warm waters allowed Allison to strengthen further and it was upgraded to a hurricane on the morning of June 4 while traveling almost due north. [1]
Allison remained somewhat disorganized, as no eye was visible, even when Reconnaissance flights confirmed that it was at hurricane intensity. [5] The storm maintained itself as a minimal hurricane throughout the day on June 4 before it began to turn to the northeast, in response to southwesterly shear. Late that evening, the storm began to weaken, dropping back to tropical storm intensity as it approached the Florida Big Bend area. The intensity leveled off on June 5 until it made landfall that morning. Allison made its first landfall at about 10:00 am EDT (1400 UTC) near Alligator Point, Florida as a high-end tropical storm with 70 mph (110 km/h) winds. It briefly re-emerged over Apalachee Bay and made another landfall near St. Marks, Florida about one hour later with 65 mph (100 km/h) winds. [1] Operationally, Allison was considered a hurricane until it made landfall, [6] and was considered the earliest hurricane landfall in the United States for some time. [7]
After making its final Florida landfall, Allison rapidly weakened. Tropical storm force winds continued over the eastern Florida Panhandle until late that afternoon, as the storm moved northward into Georgia. It weakened to a tropical depression on the evening of June 5 over southern Georgia. [1] Early on June 6, Allison began to transition into an extratropical storm as it interacted with a warm front to the northeast while tracking across the Carolinas. [1] The remnant low emerged into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Cape Hatteras that evening. It then raced across the western Atlantic, crossing the easternmost part of Nova Scotia on June 8 and Newfoundland on June 9. It continued northward across the Labrador Sea, dissipating on June 11. [1]
In anticipation of Allison, tropical cyclone warnings and watches were issued in Cuba, Mexico, and Florida. At 09:00 UTC on June 3, the government of Cuba issued a tropical storm warning for the extreme western portions of the country. [8] Six hours later, the Mexican government issued a tropical storm warning from Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo, to Tizimín, Yucatán. [9] As Allison moved northward, watches and warnings were posted in Florida, beginning with a tropical storm warning for Dry Tortugas at 21:00 UTC on June 3. [10] At 09:00 UTC on the following day, the National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm watch from Anclote Key to Pensacola. [11] The tropical storm watch was upgraded to a hurricane warning six hours later, simultaneous to a new tropical storm warning being issued from south of Anclote Key to Bonita Beach. [12]
On June 4, Florida governor Lawton Chiles declared a state of emergency for northern and central Gulf Coast counties of the state. [13] Mandatory evacuations were ordered for portions of Citrus, [14] Franklin, Jefferson, Liberty, Taylor, and Wakulla counties. [13] Approximately 2,700 people evacuated from the Gulf Coast of Florida. Although no mandatory evacuation was issued in Bay County, 555 people sought shelter anyway. [14] Throughout the Big Bend region of Florida, several county offices, courthouses, schools, and universities – including Florida A&M University, Florida State University, and Tallahassee Community College – closed for at least a partial or full day on June 5. [15]
Winds to tropical storm-force were reported throughout the western part of Cuba, with a peak gust of 64 mph (102 km/h) in Havana. Heavy rainfall of up to 18 inches (450 mm) was also reported in the area. [1] 32 houses were damaged or destroyed due to flooding that resulted. One person was killed in western Cuba and three others were injured. The overall economic loss as a result of the storm was reported to be fairly minor. [16]
In Florida, Allison's dangerous winds knocked down power lines, leaving 48,000 residents without power and/or telephone services. Along the 150-mile (240 km) stretch of Florida's Big Bend, 65 seaside homes were flooded and there was extensive beach erosion as a result of the storm surge. Three hotels and a restaurant were damaged. In Apalachicola, three fishing boats were swamped; the storm closed a bridge linking Apalachicola with St. George Island. The highest storm surge in Florida was about 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.5 m) in Wakulla and Dixie Counties, and 2 to 6 feet (0.6 to 1.8 m) to the east. [17] A tornado spawned by Allison touched down at Jacksonville Beach, causing minor damage when it downed power lines and flipped over vehicles. Minor crop damage was also reported. There were no deaths reported as a result of Allison in Florida. Damage was estimated at $860,000 in Florida, primarily as a result of the storm surge. [1]
Most of the damage in Georgia was as a result of several tornadoes related to Allison. The most significant of the tornadoes touched down in the town of St. Marys. An elementary school was destroyed and significant damage was also reported to several buildings at the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base. Several other tornadoes also touched down but damage from them was minimal. Damage from the tornado was estimated at $800,000 (1995 USD). [1]
The remnants of Allison brought rainfall and elevated wind speeds to much of Atlantic Canada. The highest rainfall totals occurred in western Newfoundland, including a peak total of 5.2 inches (133 mm). Winds peaked at just under 42 mph (68 km/h) in Bonavista, while gusts reached just over 55 mph (89 km/h) at the same location. Little damage occurred in Canada. [18]
Hurricane Agnes was the costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane's death toll was 128. The effects of Agnes were widespread, from the Caribbean to Canada, with much of the east coast of the United States affected. Damage was heaviest in Pennsylvania, where Agnes was the state's wettest tropical cyclone. Due to the significant effects, the name Agnes was retired in the spring of 1973.
The 1995 Atlantic hurricane season was a very active Atlantic hurricane season, and is considered to be the start of an ongoing era of high-activity tropical cyclone formation. The season produced twenty-one tropical cyclones, nineteen named storms, as well as eleven hurricanes and five major hurricanes. The season officially began on June 1 and ended on November 30, dates which conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones develop in the Atlantic basin. The first tropical cyclone, Hurricane Allison, developed on June 2, while the season's final storm, Hurricane Tanya, transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on November 1. The very active Atlantic hurricane activity in 1995 was caused by La Niña conditions, which also influenced an inactive Pacific hurricane season. It was tied with 1887 Atlantic hurricane season with 19 named storms, which was later equalled by the 2010, 2011, and 2012 seasons.
Hurricane Michelle was the fifth costliest tropical cyclone in Cuban history and the strongest hurricane of the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season. The thirteenth named storm and seventh hurricane that year, Michelle developed from a tropical wave that had traversed into the western Caribbean Sea on October 29; the wave had initially moved off the coast of Africa 13 days prior. In its early developmental stages, the depression meandered over Nicaragua, later paralleling the Mosquito Coast before intensifying into tropical storm intensity on November 1; Michelle was upgraded to hurricane strength the following day. Shortly after, rapid intensification ensued within favorable conditions, with the storm's central barometric pressure dropping 51 mbar in 29 hours. After a slight fluctuation in strength, Michelle reached its peak intensity as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 mph (230 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 933 mbar. This tied Michelle with 1999's Lenny as the fourth most powerful November hurricane on record in the Atlantic Basin, behind only the 1932 Cuba hurricane and 2020 Hurricanes Iota and Eta. At roughly the same time, the hurricane began to accelerate northeastward; this brought the intense hurricane to a Cuban landfall within the Bay of Pigs later that day. Crossing over the island, Michelle was weakened significantly, and was only a Category 1 hurricane upon reentry into the Atlantic Ocean. The hurricane later transitioned into an extratropical cyclone over The Bahamas on November 5, before being absorbed by a cold front the following day.
The 1961 Atlantic hurricane season was a very active Atlantic hurricane season, with an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) total of 189, the highest since 1950 and until being surpassed by 1995. The season, however, was an average one in terms of named storms. The season featured eight hurricanes and a well above average number of five major hurricanes. It was previously thought that the season had a record-tying seven major hurricanes, before the Atlantic hurricane reanalysis project downgraded two storms in 2019. Two Category 5 hurricanes were seen in 1961, making it one of only eight Atlantic hurricane seasons to feature multiple Category 5 hurricanes in one season. The season started on June 15, and ended on November 15. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The first system, an operationally unclassified tropical depression, formed offshore east Central Florida on June 10, but dissipated a few days later. Next, Hurricane Anna developed in the eastern Caribbean Sea near the Windward Islands on July 20. It brought minor damage to the islands in, as well as wind and flood impacts to Central America after striking Belize as a hurricane. Anna caused one death and about $300,000 (1961 USD) in damage. Activity went dormant for nearly a month and a half, until Hurricane Betsy developed on September 2. Betsy peaked as a Category 4 hurricane, but remained at sea and caused no impact.
The 1966 Atlantic hurricane season saw the Weather Bureau office in Miami, Florida, be designated as the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and assume responsibility of tropical cyclone forecasting in the basin. The season officially began on June 1, and lasted until November 30. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. It was an above-average season in terms of tropical storms, with a total of 15. The first system, Hurricane Alma, developed over eastern Nicaragua on June 4 and became a rare major hurricane in the month of June. Alma brought severe flooding to Honduras and later to Cuba, but caused relatively minor impact in the Southeastern United States. Alma resulted in 90 deaths and about $210 million (1966 USD) in damage.
The 1968 Atlantic hurricane season was a below average hurricane season during which only nine nameable storms developed. The season officially began on June 1 and lasted until November 30, dates which conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. Of the named storms, five strengthened into hurricanes; none however intensified into a major hurricane. Only four other seasons since the start of the satellite era—1972, 1986, 1994, and 2013—did not feature a major hurricane. The first system, Hurricane Abby, developed in the northwestern Caribbean on June 1. Abby moved northward and struck Cuba, bringing heavy rainfall and flooding to western portions of the island. Making landfall in Florida on June 4, Abby caused flooding and spawned four tornadoes, but left behind little damage. Overall, the hurricane resulted in six deaths and about $450,000 (1968 USD) in damage. In late June, Tropical Storm Candy brought minor flooding and spawned several tornadoes across portions of the Southern United States. Overall damage from the cyclone reached approximately $2.7 million. 1968 featured two simultaneously active tropical storms during the month of June, a phenomenon that would not occur again until 2023.
The 1969 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active Atlantic hurricane season since the 1933 season, and was the final year of the most recent positive Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) era. The hurricane season officially began on June 1, and lasted until November 30. Altogether, 12 tropical cyclones reached hurricane strength, the highest number on record at the time; a mark not surpassed until 2005. The season was above-average despite an El Niño, which typically suppresses activity in the Atlantic Ocean, while increasing tropical cyclone activity in the Pacific Ocean. Activity began with a tropical depression that caused extensive flooding in Cuba and Jamaica in early June. On July 25, Tropical Storm Anna developed, the first named storm of the season. Later in the season, Tropical Depression Twenty-Nine caused severe local flooding in the Florida Panhandle and southwestern Georgia in September.
The 1992 Atlantic hurricane season was a significantly below average season for overall tropical or subtropical cyclones as only ten formed. Six of them became named tropical storms, and four of those became hurricanes; one hurricane became a major hurricane. The season was, however, near-average in terms of accumulated cyclone energy. The season officially started on June 1 and officially ended on November 30. However, tropical cyclogenesis is possible at any time of the year, as demonstrated by formation in April of an unnamed subtropical storm in the central Atlantic.
The 1989 Atlantic hurricane season was an average hurricane season with 11 named storms. The season officially began on June 1, and ended on November 30. The first tropical cyclone, Tropical Depression One, developed on June 15, and dissipated two days later without any effects on land. Later that month, Tropical Storm Allison caused severe flooding, especially in Texas and Louisiana. Tropical Storm Barry, Tropical Depressions Six, Nine, and Thirteen, and Hurricanes Erin and Felix caused negligible impact. Hurricane Gabrielle and Tropical Storm Iris caused light effects on land, with the former resulting in nine fatalities from rip currents offshore the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada, while the latter produced minor flooding in the United States Virgin Islands.
Hurricane Roxanne was a rare and erratic tropical cyclone that caused extensive flooding in Mexico due to its unusual movement. The seventeenth storm, tenth hurricane, and the fifth and final major hurricane of the very active 1995 Atlantic hurricane season, Roxanne developed in the southwestern Caribbean Sea from an area of low pressure on October 7. The depression curved northward, causing it to avoid landfall in Central America. By October 9, the depression intensified enough to be upgraded to Tropical Storm Roxanne. On the following day, Roxanne turned west-northward, where it promptly intensified into a hurricane. As Roxanne headed generally westward, it began to rapidly deepen and reached Category 3 intensity less than 24 hours after becoming a hurricane. Shortly thereafter, Roxanne made landfall near Cozumel, Mexico at its peak intensity, which caused severe damage.
The 1909 Atlantic hurricane season was an average Atlantic hurricane season. The season produced thirteen tropical cyclones, twelve of which became tropical storms; six became hurricanes, and four of those strengthened into major hurricanes. The season's first storm developed on June 15 while the last storm transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on November 14. The most notable storm during the season formed in late August, while east of the Lesser Antilles. The hurricane devastated the Lesser Antilles, the Greater Antilles, and Mexico, leaving around 4,000 fatalities and more than $50 million (1909 USD) in damage.
The 1904 Atlantic hurricane season featured no tropical cyclones during the months of July and August. The season's first cyclone was initially observed in the southwestern Caribbean on June 10. After this storm dissipated on June 14, the next was not detected until September 8. The sixth and final system transitioned into an extratropical cyclone offshore South Carolina on November 4. Two of the six tropical cyclones existed simultaneously.
Tropical Storm Alberto was the first tropical storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season. Forming on June 10 in the northwestern Caribbean, the storm moved generally to the north, reaching a maximum intensity of 70 mph (110 km/h) before weakening and moving ashore in the Big Bend area of Florida on June 13. Alberto then moved through eastern Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia as a tropical depression before becoming extratropical on June 14.
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Hurricane Marco was the first of two tropical cyclones to threaten the Gulf Coast of the United States within a three-day period. The thirteenth named storm and third hurricane of the record-breaking 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, Marco developed from a fast-moving tropical wave west of the Windward Islands and south of Jamaica on August 20. The fast motion of the wave inhibited intensification initially, but as the wave slowed down and entered a more favorable environment, the system developed into a tropical depression, which in turn rapidly intensified into a strong tropical storm. Due to strong wind shear, Marco's intensification temporarily halted. However, after entering the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico on August 23, Marco briefly intensified into a hurricane, only to quickly weaken later that evening due to another rapid increase in wind shear. Marco subsequently weakened to a tropical depression before degenerating into a remnant low early the next morning. Marco's remnants subsequently dissipated on August 26.
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