| Timeline of the 1983 Atlantic hurricane season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Season summary map | |||||
| Season boundaries | |||||
| First system formed | July 23, 1983 | ||||
| Last system dissipated | September 30, 1983 | ||||
| Strongest system | |||||
| Name | Alicia | ||||
| Maximum winds | 115 mph (185 km/h) (1-minute sustained) | ||||
| Lowest pressure | 962 mbar (hPa; 28.41 inHg) | ||||
| Longest lasting system | |||||
| Name | Barry | ||||
| Duration | 6 days | ||||
| |||||
The 1983 Atlantic hurricane season was an event in the annual tropical cyclone season in the north Atlantic Ocean. It was the least active Atlantic hurricane season in 53 years, during which four storms formed. [1] The season officially began on June 1, 1983 and ended November 30, 1983. These dates, adopted by convention, historically describe the period in each year when most systems form. [2] The first named storm, Hurricane Alicia, formed on August 15. The last storm of the season, Tropical Storm Dean, dissipated on September 30.
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This season produced seven tropical depressions, of which four became named storms; three attained hurricane status, of which one became a major hurricane, a storm that ranks as a Category 3 or higher on the Saffir–Simpson scale. [3] The most notable storm in 1983 was Hurricane Alicia, which killed 21 people and caused $2.6 billion (1983 USD; $5.6 billion 2008 USD) in damages, making it the costliest storm, at the time, in Texas history. [4] As a result of its intensity, the name Alicia was subsequently retired from reuse in the North Atlantic by the World Meteorological Organization. [5] Another notable storm, Hurricane Barry, made landfall on Florida as a tropical storm, then, after crossing into the Gulf of Mexico crossing, strengthened into a weak Category 1 hurricane that traveled almost due west across the Gulf before making landfall in extreme northern Mexico. [6]
This timeline documents tropical cyclone formations, strengthening, weakening, landfalls, extratropical transitions, and dissipations during the season. It includes information that was not released throughout the season, meaning that data from post-storm reviews by the National Hurricane Center, such as a storm that was not initially warned upon, has been included.
The time stamp for each event is stated using Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the 24-hour clock where 00:00 = midnight UTC. [7] and the time zone where the center of the tropical cyclone is currently located. The time zones utilized (east to west) prior to 2020 were: Atlantic, Eastern, and Central. [8] In this timeline, the respective area time is included in parentheses. Additionally, figures for maximum sustained winds and position estimates are rounded to the nearest 5 units (miles, or kilometers), following National Hurricane Center practice. Direct wind observations are rounded to the nearest whole number. Atmospheric pressures are listed to the nearest millibar and nearest hundredth of an inch of mercury.
