Hurricane Lili (1990)

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Hurricane Lili
Category 1 hurricane (SSHS)
Hurricane Lili at peak intensity

Hurricane Lili at peak intensity
Formed October 5, 1990
Dissipated October 15, 1990
Highest
winds
75 mph (120 km/h) (1-minute sustained)
Lowest pressure 987 mbar (hPa; 29.16 inHg)
Fatalities 0 direct
Damage Unknown
Areas
affected		 Bermuda,North Carolina,Mid Atlantic, Pennsylvania, Atlantic Canada
Part of the
1990 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Lili was an Atlantic tropical cyclone that lasted through early October of the 1990 Atlantic hurricane season. Being the twelfth named storm and seventh hurricane of the 1990 season, Lili formed as a subtropical cyclone on October 5 and moved across the Atlantic ocean as a weak Category 1 hurricane before recurving to the northeast and hitting Nova Scotia and Newfoundland as an extratopical storm with tropical storm force winds.

Lili was difficult to forecast due to its rapid forward speed. As a consequence, the National Hurricane Center forecasted the storm to make landfall in North Carolina. However, the storm turned away from land and the only effect from Lili was minor beach erosion. Lili also brought heavy rainfall to eastern Pennsylvania which resulted in moderate flood damage and stong winds to Atlantic Canada. Damage in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Atlantic Canada was minimal and there were no reported fatalities.

Contents

[edit] Storm history

Storm path
Storm path

A non tropical low formed several hundred miles southwest of the Azores between October 5 and interacted with Hurricane Josephine which forced the low southwestward. On October 6, the low acquired subtropical characteristics and days later, the system became more tropical and became Hurricane Lili on October 11 as it turned and trekked westward at 26 mph (43 km/h). At 2100 UTC, the center of Lili passed 120 miles (193 km) south of Bermuda as it maintained its 75 mph (120 km/h) winds and its barometric pressure dropped to 987 millibars.[1]

Recurving around a high pressure system positioned over Newfoundland, Lili's forward speed slowed to 14 mph (22 km/h) as it weakened to tropical storm status. The center of Lili bypassed east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina by 170 miles (274 km) as the high pressure system shifted southeastward allowing Lili to turn away from the East Coast of the United States. Lili then accelerated to 43 mph (69 km/h)[1]before becoming extratropical October 15.[2]The extratropical remnants brushed Nova Scotia and made landfall in southeastern Newfoundland on the same day.[3]

[edit] Preparations

The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for Bermuda on October 11, however the warning was downgraded to a tropical storm warning at 1900 UTC as the center of Lili passed south of the island.[4] Lili's rapid forward speed made it difficult for meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center to forecast the storms projected path. On October 10 and 11, the National Hurricane Center forecasted Lili will continue westward and make landfall in North Carolina.[3]That prompted forecasters to issue a hurricane watch and later a hurricane warning for the Carolinas and Virginia on October 12.[4]The watches and warnings prompted residents and tourists in North Carolina to evacuate coastal areas.[5]In Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, residents were ordered to evacuate and officials closed a campground in Cape Hatteras.[3]In Virginia an art festival was postponed one week due the approach of Lili.[6]

Shortly after the National Hurricane Center issued the hurricane warning, Lili slowed its forward speed and was beginning to turn to the northwest and thus the official forecast projected the center of the storm to pass east of the Outer Banks and that both North Carolina and Virginia will be on the weaker side of the storm and not experience hurricane conditions. As a result, the hurricane warnings were changed to tropical storm warnings by the National Hurricane Center.[3][7]

[edit] Impact

Numerous ships came in contact with Lili and reported winds between 46-58 mph (74-93 km/h) or higher on October 6[1][3]In Bermuda, the center of Lili passed well south of the island brining heavy rains and strong winds, there were no reports of damage from Lili's effect on Bermuda.[5]In North Carolina, Lili produced high waves that washed away part of a dune fence near the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.[8]The heavy surf from Lili also caused minor beach erosion along the North Carolina coastline.[3]As Lili moved northeastward, its rainbands brought heavy rains to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and New England. In Pennsylvania, the outer bands of Lili produced serious flooding in Adams County. The flooding was the worst for the county since remnants of Hurricane Agnes caused severe flooding in 1972. The hardest-hit town was Arendtsville as heavy rains from Lili caused Conwego Creek to overflow its banks. The resulting floodwaters caused a harvest festival to be cancelled and forced one family to evacuate their home by boat. Elsewhere in Adams County, the storm dropped 6 inches (152.4 mm) of rain in a 12 hour period. That resulted in more flooding that forced several roads to close and caused a log jam near the South Mountain Fairgrounds. Despite the flooding there were no fatalities or injuries in Pennsylvania and the damage total is unknown. [9]In Atlantic Canada, Lili produced strong winds in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.[10]

The name Lili was not retired by the WMO in the spring of 1991 and as a result it was reused again in 1996 and 2002. The name Lili has since been retired after the 2002 season and is replaced with the name Laura which is on the list of names for the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season.

[edit] See also

Tropical cyclones Portal

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c National Hurricane Center (1990). NHC Report on Lili. NOAA. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
  2. ^ Weather Underground (2007). Weather Underground archive of Lili. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
  3. ^ a b c d e f National Hurricane Center (1990). NHC Report on Lili. NOAA. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
  4. ^ a b National Hurricane Center (1990). NHC Report on Lili. NOAA. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
  5. ^ a b Associated Press (1990). Hurricane Lili lashes North Carolina. The News. Retrieved on 2007-03-23.
  6. ^ The Virginian Pilot (1990). STOCKLEY GARDENS ART FEST POSTPONED 1 WEEK BY LILI THREAT. Retrieved on 2007-03-23.
  7. ^ National Hurricane Center (1990). NHC Report on Lili. NOAA. Retrieved on 2007-03-23.
  8. ^ Associated Press (1990). Southerners Regroup from Storms. Syracuse Herald Journal. Retrieved on 2007-03-28.
  9. ^ Marshal D. Black (1990). Heavy rains flood into Arendtsville. The Gettysburg Times. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  10. ^ Canadian Hurricane Centre (2007). CHC Storms of 1990. Environment Canada. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.