1977 Atlantic hurricane season

1977 Atlantic hurricane season
Season summary map
First storm formed August 29, 1977
Last storm dissipated November 7, 1977
Strongest storm Anita – 926 mbar (hPa) (27.36 inHg), 175 mph (280 km/h) (1-minute sustained)
Total depressions 16
Total storms 6
Hurricanes 5
Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+) 1
Total fatalities 10
Total damage $10 million (1977 USD)
Atlantic hurricane seasons
1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979

The 1977 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1977, and lasted until November 30, 1977. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin.

The 1977 Atlantic hurricane season was below average in activity, with six tropical storms forming, of which five became hurricanes. The only notable storm of the season was Hurricane Anita, which hit Mexico as a Category 5 hurricane, killing 10 people.

Contents

Season summary

The season's activity was reflected with a cumulative accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 25, which was the lowest ACE value since 1925.[1] ACE is, broadly speaking, a measure of the power of the hurricane multiplied by the length of time it existed, so storms that last a long time, as well as particularly strong hurricanes, have high ACEs. ACE is only calculated for full advisories on tropical systems at or exceeding 34 knots (39 mph, 63 km/h) or tropical storm strength. Subtropical storms are not included, therefore, the subtropical stage of Babe is omitted from the total ACE value.[2]

Storms

Mid June Tropical Depression

Tropical depression (SSHS)
Duration June 13 – June 14
Intensity 30 mph (45 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

This tropical depression formed on June 13 and dissipated the day afterward without strengthening.[3]

Mid July Tropical Depression

Tropical depression (SSHS)
Duration July 18 – July 19
Intensity 35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

This storm formed on July 18 and dissipated the next day without strengthening.[3]

Late July Tropical Depression

Tropical depression (SSHS)
Duration July 25 – July 26
Intensity 30 mph (45 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

This system formed on July 25 and, like the previous storms, dissipated the next day.[3]

Early August Tropical Depression

Tropical depression (SSHS)
Duration August 1 – August 4
Intensity 35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

This depression formed on August 1 and briefly strengthened before dissipating on August 4.[3]

Hurricane Anita

Category 5 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration August 29 – September 3
Intensity 175 mph (280 km/h) (1-min),  926 mbar (hPa)
Main article: Hurricane Anita

Hurricane Anita formed on August 29 in the central Gulf of Mexico and moved west, rapidly intensifying to become a hurricane on August 30. It reached Category 5 intensity on September 2 before making landfall in northeastern Mexico. It killed 10 people there, though due to the sparse population of the area it hit, damage figures are not available.

Hurricane Babe

Category 1 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration September 3 – September 9
Intensity 75 mph (120 km/h) (1-min),  995 mbar (hPa)
Main article: Hurricane Babe (1977)

The tropical depression that became Hurricane Babe formed in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico on September 3. Inititally subtropical in nature, having formed with the help of an upper level low, the storm developed tropical characteristics on September 4. After moving west-southwestward, the storm moved more northerly towards the Louisiana coast. As it approached the coast, it strengthened to a hurricane, though only briefly, as it made landfall on the morning of September 5. Babe rapidly weakened to a tropical depression over Louisiana, and brought heavy rain over Alabama, Mississippi, northern Georgia, and South Carolina, before dissipating on September 9. Because of the heavy rains, Babe caused $10 million in damage ($32 million in 2005 USD), but caused no fatalities.

Hurricane Clara

Category 1 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration September 6 – September 11
Intensity 75 mph (120 km/h) (1-min),  993 mbar (hPa)

The same system that spawned Hurricane Babe also spawned Hurricane Clara. A convective cloud mass with a spiral band of gale-force winds northeast of Babe moved away from the system. As it moved over Georgia and South Carolina, it became better organized, and became a tropical depression on September 5, located just north of Charleston, South Carolina. As the storm moved eastward, it strengthened to a tropical storm on September 8, located 200 miles east of Cape Hatteras. Later that day it attained hurricane status, but before long, strong upper-level winds sheared the system apart. A weakened Clara executed a tight loop east of Bermuda, and went out to sea, dissipating on September 12.

Mid September Tropical Depression

Tropical depression (SSHS)
Duration September 17 – September 19
Intensity 30 mph (45 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

This storm formed on September 17 and dissipated on September 19.[3]

Tropical Depression Four

Tropical depression (SSHS)
Duration September 22 – September 23
Intensity 30 mph (45 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

This depression only existed for thirty hours on September 22 and 23 before dissipating in eastern Mexico.[3]

Hurricane Dorothy

Category 1 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration September 27 – September 29
Intensity 85 mph (140 km/h) (1-min),  980 mbar (hPa)

Hurricane Dorothy formed from a tropical wave on September 26, located about halfway between Bermuda and the central Bahamas. The storm moved northeastward, brushing Bermuda to the south, and gradually strengthened. On September 28, Dorothy became a hurricane northeast of Bermuda, but the next day, it lost tropical characteristics while located south of Cape Race, Newfoundland.

Early October Tropical Depression

Tropical depression (SSHS)
Duration October 1 – October 3
Intensity 35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

This storm formed on October 1 and dissipated on October 3.[3]

Tropical Depression Six

Tropical depression (SSHS)
Duration October 3 – October 5
Intensity 35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

This storm formed on October 3 and dissipated on October 5.[3]

Hurricane Evelyn

Category 1 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration October 13 – October 15
Intensity 80 mph (130 km/h) (1-min),  994 mbar (hPa)

On October 3, a tropical wave entered the Atlantic Ocean and initially moved towards the west. The large area of disturbed weather associated with the system slowly consolidated and became more organized. It was estimated to have formed into a tropical depression on October 13 while located about 400 mi (640 km) south of Bermuda. The depression moved northward towards Bermuda and likely became a tropical storm early on October 14, although there was no confirmation that the storm was a tropical cyclone until it moved over the island later that day. After moving away from Bermuda, Evelyn accelerated towards the northeast and intensified into a Category 1 hurricane. The storm moved ashore on Nova Scotia as it was beginning to merge with a cold front, and on October 16 it completely transitioned into an extratropical storm while located over southwestern Newfoundland.[4]

Affects from Evelyn were limited to light rainfall, which occurred in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. After it brushed the coast of Nova Scotia, an isolated area near Evelyn's path recorded near 1 in (25 mm) of rainfall. On Newfoundland, similar rainfall totals were reported, and peaked at slightly more than 1 in (25 mm).[5] In addition, gale force winds were reported in Stephenville and St. John's, both are located on opposite sides of Newfoundland.[6][7] Evelyn was one of few hurricanes to make landfall in Newfoundland during the month of October.[8] More recently, Hurricane Michael made landfall at hurricane intensity on Newfoundland in October 2000.[9]

Tropical Storm Frieda

Tropical storm (SSHS)
Duration October 16 – October 18
Intensity 60 mph (95 km/h) (1-min),  1005 mbar (hPa)

On October 14, an area of disturbed weather associated with a tropical wave developed in the central Caribbean. The remnants of a frontal boundary merged with the disturbance on October 16 in the northwestern Caribbean, and another cold front moved into the area. Later that day, a resultant center of low pressure was identified to the east of Swan Islands, Honduras and declared a tropical depression. The center remained well-defined as the depression tracked slowly westward, and it was quickly upgraded to Tropical Storm Frieda. After peaking as a moderate tropical storm, Frieda steadily weakened until its landfall near Belize City, Belize as a tropical depression. Due to the storm's weak intensity at landfall, no damage was reported. Light to moderate rain fell in some areas along Frieda's path.[4]

Late October Tropical Depression

Tropical depression (SSHS)
Duration October 24 – October 25
Intensity 35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

This tropical depression formed on October 24 and dissipated the following day.[3]

Tropical Depression Nine

Tropical depression (SSHS)
Duration November 4 – November 7
Intensity 35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min),  Unknown

This tropical depression formed on November 3 as a low pressure area north of Puerto Rico. The system became well enough organized to be upgraded to Tropical Depression Nine the following day, as it moved west-northwest. The depression recurved, moving across eastern North Carolina before becoming a non-tropical low-pressure area on the evening of November 7. The low continued tracking along a parabolic curve, moving through the northern Mid-Atlantic states and New England before dissipating on November 10.[10]

Storm names

The following names were used for named storms (tropical storms and hurricanes) that formed in the North Atlantic in 1977.[11] Names that were not assigned are marked in gray.

Storms were named Anita, Babe, Clara and Evelyn for the first time in 1977. The name Anita was later retired. Because the list used for this season was not used again after a new list containing male names came into usage in the 1979 season, it was not replaced with any particular name.

  • Anita
  • Babe
  • Clara
  • Dorothy
  • Evelyn
  • Frieda
  • Grace (unused)
  • Hannah (unused)
  • Ida (unused)
  • Jodie (unused)
  • Kristina (unused)
  • Lois (unused)
  • Mary (unused)
  • Nora (unused)
  • Odel (unused)
  • Penny (unused)
  • Raquel (unused)
  • Sophia (unused)
  • Trudy (unused)
  • Virginia (unused)
  • Willene (unused)

See also

References

  1. ^ Hurricane Research Division (March 2011). "Atlantic basin Comparison of Original and Revised HURDAT". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/Comparison_of_Original_and_Revised_HURDAT_mar11.html. Retrieved 2011-07-23. 
  2. ^ David Levinson (2008-08-20). "2005 Atlantic Ocean Tropical Cyclones". National Climatic Data Center. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2005/2005-atlantic-trop-cyclones.html. Retrieved 2011-07-23. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Non-Developing Tropical Depressions 1967-87". National Hurricane Center. National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. ftp://ftp.tpc.ncep.noaa.gov/atcf/archive/HURDAT/non-developing-depressions-1967-1987-atl.txt. Retrieved 25 August 2010. 
  4. ^ a b Miles Lawrence (April 1978). "Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1977". National Hurricane Center. http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/general/lib/lib1/nhclib/mwreviews/1977.pdf. Retrieved 2011-05-31. 
  5. ^ "1977-Evelyn". Environment Canada. 2010-09-14. http://www.ec.gc.ca/Hurricane/default.asp?lang=En&n=3F34AA72-1. Retrieved 2011-05-19. 
  6. ^ "Hurricane Evelyn Preliminary Report (Page 1)". National Hurricane Center. 1977. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1977-prelim/evelyn/prelim01.gif. Retrieved 2011-05-19. 
  7. ^ "Hurricane Evelyn Preliminary Report (Page 2)". National Hurricane Center. 1977. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1977-prelim/evelyn/prelim02.gif. Retrieved 2011-05-19. 
  8. ^ Hurricane Research Division (August 2011). "Atlantic hurricane best track (Hurdat)". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/tracks1851to2010_atl_reanal.html. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  9. ^ Stewart, Stacy (2000-11-20). "Hurricane Michael Tropical Cyclone Report". National Hurricane Center. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/2000michael.html. Retrieved 2011-05-19. 
  10. ^ David M. Roth (2011). "CLIQR database". Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/research/roth/ebtrk_nhc_final.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-05. 
  11. ^ "21 Names Selected". United Press International. May 31, 1977. http://www.thehurricanearchive.com/Viewer.aspx?img=79892577_clean&firstvisit=true&src=search&currentResult=1&currentPage=0. Retrieved 2009-09-27. 

External links

Tropical cyclones of the 1977 Atlantic hurricane season
Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale
TD TS C1 C2 C3 C4 C5
Book  · Category  · Portal  · WikiProject  · Commons
Previous: 1969 · 1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979 · Next: 1980