| Category 1 hurricane (SSHS) | |
|---|---|
| Debby near peak intensity | |
| Formed | August 19, 2000 |
| Dissipated | August 24, 2000 |
| Highest winds | 1-minute sustained: 85 mph (140 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 991 mbar (hPa; 29.26 inHg) |
| Fatalities | 0 direct, 1 indirect |
| Damage | $735,000 (2000 USD) |
| Areas affected | Leeward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Turks and Caicos, Cuba, Jamaica, Florida |
| Part of the 2000 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Debby was a minimal Category 1 hurricane that formed in mid-to-late August of the year 2000. Debby formed east of the Windward Islands on August 19, 2000, becoming the seventh tropical cyclone of the 2000 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm strengthened to a hurricane the next day, becoming the fourth named storm and second hurricane of the year. Afterwards, it moved west, passing over the Leeward Islands, and just north of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. Debby remained somewhat disorganized for the rest of its lifespan, and dissipated off the southern coast of Cuba on August 24.
In Barbuda, Debby caused moderate roof damage; throughout the Lesser Antilles, gusty winds damaged fruit trees and power lines. In the United States Virgin Islands, damage estimates added up to $200,000 (2000 USD). Debby also dropped up to 12 inches (30.5 cm) of rain across Puerto Rico, causing mudslides and damaging bridges and roads. 406 homes were affected from the flooding, with damage totaling to $501,000 (2000 USD), primarily in the municipality of Caguas. Also on the island, the storm was indirectly responsible for one death. On the northern coast of the Dominican Republic, waves and rainfall caused light to moderate damage; in Cuba, the remnants of Debby helped relieve a severe drought.
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The origins of Hurricane Debby trace back to an tropical wave that emerged from the coast of Africa on August 16, 2000, and entered the Atlantic Ocean. By the following day, a large and disjointed area of low pressure had formed in the vicinity of the wave; however, contrary to what would be expected of a tropical cyclone, the associated thunderstorm activity was not organized in curved banding features, indicating the storm was still in its early developmental stages. At 0000 UTC on August 18, the National Hurricane Center identified a low-level circulation center accompanying the system, but it remained weak. A still-broad disturbance continuing westward at around 17 miles per hour (27 km/h), its convection began to take on a curved pattern, and on August 19 became situated around a distinct center of low pressure. In light of the improvements in the storm's structure, it was recognized as a tropical depression that same day while located roughly 1,000 miles (1,600 km) west of the Windward Islands. With little vertical wind shear to hinder the depression's progress and developing anticyclonic outflow aloft, the cyclone attained tropical storm status at 0600 UTC on August 20 and received the name Debby.[1]
Tropical Storm Debby quickly strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane the following day. However, the hurricane-force winds were very concentrated, extending only 25 miles (40 km) from the storm's center of circulation.[2] Debby reached a peak intensity of 85 mph (135 km/h) according to the analysis following the hurricane season, but it had a minimum central pressure of only 1004 mbar (hPa) at this point. After weakening slightly, Debby reached its lowest recorded pressure of 991 mbar (hPa), but packed winds of only 80 mph (130 km/h).[1]
Debby remained a somewhat-disorganized hurricane for the rest of its life. It moved west, passing over Barbuda early on August 22 with 75 mph (120 km/h) winds, and struck St. Barthelemy and Virgin Gorda as a minimal hurricane shortly after. From there, it moved west, just north of the islands of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. While passing just miles north of Hispaniola's coastline, vertical wind shear and mountainous conditions weakened the tropical cyclone to a tropical storm. Debby began moving west-southwest and lost its closed circulation off the southeastern coast of Cuba on August 24.[1] The remnants of Debby became a strong tropical wave that continued moving west towards the Yucatán Peninsula.[3] The remnant low curved northeast and brought strong winds to Cuba and Florida in the subsequent days.[1]
Several storm warnings were issued for the Caribbean islands to warn their residents of the upcoming storm. In Philipsburg, St. Maarten, several shops in the downtown area were boarded up to prepare for Debby's approach. Elsewhere along the range of the cyclone's predicted path, homes and businesses were boarded up, and families buried emergency supplies in the ground. Ten U.S. Naval ships and two submarines off the Coast of Vieques Island temporarily abandoned their training exercises and moved over three hundred miles to the south of Puerto Rico, out of the storm predicted path. On Antigua, electricity was shut down to prevent storm damage to the island's infrastructure. When the hurricane moved into the coastal waters of the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Hovensa oil refinery in St. Croix was shut down, and as a result gas prices rose.[2]
Around 7,000 people in Cuba were evacuated to avoid the oncoming hurricane.[4] Several shelters across the northern Caribbean were open to people, but few people took refuge there.[5] Over Forty shelters were ready for use in Nassau, Bahamas, even though Debby never affected the island. A total of 889 people in the northern coastal plains were evacuated and placed in shelters out of Debby path.[6] Three shelters were opened for the coming of Debby in St. Thomas, and another two in St. John. The total number of people in all five shelters only reached 64. An additional 17 people took refuge in an unknown number of shelters on St. Croix.[7]
Florida declared a state of emergency for the Florida Keys, even though the hurricane was still far from Florida[8] Non-residents in Monroe County were forced to leave, causing a significant reduction in the tourism for that year.[1] For a period of time, forecasters predicted Debby to approached the Florida Keys was for the storm to be a Category Two Hurricane, while the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory predicted a much more intense Debby near the Florida Keys as a Category 4 hurricane with a minimum central pressure of 926 mbar (hPa).[9]
Debby caused one indirect death in Puerto Rico and up to $735,000 (2000 USD) in damages. Rainfall totals reached as high as one foot in Puerto Rico, and lesser amounts were recorded in other areas along the hurricane's path.
Throughout the Leeward Islands, gusty winds damaged fruit trees and downed power lines. In Barbuda, Debby caused moderate roof damage to several structures.[1] A total of 1.5 inches (38 mm) of rain fell over half of the country of Antigua and Barbuda.[4] In Antigua, downed utility poles and trees were spotted.[10] Rainfall totals in the region were at 0.91 inches (23 mm).[4] St. Martin reported little rainfall as the storm almost uneventfully passed over the island. The only damage reported from St. Martin was some minor flooding and some plant and tree damage.[11] St. Thomas officially received 1.93 inches (49 mm) of rain.[12] Away from the storm in the southernmost end of the Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago had a feeder band develop over the country which resulted in flooding in the Barrackpore region.[13]
In the United States Virgin Islands, damaged totals were at $200,000 (2000 USD). Other than that, damage was mostly from brief power blackouts.[14] On St. Thomas, one sailboat was washed ashore on Vessup Beach and minor landscape damage occurred on St. John. 0.46 inches (11.7 mm) of rain fell in St. Croix.[7]
Debby also dropped up to 12 inches (30.5 cm) of rainfall across Puerto Rico in less than 48 hours, causing mudslides and damage to bridges and roads.[15] But most of the island territory only received 3 inches (7.62 mm) of rain. The maximum rainfall on the island was 12.63 inches (32 cm) in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. Another measurement of rain that was nearly as high as that was 12.16 inches (31 cm) near Cayey, though there were unofficial reports of 17 inches (43 cm) of rain in the interior mountains.[8] Because of these heavy rains, several mudslides were reported inland.[16] The hurricane dropped around 5 inches (127 mm) of rain in San Juan, producing slick roads that resulted in several minor car accidents.[8][16] 406 homes were affected from the flooding, with damage totaling to $501,000 (2000 USD), primarily in the Caguas municipality.[15] Five houses were moderately to severely damaged; three of which were wooden and the other two being constructed out of concrete.[7] The storm was also indirectly responsible for the death of a 78-year-old man who fell to his death while trying to remove a satellite dish from the roof of his home.[1][8][17]
On the northern coast of the Dominican Republic, waves and rainfall caused light to moderate damage.[1] Twenty some homes in various places across the northern coast of the country were swept out to sea. At San José de Matanzas, several coconut trees were uprooted from the ground. Also, two houses were slightly damaged from wind gusts. In the nearby town of La Vega, bridges over the Piedra River and Jumunucu River collapsed due to the heavy rainfall and flooding. Another town, Salcedo, lost approximately 60 km² (15,000 acres (61 km²)) of bananas, with the damage costs at $34,000 (2000 USD) or RD$500,000 (2000 DOP).[4] The country's Civil Defense Force stated that over 700 people on the northern coast were forced out of their homes after severe flooding. Whether or not the people were returned to their homes is unknown.[17]
Port-de-Paix, Haiti, encountered some outer rain bands that tore away many tin roofs from the numerous shanties and flooded some homes. A small coastal village, Carenage, experienced high winds that sunk at least five boats. Storm surge also swept away one home, but without any reports of injury or death.[17] In Cuba, the remnants of Debby helped relieve a severe drought.[1] An 8-month-long drought was afflicting Guantanamo, Cuba, until Debby brought heavy rainfall to the area, putting the widespread thirst to rest. This pleased the local Cubans.[18] Shortly after the storm had dissipated and moved on westward, nearly all of 30,000 or so people displaced because of Debby returned to their homes in Cuba.[18] Heavy rain from Debby's remnants was also dropped on Jamaica.