1987 Atlantic hurricane season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Season summary map |
|
| First storm formed: | August 8, 1987 |
|---|---|
| Last storm dissipated: | November 4, 1987 |
| Strongest storm: | Emily - 958 mbar (28.29 inHg), 125 mph (205 km/h) |
| Total storms: | 7 |
| Major storms (Cat. 3+): | 1 |
| Total damage: | $73 million (1987 USD) $123 million (2005 USD) |
| Total fatalities: | 9+ |
| Atlantic hurricane seasons 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 |
|
The 1987 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1987, and lasted until November 30, 1987. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin.
The season marked the first year tropical storm watches and warnings were issued. Previously, gale watches and warnings were used for tropical storms. An ongoing El Niño limited tropical cyclone activity, and the season was relatively quiet; it was unusual in that there were no United States deaths. Hurricane Emily was the deadliest and most notable storm of the season, causing $65 million in damage (1987 USD) as it ravaged the Dominican Republic and Bermuda.
Contents |
[edit] Storms
[edit] Unnamed Tropical Storm
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||
| Duration | August 9—August 17 | |||
| Intensity | 45 mph, 1007 mbar (hPa) | |||
The second tropical depression of the season formed in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico from a tropical wave on August 9. It quickly strengthened into a tropical storm, though the strengthening was not known at the time. Based on lack of significant organization or reports at the time, the storm remained unnamed. It travelled northwestward and as it neared the coast, the first tropical storm warning ever issued for a tropical system was issued for the Texas and Louisiana coasts from Galveston to Lake Charles. The tropical storm made landfall near High Island, Texas on the 10th, and quickly weakened to a tropical depression as it moved northeastward. It turned to the southeast, reached the Gulf of Mexico, accelerated to the northeast, and dissipated over Georgia on the 17th. 4-9 inches of rainfall was associated with the storm, causing flash flooding and water damage amounting to $12.4 million (2005 USD).
[edit] Hurricane Arlene
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||
| Duration | August 10—August 28 | |||
| Intensity | 75 mph, 987 mbar (hPa) | |||
A low pressure system on the tail end of a stationary cold front organized into a subtropical depression on August 8 near the South Carolina coast, and drifted south towards the Bahamas. Convection organized more, and the storm was classified tropical on the 10th. It executed an anticyclonic loop to the northeast, and attained tropical storm status on the 11th. Small cells in the ridge of high pressure caused Arlene to take an unusual track to the east, with two southward jogs in its path. High pressures to its east forced it northward, where conditions finally favored strengthening to a hurricane on the 22nd. Arlene accelerated to the northeast, and lost tropical characteristics on the 23rd midway between Newfoundland and Ireland. The extratropical remnants turned to the southeast, and brought moderate rainfall to coastal Spain before dissipating on the 28th over the country.
The twelve and a half day duration between forming and attaining hurricane status is the longest in history, excluding Hurricane Dennis in 1981 which weakened to a tropical wave before regenerating[citation needed]. Arlene also had the fastest reliably-measured forward speed of any tropical cyclone at 69 mph; The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 is recorded to have had a forward speed of 70 mph, but that measurement was largely an estimate made at landfall and not entirely reliable[citation needed].
[edit] Tropical Storm Bret
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||
| Duration | August 17—August 24 | |||
| Intensity | 75 mph, 987 mbar (hPa) | |||
A tropical wave moved off the coast of Africa on August 17, and organized into Tropical Depression Five early the next day. It moved quickly westward, and attained tropical storm status later that day to the west of the Cape Verde islands. Bret continued quickly westward, and attained a peak of 50 mph winds on the 20th. An upper-level trough to its west caused vertical shear over the storm, and Bret weakened to a tropical depression on the 22nd. A weakness in the ridge of high pressure turned the depression to the northwest, where shear increased even more, causing Bret to dissipate on the 24th. There were no reports of casualties or damage.
[edit] Tropical Storm Cindy
 |
 |
| Cindy satellite map and track map | |
|---|---|
On September 1 a tropical depression exited the African coast, and moved westward across the Atlantic Ocean. A trough of low pressure moved southeastward through the tropics, and brought the wave more towards the north. Generally favorable conditions for development allowed the wave to organize into a tropical depression on September 5, and two days later it attained tropical storm status. Cindy continued northward, and peaked at 50 mph winds on the 8th before turning to the northeast. Strong upper-level shear weakened the storm, and after two days of struggling as a tropical storm, Cindy became extratropical on the 10th to the northwest of the Azores.
[edit] Tropical Depression Nine
An upper-level cyclone closed off near the central Gulf coast on September 6, which spurred cyclogenesis offshore the Southeast United States. Convection became organized enough for the National Hurricane Center to issue advisories on Tropical Depression Nine on the 7th. The depression moved generally northward, moving through South Carolina, North Carolina, and the Mid-Atlantic while maintaining its identity. The depression merged with a frontal wave over New England on the morning of the 10th.
The depression dropped moderate rainfall along its path, peaking at 10.27 inches in central Virginia. [1]
[edit] Tropical Storm Dennis
 |
 |
| Dennis satellite map and track map | |
|---|---|
Like Bret and Cindy, Dennis formed from a tropical wave in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Beginning its life on September 8 near the coast of Africa, the depression moved westward, passing well south of the Cape Verde islands. It attained tropical storm status on the 10th, and continued west-northwestward. After peaking at 50 mph winds on the 11th, Dennis weakened due to vertical shear. It retained minimal tropical storm status for days before succumbing to shear and weakening to a tropical depression on the 18th. The depression accelerated rapidly northwestward, followed by a sharp turn to the northeast. Dennis became extratropical on the 20th over the central Atlantic Ocean, and merged with an extratropical storm later that day. There were no reports of casualties or damage.
[edit] Hurricane Emily
- Main article: Hurricane Emily (1987)
 |
 |
| Emily satellite map and track map | |
|---|---|
Emily formed east of the Windward Islands and headed west, causing considerable damage on Saint Vincent. It then slowly began turning north, and made landfall in the Dominican Republic, where three people were reported dead and there was $30 million (1987 US dollars) in damage. After passing over Hispaniola, Emily began a turn to the northeast, and eventually made landfall at Bermuda, where it caused $35 million (1987 USD) in damage, but no lives were lost. Thousands of migratory birds took refuge on Bermuda during the storm, including ten thousand bobolinks and thousands of Connecticut warblers. As the cyclone moved past Bermuda, Emily became the fastest moving hurricane of the previous century, moving at a pace of 69 mph or 31 m/s. [1]
[edit] Hurricane Floyd
 |
 |
| Floyd satellite map and track map | |
|---|---|
A broad area of low pressure organized into a tropical depression off the coast of Nicaragua on October 9. After drifting to the southeast, it turned to the north-northwest and organized into a tropical storm on the 10th. After crossing western Cuba on the 12th, Floyd accelerated to the northeast, and attained hurricane status late on the 12th. It passed through the Florida Keys before entraining cooler, drier air from a stationary frontal boundary. Its convection became very disorganized, and Floyd weakened back to a tropical storm early on the 13th to the southeast of Miami. It crossed the Bahamas, and became extratropical late on the 13th. The extratropical storm remained another 6 hours before the frontal boundary absorbed it on the 14th.
Some sources suggest that Floyd continued across the Atlantic and became the Great Storm of 1987 which hit England, though this is disputed. Damage in Florida was minimal, due to the disorganized nature of the hurricane. Floyd brought up to 8.8 inches to the state, causing moderate crop damage on the southern portion of the state. In addition, one tornado spawned by the storm damaged portions of the Florida Keys. Overall, damage amounted to around $0.5 million (1987 USD), with no casualties or injuries reported.
[edit] Tropical Depression Fourteen
A broad area of low pressure existed in the central Caribbean Sea in late October. It steadily organized, and was classified as Tropical Depression Fourteen on October 31. It moved northwestward, and entered a high-shear environment due to an upper level low situated towards the end of a high pressure system. By November 1, little convection remained as the weak depression turned to the north and crossed Cuba. A burst of convection organized over the depression, and brought strong wind gusts to the Florida Keys as it passed through the area on the 2nd. It continued to the north-northwest, paralleling the Florida west coast, and lost all of its convection on the 3rd. The system turned to the northeast, and merged with a weak extratropical low over northern Florida on the 4th.
While passing to the west of Jamaica, the depression dropped heavy rainfall on the island, prompting officials to issue flash flood warnings. Over a three-day period, Kingston recorded a total of 10.21 inches (25.93 mm, the highest daily rainfall total being 6.38 inches (16.21 mm) on November 1.[2] According to an unofficial report, the flooding caused six fatalities in Jamaica.[3] Cuba reported moderate rainfall, peaking at 4.75 inches (12.07 mm) in Bahía Honda, in Cuba's western province of Pinar del Río. Despite being a very weak system, the depression also dropped moderate precipitation across Florida, peaking at 10.23 inches (26 mm) at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. Rainfall was experienced as far north as eastern Georgia and extreme southern South Carolina.[2]
[edit] Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) Rating
| ACE (104kt2) – Storm: Source | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11.9 | Arlene | 5 | 2.35 | Bret |
| 2 | 10.1 | Emily | 6 | 1.91 | Cindy |
| 3 | 4.07 | Dennis | 7 | 0.603 | Unnamed |
| 4 | 3.34 | Floyd | |||
| Total= 34.36 (34) | |||||
The table on the right shows the ACE for each storm in the season. The ACE is, broadly speaking, a measure of the power of the hurricane multiplied by the length of time it existed for, so hurricanes that lasted a long time have higher ACEs.
[edit] 1987 storm names
The following names were used for named storms that formed in the north Atlantic in 1987. This is the same list used for the 1981 season. No names were retired, so it was used again in the 1993 season. Names that were not assigned are marked in gray.
|
|
|
[edit] Retirement
- See also: List of retired Atlantic hurricanes
The World Meteorological Organization retired no names used in the 1987 season.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Monthly Weather Review
- Detailed information on all storms from 1987
- U.S. Rainfall information for tropical cyclones from 1987
- NOAA 1987 Report accessed November 10, 2005
