Hurricane Anita
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| Category 5 hurricane (SSHS) | ||
|---|---|---|
 Hurricane Anita on September 2 1977, approaching the Gulf coast of Mexico. |
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| Formed | August 29, 1977 | |
| Dissipated | September 3, 1977 | |
| Highest winds |
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| Lowest pressure | 926 mbar (hPa) | |
| Damage | $50 million (1977 USD) $162 million (2005 USD) [1] |
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| Fatalities | 10 direct | |
| Areas affected |
Northeastern Mexico | |
| Part of the 1977 Atlantic hurricane season |
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Hurricane Anita was a powerful hurricane during an otherwise quiet 1977 Atlantic hurricane season. Anita formed in late August, making it one of the latest forming first storms of a hurricane season. Anita was the most intense storm of the season, reaching Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.
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[edit] Storm history
The precursor to Hurricane Anita was a tropical wave that moved off the coast of Africa on August 16. It moved westward without strengthening. When it entered the Caribbean, it began to move more northerly. The tropical wave, which extended from the Bahamas through Florida over western Cuba, was able to organize in the Gulf of Mexico with the help of divergence from an upper level low. An anticyclone developed over the area, aiding in the formation of a tropical depression on August 29 in the East Central Gulf of Mexico.
Located at around 230 statute miles (370 km) south-southwest of New Orleans, it initially appeared to threaten the Texas coastline, but a high pressure ridge building southward through Texas and Mexico forced it more southerly. The depression became Tropical Storm Anita on August 30, and a hurricane later that night. Intensification slowed somewhat, but the storm still reached Category 2 strength two days later. As it approached the coastline of Mexico, it passed over a warm eddy of water, likely 1ºC warmer than the rest of the Gulf of Mexico. Because of this and favorable conditions aloft, Anita rapidly strengthened to a 175 mph (280 km/h) Category 5 hurricane on September 2, and made landfall at this intensity in northeastern Mexico. Landfall was 145 miles (235 km) south of Brownsville, Texas and 80 miles (130 km) north of Tampico, Mexico. It rapidly weakened and dissipated over central Mexico. [1][2]
[edit] Preparations
In Mexico, 35,000 people were evacuated from coastal regions in anticipation of Anita's landfall.
In the United States, about 65,000 people were evacuated in Texas and Louisiana. This total included 7,000 workers from offshore oil drilling platforms.[3]
[edit] Impact
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Anita killed 10 people. Farming and fishing communities were disrupted greatly from the passage of this hurricane. [2] Damage amounted to $50 million (1977 USD, $162 million 2005 USD). [3]
Anita dumped two inches of rain across South Texas. In Mexico, a six-hour total of 17.52 inches was recorded in Soto La Marina.[4]
[edit] Retirement
- See also: List of retired Atlantic hurricanes
The name Anita was retired following this storm, and will never be used for an Atlantic hurricane again. Because of a naming change in 1979, it was not replaced by any particular name.
[edit] See also
- List of notable tropical cyclones
- List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes
- List of notable Atlantic hurricanes
[edit] References
- ^ National Weather Service. Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1977. NOAA. Retrieved on September 10, 2006.
- ^ E. Jáuregui. Climatology of landfalling hurricanes and tropical storms in Mexico, June 11 2003. Centro de Ciencias de la Atmósfera, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Retrieved on September 10, 2006.
- ^ National Weather Service. Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1977. NOAA. Retrieved on September 10, 2006.
- ^ National Weather Service. Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1977. NOAA. Retrieved on September 10, 2006.
[edit] External links
Categories: Tropical cyclone articles to be expanded | Atlantic hurricanes | 1977 Atlantic hurricane season | Category 5 hurricanes | Retired Atlantic hurricanes | Hurricanes in Mexico | Hurricanes in Tamaulipas | Hurricanes in San Luis Potosí | Hurricanes in Zacatecas | Hurricanes in Aguascalientes | Hurricanes in Jalisco | 1977 meteorology | 1977 in Mexico
