1982 Atlantic hurricane season
Encyclopedia
The 1982 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1982 and lasted until November 30, 1982, and was a below average season
. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclone
s form in the Atlantic basin
. Only six storms formed during this hurricane season: five named storms (this is the record for the smallest number of named cyclones in the Atlantic basin since naming began in 1950) and an unnamed subtropical storm (no subtropical storms were named between 1974 and 2001). The season started early with Hurricane Alberto
forming on the first day of the season. Alberto threatened the Southwestern Florida
coast as a tropical storm, causing twenty-three fatalities in Cuba
. The next storm, a subtropical storm, formed in June and affected the same area as Alberto, causing $10 million dollars in damage.
Tropical Storm Beryl formed on August 28, after a quiet July in the open Atlantic Ocean
. Beryl grazed Cape Verde
, killing 3 people. Tropical Depression Three formed just behind Beryl, tracking east and north of the Caribbean sea in early September. Soon after the dissipation of Beryl, Tropical Storm Chris
formed in the Gulf of Mexico
on September 9. Chris stayed as a weak storm, making landfall near Sabine Pass, Texas and dissipated over land on September 13. Hurricane Debby
was the next storm and the strongest of the season. The formative stage of Debby produced rainfall in Puerto Rico
and soon strengthened into a Category 4 Major Hurricane. Debby passed by Newfoundland on September 18 and merged with a non-tropical low on September 20. In mid-September, Tropical Depression Six formed west of Africa, and tracked west-northwest, dissipating before reaching the Leeward Islands on September 20. Its remnant thunderstorm activity continued moving west-northwest, forming Tropical Depression Seven which moved near Bermuda on September 25 before dissipating offshore Nova Scotia. The final storm of the season, Tropical Storm Ernesto, was the shortest lasting storm of the season and stayed out to sea, dissipating on October 3.
due to stronger than normal westerly winds aloft. The wind shear was contributed by a variety of factors including an El Niño. Vertical wind shear was strong enough to disrupt convection in areas of disturbed weather so they could not develop further. The El Niño which affected this hurricane season extended into the 1983 Atlantic hurricane season
. Higher than average values of African mineral dust
during the most active portion of the hurricane season could have also suppressed tropical cyclone activity.
The season's activity was reflected with a cumulative accumulated cyclone energy
(ACE) rating of 32, which is classified as "below normal". 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 cyclone
s are excluded from the total.
from an organized cloud system. It moved slowly northeastward through the Gulf of Mexico
, and strengthened into Tropical Storm Alberto on June 3. Alberto traveled generally northeast on an erratic course, and briefly intensified to a Category 1 hurricane, one of the earliest hurricanes of June, and the earliest date for a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean since Hurricane Alma in May 1970. Due to strengthening vertical wind shear
, Alberto then quickly weakened into a tropical storm, doubled back to the west, and dissipated near the Florida Keys
on June 6. Alberto is an example of a storm to enter the Gulf of Mexico and dissipating while never make landfall, which is an unusual event.
Though the storm never made landfall, 23 deaths were reported in Cuba from significant flooding, the worst in 32 years. Southern Florida
experienced moderate rainfall, with a peak of 16.47 inches (418.3 mm) occurring in Tavernier
.
also dropped heavy rainfall, peaking at 10.72 inches (272.3 mm) eight miles (13 km) southwest of Desoto City, Florida. The storm continued, crossing the Outer Banks
of North Carolina
, and retained its strength until June 20 when it became extratropical near Newfoundland. The cyclone caused three deaths in Florida, sank a fishing trawler off the coast of North Carolina, and caused $10 million in damage (1982 USD). This was the only subtropical or tropical cyclone to impact the Eastern seaboard this season.
exited Africa
on August 27. The next day, it developed into a tropical depression, and shortly thereafter it intensified into Tropical Storm Beryl. On August 29, it passed just south of Cape Verde
as it continued intensifying on its west-northwest track. An eye feature
appeared in the convection on August 31, suggesting winds of near hurricane status; since the feature was located on the western side of the deep convection and the storm was slightly asymmetric, the intensity was held just below hurricane status. Shortly after, strong wind shear
caused the storm to deteriorate, leaving the low-level circulation exposed on the western side. Beryl weakened to a tropical depression the next day due to the lack of convection, and it continued westward without redevelopment. On September 5, a reconnaissance flight into the depression found winds of 65 mph (100 km/h); this was deemed unrepresentative of the actual intensity as it was recorded in a squall line
. The depression became disorganized once more and by September 6, it was no longer identifiable on satellites.
Early in its duration, Tropical Storm Beryl produced heavy rainfall and gusty winds on the Cape Verde island of Sal
. The storm caused moderate damage across the archipelago, totaling $3 million (1982 USD). The passage of Beryl resulted in three casualties in Brava Island, as well as 122 injuries. In the period after the storm's passage, the United States provided humanitarian aid and economic assistance to the country, helping the archipelago to reverse the effects of Beryl.
, and moved into the southwest North Atlantic before dissipating east of the Bahamas on September 9.
developed on September 8 in the Gulf of Mexico
. It drifted westward, and the next day it organized into a subtropical depression
. Under the influence of a trough
of low pressure, the depression turned northward, and after steadily becoming better organized it transitioned into Tropical Storm Chris by late on September 10. The storm attained peak winds of 65 miles per hour (104.6 km/h) before moving ashore near Sabine Pass
in Texas
. Chris continued inland until it dissipated over central Arkansas
on September 13. Prior to making landfall, as many as 6,500 people evacuated from southern Louisiana, while offshore many oil workers were evacuated inland.
Chris produced moderate rainfall along its path, peaking at 16 inches (406.4 mm) in Delhi, Louisiana
, with totals of over 10 inches (254 mm) in Mississippi
and Tennessee
. The rainfall caused locally severe flooding as far inland as Tennessee and Kentucky
, with flooding of some rivers reported. The storm spawned 9 tornadoes, of which 4 were F2 or stronger on the Fujita scale
. Upon moving ashore, the hurricane produced a 5 feet (1.5 m) to 6 feet (1.8 m) storm tide
, resulting in severe damage to several boats in the Gulf of Mexico. Throughout its path, damage totaled $2 million (1982 USD).
moved westward offshore the coast of Africa
. The wave traveled across the Atlantic, and organized into a tropical depression off the northern coast of Haiti
on September 13. The depression turned north and strengthened into a tropical storm and then a hurricane. Hurricane Debby moved north-northeast, brushing Bermuda
with tropical storm-force winds. It continued strengthening as it moved north, peaking at 135 miles per hour (217.3 km/h). Hurricane Debby was the only known hurricane on record to reach category 4 north of 38°N latitude, at 38°8 North. Debby was also the second northernmost known category 4 hurricane Atlantic hurricane, behind Hurricane Ella
of 1978. Tropical storm-force winds were also recorded at Cape Race
in Newfoundland when Debby passed on September 18. The storm accelerated and began weakening over the colder waters of the north Atlantic. Debby merged with a strong non-tropical system over the British Isles
on September 20.
The precursor disturbance to Debby dropped heavy rainfall across Puerto Rico
, peaking at 12.86 inches (326.6 mm) in the southwestern portion of the island. Debby had little effect on Atlantic Canada
, outside of heavy rainfall.
on September 23. The west side of the wave expanded and was declared as Tropical Depression Six on September 30. The depression intensified, making a sharp turn on October 1. An Air Force plane found 40 miles per hour (64.4 km/h) winds with a pressure of 1003 hectopascals (29.6 inHg) and the depression was given the name Ernesto. A second Air Force plane on October 2 found 71 miles per hour (114.3 km/h) winds with a pressure of 997 mb. By October 3, Ernesto was not identifiable after merging with an extratropical low. Ernesto never approached land and caused no reported damage.
. This is the first time this name set was used since the post-1978 naming change, except for Florence and Helene which had been previously used in 1954, 1958, 1960, and 1964. Names that were not assigned are marked in .
retired no names used in the 1982 season.
Atlantic hurricane season
The Atlantic hurricane season is the period in a year when hurricanes usually form in the Atlantic Ocean. Tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic are called hurricanes, tropical storms, or tropical depressions. In addition, there have been several storms over the years that have not been fully...
. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclone
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
s form in the Atlantic basin
Atlantic Basin
The Atlantic Basin is the Atlantic Ocean.Atlantic Basin may also refer to:* Atlantic Basin Iron Works, an ironworks that operated in Brooklyn, New York, in the early to mid-20th century...
. Only six storms formed during this hurricane season: five named storms (this is the record for the smallest number of named cyclones in the Atlantic basin since naming began in 1950) and an unnamed subtropical storm (no subtropical storms were named between 1974 and 2001). The season started early with Hurricane Alberto
Hurricane Alberto (1982)
Hurricane Alberto caused the worst flooding in western Cuba in 32 years. The first tropical storm and hurricane of the 1982 Atlantic hurricane season, Alberto developed from a tropical disturbance on June 2 in the southern Gulf of Mexico...
forming on the first day of the season. Alberto threatened the Southwestern Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
coast as a tropical storm, causing twenty-three fatalities in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. The next storm, a subtropical storm, formed in June and affected the same area as Alberto, causing $10 million dollars in damage.
Tropical Storm Beryl formed on August 28, after a quiet July in the open Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Beryl grazed Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
, killing 3 people. Tropical Depression Three formed just behind Beryl, tracking east and north of the Caribbean sea in early September. Soon after the dissipation of Beryl, Tropical Storm Chris
Tropical Storm Chris (1982)
Tropical Storm Chris was the weakest storm of the 1982 Atlantic hurricane season. Affecting the Gulf Coast, Chris resulted in $2 million ) to the United States locations of Texas and Louisiana. The storm formed on September 9 from an upper-low pressure system that formed a few days previously...
formed in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
on September 9. Chris stayed as a weak storm, making landfall near Sabine Pass, Texas and dissipated over land on September 13. Hurricane Debby
Hurricane Debby (1982)
Hurricane Debby was the strongest tropical cyclone of the 1982 Atlantic hurricane season, peaking with winds of 135 mph . The fourth named storm of the season, it lasted roughly one week over the Atlantic Ocean, affecting Puerto Rico, Bermuda, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. Light damage was...
was the next storm and the strongest of the season. The formative stage of Debby produced rainfall in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and soon strengthened into a Category 4 Major Hurricane. Debby passed by Newfoundland on September 18 and merged with a non-tropical low on September 20. In mid-September, Tropical Depression Six formed west of Africa, and tracked west-northwest, dissipating before reaching the Leeward Islands on September 20. Its remnant thunderstorm activity continued moving west-northwest, forming Tropical Depression Seven which moved near Bermuda on September 25 before dissipating offshore Nova Scotia. The final storm of the season, Tropical Storm Ernesto, was the shortest lasting storm of the season and stayed out to sea, dissipating on October 3.
Season summary
The season was very inactive because of strong vertical wind shearWind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
due to stronger than normal westerly winds aloft. The wind shear was contributed by a variety of factors including an El Niño. Vertical wind shear was strong enough to disrupt convection in areas of disturbed weather so they could not develop further. The El Niño which affected this hurricane season extended into the 1983 Atlantic hurricane season
1983 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1983 Atlantic hurricane season was the least active Atlantic hurricane season in 53 years, with only four tropical storms forming. The season officially began on June 1, 1983, and lasted until November 30, 1983. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most storms...
. Higher than average values of African mineral dust
Mineral dust
Mineral dust is a term used to indicate atmospheric aerosols originated from the suspension of minerals constituting the soil, being composed of various oxides and carbonates. Human activities lead to 30% of the dust load in the atmosphere...
during the most active portion of the hurricane season could have also suppressed tropical cyclone activity.
The season's activity was reflected with a cumulative accumulated cyclone energy
Accumulated cyclone energy
Accumulated cyclone energy is a measure used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to express the activity of individual tropical cyclones and entire tropical cyclone seasons, particularly the North Atlantic hurricane season. It uses an approximation of the energy used by a...
(ACE) rating of 32, which is classified as "below normal". 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 cyclone
Subtropical cyclone
A subtropical cyclone is a weather system that has some characteristics of a tropical and an extratropical cyclone. As early as the 1950s, meteorologists were unclear whether they should be characterized as tropical or extratropical cyclones. They were officially recognized by the National...
s are excluded from the total.
Hurricane Alberto
On June 1, a tropical depression formed off western CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
from an organized cloud system. It moved slowly northeastward through the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, and strengthened into Tropical Storm Alberto on June 3. Alberto traveled generally northeast on an erratic course, and briefly intensified to a Category 1 hurricane, one of the earliest hurricanes of June, and the earliest date for a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean since Hurricane Alma in May 1970. Due to strengthening vertical wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
, Alberto then quickly weakened into a tropical storm, doubled back to the west, and dissipated near the Florida Keys
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...
on June 6. Alberto is an example of a storm to enter the Gulf of Mexico and dissipating while never make landfall, which is an unusual event.
Though the storm never made landfall, 23 deaths were reported in Cuba from significant flooding, the worst in 32 years. Southern Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
experienced moderate rainfall, with a peak of 16.47 inches (418.3 mm) occurring in Tavernier
Tavernier, Florida
Tavernier is a census-designated place in Monroe County, Florida, on an island named Key Largo in the upper Florida Keys. The population was 2,173 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Tavernier is located at ....
.
Subtropical Storm One
The first subtropical storm of the season formed in the east-central Gulf of Mexico on June 18, and moved northeast for its entire life cycle. It crossed the Florida peninsula that night, causing the issuance of numerous severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings. The cycloneCyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale...
also dropped heavy rainfall, peaking at 10.72 inches (272.3 mm) eight miles (13 km) southwest of Desoto City, Florida. The storm continued, crossing the Outer Banks
Outer Banks
The Outer Banks is a 200-mile long string of narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, beginning in the southeastern corner of Virginia Beach on the east coast of the United States....
of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and retained its strength until June 20 when it became extratropical near Newfoundland. The cyclone caused three deaths in Florida, sank a fishing trawler off the coast of North Carolina, and caused $10 million in damage (1982 USD). This was the only subtropical or tropical cyclone to impact the Eastern seaboard this season.
Tropical Storm Beryl
A well-developed tropical waveTropical wave
Tropical waves, easterly waves, or tropical easterly waves, also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic region, are a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which move from east to west across the tropics causing areas of...
exited Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
on August 27. The next day, it developed into a tropical depression, and shortly thereafter it intensified into Tropical Storm Beryl. On August 29, it passed just south of Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
as it continued intensifying on its west-northwest track. An eye feature
Eye (cyclone)
The eye is a region of mostly calm weather found at the center of strong tropical cyclones. The eye of a storm is a roughly circular area and typically 30–65 km in diameter. It is surrounded by the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms where the second most severe weather of a cyclone...
appeared in the convection on August 31, suggesting winds of near hurricane status; since the feature was located on the western side of the deep convection and the storm was slightly asymmetric, the intensity was held just below hurricane status. Shortly after, strong wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
caused the storm to deteriorate, leaving the low-level circulation exposed on the western side. Beryl weakened to a tropical depression the next day due to the lack of convection, and it continued westward without redevelopment. On September 5, a reconnaissance flight into the depression found winds of 65 mph (100 km/h); this was deemed unrepresentative of the actual intensity as it was recorded in a squall line
Squall line
A squall line is a line of severe thunderstorms that can form along or ahead of a cold front. In the early 20th century, the term was used as a synonym for cold front. It contains heavy precipitation, hail, frequent lightning, strong straight-line winds, and possibly tornadoes and waterspouts....
. The depression became disorganized once more and by September 6, it was no longer identifiable on satellites.
Early in its duration, Tropical Storm Beryl produced heavy rainfall and gusty winds on the Cape Verde island of Sal
Sal, Cape Verde
Sal is an island in Cape Verde. It belongs to the northern group of islands, called Barlavento. The island is composed by a single administrative division, the Sal municipality. The island is home to Amílcar Cabral International Airport, the main airport of Cape Verde.- Geography :The island is...
. The storm caused moderate damage across the archipelago, totaling $3 million (1982 USD). The passage of Beryl resulted in three casualties in Brava Island, as well as 122 injuries. In the period after the storm's passage, the United States provided humanitarian aid and economic assistance to the country, helping the archipelago to reverse the effects of Beryl.
Tropical Depression Three
This system formed east of the Lesser Antilles on September 6 to the southeast of Tropical Storm Beryl in the tropical North Atlantic ocean. The depression moved northeast of the Leeward Islands during the afternoon of September 7 while experiencing southwest vertical wind shearWind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
, and moved into the southwest North Atlantic before dissipating east of the Bahamas on September 9.
Tropical Storm Chris
A surface low pressure areaLow pressure area
A low-pressure area, or "low", is a region where the atmospheric pressure at sea level is below that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure systems form under areas of wind divergence which occur in upper levels of the troposphere. The formation process of a low-pressure area is known as...
developed on September 8 in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. It drifted westward, and the next day it organized into a subtropical depression
Subtropical cyclone
A subtropical cyclone is a weather system that has some characteristics of a tropical and an extratropical cyclone. As early as the 1950s, meteorologists were unclear whether they should be characterized as tropical or extratropical cyclones. They were officially recognized by the National...
. Under the influence of a trough
Trough (meteorology)
A trough is an elongated region of relatively low atmospheric pressure, often associated with fronts.Unlike fronts, there is not a universal symbol for a trough on a weather chart. The weather charts in some countries or regions mark troughs by a line. In the United States, a trough may be marked...
of low pressure, the depression turned northward, and after steadily becoming better organized it transitioned into Tropical Storm Chris by late on September 10. The storm attained peak winds of 65 miles per hour (104.6 km/h) before moving ashore near Sabine Pass
Sabine Pass
Sabine Pass is the natural outlet of Sabine Lake into the Gulf of Mexico. It borders Jefferson County, Texas, and Cameron Parish, Louisiana.Two major battles occurred here during the American Civil War, known as the First and Second Battles of Sabine Pass....
in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Chris continued inland until it dissipated over central Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
on September 13. Prior to making landfall, as many as 6,500 people evacuated from southern Louisiana, while offshore many oil workers were evacuated inland.
Chris produced moderate rainfall along its path, peaking at 16 inches (406.4 mm) in Delhi, Louisiana
Delhi, Louisiana
Delhi, originally called Deerfield, is a town in Richland Parish, Louisiana, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 3,066.-History:...
, with totals of over 10 inches (254 mm) in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
and Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. The rainfall caused locally severe flooding as far inland as Tennessee and Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, with flooding of some rivers reported. The storm spawned 9 tornadoes, of which 4 were F2 or stronger on the Fujita scale
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
. Upon moving ashore, the hurricane produced a 5 feet (1.5 m) to 6 feet (1.8 m) storm tide
Storm tide
A storm tide is a tide with a high flood period caused by a storm. Storm tides can be a severe danger to the coast and the people living along the coast. The water level can rise to more than 5 meters above the normal tide....
, resulting in severe damage to several boats in the Gulf of Mexico. Throughout its path, damage totaled $2 million (1982 USD).
Hurricane Debby
A tropical waveTropical wave
Tropical waves, easterly waves, or tropical easterly waves, also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic region, are a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which move from east to west across the tropics causing areas of...
moved westward offshore the coast of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. The wave traveled across the Atlantic, and organized into a tropical depression off the northern coast of Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
on September 13. The depression turned north and strengthened into a tropical storm and then a hurricane. Hurricane Debby moved north-northeast, brushing Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
with tropical storm-force winds. It continued strengthening as it moved north, peaking at 135 miles per hour (217.3 km/h). Hurricane Debby was the only known hurricane on record to reach category 4 north of 38°N latitude, at 38°8 North. Debby was also the second northernmost known category 4 hurricane Atlantic hurricane, behind Hurricane Ella
Hurricane Ella (1978)
Hurricane Ella was the strongest hurricane on record in Canadian waters. It formed on August 30 to the south of Bermuda, and quickly intensified as it tracked west-northwestward. By September 1, Ella reached winds of 125 mph , and it was expected to pass close to the Outer Banks of...
of 1978. Tropical storm-force winds were also recorded at Cape Race
Cape Race
Cape Race is a point of land located at the southeastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland, Canada. Its name is thought to come from the original Portuguese name for this cape, "Raso", or "bare"...
in Newfoundland when Debby passed on September 18. The storm accelerated and began weakening over the colder waters of the north Atlantic. Debby merged with a strong non-tropical system over the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
on September 20.
The precursor disturbance to Debby dropped heavy rainfall across Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, peaking at 12.86 inches (326.6 mm) in the southwestern portion of the island. Debby had little effect on Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
, outside of heavy rainfall.
Tropical Depression Six
This tropical depression formed 900 miles (1,448.4 km) west of the Cape Verde Islands on September 16, and moved west-northwest across the tropical Atlantic ocean. The system moved within 750 miles (1,207 km) east of the Leeward Islands before dissipating on September 20.Tropical Depression Seven
The remnant area of disturbed weather from Tropical Depression Six continued moving west-northwest into the southwest north Atlantic. A tropical depression formed from this area 275 miles (442.6 km) west of Bermuda on September 25. The system recurved off the north and northeast, dissipating in north Atlantic shipping lanes southeast of Nova Scotia on September 27.Tropical Storm Ernesto
A tropical wave formed off the coast of AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
on September 23. The west side of the wave expanded and was declared as Tropical Depression Six on September 30. The depression intensified, making a sharp turn on October 1. An Air Force plane found 40 miles per hour (64.4 km/h) winds with a pressure of 1003 hectopascals (29.6 inHg) and the depression was given the name Ernesto. A second Air Force plane on October 2 found 71 miles per hour (114.3 km/h) winds with a pressure of 997 mb. By October 3, Ernesto was not identifiable after merging with an extratropical low. Ernesto never approached land and caused no reported damage.
Storm names
The following names were used for named storms that formed in the north Atlantic in 1982. These names were used again in the 1988 season1988 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1988 Atlantic hurricane season was a moderately active season that proved costly and deadly, with 15 tropical cyclones directly affecting land. The season officially began on June 1, 1988, and lasted until November 30, 1988, although activity began on May 30 when a tropical...
. This is the first time this name set was used since the post-1978 naming change, except for Florence and Helene which had been previously used in 1954, 1958, 1960, and 1964. Names that were not assigned are marked in .
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Retirement
The World Meteorological OrganizationWorld Meteorological Organization
The World Meteorological Organization is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 189 Member States and Territories. It originated from the International Meteorological Organization , which was founded in 1873...
retired no names used in the 1982 season.
See also
- List of Atlantic hurricanes
- List of Atlantic hurricane seasons
- 1982 Pacific hurricane season1982 Pacific hurricane seasonThe 1982 Pacific hurricane season officially started May 15, 1982 in the eastern Pacific, and June 1, 1982 in the central Pacific, and lasted until November 30, 1982. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.The...
- 1982 Pacific typhoon season1982 Pacific typhoon seasonThe 1982 Pacific typhoon season had no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1982. On average, most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between May and November. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the...
- 1982 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
- Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons: 1981–82, 1982–83