Tropical Storm Debbie (1965)
Encyclopedia
Tropical Storm Debbie of the 1965 Atlantic hurricane season
broke the daily rainfall record in Mobile, Alabama
, despite dissipating offshore. It developed on September 24 in the western Caribbean Sea, and moved northwestward for several days without intensifying. On September 27, Debbie turned toward the northeast in the Gulf of Mexico
, and the next day briefly attained tropical storm status. However, the intrusion of cooler air imparted weakening, and the storm dissipated on September 30 just off the east coast of Louisiana. It initially threatened areas of Louisiana that sustained significant damage from Hurricane Betsy
in early September, although Debbie only caused light rainfall and some flooding in the state. In southern Alabama, the storm dropped 17.2 in (436.9 mm) of rainfall, which resulted in significant flooding of roads and cars. Damage totaled $25 million in the Mobile, Alabama area, although there was little damage elsewhere.
in the western Caribbean Sea
. It was initially disorganized, without a well-developed circulation
. On September 25, while still a tropical depression, the system was named Debbie. Without intensifying further, the depression crossed the northeastern Yucatán Peninsula
on September 26. The next day, the depression turned toward the north in the central Gulf of Mexico before beginning a northeast motion. On September 28, Debbie intensified into a tropical storm, attaining peak winds of 50 mph (85 km/h). This occurred after the storm developed two distinct spiral rainband
s.
As Debbie approached the northern Gulf Coast, it failed to intensify, despite warm sea surface temperature
s, abundant moisture, and an anticyclone
aloft. In addition, the storm never developed good outflow
, partially due to stable air related to Tropical Storm Hazel
in the eastern Pacific Ocean. After maintaining peak winds for about 12 hours, Debbie weakened due to cooler, drier air, deteriorating to a tropical depression on September 29. That day, it turned to the northwest, passing just east of the Mississippi Delta
. On September 30, the circulation of Debbie dissipated just offshore Mississippi. Its remnants made landfall
, accelerated northeastward, and were eventually absorbed by an extratropical cyclone
.
off the north coast of Honduras reported 5.43 in (137.9 mm) in a 24-hour period. In Belize City, Belize, the storm produced high tides and 1.04 in (26.4 mm) of rainfall. Grand Cayman
reported light rains for two days. The government of Cuba advised residents to restrict boating activities around the country. Similarly, the Weather Bureau
issued a small craft warning for the Dry Tortugas
and for the Florida Keys
through Key Largo
.
Before Debbie dissipated, local Weather Bureau offices issued a gale warning and a hurricane watch
from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Cedar Key, Florida
. Small boat owners throughout the region were advised to remain at port. The threat of the storm prompted the evacuation of oil platforms, as well as thousands of residents in low-lying areas of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
. Along the northern Gulf Coast, no gale force winds were reported inland, although oil rigs and ships off the southeast Louisiana coast reported such winds. Debbie produced above-normal tides that generally ranged upwards to 4 ft (1.2 m) above normal; however, New Orleans reported a storm tide of 6 ft (1.8 m). The tides resulted in flooding along highways in southeastern Louisiana, closing several roads. The storm affected areas that were severely damaged by Hurricane Betsy
earlier in September.
Despite being a weak storm, Debbie dropped heavy rainfall along the coast, peaking at 17.2 in (436.9 mm) in Mobile, Alabama
. Of the total, 15 in (381 mm) fell in 15 hours, which broke the daily rainfall record in the city. The rains resulted in 6 ft (1.8 m) of flooding that closed several businesses and roads, causing the worst traffic jam on record in the city. Hundreds of cars were flooded, and more than 200 people had to leave their inundated homes. Damage in the city was estimated at $25 million, which was the only significant damage from the storm. Rainfall extended from Louisiana to the east coast of Florida, and as far north as North Carolina. In eastern Georgia
near Brunswick
, the storm dropped more than 9 in (228.6 mm) of precipitation, causing flooding in airfields and along canals.
1965 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1965 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1965, and lasted until November 30, 1965. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin....
broke the daily rainfall record in Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, despite dissipating offshore. It developed on September 24 in the western Caribbean Sea, and moved northwestward for several days without intensifying. On September 27, Debbie turned toward the northeast 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...
, and the next day briefly attained tropical storm status. However, the intrusion of cooler air imparted weakening, and the storm dissipated on September 30 just off the east coast of Louisiana. It initially threatened areas of Louisiana that sustained significant damage from Hurricane Betsy
Hurricane Betsy
Hurricane Betsy was a Category 4 hurricane of the 1965 Atlantic hurricane season which caused enormous damage in the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana. Betsy made its most intense landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River, causing significant flooding of the waters of Lake Pontchartrain into...
in early September, although Debbie only caused light rainfall and some flooding in the state. In southern Alabama, the storm dropped 17.2 in (436.9 mm) of rainfall, which resulted in significant flooding of roads and cars. Damage totaled $25 million in the Mobile, Alabama area, although there was little damage elsewhere.
Meteorological history
A low-pressure area developed into a weak tropical depression on September 24 off the north coast of HondurasHonduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
in the western Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
. It was initially disorganized, without a well-developed circulation
Atmospheric circulation
Atmospheric circulation is the large-scale movement of air, and the means by which thermal energy is distributed on the surface of the Earth....
. On September 25, while still a tropical depression, the system was named Debbie. Without intensifying further, the depression crossed the northeastern Yucatán Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
on September 26. The next day, the depression turned toward the north in the central Gulf of Mexico before beginning a northeast motion. On September 28, Debbie intensified into a tropical storm, attaining peak winds of 50 mph (85 km/h). This occurred after the storm developed two distinct spiral rainband
Rainband
A rainband is a cloud and precipitation structure associated with an area of rainfall which is significantly elongated. Rainbands can be stratiform or convective, and are generated by differences in temperature. When noted on weather radar imagery, this precipitation elongation is referred to as...
s.
As Debbie approached the northern Gulf Coast, it failed to intensify, despite warm sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperature is the water temperature close to the oceans surface. The exact meaning of surface varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air masses in the Earth's atmosphere are highly modified by sea surface temperatures within a...
s, abundant moisture, and an anticyclone
Anticyclone
An anticyclone is a weather phenomenon defined by the United States' National Weather Service's glossary as "[a] large-scale circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure, clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere"...
aloft. In addition, the storm never developed good outflow
Outflow (meteorology)
Outflow, in meteorology, is air that flows outwards from a storm system. It is associated with ridging, or anticyclonic flow. In the low levels of the troposphere, outflow radiates from thunderstorms in the form of a wedge of rain-cooled air, which is visible as a thin rope-like cloud on weather...
, partially due to stable air related to Tropical Storm Hazel
Tropical Storm Hazel (1965)
Tropical Storm Hazel was a weak East Pacific tropical cyclone that caused heavy damage in Mexico. The costliest storm of the 1965 Pacific hurricane season, it formed from a northward-moving disturbance that originated southeast of Socorro Island. After reaching tropical storm strength on the...
in the eastern Pacific Ocean. After maintaining peak winds for about 12 hours, Debbie weakened due to cooler, drier air, deteriorating to a tropical depression on September 29. That day, it turned to the northwest, passing just east of the Mississippi Delta
Mississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. The region has been called "The Most Southern Place on Earth" because of its unique racial, cultural, and economic history...
. On September 30, the circulation of Debbie dissipated just offshore Mississippi. Its remnants made landfall
Landfall (meteorology)
Landfall is the event of a tropical cyclone or a waterspout coming onto land after being over water. When a waterspout makes landfall it is reclassified as a tornado, which can then cause damage inland...
, accelerated northeastward, and were eventually absorbed by an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
.
Impact
The precursor to Debbie produced heavy rainfall across the western Caribbean Sea. Swan IslandSwan Islands, Honduras
The Swan Islands, or Islas Santanilla, are a chain of three islands located in the northwestern Caribbean Sea, approximately ninety miles off the coastline of Honduras, with a land area of .-Detailed location and features:...
off the north coast of Honduras reported 5.43 in (137.9 mm) in a 24-hour period. In Belize City, Belize, the storm produced high tides and 1.04 in (26.4 mm) of rainfall. Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the nation's capital, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles southwest of Little Cayman and 90 miles southwest of Cayman Brac.-Geography:Grand Cayman encompasses 76% of...
reported light rains for two days. The government of Cuba advised residents to restrict boating activities around the country. Similarly, the Weather Bureau
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
issued a small craft warning for the Dry Tortugas
Dry Tortugas
The Dry Tortugas are a small group of islands, located at the end of the Florida Keys, USA, about west of Key West, and west of the Marquesas Keys, the closest islands. Still further west is the Tortugas Bank, which is completely submerged. The first Europeans to discover the islands were the...
and for 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...
through Key Largo
Key Largo
Key Largo is an island in the upper Florida Keys archipelago and, at long, the largest of the Keys. It is also the northernmost of the Florida Keys in Monroe County, and the northernmost of the Keys connected by U.S. Highway 1...
.
Before Debbie dissipated, local Weather Bureau offices issued a gale warning and a hurricane watch
Tropical cyclone warnings and watches
Warnings and watches are two levels of alert issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity. They are notices to the local population and civil authorities to make appropriate...
from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Cedar Key, Florida
Cedar Key, Florida
Cedar Key is a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. The population was 790 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 958. The Cedar Keys are a cluster of islands close to the mainland. Most of the developed area of the city has been on...
. Small boat owners throughout the region were advised to remain at port. The threat of the storm prompted the evacuation of oil platforms, as well as thousands of residents in low-lying areas of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
St. Bernard Parish is a parish located southeast of New Orleans in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Chalmette, the largest city in the parish. As of 2000, its population was 67,229. It has been ranked the fastest-growing county in the United States from 2007 to 2008 by the U.S....
. Along the northern Gulf Coast, no gale force winds were reported inland, although oil rigs and ships off the southeast Louisiana coast reported such winds. Debbie produced above-normal tides that generally ranged upwards to 4 ft (1.2 m) above normal; however, New Orleans reported a storm tide of 6 ft (1.8 m). The tides resulted in flooding along highways in southeastern Louisiana, closing several roads. The storm affected areas that were severely damaged by Hurricane Betsy
Hurricane Betsy
Hurricane Betsy was a Category 4 hurricane of the 1965 Atlantic hurricane season which caused enormous damage in the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana. Betsy made its most intense landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River, causing significant flooding of the waters of Lake Pontchartrain into...
earlier in September.
Despite being a weak storm, Debbie dropped heavy rainfall along the coast, peaking at 17.2 in (436.9 mm) in Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
. Of the total, 15 in (381 mm) fell in 15 hours, which broke the daily rainfall record in the city. The rains resulted in 6 ft (1.8 m) of flooding that closed several businesses and roads, causing the worst traffic jam on record in the city. Hundreds of cars were flooded, and more than 200 people had to leave their inundated homes. Damage in the city was estimated at $25 million, which was the only significant damage from the storm. Rainfall extended from Louisiana to the east coast of Florida, and as far north as North Carolina. In eastern Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
near Brunswick
Brunswick, Georgia
Brunswick is the major urban and economic center in southeastern Georgia in the United States. The municipality is located on a harbor near the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 30 miles north of Florida and 70 miles south of South Carolina. Brunswick is bordered on the east by the Atlantic...
, the storm dropped more than 9 in (228.6 mm) of precipitation, causing flooding in airfields and along canals.
See also
- Other storms of the same nameTropical Storm DebbieThe name Debbie has been used to name for four tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean. There were several tropical cyclones with the similar name of Debby, which is on the modern lists....