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Tropical Storm Frances (1998)
Encyclopedia
Originating over the southwest Caribbean sea on September 4, Tropical Storm Frances became the sixth tropical storm of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season. The cyclone
moved northward through the western Gulf of Mexico, making landfall across the central Texas
coastline before recurving across the Midwest through southeast Canada and New England
. A large tropical cyclone
for the Atlantic Basin, yet an average sized system by western Pacific standards, the storm produced heavy rains across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
, Texas
, western Louisiana
and the Great Plains
.
Coastal flooding overran the coasts of Louisiana and Texas, which worsened river flooding across the region. Federal disaster declarations were made for the states of Louisiana and Texas on September 23 for damage relating to this tropical cyclone. Damage totaled US$500 million (1998 dollars), mainly from flooding. There was one direct death and one indirect death associated with the tropical storm. Frances was the second tropical cyclone
to hit Texas
during the 1998 season, with Charley
being the other.
on September 4. It moved to the northwest and slowly organized, developing a low pressure center on September 8. This coincided with the existence of a large area of convection over the western Gulf of Mexico
. The area continued to organize and developed into Tropical Depression Six later on the 8th while 160 miles (257.5 km) east-southeast of Brownsville, Texas
. Initially, the depression was large, without a well-defined center of circulation. It more resembled a monsoon depression
commonly seen in the Western Pacific Ocean and the Northern Indian Ocean. The depression drifted southward and strengthened into Tropical Storm Frances on the 9th.
Frances turned to the northwest and strengthened due to warm water temperatures of 30 °C (86 °F), weak vertical shear, and a large anticyclone aloft. Just before making landfall on Corpus Christi, Texas
, the storm reached a peak of 65 mi/h, and quickly weakened as it continued inland. Shortly after landfall, the storm executed a small loop before turning to the north and dissipating as a tropical cyclone on September 13. The remnant low of Frances persisted another day, becoming a frontal wave over Iowa
. This frontal wave moved across the Great Lakes
and New England
into the north Atlantic by the 16th.
Federal disaster declarations were made for the states of Louisiana and Texas on September 23 for damage relating to this tropical cyclone. Although there was little wind damage, Frances caused $500 million dollars (1998 USD) in damage, mostly from flooding. In addition, it killed one person. Several counties in Texas
and Louisiana
were declared disaster areas.
for several days, leading to extremely heavy rainfall. The highest amount noted was 44.06 inches (1,119.1 mm) at Independencia/Escuintla.
, and over 23 inches (584.2 mm) of rainfall near New Orleans, Louisiana
. This rainfall helped relieve drought conditions. Along the coast, the system caused a storm surge of 5.1 feet (1.6 m) in Cameron
, the worst experienced along the coast of southwest Louisiana since Hurricane Carla
. The storm surge swept away five houses, destroyed a fishing pier, and submerged Grand Isle
. A tornado in the outer bands of the storm killed one person in Lafourche Parish
, while six others were injured. At least eight tornadoes were witnessed statewide, with seven touching down across Acadiana
. In addition, the storm caused an indirect death in the New Orleans area in an automobile accident.
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as Frances lashed the coast. The lowest pressure reported from a land station was 29.33 inches of mercury (993.2 hPa) at Rockport, Texas
. Three tornadoes touched down across the Lone Star State, at Caney Creek, La Porte, and Galveston. A major disaster declaration was issued for Brazoria, Galveston, and Harris counties.
Tropical Storm Frances caused significant amounts of flooding across southeastern Texas
, with a peak of 21.46 inches (545.1 mm) in Houston, Texas
metropolitan area. Severe flooding was also reported in Harris County
and Houston. More than 1,400 homes and businesses in and around Houston were either damaged or destroyed by the floods. In addition, three main highways in Houston were washed out, leaving many motorists stranded.
Sections of the Middle Texas coast, closer to the point of landfall, and the Golden Triangle of southeast Texas
reported over 10 inches (254 mm) of rainfall as well, resulting in significant flood damage. Roads and bridges were submerged near Corpus Christi. Flooding was also reported along the San Bernard River
where several roads and a subdivision was flooded. The flooding also disrupted barge traffic at the Phillips Petroleum
facility.
Coastal flooding occurred well in advance of the cyclone
's landfall. A storm surge of 5.4 feet (1.6 m) was measured at Sabine Pass, Texas
and 8 feet (2.4 m) was measured at the Matagorda Locks. Meacom's pier and San Luis Pass pier were severely damaged. Coastal flooding worsened backwater flooding in area rivers since their waters were blocked from flowing southeast into the Gulf of Mexico. Sabine Pass was cutoff from the mainland for a week, until Hermine's
passage to the east eased coastal flooding conditions.
Cyclone
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...
moved northward through the western Gulf of Mexico, making landfall across the central 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...
coastline before recurving across the Midwest through southeast Canada and New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. A large 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...
for the Atlantic Basin, yet an average sized system by western Pacific standards, the storm produced heavy rains across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
Isthmus of Tehuantepec
The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is an isthmus in Mexico. It represents the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, and prior to the opening of the Panama Canal was a major shipping route known simply as the Tehuantepec Route...
, 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...
, western Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
.
Coastal flooding overran the coasts of Louisiana and Texas, which worsened river flooding across the region. Federal disaster declarations were made for the states of Louisiana and Texas on September 23 for damage relating to this tropical cyclone. Damage totaled US$500 million (1998 dollars), mainly from flooding. There was one direct death and one indirect death associated with the tropical storm. Frances was the second 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...
to hit 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...
during the 1998 season, with Charley
Tropical Storm Charley (1998)
Tropical Storm Charley was the third named storm of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season. Charley was the second tropical storm to make landfall in Texas during that season . The storm originated with a tropical wave that moved off the West African coast on August 9...
being the other.
Meteorological history
A broad area of low pressure formed in the southwest CaribbeanCaribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
on September 4. It moved to the northwest and slowly organized, developing a low pressure center on September 8. This coincided with the existence of a large area of convection over the western 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...
. The area continued to organize and developed into Tropical Depression Six later on the 8th while 160 miles (257.5 km) east-southeast of Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
. Initially, the depression was large, without a well-defined center of circulation. It more resembled a monsoon depression
Monsoon trough
The monsoon trough is that portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone which extends into or through a monsoon circulation, as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and...
commonly seen in the Western Pacific Ocean and the Northern Indian Ocean. The depression drifted southward and strengthened into Tropical Storm Frances on the 9th.
Frances turned to the northwest and strengthened due to warm water temperatures of 30 °C (86 °F), weak vertical shear, and a large anticyclone aloft. Just before making landfall on Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
, the storm reached a peak of 65 mi/h, and quickly weakened as it continued inland. Shortly after landfall, the storm executed a small loop before turning to the north and dissipating as a tropical cyclone on September 13. The remnant low of Frances persisted another day, becoming a frontal wave over Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. This frontal wave moved across the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
and New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
into the north Atlantic by the 16th.
Preparations
A tropical storm warning was issued for the Texas coast between High Island and Brownsville on the afternoon of the 8th. The next afternoon, the warning area was extended southward into northeast Mexico to Tampico. By the afternoon of the 10th, strong winds along the Louisiana coast led to an extension of the tropical storm warning eastward to the Pearl River. On the 11th, as Frances moved inland, tropical storm warnings were slowly lifted.Impact
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...
and Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
were declared disaster areas.
Mexico
The main inflow band of this system remained stationary across the Isthmus of TehuantepecIsthmus of Tehuantepec
The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is an isthmus in Mexico. It represents the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, and prior to the opening of the Panama Canal was a major shipping route known simply as the Tehuantepec Route...
for several days, leading to extremely heavy rainfall. The highest amount noted was 44.06 inches (1,119.1 mm) at Independencia/Escuintla.
Louisiana
Though on the outskirts of the storm, Tropical Storm Frances dropped 10 to 15 in (254 to 381 mm) of rain across southwest LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, and over 23 inches (584.2 mm) of rainfall near New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. This rainfall helped relieve drought conditions. Along the coast, the system caused a storm surge of 5.1 feet (1.6 m) in Cameron
Cameron, Louisiana
Cameron is a census-designated place in and the parish seat of Cameron Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,965 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lake Charles Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, the worst experienced along the coast of southwest Louisiana since Hurricane Carla
Hurricane Carla
Hurricane Carla was one of two Category 5 tropical cyclones during the 1961 Atlantic hurricane season. It struck the Texas coast as a Category 4 hurricane, becoming one of the most powerful storms to ever strike the United States. Hurricane Carla was the second most intense storm to ever...
. The storm surge swept away five houses, destroyed a fishing pier, and submerged Grand Isle
Grand Isle
- Places :In the United States:* Grand Isle, Louisiana, a town in Jefferson Parish* Grand Isle, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana* Grand Isle, Maine* Grand Isle, Vermont, a town in Vermont* Grand Isle , an island in Vermont* Grand Isle County, Vermont...
. A tornado in the outer bands of the storm killed one person in Lafourche Parish
Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
Lafourche Parish is a parish located in the south of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was originally the northern part of Lafourche Interior Parish, which consisted of the present parishes of Lafourche and Terrebonne. The parish seat is Thibodaux...
, while six others were injured. At least eight tornadoes were witnessed statewide, with seven touching down across Acadiana
Acadiana
Acadiana, or The Heart of Acadiana, is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Francophone population. Of the 64 parishes that make up Louisiana, 22 named parishes and other parishes of similar cultural environment, make up the intrastate...
. In addition, the storm caused an indirect death in the New Orleans area in an automobile accident.
Texas
Winds gusted as high as 66 miles per hour (106.2 km/h) at Sea Rim State ParkSea Rim State Park
Sea Rim State Park is a state park in southeast Texas.The park is located on the Gulf of Mexico in southern Jefferson County, south of Port Arthur and just west of Sabine Pass. The park was closed for several years due to extensive damage from Hurricanes Rita and Ike . The park has recently...
as Frances lashed the coast. The lowest pressure reported from a land station was 29.33 inches of mercury (993.2 hPa) at Rockport, Texas
Rockport, Texas
Rockport is a city in Aransas County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,385 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Aransas County. The coastal community has approximately 8000 citizens. Large windswept live oaks are a dominating feature of the area and the state's oldest live oak,...
. Three tornadoes touched down across the Lone Star State, at Caney Creek, La Porte, and Galveston. A major disaster declaration was issued for Brazoria, Galveston, and Harris counties.
Tropical Storm Frances caused significant amounts of flooding across southeastern 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...
, with a peak of 21.46 inches (545.1 mm) in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
metropolitan area. Severe flooding was also reported in Harris County
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
and Houston. More than 1,400 homes and businesses in and around Houston were either damaged or destroyed by the floods. In addition, three main highways in Houston were washed out, leaving many motorists stranded.
Sections of the Middle Texas coast, closer to the point of landfall, and the Golden Triangle of southeast Texas
Golden Triangle (Texas)
The Golden Triangle is an area of Southeast Texas between the cities of Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange. The "golden" refers to the wealth that came from the Spindletop oil strike in Beaumont in 1901...
reported over 10 inches (254 mm) of rainfall as well, resulting in significant flood damage. Roads and bridges were submerged near Corpus Christi. Flooding was also reported along the San Bernard River
San Bernard River
-Origin:San Bernard River flows from its headwaters northwest of San Felipe, Texas to its mouth on the Gulf of Mexico, some to the southeast of the source. Its principal tributary is Caney Creek. Along its course, it passes through portions of Austin, Brazoria, Colorado, Fort Bend, Matagorda...
where several roads and a subdivision was flooded. The flooding also disrupted barge traffic at the Phillips Petroleum
Phillips Petroleum
Phillips Petroleum Company was founded in 1917 by L.E. Phillips and Frank Phillips, of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Their younger brother Waite Phillips was the benefactor of Philmont Scout Ranch....
facility.
Coastal flooding occurred well in advance of the cyclone
Cyclone
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...
's landfall. A storm surge of 5.4 feet (1.6 m) was measured at Sabine Pass, Texas
Sabine Pass, Texas
Sabine Pass is a neighborhood of Port Arthur, Texas, United States. It lies on the west bank of Sabine Pass, near the Louisiana border.Originally known as Sabine City, the original date of settlement of Sabine Pass is unknown, but is estimated at 1836...
and 8 feet (2.4 m) was measured at the Matagorda Locks. Meacom's pier and San Luis Pass pier were severely damaged. Coastal flooding worsened backwater flooding in area rivers since their waters were blocked from flowing southeast into the Gulf of Mexico. Sabine Pass was cutoff from the mainland for a week, until Hermine's
Tropical Storm Hermine (1998)
Tropical Storm Hermine was the eighth tropical cyclone and named storm of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season. Hermine developed from a tropical wave that emerged from the west coast of Africa on September 5. The wave moved westward across the Atlantic Ocean, and on entering the northwest Caribbean...
passage to the east eased coastal flooding conditions.
See also
- Other storms of the same nameHurricane Frances (disambiguation)The name Frances was used for eight tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean. It was even with Arlene as the most-used Atlantic storm name, but fell to second place when Arlene was used for the first storm of the 2005 season....
- List of wettest tropical cyclones in the United States