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1997 Atlantic hurricane season

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The 1997 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1997, and lasted until November 30, 1997. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin.

The 1997 season was a relatively inactive season for tropical weather, with only seven named storms (eight total) forming. El Niño is credited with reducing the number of storms in the Atlantic, while increasing the number of storms in the 1997 Pacific hurricane season and 1997 Pacific typhoon season with 19 and 29 storms. It was the first time since the 1961 season that there were no active tropical cyclones in the Atlantic basin during the entire month of August.

Hurricane Danny killed four people, and caused an estimated $100 million in damage when it made landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River. Hurricane Erika, the strongest storm of the season, passed within 85 miles of the Lesser Antilles, far enough away to prevent hurricane conditions from reaching land. No land effects were felt by One, Ana, Bill, Claudette, Tropical Depression Five, Fabian and Grace.

Contents

Storms

Subtropical Storm One

Unamed Subtropical Storm
Duration —
Intensity ,

A cluster of thunderstorms developed over Florida in late May. A shortwave trough brought it to the northeast, enhancing convection around a developing center of circulation. The low pressure area, which formed on May 31, developed into a subtropical depression on June 1. It reached subtropical storm strength 6 hours later as it moved rapidly parallel to the East Coast of the United States. The convection continued to wrap around the center, and despite unfavorable conditions from an approaching cold front, it reached a peak of 50 mph late on June 1 while off the coast of North Carolina. It turned to the east, and became extratropical late on June 2 while southeast of Massachusetts as it was merged by a cold front. Operationally, it was treated as a frontal low, but post-analysis suggested it remained separate throughout its lifetime, and was classified as an unnamed subtropical storm.

Tropical Storm Ana

Tropical Storm Ana
Duration —
Intensity ,

A frontal low pressure system off the coast of South Carolina developed into Tropical Depression One on June 30. It moved slowly eastward, and attained tropical storm status on July 1. After peaking at 45 mph, a shortwave trough brought Ana to the northeast, where vertical shear caused the storm to lose what little convection it had. Ana weakened to a tropical depression on the 3rd, and became extratropical on the 4th over the western Atlantic Ocean. There were no damages reported and Ana never affected land.

Hurricane Bill

Hurricane Bill
Duration —
Intensity ,

In early July, a large upper-level low developed from the mid-oceanic trough northeast of Puerto Rico. Convection increased over a low level trough, and as the upper level moved southwestward, upper level shear weakened greatly. This allowed for a center organize within the convection, and was classified a tropical depression near the Bahamas on July 11. Though it had a high pressure of 1013, the system was in an area of higher pressures, and reached tropical storm later on the 11th under favorable conditions. Embedded within the westerlies, Bill moved quickly to the northeast and reached hurricane status on the 12th over progressively cooler waters, defying forecasts of its demise. The cool waters weakened Bill to a tropical storm on the 13th, and it was absorbed by a front later that day. A tropical storm warning was issued for Bermuda, but Bill passed the island without incident.

Tropical Storm Claudette

Tropical Storm Claudette
Duration —
Intensity ,

The frontal system that absorbed Hurricane Bill developed a non-tropical frontal low off the coast of South Carolina on July 11. It drifted eastward, and slowly acquired tropical characteristics. A low-level circulation developed, and the system became Tropical Depression Three on the 13th while 315 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Convection continued to organize around the center, and the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Claudette later on the 13th. After reaching a peak of 45 mph winds, the storm encountered southwesterly upper-level shear from an upper-level low. The storm struggled to maintain its intensity as it moved to the northeast. Easterly flow from an approaching frontal boundary turned Claudette to the east, where it weakened into a tropical depression on the 16th. The storm briefly re-strengthened into a tropical storm, but merged with the cold front later on the 16th. As a frontal low, the extratropical storm persisted until dissipating near the Azores islands on July 23. [link]

The storm caused severe rip currents in Connecticut, causing one serious injury. [link]

Hurricane Danny

Hurricane Danny
Duration —
Intensity ,
Main article: Hurricane Danny (1997)
A non-tropical cluster of thunderstorms organized into a tropical low over the northern Gulf of Mexico in mid July. On July 17, this low had strengthened into Tropical Storm Danny. Danny moved east-northeast, and reached hurricane strength just before landfall near Buras, Louisiana. Because of the narrowness of that piece of land, most of Danny remained over water and it lost little strength, and made landfall near Mullet Point, Alabama on the 19th. After stalling for a day, Danny moved northward and weakened to a tropical depression. The depression headed north across Alabama, then turned to the east and emerged over the Atlantic Ocean near the North Carolina/Virginia border on July 24. The depression immediately restrengthened into Tropical Storm Danny. Danny took a northward turn, and came within 25 n mi of Nantucket Island on July 26. It then turned out to sea and was absorbed by a front on the 27th. Hurricane Danny caused four direct deaths, and $100 million in estimated damages.

Tropical Depression Five

Tropical Depression Five formed from a tropical wave that emerged from the west coast of Africa on 11 July. The wave moved westward across the tropical Atlantic, and finally began to show consistent evidence of a cloud system center. Dvorak intensity estimates began on 16 July. Deep convection associated with the wave became concentrated on satellite images on 17 July, and it is estimated that the disturbance became Tropical Depression Five around 0600 UTC on this day while centered about 475 nautical miles east of Barbados.

The tropical depression moved west-northwestward between 10 and 15 knots. The first aircraft reconnaissance flight investigated the depression from a flight level near 1500 feet around 2100 UTC on 17 July and found 36 knot peak winds both north and south of the center. Although satellite intensity estimates never exceeded 30 knots from the SAB, TAFB or AFGWC, the fact that 36 knot winds were measured by the aircraft at a low level to the south of the center suggests that Tropical Depression Five might have been a minimal tropical storm earlier.

The depression soon lost its organization in satellite imagery, and an aircraft reconnaissance flight on the afternoon of 18 July had difficulty in finding a center. Satellite analysts declared the system too weak to classify at 0600 UTC on the 18th, at which time the depression is considered to have degenerated into a tropical wave. However, the system continued to show some signs of organization in satellite imagery, and another reconnaissance flight found a very weak circulation center at 1200 UTC on 19 July in the northeastern Caribbean Sea. Convection associated with the wave moved over portions of the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and the Florida Straits. The tropical wave finally lost its identity over the eastern Gulf of Mexico on 23 July.

Hurricane Erika

Hurricane Erika
Duration —
Intensity ,

Main article: Hurricane Erika (1997)
On September 3, a tropical depression formed 1150 miles east of the Lesser Antilles. It strengthened into Tropical Storm Erika later that day, and was a hurricane by the 4th. Hurricane Erika travelled west-northwest, and came within 85 miles of the Lesser Antilles. Then on the 7th, Erika began a sharp turn to the north-northeast. After passing well east of Bermuda, Erika turned east and began weakening over cooler water. On September 15, Erika passed over the western Azores. It became extratropical the next day, and dissipated on the 20th off the coast of Ireland.

Two surfers drowned off the coast of Puerto Rico from strong waves and swells. [link] The outer bands of the storm produced moderate rainfall, totaling to 3.28 inches in the United States Virgin Islands and less than an inch in Puerto Rico. Northeast swells of up to 12 feet caused coastal flooding and beach erosion. Wind gusts peaking at 42 mph snapped tree branches and power lines, leaving 10,000 to 12,000 without power in Puerto Rico. [link] Damage totaled to $10 million (1997 USD, $11.8 million 2005 USD). [link]

Tropical Storm Fabian

Tropical Storm Fabian
Duration —
Intensity ,

Fabian formed north of Puerto Rico on October 5. It moved northeast and became extratropical on October 8. No damage is directly associated with Fabian.Heavy rains over the Lesser Antilles could have caused some minor damage.

Tropical Storm Grace

Tropical Storm Grace
Duration —
Intensity ,

An extratropical low formed just north of Hispaniola on October 15, and the next day gained enough tropical characteristics to be classified as a tropical storm. It moved east-northeast until it was absorbed by another system on the 17th. Tropical Storm Grace caused no reported damage.

The precursor disturbance dropped heavy rainfall across Puerto Rico, peaking at 12.69 inches in Aibonito.[link]

Timeline of the 1997 Atlantic hurricane season

June

June 1
*The 2006 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins.
*Subtropical Depression One forms from a tropical wave.
*Subtropical Depression One strengthens into Subtropical Storm One.
June 2
*Subtropical Storm One is declared extratropical.
June 30
*A frontal low strengthens into Tropical Depression One.

July

July 1
*Tropical Depression One strengthens into Tropical Storm Ana.
July 4
*Tropical Storm Ana is declared extratropical.
July 11
*An upper-level low strengthens into Tropical Depression Two
*Tropical Depression One strengthens into Tropical Storm Bill.
*Bill reaches hurricane status.
July 13
*Hurricane Bill weakens into a tropical storm.
*Tropical Storm Bill is absorbed by a low.
*Tropical Depression Three forms.
*Tropical Depression Three strengthens into Tropical Storm Claudette.
July 16
*Claudette weakens into a tropical depression.
*Tropical Depression Claudette regains Tropical Stom status.
*Tropical Depression Four forms from a tropical low.
*Tropical Storm Claudette is absorbed by a cold front.
July 17
*Tropical Depression Five forms from a tropical wave.
*Tropical Depression Four strengthens into Tropical Storm Danny.
July 19
*Tropical Depression Five dissipates.
*Tropical Storm Danny strengthens into Hurricane Danny.
*Hurricane Danny makes landfall near Mullet Point, Alabama with 80 mph winds.
July 20
*Hurricane Danny weakens into a tropical depression.
July 25
*Tropical Depression Danny restrengthens into a tropical storm.
July 26
*Tropical Storm Danny is absorbed by a cold front.

August

There was no activity in the month of August.

September

September 3
*Tropical Depression Six forms from a tropical wave.
*Tropical Depression Six strengthens into Tropical Storm Erika.
September 4
*Tropical Storm Erika strengthens into Hurricane Erika.
September 9
*Hurricane Erika strengthens into a Category 3 storm.
September 16
*Hurricane Erika is declared extratropical.

October

October 4
October 8
October 16
October 17

November

There was no activity during the month of November.

Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) Rating

ACE (104kt2) – Storm: [Source]
1 26.64 Erika 5 1.34 Fabian
2 5.98 Danny 6 1.33 Ana
3 2.33 Bill 7 .895 Grace
4 1.57 Claudette 8 .000 Subtrop

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 (such as Erika). The 1997 season had an ACE of 40.085 (40) which is below average and 13th lowest season since 1950.

1997 storm names

The following names were used for named storms that formed in the north Atlantic in 1997. No names were retired, so it was used again in the 2003 season. This is the same list used for the 1991 season except for Bill, which replaced Bob. A storm was named Bill for the first time in 1997. Names that were not assigned are marked in .

Retirement

The World Meteorological Organization retired no names used in the 1997 season. It is the most recent season with no retired names.

See also

  1. redirect[[Template:Portal]]

External links

Tropical cyclones of the 1997 Atlantic hurricane season
|stormname=Unnamed |strength=Subtropical Storm |linkname=1997_Atlantic_hurricane_season#Subtropical_Storm_One |storminitial=1 }} |stormname=Ana |strength=Tropical Storm |linkname=1997_Atlantic_hurricane_season#Tropical_Storm_Ana |storminitial=A }} |stormname=Bill |strength=Category 1 |linkname=1997_Atlantic_hurricane_season#Hurricane_Bill |storminitial=B }} |stormname=Claudette |strength=Tropical Storm |linkname=1997_Atlantic_hurricane_season#Tropical_Storm_Claudette |storminitial=C }} |stormname=Danny |strength=Category 1 |linkname=Hurricane_Danny_(1997) |storminitial=D }} |stormname=Five |strength=Tropical Depression |linkname=1997_Atlantic_hurricane_season#Tropical_Depression_Five |storminitial=5 }} |stormname=Erika |strength=Category 3 |linkname=Hurricane_Erika_(1997) |storminitial=E }} |stormname=Fabian |strength=Tropical Storm |linkname=1997_Atlantic_hurricane_season#Tropical_Storm_Fabian |storminitial=F }} |stormname=Grace |strength=Tropical Storm |linkname=1997_Atlantic_hurricane_season#Tropical_Storm_Grace |storminitial=G }}

 

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