Hurricane Erin (1995)

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Hurricane Erin was the fifth named tropical cyclone and the second hurricane of the unusually active 1995 Atlantic hurricane season. It made landfall on the central Florida coastline and along the Gulf Coast as a Category 1 hurricane and Category 2 hurricane in early August 1995, respectively, causing a moderate amount of damage.

Contents

1 Storm history
2 Impact

2.1 Bahamas
2.2 U.S. Gulf Coast
2.3 Lack of retirement

3 See also
4 External links

Storm history

Erin formed from a tropical wave on the eastern Atlantic Ocean that had two distinct low-level circulation centers. By July 27, both circulations were generating deep convection a few hundred miles to the northeast of the Leeward Islands. These centers were showing tropical storm-force winds, but did not have closed circulation needed to be named.

At midnight on the July 30, Hurricane Hunter aircraft showed that the storm had acquired a closed circulation and thus the storm was named Tropical Storm Erin upon the National Hurricane Center's receiving the report.

The track of the center was pushed by a low off of Florida onto a northwesterly track. This change in the track had it cross only the northern part of the Bahamas and caused the storm to affect the central coast of Florida instead of south Florida. During this time, slow strengthening occurred as wind shear slowly diminished and on the evening of the July 31, Erin was upgraded to a hurricane. The next day, an eye became apparent on satellite imagery. On August 2, Erin made landfall at Vero Beach, Florida with winds around 85 mph (140 km/h).

Erin's track bent back to west-northwest while the storm crossed the Florida peninsula during the morning and early afternoon of August 2. Erin weakened to a tropical storm with 60 mph (95 km/h) winds while crossing the peninsula, but remained well-organized. Upon emerging into the eastern Gulf of Mexico, Erin reintensified to a hurricane and continued strengthening until its final landfall occurred near Pensacola, Florida during the late morning of the 3rd. An eye had redeveloped while crossing the Gulf of Mexico, as well. Erin had maximum sustained winds around 100 mph (160 km/h) in a small area of its northeastern eyewall when that portion of the hurricane came ashore near Fort Walton Beach, making it a Category 2 hurricane at landfall.

Erin weakened to a tropical storm in southeastern Mississippi overnight on the 3rd and 4th. It was only a tropical depression by the time its track shifted to the north on the 5th and the east on the 6th. The depression merged with a frontal system over West Virginia later on the 6th.

Impact

Bahamas

All of the Bahama islands had sustained relatively minor damage, much of it from sunken boats. The final figure was at a tame $400,000 (1995 USD).[link]

U.S. Gulf Coast

Erin caused 6 drowning deaths across the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean off Florida. No deaths were reported on land. The cruise ship Club Royale sank, causing three of the deaths. Erin caused $700 million (1995 US dollars) in damage, mostly in Florida. Moderate beach erosion was reported along Florida's east coast and Panhandle.

Elsewhere along the Gulf Coast, 100 homes were damaged in Alabama while beach erosion was reported in Georgia.[link]

Lack of retirement

The name Erin was not retired due to its moderate amount of damage and deaths. It was used during the 2001 season and will be on the list again during the 2007 season.

External links

[Hurricane Erin 1995 report]

Tropical cyclones of the 1995 Atlantic hurricane season |stormname=Allison |strength=Category 1 |linkname=1995_Atlantic_hurricane_season#Hurricane_Allison |storminitial=A }} |stormname=Barry |strength=Tropical Storm |linkname=1995_Atlantic_hurricane_season#Tropical_Storm_Barry |storminitial=B }} |stormname=Chantal |strength=Tropical Storm |linkname=1995_Atlantic_hurricane_season#Tropical_Storm_Chantal |storminitial=C }} |stormname=Dean |strength=Tropical Storm |linkname=1995_Atlantic_hurricane_season#Tropical_Storm_Dean |storminitial=D }} |stormname=Erin |strength=Category 2 |linkname=Hurricane_Erin_(1995) |storminitial=E }} |stormname=Felix |strength=Category 4 |linkname=Hurricane Felix (1995) |storminitial=F }} |stormname=Gabrielle |strength=Tropical Storm |linkname=1995_Atlantic_hurricane_season#Tropical_Storm_Gabrielle |storminitial=G }} |stormname=Humberto |strength=Category 2 |linkname=1995_Atlantic_hurricane_season#Hurricane_Humberto |storminitial=H }} |stormname=Iris |strength=Category 2 |linkname=1995_Atlantic_hurricane_season#Hurricane_Iris |storminitial=I }} |stormname=Jerry |strength=Tropical Storm |linkname=Tropical Storm Jerry (1995) |storminitial=J }} |stormname=Karen |strength=Tropical Storm |linkname=1995_Atlantic_hurricane_season#Tropical_Storm_Karen |storminitial=K }} |stormname=Luis |strength=Category 4 |linkname=Hurricane_Luis |storminitial=L }} |stormname=Marilyn |strength=Category 3 |linkname=Hurricane_Marilyn |storminitial=M }} |stormname=Noel |strength=Category 1 |linkname=1995_Atlantic_hurricane_season#Hurricane_Noel |storminitial=N }} |stormname=Opal |strength=Category 4 |linkname=Hurricane_Opal |storminitial=O }} |stormname=Pablo |strength=Tropical Storm |linkname=1995_Atlantic_hurricane_season#Tropical_Storm_Pablo |storminitial=P }} |stormname=Roxanne |strength=Category 3 |linkname=Hurricane_Roxanne |storminitial=R }} |stormname=Sebastien |strength=Tropical Storm |linkname=1995_Atlantic_hurricane_season#Tropical_Storm_Sebastien |storminitial=S }} |stormname=Tanya |strength=Category 1 |linkname=1995_Atlantic_hurricane_season#Hurricane_Tanya |storminitial=T }}

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