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1984 Atlantic hurricane season

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1984 Atlantic hurricane season
Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formedJune 11, 1984
Last system dissipatedDecember 24, 1984
Strongest storm
NameDiana
 • Maximum winds130 mph (215 km/h)
(1-minute sustained)
 • Lowest pressure949 mbar (hPa; 28.02 inHg)
Seasonal statistics
Total depressions17
Total storms13
Hurricanes5
Major hurricanes
(Cat. 3+)		1
Total fatalities35
Total damage$66 million (1984 USD)
Atlantic hurricane seasons
1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986

The 1984 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1984, and lasted until November 30, 1984. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The 1984 season was an active one in terms of named storms, but most of them were weak and stayed at sea.

The most damaging storm was Hurricane Diana, which caused $65.5 million (1984 dollars) in damage in North Carolina. Diana was the first hurricane to strike a nuclear power plant, but no damage was reported; it was also the first major hurricane to strike the U.S. East Coast in nearly 20 years. Also of note was Hurricane Lili, which lasted well after the official end of the season. It was downgraded from a named storm on December 24. This is the earliest version of the 2008 season list.

Storms

Tropical Depression One

Tropical depression (SSHWS)
DurationJune 11 – June 14
Peak intensity35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min);
≤1015 mbar (hPa)

By June 11, an upper level low caused thunderstorm development off the Florida coast, which caused the formation of a tropical depression. Moving westward, the depression moved into St. Augustine, causing a total of 5.02 inches (128 mm) of rainfall at Jacksonville Beach, Florida as its main thunderstorm activity was concentrated north of the center. It dissipated as a tropical cyclone on June 14 while moving through the Florida panhandle.[1][2] The small remnant low continued moving westward inland of the Gulf coast, causing occasional redevelopment of thunderstorm activity as the system moved into Louisiana, before both the thunderstorm activity and low pressure area dissipated by June 17.[3][4]

Tropical Depression Two

Tropical depression (SSHWS)
 
DurationJune 18 – June 20
Peak intensity35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min);
1000 mbar (hPa)

A tropical depression formed on June 19 in the Gulf of Mexico east of Brownsville, Texas.[5]

Tropical Depression Three

Tropical depression (SSHWS)
DurationJuly 25 – July 28
Peak intensity35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min);
1000 mbar (hPa)

A tropical depression formed on July 25[6] and produced rainfall up to six inches in Barbados on July 26.[7]The depression dissipated on July 28. Two commercial fisherman were reported missing near St. Lucia.[8]

Subtropical Storm One

Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationAugust 18 – August 21
Peak intensity60 mph (95 km/h) (1-min);
1000 mbar (hPa)

A weak front generated a low pressure system that organized into a subtropical depression north of Bermuda on August 18. The depression headed northeast and strengthened to a subtropical storm. It is believed to have merged with a front on August 21. The history of Subtropical Storm One is not entirely certain, as satellite images were largely unavailable due to a failure of the VISSR unit on GOES EAST (then GOES-5).

Tropical Storm Arthur

Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationAugust 28 – September 6
Peak intensity50 mph (85 km/h) (1-min);
1004 mbar (hPa)

The 1984 season started late, with its first named storm forming on August 28. Arthur formed east of the Windward Islands and tracked generally northwest. It was downgraded to a depression on September 1, and dissipated several days later. Arthur was a minimal tropical storm, and caused no significant weather on land.

Tropical Storm Bertha

Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationAugust 30 – September 4
Peak intensity45 mph (75 km/h) (1-min);
1007 mbar (hPa)

Bertha was a short-lived tropical storm that formed in the mid-Atlantic on August 31, in close proxmitity to Arthur. The storm took a clockwise curving path before merging with a cold front on September 4. Bertha never approached land and caused no reported damage.

Tropical Storm Cesar

Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationAugust 31 – September 2
Peak intensity60 mph (95 km/h) (1-min);
997 mbar (hPa)

A second storm formed on August 31 as a non-tropical low strengthened into Tropical Storm Cesar off the East Coast of the United States. Cesar travelled northeast and strengthened gradually until it became extratropical and merged with another system off the coast of Newfoundland on September 2.

Tropical Depression Seven

Tropical depression (SSHWS)
 
DurationSeptember 6 – September 8
Peak intensity35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min);

This tropical depression formed in the western Gulf of Mexico on September 6. Moving slowly west-northwest, the depression moved into northeast Mexico the following day before dissipating on September 8.[9]

Hurricane Diana

Category 4 hurricane (SSHWS)
 
DurationSeptember 8 – September 16
Peak intensity135 mph (215 km/h) (1-min);
949 mbar (hPa)
Main article: Hurricane Diana (1984)

On September 8, a non-tropical low organized into Tropical Storm Diana north of the Bahamas. Diana proved difficult for meteorologists to forecast, initially moving westward towards Cape Canaveral, but then turned to the north and paralleled the coastline. On September 11, the storm reached hurricane strength, and continued to intensify to a Category 4 hurricane. Diana moved north-northeast, and performed a small anti-cyclonic loop before striking near Cape Fear as a minimal Category 2 hurricane on the 13th. A weakened Tropical Storm Diana curved back out to sea and headed northeast until it became extratropical near Newfoundland on September 16.

Damage estimates were set at $65.5 million dollars. Three indirect deaths were associated with Diana. Diana was the first hurricane to strike a nuclear power plant — the Carolina Power and Light Brunswick Nuclear Power Plant recorded sustained hurricane force winds, but there was no damage to the facility.

Tropical Storm Edouard

Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationSeptember 14 – September 15
Peak intensity65 mph (100 km/h) (1-min);
998 mbar (hPa)

The origins of Tropical Storm Edouard are unclear, but an area of persistent organized storms formed in the Bay of Campeche, which strengthened into a tropical storm on September 14. Edouard rapidly intensified, with wind speeds reaching 65 mph (100 km/h) in 18 hours. Following its strengthening, Edouard dissipated even more quickly, degenerating into an area of thunderstorms the next day. The remnants of Edouard moved over land near the port of Veracruz.

Tropical Storm Fran

Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationSeptember 15 – September 20
Peak intensity65 mph (100 km/h) (1-min);
994 mbar (hPa)

Fran formed near Cape Verde on September 15, and travelled generally west-northwest. It dissipated on September 20. No damage was reported, although weather stations in Cape Verde reported winds just under tropical storm force. 31 people were reported dead on the islands.[10]

Tropical Storm Gustav

Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationSeptember 16 – September 19
Peak intensity50 mph (85 km/h) (1-min);
1006 mbar (hPa)

Gustav spent most of its life as a well-organized tropical depression, which formed on September 16 in the open Atlantic south of Bermuda. The depression moved north, and its motion stalled over Bermuda on the 17th. A day later, the depression had strengthened to a tropical storm and was named Gustav. Tropical Storm Gustav headed northeast until it was absorbed by a front on September 19.

Tropical Depression Eleven

Tropical depression (SSHWS)
 
DurationSeptember 17 – September 18
Peak intensity35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min);

A tropical depression formed on September 17 and dissipated the next day after passing over Bermuda.[11]

Hurricane Hortense

Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS)
 
DurationSeptember 23 – October 2
Peak intensity75 mph (120 km/h) (1-min);
993 mbar (hPa)

On September 23, a subtropical storm formed southeast of Bermuda. The storm acquired tropical characteristics and was named Hortense the next day. Hortense followed a winding path for the next several days, and briefly became a hurricane. On September 30, the center of the tropical storm passed near Bermuda. The storm merged with an extratropical low on October 2. The extratropical low that merged with Hortense later caused severe damage and six deaths in France and Spain. [1]

Tropical Storm Isidore

Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationSeptember 25 – October 1
Peak intensity60 mph (95 km/h) (1-min);
999 mbar (hPa)

A tropical depression formed on September 25 off the southeastern Bahamas. The depression headed west, and was upgraded to a tropical storm in the central Bahamas on the 26th. It struck the US coast near Jupiter, Florida. Retaining tropical storm strength, Isidore curved to the northeast, emerging over water near Jacksonville, Florida. Isidore continued northeast until it was absorbed by a front on October 1.

Storm damages in the US were estimated at $750,000 dollars (1984 US dollars). One death from electrocution was reported.

Hurricane Josephine

Category 2 hurricane (SSHWS)
 
DurationOctober 7 – October 18
Peak intensity105 mph (165 km/h) (1-min);
965 mbar (hPa)

Josephine became a named storm on October 8 while northeast of Puerto Rico. It briefly moved west then turned almost due north. While it stayed well away from the U.S. coast, Josephine was a large storm and sustained tropical storm winds were measured at the Diamond Shoals of Cape Hatteras. When it passed 36°N latitude (roughly level with Norfolk, Virginia, Josephine curved to the southeast, then back to the northeast. It continued on this path until it made a cyclonic loop beginning on October 17 while becoming extratropical. The storm lost its identity on the 21st.

The hurricane caused wave damage to coastal areas, but primarily posed a threat to the shipping lanes of the North Atlantic.

Tropical Depression

Tropical depression (SSHWS)
 
DurationOctober 25 – October 29
Peak intensity35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min);
1013 mbar (hPa)

This system was recognized as the seventeenth tropical depression of the season by the National Hurricane Center after the season ended.[9] A retrograding upper level low spurred the development of a low east of the Bahamas on October 25th. The system tracked westward with limited shower and thunderstorm activity, crossing Florida on the 26th before moving into the Gulf of Mexico. Once the system moved into the north-central Gulf, deep convection began to develop near its center, expanding in intensity and coverage near and after landfall in extreme southeast Mississippi. The small system accelerated rapidly to the north and northeast ahead of an approaching cold front, moving across the Tennessee Valley and central Appalachians before linking up with the front and becoming a weak extratropical cyclone. The nontropical cyclone then moved through coastal New England.[12]

Hurricane Klaus

Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS)
 
DurationNovember 5 – November 13
Peak intensity90 mph (150 km/h) (1-min);
971 mbar (hPa)
Main article: Hurricane Klaus (1984)

Klaus formed as a tropical depression in the central Caribbean Sea on November 6. The depression moved north over Puerto Rico later that day as it reached tropical storm strength. On the 7th, Klaus reached hurricane strength. The hurricane headed generally northeast until it began losing its tropical characteristics on November 12.

Damage from the storm totaled to $152 million (1984 USD), and the hurricane killed two on Dominica.

Hurricane Lili

Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS)
 
DurationDecember 12 – December 24
Peak intensity80 mph (130 km/h) (1-min);
980 mbar (hPa)
Main article: Hurricane Lili (1984)

A rare December hurricane, Lili began as a subtropical storm in the central North Atlantic on December 12. The storm looped over open water for more than a week before acquiring tropical characteristics and being classified as a hurricane. At this point, Hurricane Lili was headed southwest toward the Caribbean. It continued on this path but weakened to a tropical depression as it approached Hispaniola. By the time of landfall in Haiti on December 24, it had degenerated to an area of thunderstorms.

Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) Rating

ACE (104kt²) – Storm: Source
1 19.5 Josephine 8 1.54 Cesar
2 15.2 Diana 9 1.30 Arthur
3 11.5 Klaus 10 0.788 Edouard
4 6.92 Hortense 11 0.608 Gustav
5 6.20 Lili 12 0.490 Bertha
6 3.62 Isidore
7 3.27 Fran    
Total= 70.9375 (71)

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.

Storm names

The following names were used for named storms that formed in the north Atlantic in 1984. No names were retired, so it was used again in the 1990 season. This is the first time these names were used since the post-1978 naming change, except for Bertha and Fran which were previously used in 1957 and 1973. Names that were not assigned are marked in gray.

  • Arthur
  • Bertha
  • Cesar
  • Diana
  • Edouard
  • Fran
  • Gustav
  • Hortense
  • Isidore
  • Josephine
  • Klaus
  • Lili
  • Marco (unused)
  • Nana (unused)
  • Omar (unused)
  • Paloma (unused)
  • Rene (unused)
  • Sally (unused)
  • Teddy (unused)
  • Vicky (unused)
  • Wilfred (unused)

Retirement

See also: List of retired Atlantic hurricane names

The World Meteorological Organization did not retire any names used in the 1984 season.

See also

Template:Tcportal

References

  1. ^ DN&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB296A509DA6C8E&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM TROPICAL DEPRESSION HITS FLORIDA COAST
  2. ^ HARBINGER OF HURRICANE FADING FAST
  3. ^ David M. Roth. Tropical Depression One - June 12-17, 1984. Retrieved on 2008-04-24.
  4. ^ NOAA. Daily Weather Maps: June 11-17, 1984. Retrieved on 2008-04-24.
  5. ^ NEW TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMS IN GULF OF MEXICO
  6. ^ POTENTIAL TROPICAL STORM MONITORED
  7. ^ Search Results
  8. ^ STORM WEAKENS IN CARIBBEAN TWO FISHERMEN MISSING AFTER IGNORING WARNINGS
  9. ^ a b David M. Roth. CLIQR database. Retrieved on 2008-11-13.
  10. ^ Edward N. Rappaport and Jose Fernandez-Partagas. The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492-1996. Retrieved on 2008-04-24.
  11. ^ ONE DEPRESSION FALTERS
  12. ^ David M. Roth. Tropical Depression: October 25-29, 1984. Retrieved on 2008-11-13.

Template:1980-1989 Atlantic hurricane seasons

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