1939 California tropical storm
| hurricane | |
|---|---|
| Formed | September 15, 1939 (est) |
| Dissipated | September 25, 1939 |
The 1939 Long Beach Tropical Storm, once a hurricane, was the only Eastern Pacific tropical storm to hit California in known history. The only other tropical cyclone to directly affect California is the 1858 San Diego Hurricane.
Storm History
On September 15, a tropical depression formed off the coast of Panama. It quickly strengthened into a hurricane. It tracked northward, instead of the usual westward movement of a typical Eastern Pacific hurricane. The hurricane likely was strong, as it needed to maintain its winds to a northerly latitude. The hurricane's minimum measured pressure of 28.67 inHg occurred on September 22. An upper level through turned it to the northeast, where it weakened due to the cool waters.
Shortly before making landfall on September 25, it weakened to a tropical storm. The storm still managed to hit Long Beach, California as a 50 mph tropical storm, making it the only tropical cyclone in recorded history to hit the state of California. The storm quickly weakened over land, and likely dissipated with a day or two.
Impact
The storm dropped heavy rain on California, with 5.66 inches falling in Los Angeles and nearly a foot of rain occurring at Mount Wilson. The flooding caused moderate crop and structural damage, amounting to $2 million (1939 USD, $26.2 million 2005 USD). Shipping was caught off guard from this unusual system, and 45 died from the winds of the storm.
People were caught unprepared by the storm. In response, the weather bureau established a forecast office for southern California, which began operations in February of 1940.
Unusual Track
Due to the rotation of the Earth, tropical cyclones in the Northern Hemisphere tend to move from east to west. The upper level westerlies are required to bring Eastern Pacific storms, which typically remain at sea, northward and northeastward. Another inhibiting factor for a California landfall is the water temperatures. Because of the water currents, the waters off California are rarely above 70º F, which is too cold for hurricanes to sustain themselves.