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List of Azores hurricanes

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Satellite image of Hurricane Ophelia located south of the Azores

The Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, has experienced the effects of at least 16 Atlantic hurricanes, or storms that were once tropical or subtropical cyclones.

1900s

  • September 27, 1992 - Tropical Storm Charley struck Terceira Island, producing wind gusts of 82 mph (132 km/h) at Lajes Field.[1]
  • September 30, 1992 - Just days after the previous storm, Tropical Storm Bonnie moved through the central Azores. Wind gusts reached 59 mph (94 km/h) at Lajes Field.[2] One man was killed by a rock fall on São Miguel.[3]
  • November 1, 1995 - Tropical Storm Tanya transitioned into an extratropical storm before moving through the Azores. The storm produced wind gusts of 105 mph (170 km/h). Tanya knocked down trees and power lines, sank several boats, and damaged houses. A fisherman drowned amid high waves in the archipelago.[4]
  • September 15, 1997 - Tropical Storm Erika brushed the western Azores, producing wind gusts of 105 mph (168 km/h) on a 200 ft (61 m) tower at Lajes. The storm dropped up to 2.35 inches (60 mm) of rain in Flores, where gusts reached 87 mph (140 km/h).[5]
  • September 30, 1998 - Tropical Storm Jeanne transitioned into an extratropical cyclone while approaching the Azores. It produced wind gusts of 40 mph (65 km/h) on Horta Island.[6]

2000s

A wave crashing against a rocky escarpment
Rough surf from Hurricane Alex on São Miguel Island, in the Azores
  • April 27, 2003 - an extratropical cyclone, formerly Tropical Storm Ana, passed south of the Azores, producing 0.87 inches (22 mm) of rainfall at Ponta Delgada.[7]
  • October 4, 2005 - a subtropical storm moved through the eastern Azores,[8] producing wind gusts of 59 mph (94 km/h) on Santa Maria Island.[9]
  • September 20, 2006 - Hurricane Gordon passed through the Azores between the islands of Santa Maria and São Miguel; a station on the former island recorded sustained winds of 56 mph (90 km/h), with gusts to 82 mph (132 km/h).[10] Overall impact was limited to toppled trees and power lines, leaving portions of Santa Maria Island without electrical service.[11]
  • October 4, 2009 - an extratropical cyclone transitioned into Tropical Storm Grace near São Miguel Island, producing wind gusts of 44 mph (70 km/h) at Ponta Delgada on São Miguel.[12]
  • August 20, 2012 - Hurricane Gordon made landfall on Santa Maria Island with winds of 75 mph (120 km/h). Gordon produced wind gusts of 81 mph (130 km/h) on the island, and triggered a few landslides. The winds knocked down trees, damaged windows, and briefly cut power. Waves 21 ft (6.4 m) in height caused flooding along the coast.[13]
  • September 21, 2012 - Tropical Storm Nadine transitioned into an extratropical cyclone as it approached within 260 mi (420 km) southwest of the Azores. The storm producing wind gusts of 81 mph (130 km/h) on Faial Island. Nadine turned southeast away from the archipelago, and spent the next 13 days moving across the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Nadine again transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on October 4, and later that day moved through the central Azores, producing wind gusts of 87 mph (140 km/h) at the Wind Power Plant on Santa Maria.[14]
  • December 7, 2013 - A subtropical storm approached the western Azores and degenerated into a trough. The storm produced gusts to 54 mph (87 km/h) on Santa Maria Island.[15]
  • January 5, 2016 - Tropical Storm Alex made landfall on Terceira Island, hours after weakening below hurricane status.[16] Rainfall totaled 4.04 in (103 mm) in Lagoa, São Miguel.[17] Wind gusts reached 57 mph (92 km/h) in Ponta Delgada.[18] One person suffering a heart attack died as an indirect result of Alex when turbulence from the storm hindered their emergency helicopter from taking off in time.[19][20] Alex triggered a few landslides, and damaged homes from its winds.[21]
  • September 2, 2016 - Hurricane Gaston transitioned into an extratropical cyclone near the Azores, producing wind gusts of 52 mph (83 km/h) on Flores and Faial islands.[22]
  • October 14, 2017 - Hurricane Ophelia passed south of the Azores as the easternmost major hurricane on record. The hurricane produced wind gusts of 44 mph (77 km/h) on São Miguel.[23]
  • September 15, 2018 - Tropical Storm Helene passed west of the Azores, where it was estimated to have produced tropical storm force winds.[24]
  • October 2, 2019 - Hurricane Lorenzo passed near the western Azores, producing wind gusts of 101 mph (163 km/h) on Corvo Island.[25] At the Port of Lajes das Flores port building and some cargo containers were swept away, while the dock itself was partially damaged.[26] Total damage across the island chain were around €330 million (US$362 million).[27]

Climatology

Storms affecting the Mascarene Islands by month
Month Number of storms
January
1
April
1
September
8
October
2
November
1
December
1
Storms affecting the Mascarene Islands by period
Period Number of storms
1990s
5
2000s
4
2010s
7

Deadly storms

The following is a list of Atlantic tropical storms that caused fatalities in the Azores.

Name Year Number of deaths
Bonnie 1992 1
Tanya 1995 1
Alex 2016 1

See also

References

  1. ^ Max Mayfield (November 14, 1992). Hurricane Charley Preliminary Report (Report). National Hurricane Center. p. 2. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
  2. ^ Richard J. Pasch (December 1, 1992). Preliminary Report: Hurricane Bonnie 17-30 September 1992 (Report). National Hurricane Center. p. 2. Retrieved 2013-02-25.
  3. ^ B. Max Mayfield; Lixion A. Avila; Edward N. Rappaport (March 1994). Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1992 (PDF) (Report). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved 2013-02-25.
  4. ^ European Parliament (1995). "Resolution on Hurricane Tanya". European Union. Archived from the original on 2008-06-23. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
  5. ^ Miles B. Lawrence (1997-10-24). "Hurricane Erika Tropical Cyclone Report" (PDF). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  6. ^ Richard J. Pasch (February 8, 1999). Hurricane Jeanne Preliminary Report (PDF) (Report). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  7. ^ Gary Padgett (2003). "April 2003 Global Tropical Cyclone Summary". Retrieved 2007-12-15.
  8. ^ National Hurricane Center (2006-04-10). "Tropical Cyclone Report: Unnamed Subtropical Storm" (PDF). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 2006-10-31.
  9. ^ Computer Generated (2005-10-04). "History for Santa Maria, Azores: Tuesday, October 4, 2005". Weather Underground. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  10. ^ Eric Blake (2006-11-14). "Hurricane Gordon Tropical Cyclone Report" (PDF). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
  11. ^ Staff Writer (2006-09-20). "Azores escape worst of hurricane". BBC News. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  12. ^ Robbie Berg (November 28, 2009). "Tropical Storm Grace Tropical Cyclone Report" (PDF). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  13. ^ Lixion A. Avila (January 16, 2013). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Gordon (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. pp. 1–2. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  14. ^ Daniel P. Brown (January 8, 2013). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Nadine (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. pp. 1–4, 6–8, 12. Retrieved February 18, 2013.
  15. ^ Eric Blake; Todd Kimberlain; John Beven II (February 7, 2014). Tropical Cyclone Report: Unnamed Subtropical Storm (PDF) (Report). Miami, FL: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  16. ^ Eric S. Blake (September 13, 2016). Hurricane Alex (PDF) (Report). Tropical Cyclone Report. National Hurricane Center. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  17. ^ "Lagoa IAZORESL2". Weather Underground. January 15, 2016. Archived from the original on July 27, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  18. ^ "Rare January Hurricane Alex Landfalls in The Azores as a Tropical Storm". The Weather Channel. January 15, 2016. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  19. ^ "Furacão Alex impede socorro da Força Aérea e doente morre". Público (in Portuguese). Lusa News Agency. January 16, 2016. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  20. ^ Identificação e Avaliação de Impactes, Vulnerabilidades e Opçōes de Adaptação às Alteraçōes Climáticas (PDF) (Report) (in Portuguese). Government of the Azores. October 2017. p. 48. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 27, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2019. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  21. ^ Ana Dias Cordeiro (January 15, 2016). "Furacão Alex passou a tempestade tropical depois de ter atravessado os Açores". Público (in Portuguese). Lusa News Agency. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  22. ^ Daniel P. Brown (January 11, 2017). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Gaston (PDF) (Technical report). National Hurricane Center. pp. 2, 3. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  23. ^ Stewart, Stacy R. (27 March 2018). Hurricane Ophelia (PDF) (Report). Tropical Cyclone Report. National Hurricane Center. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  24. ^ John P. Cangialosi (July 20, 2019). Hurricane Helene Tropical Cyclone Report (PDF) (Report). National Hurricane Center.
  25. ^ ""Lorenzo" com rajada máxima de 163 km/h no Corvo" (in Portuguese). Jornal de Notícias. October 2, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  26. ^ Hatton, Barry (October 2, 2019). "Hurricane Lorenzo batters mid-Atlantic Azores Islands". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  27. ^ "Furacão "Lorenzo" provocou prejuízos de 330 milhões de euros" (in Portuguese). Jornal de Notícias. October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
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