1990 Atlantic hurricane season
| 1990 Atlantic hurricane season | |
|---|---|
| Seasonal boundaries | |
| First system formed | {{{First storm formed}}} |
| Last system dissipated | {{{Last storm dissipated}}} |
| Seasonal statistics | |
| Total fatalities | Unknown |
| Total damage | Unknown |
The 1990 Atlantic hurricane season was an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. It officially started June 1, 1990, and lasted until November 30, 1990. However, it exceeded these boundaries as a tropical depression formed May 24. Though very active in terms of named storms, the season featured relatively weak systems, many of which stayed at sea.
The 1990 season was unusual because no tropical storms or hurricanes made landfall in the United States, and records show that this had not happened since 1890. Tropical Storm Marco did affect Florida (passing only a few miles offshore), but was downgraded to a tropical depression before landfall.
Hurricane Diana killed an estimated 96 in the Mexican states of Veracruz and Hidalgo. Property damage estimates are unavailable, but damage was widespread. In October, Hurricane Klaus, combined with Tropical Storm Marco and a frontal boundary, caused torrential rainfall across the southeastern United States.
Storms
Tropical Depression One
On May 24— before the season officially began— a depression developed over the western Caribbean. It moved northwestwards and brought heavy rains and gusty winds to Cuba and Florda. On May 26, it was absorbed by a frontal cyclone over the Florida Keys.
Tropical Storm Arthur
Template:Storm pics The first tropical storm of 1990 developed from a mid-Atlantic wave about 300 miles east of Trinidad on July 24. It crossed the Windward Islands chain between Tobago & Grenada and strengthened to near hurricane level, but soon weakened and degenerated to an open wave on July 27. No casualties or damage were reported.
Hurricane Bertha
Template:Storm pics A tropical depression drifting east of Florida strengthened to a storm on July 28. It drifted northeast and became a hurricane 500 miles WSW of Bermuda on July 29. It continued parallel to the East Coast of the United States, dropping to a storm and refreshing to a hurricane again before becoming extratropical over Nova Scotia on August 2.
Nine deaths were attributed to Bertha, including six crew members of the Greek freighter Corazon who perished off the Canadian coast after their ship broke up. Damage to crops and a suspension bridge were reported from Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
Tropical Storm Cesar
Template:Storm pics Cesar developed from a tropical wave reaching storm strength west of Cape Verde on August 2. It drifted north-west and dissipated on August 7 over 1000 miles east of Bermuda.
Hurricane Diana
Diana formed from a tropical wave which crossed the Atlantic and most of the Caribbean before devoloping into a cyclone near the eastern tip of Honduras on August 4. The storm crossed the Yucatan peninsula then strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane before making landfall near Tuxpan, Mexico on August 7. It was declared dissipated in western Mexico the next day, although a remnant low-pressure area was observed to have reached the Pacific coast.
Torrential rain in Mexico caused mudslides and landslips in the states of Hidalgo and Veracruz. Crops, property and roads were damaged, and contemporary reports indicated that 96 people had been killed.
Tropical Storm Edouard
Template:Storm pics Edouard developed from a nontropical weather system which crossed the Azores westwards on August 4. It reached storm strength on August 8 and more or less retraced its tracks, becoming extratropical on August 11. It was never a purely tropical system. There were no casualties and only minor damage in the Azores. Tropical Storm Eduoard was one of a few tropical storms and hurricanes to form in the far North Atlantic. The next storm to do this was Hurricane Vince of 2005.
Tropical Storm Fran
Template:Storm pics Tropical Storm Fran developed as a tropical depression south-west of Cape Verde on August 11. Moving rapidly westwards it lost its closed circulation for a while, then recovered and strengthened to a storm on August 13. The next day it passed between Trinidad and Venezuela and dissipated due to interaction with the South American mainland. No damage or casualties were reported.
Hurricane Gustav
Template:Storm pics Gustav developed as a tropical depression some 1000 miles east of Barbados on August 24. It moved westward and strengthened to a storm the next day and a hurricane on August 26. Hurricane warnings were raised for the Lesser Antilles but Gustav turned to the north and later north-east, thereby avoiding all land. It was declared extratropical on September 3, with the remnants later passing 200 miles south of Iceland. At its peak it reached Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale.
Tropical Storm Hortense
Template:Storm pics Hortense formed 700 miles WSW of Cape Verde on August 25. It strengthened to a storm but was sheared by the outflow from Hurricane Gustav and dissipated on August 31 without approaching any land.
Hurricane Isidore
Template:Storm pics Isidore formed south of Cape Verde on September 4 and became a hurricane on September 7. A mid-level trough in the central Atlantic kept it moving northward and it dropped to storm strength for a while before recovering. It was absorbed by an extratropical low north of 50°N on September 17.
Tropical Depression Eleven
On September 18, Tropical Depression 11 formed from a tropical wave midway between Africa and the Lesser Antilles. It almost reached storm strength, but wind shear weakened it until it dissipated September 27. It never affected land.
Hurricane Josephine
Template:Storm pics Josephine formed west of Cape Verde on September 21 and strengthened to a storm on September 24. It wandered in mid-Atlantic for some time, performing a 360° loop at one stage before becoming a hurricane on October 4. It tracked around a mid-latitude storm and became extratropical on October 6. Its gestation time from Tropical Depression to Hurricane, at 13¾ days, is the longest on record.
Hurricane Klaus
A westward moving wave became a cyclone east of the Lesser Antilles on October 3 and became a hurricane two days later close to Antigua and Barbuda. It moved north of the Leeward Islands and Virgin Islands, weakening and reviving as it headed towards the Bahamas. It was absorbed by a low pressure area on October 9. The remnants brought heavy rainfall to South Carolina and Georgia causing 4 deaths when a dam burst.
Hurricane Lili
Template:Storm pics Lili developed from the mid-latitude low which affected the latter stages of Josephine. This low moved southwest and developed tropical characteristics, becoming a hurricane on October 11. It moved rapidly west and passed 140 miles south of Bermuda. Initially appearing to threaten the US coast, it curved north then north-east and had become extratropical before it touched Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Damage was limited to minor coastal erosion in North Carolina.
Tropical Storm Marco
Template:Storm pics As Klaus was dissipating, a new cold low developed over Cuba and developed down to the surface as a tropical depression on October 9. It became a tropical storm and headed towards Florida, hugging the western coast and making landfall as it weakened to a tropical depression near Cedar Key. It rapidly lost strength over land but added to the heavy rainfall already brought to the southeastern states by Klaus. Click here for the storm total rainfall graphic for Marco/Klaus.
Although only a depression at final landfall, this was officially counted as a tropical storm hit on the USA as much of the circulation was on land in the area of St. Petersburg, Florida. Seven deaths are attributed to Marco's high surf and flooding rains. It also caused $57 million in damage.
This storm also marked only the second time since naming began in the Atlantic in 1950 that the 'M' name was used, the previous being Martha in the 1969 season. Since 1995, the 'M' name has been used almost every season.
Hurricane Nana
Template:Storm pics A tropical wave developed into a depression on October 16, 400 miles north-east of Puerto Rico. It intensified to a hurricane the next day and tracked north-west towards Bermuda, but was blocked by upper-level westerlies and dissipated on October 21 without approaching land.
Nana was the first storm since naming began in the Atlantic in 1950 to receive the 'N' name, the first of only eight storms to do this.
1990 storm names
The following names were used for named storms that formed in the north Atlantic in 1990. The names not retired from this list were used again in the 1996 season. This is the same list used for the 1984 season. Storms were named Marco and Nana for the first time in 1990. Names that were not assigned are marked in gray.
|
|
|
Retirement
The World Meteorological Organization retired two names in the spring of 1991: Diana and Klaus. They were replaced in the 1996 season by Dolly and Kyle.
See also
External links
- Monthly Weather Review
- NOAA 1990 Report accessed November 1990
- Detailed information on all storms from 1990
- U.S. Rainfall information from 1990 tropical cyclones
Tropical cyclones of the 1990 Atlantic hurricane season | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
