There were four other tropical cyclones that month, including Hurricane Frederic and Tropical Storm Elena. Activity briefly halted after Tropical Depression Six dissipated on August 6 and lasted until Hurricane David developed on August 25. A total of four systems formed in the month of July, including Hurricane Bob and Tropical Storm Claudette. Tropical cyclogenesis began in June, with three tropical depressions, one of which strengthened into Tropical Storm Ana. The last storm of the season, an unnumbered tropical depression, dissipated on November 15, about 15 days before the official end of hurricane season on November 30. Despite its intensity, Tropical Depression One also resulted in damage and deaths due to severe flooding in Jamaica. Three tropical storms, one hurricane-strength subtropical storm, and three hurricanes made landfall during the season and caused at least 2,136 fatalities and $4.12 billion. Two of the five hurricane became major hurricanes, which is Category 3 or greater on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. Of the nine tropical storms, five of them strengthened into a hurricane, which is also slightly below average. Although 26 tropical systems were observed, only 16 reached the level of tropical or subtropical depression, and nine of them reached tropical storm intensity, which is slightly below the 1950-2000 average of 9.6 named storms per season. The Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1979. Collectively, the tropical cyclones of the season resulted in $4.12 billion in damage and at least 2,136 deaths.įive tropical cyclones were active on September 1 – Hurricanes David and Frederic, Tropical Storm Elena, and two unnumbered tropical depressions Other than Tropical Depression One and the tropical depression that brought flooding to the Southern United States in mid and late-September, none of the other depressions caused significant effects of land. Toward the end of October, a brief hurricane force subtropical storm struck Newfoundland, but left little impact. Four deaths were reported, two in Texas and two in Kentucky. In mid and late-September, a tropical depression caused flooding in the Southern United States, especially Texas. Henri also caused flooding in portions of Mexico. Hurricane Henri remained offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and disrupted efforts to stop the Ixtoc I oil spill. However, little impact was reported elsewhere. Tropical Storm Elena brought flooding to the Greater Houston area, with five deaths and about $10 million in damage. Hurricane Frederic brought destruction to the Gulf Coast of the United States, especially in Alabama and Mississippi. Overall, the storm resulted in 2,068 deaths and $1.54 billion in damage. Later, David brought wind damage, tornadoes, and flooding to portions of the East Coast of the United States. In Dominican Republic alone, the system caused approximately 1,000 deaths and $1 billion in damage. David was the strongest and deadliest tropical cyclone to make landfall in that country since 1930. The storm then strengthened further and struck Dominican Republic as a Category 5 hurricane. It moved across the Lesser Antilles in late August, with the worst hit islands being Dominica and Martinique. The most intense tropical cyclone of the season was Hurricane David. Tropical Storm Claudette caused extensive flooding in Texas due to torrential rainfall, resulting in two deaths and about $750 million in damage. Hurricane Bob spawned tornadoes and produced minor wind damage along the Gulf Coast of the United States, primarily in Louisiana, while the remnants caused flooding, especially in Indiana. Tropical Storm Ana caused minimal impact in the Lesser Antilles. Two days later, Tropical Depression One formed and produced severe flooding in Jamaica, with 40 deaths and about $27 million (1979 USD) in damage. The first system, an unnumbered tropical depression, developed north of Puerto Rico on June 9. It was slightly below average, with nine systems reaching tropical storm intensity. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The season officially began on June 1, and lasted until November 30. The 1979 Atlantic hurricane season was the first Atlantic hurricane season to include both male and female names on its list of tropical cyclone names. Timeline of the 1979 Atlantic hurricane season.
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