GOM Development in October?

[CYCLONE MIKE]

I need some help guys. For everything that has been going on around here for the last month, my memory has gone blank. How busy has the GOM been, lets say he last 7-8 years during October? That includes storms developing in the gulf and moving in from the Caribbean. I just cannot remember how many, names, or when at all. Maybe it will come back to me later. Thanks.

[chrisnnavarre]

I don't even want to think about October..that was when Opal came to the Panhandle. September's not done yet and here comes another wave right out of the Eastern Carib. How much more can we take.....

[inotherwords]

Cyclone Mike, you can see each year depicted on this site:

http://www.skeetobiteweather.com/

Click on Hurricane History, third from the top in the list, and you can enter any year you want to see. You can filter it by all tropical storms or by hurricanes only. Once the map is up on screen, you can look at the list of storm names below it and it will show the date range and other data about the storms. The dates are in chronological order so it will be easy for you to see the October storms and then look at the map to see what the track looked like.

For instance, if you click on 2003, you will see Mindy and Nicholas were October storms that were both fish and never went beyond TS strength.

[Hurricanehink]

October Gulf Tropical Storms:
2004:
Matthew- Minimal tropical storm hit Louisiana

2003:
Larry- Developed from a tropical wave and a frontal boundary, moved southward into Mexico

2000:
Leslie- It developed from a tropical wave. The preceding disturbance caused massive flooding over Florida.

1996:
Josephine- It developed from a cold front, hitting the coast of Florida as a strong tropical storm, causing $130 million in damage.

1995:
Opal- While not an October developing storm, it became a hurricane in October, reaching 150 mph winds before hitting Florida Panhandle. It caused $2.1 billion dollars.

1990:
Marco- Formed over Western Cuba, it paralleled the west coast of Florida.

1989:
Jerry- Formed from a tropical wave in the Bay of Campeche, it headed northward, reaching hurricane strength before hitting Texas. It caused 35 million dollars in damage and 3 deaths.

1987:
Floyd- Formed off the coast of Nicaragua, it headed northward, reaching hurricane strength near the Florida keys, causing $500,000 in damage.

1985:
Juan- Formed off the coast of Louisiana, it looped around the state, causing $1.5 billion in damage and 12 casualties. It was not retired for some weird reason.

1969:
Jenny- Weak tropical storm moved across Florida twice, causing flooding.
Laurie- Hurricane looped in the Gulf, but no damage to land.

1968:
Gladys- A Caribbean hurricane moved northward, bringing heavy rain to Florida. It caused $6.7 million in damage.

1967:
Fern- Weak hurricane made landfall on Mexico, causing 3 deaths.

1966:
Inez- Formed in the tropical Atlantic in September, it caused heavy damage to the Lesser Antilles, Greater Antilles, Bahamas, and Florida. In the Gulf, it strengthened to a Cat. 4 before hitting the coast of Mexico. It caused $200,000,000 and 1000 deaths.

1964:
Hilda- Hit Louisiana as a Cat. 2 after weakening from a Cat. 4. Caused 37 deaths and $100 million in damage.
Isbell- Hit Florida keys as a major hurricane, causing 3 deaths and around a million dollars in damage.

1963:
Flora- While not a Gulf storm, it deserves mention, as it caused nearly 7,000 deaths in the Caribbean (people live there too).

1961:
Hattie- Like Flora, it deserves mention, becoming a Category 5 hurricane in the Caribbean before hitting Belize, causing 400 casualties and damage across the country.

Gulf November Tropical Storms
1988:
Keith- A tropical storm developed in the western Caribbean, and after crossing Cuba hit the southwest coast of Florida, causing $3 million in damage, but no deaths.

1985:
Kate- A tropical storm developed north of Puerto Rico. It moved westward, becoming a Category 2 hurricane before hitting the north coast of Cuba. It turned to the northwest, becoming a major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico on November 20th, the latest ever for a major hurricane. It weakened prior to its Florida landfall, but still caused $210 million and 6 deaths.

1980:
Jeanne- A tropical depression formed in the west Caribbean. It became a tropical storm while heading northwestward. Upon reaching the Gulf of Mexico, it became a Cat. 2 hurricane and caused damage to shipping. Jeanne dissipated over the open waters on the 16th of November.

1961:
Inga- Forming from Hattie's renmants, this was the only tropical storm in history to form in the Gulf of Mexico in November. It dissipated not long after forming.

[inotherwords]

2000:
Leslie- It developed from a tropical wave. The preceding disturbance caused massive flooding over Florida.

Do you have a source for this info?

I don't even recall this storm. I wonder what how "massive flooding" was defined, particularly in Florida where water percolates pretty quickly and the idea of "massive flooding" is not very common. Particularly in drought years, also, which that was in FL.

[Hurricanehink]

2000:
Leslie- It developed from a tropical wave. The preceding disturbance caused massive flooding over Florida.

Do you have a source for this info?

I don't even recall this storm. I wonder what how "massive flooding" was defined, particularly in Florida where water percolates pretty quickly and the idea of "massive flooding" is not very common. Particularly in drought years, also, which that was in FL.

From the National Hurricane Center, Leslie report

Leslie was a short-lived tropical storm that developed from Subtropical Depression One off the east coast of Florida, and subsequently moved northeastward over the western Atlantic. Although neither Leslie nor the subtropical depression was responsible for any damage or casualties, a precursor disturbance combined with a stalled frontal boundary to produce very heavy rainfall, and flood damage estimated at $700 million in southeast Florida on 2-3 October. Three deaths in south Florida were indirectly attributable to the flooding.

Massive flooding, very heavy rainfall, same difference.

[inotherwords]

OK, localized flooding and heavy rainfall. I can buy that. I myself wouldn't categorize that as "massive flooding over Florida" but that's just my interpretation. To me, this sounds like it involved a much larger portion of the state.

My comment was not to nitpick your post, I just think I'd remember this storm if it was as bad as it sounded. I can't even recall it and I'm in southwest FL.

[Anonymous]

Yep..Tropical Storm Leslie was the second costliest Tropical Storm in US History.

[inotherwords]

Yep..Tropical Storm Leslie was the second costliest Tropical Storm in US History.

Was Allison the most costly?

[Anonymous]

Yes...Allison was the most costly tropical storm on record for the USA...and the only Tropical Storm to ever have its name retired. It caused 5 billion dollars in damage, and over 40 deaths.

[inotherwords]

From Wikipedia:

Tropical Storm Leslie
A subtropical depression that moved off the eastern coast of Florida organized into Tropical Storm Leslie on October 5 while 200 n mi east of St. Augustine, Florida. It remained a weak tropical storm as it moved east, then north-northeast, and became extratropical on the 7th. No damages were associated with Leslie or the subtropical depression. However, the disturbance that formed them was responsible for $700 million in damage in Florida, most of it agricultural losses.

[Patrick99]

I remember "Leslie," though it wasn't named when it dumped tons of rain over us.

[Patrick99]

This one would be tough to handle in October....looks like a crossover from the EPAC.

[Patrick99]

Looks like Tampa got lucky with this one.

[WeatherEmperor]

forgot about hurricane Irene in 1999 that hit south florida.

<RICKY>

[Patrick99]

Interesting....another one from the EPAC. That one would hurt today, if repeated.

[Brent]

This one would be tough to handle in October....looks like a crossover from the EPAC.

Geez thanks.

[inotherwords]

Looks like Tampa got lucky with this one.

Holy cow, doesn't look lucky to me. Looks like a direct hit Cat 5.

[WeatherEmperor]

actually the red indicates Cat 2.

<RICKY>

[inotherwords]

actually the red indicates Cat 2.

<RICKY>

Ah, thanks. On Skeetobite's maps red's a 5, so I was confooszled.

Whoops, that's not true either...Skeeto's 5 is white, the 4 is red.

Anyway, sorry. Is the pink the 5 on this map?