Tropical Events 1980s

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

1989 - Hurricane HugoHugo made U.S. landfall near Charleston on the South Carolina coast on September 21 as a Category 4 hurricane. A storm surge of 8 feet above the predicted normal astronomical tide height was reported in Charleston. As far north as Hatteras, NC, storm surge was reported at 4 feet above predicted tide. High water marks indicated the storm tide was 13 to 20 feet along various parts of the North and South Carolina coasts. Most major flood damage associated with Hugo was inflicted on coastal areas as a consequence of storm surges and not rainfall. Hurricane Hugo was responsible for 21 deaths and left a path of devastation in its wake with $7 billion in damages in the United States alone.


1985 - Hurricane Juan
Minimal Hurricane Juan made landfall near Morgan City, LA, and continued to spin erratically across south Louisiana at the end of October. Juan moved offshore again and made a second landfall just west of Pensacola, FL. Storm surge from Juan reached 8 feet at Cocodrie, LA, and Grand Isle was submerged under 4 feet of water. Hurricane Juan caused storm surge inundation of about 3 to 6 feet above normal along the Gulf coast to northwest Florida. East of the mouth of the Mississippi River, these water levels persisted for nearly five days. A total of 12 deaths were attributed to Hurricane Juan. Early damage estimates were up to $1.5 billion, with most of it related to flooding in southern Louisiana.


1985 - Hurricane Elena
Elena was a Category 3 hurricane and made landfall near Biloxi, MS, at the beginning of September. The maximum storm surge was 10 feet near Apalachicola, FL, with reports of 6 to 8 feet on Dauphin Island and along the Coastal areas near Pascagoula, MS. Hurricane Elena was responsible for 4 deaths, while damage was estimated at $1.25 billion.


1983 - Hurricane Alicia
Hurricane Alicia was the first hurricane to strike the continental U.S. since Hurricane Allen moved over south Texas in August 1980. Alicia was only minimal Category 3 hurricane status when it made landfall south of Galveston, TX, in mid-August, but brought storm tides ranging from 2 to 9 feet along the Texas coast, with 10 to 12 feet along upper Galveston Bay. Despite it's smaller size, Alicia proved to be a costly hurricane, with a total damage estimates of up to $2 billion, and it caused 21 fatalities.


1980 - Hurricane Allen
Allen was a severe hurricane that moved inland near Brownsville, TX, over the least populated section of the Texas coast in early August. Storm surges along this area of the lower Texas coast are normally much lower than on the upper Texas coast, and resulted in surges from Hurricane Allen of only 8 to 12 feet instead of the 15 to 20 feet that would have been likely further north. There is no way of accurately estimating the maximum storm surge from Hurricane Allen since it occurred over the unpopulated section of Padre Island between Brownsville and Corpus Christi. While it was still a very strong hurricane, Allen's path and weakening just before making landfall resulted in only a fraction of the damage that had been feared. Hurricane Allen was directly responsible for 2 deaths, and total U.S. damage was estimated at $600 million.