List of California hurricanes
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A California hurricane is a tropical cyclone that affects the state of California. Usually, only the remnants of tropical cyclones affect California. No hurricane has ever made landfall in California in recorded history, and only one tropical storm has.
Since 1900, only four tropical cyclones have brought gale-force winds to the Southwestern United States. They are an unnamed tropical storm that made landfall near Long Beach in 1939, the remnants of Hurricane Joanne in 1972, the remnants of Hurricane Kathleen in 1976, and the remnants of Hurricane Nora in 1997. In addition, a possible hurricane just missed making landfall in 1858.
In most cases, rainfall is the only effect that these cyclones have on California. Sometimes, this rainfall is severe enough to cause flooding and damage. For example, floods from Hurricane Kathleen devastated Ocotillo, California and killed several people.
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[edit] An improbable event
There are two reasons why hurricanes do not strike California: sea surface temperatures, and the usual upper level steering winds in the eastern Pacific, with sea surface temperature being the most important.
Tropical cyclones usually require very warm water to depth, generally above 26.5 C (80 F) extending to a depth of 50 M (~150 feet).[1]
The waters off California are cold even in summer. They rarely rise above 24 C (75 F) in near-shore southern California,[2] and usually never get above 62 along most of the rest of the coast and outer coastal waters, although El Niño events may warm the waters somewhat. This is due primarily to the extensive upwelling of colder sub-surface waters caused by the prevailing northwesterly winds acting through the Ekman Effect. The winds drive surface water to the right of the wind flow, that is offshore, which draws water up from below to replace it. The upwelling further cools the already cool California Current which runs north to south along coastal California and even much of coastal Baja California. This is the same mechanism which produces coastal California's characteristic fog.
The second reason is the general path of tropical cyclones in the eastern Pacific. They generally move north-westward or westward due to steering by the prevailing upper level winds, which takes them far out to sea and away from land. This makes eastern Pacific landfalls improbable north of about central Baja California. In those instances when upper level steering winds do allow a more northerly path, much cooler sea surface temperatures quickly dampen the convection required to sustain strong tropical winds, although torrential rainfall can still occur.
[edit] List of cyclones
Most of these cyclones are mainly the remnants of hurricanes or tropical storms.
[edit] Pre 1930
- October 2, 1858: The 1858 San Diego Hurricane approached very close to southern California. It brought several hours of hurricane and gale-force winds[3] to an area stretching from San Diego to Los Angeles. This storm is reconstructed as just missing making landfall,[3] dissipating offshore.
- August 18-August 19, 1906: A cyclone moved north from the Gulf of California and brought rain to southern California.
- September 15, 1910: The remnants of a hurricane brought rain to Santa Barbara County.
- September 11-September 12, 1918: The remnants of a cyclone produced half a foot of rain to the mountains of southern California.
- August 20-August 21, 1921: A cyclone moved north from Lower California and into Arizona, producing rain.
- September 30, 1921: The remnants of a cyclone moved from Baja California and brought rain to Arizona and parts of California.
- September 18, 1929: A cyclone in the Pacific Ocean generated rain in Southern California.
[edit] 1930s
- September 28-October 1, 1932: The remnants of a hurricane brought four days of rain. Flash floods killed 15 people.[4]
- August 25, 1935: A cyclone moved from the south and brought rain to southern California and parts of Arizona.
- September 4-September 7, 1939: The remnants of a hurricane brought over a year's worth of rain to parts of southern California.
- September 11-September 12, 1939: The remnants of a hurricane in the Gulf of California brought rain.
- September 19-September 21, 1939: A dissipated cyclone brought rain.
- September 25, 1939: The 1939 Long Beach Tropical Storm made landfall near Long Beach. Winds were near 80 km/h (50 mph) and rain was near a foot. 45 people were killed. This is the only known landfall by a cyclone at tropical storm strength.
[edit] 1940s
- September 1941: Moisture from a hurricane caused rain.
- September 9-September 10, 1945: A dissipated cyclone moved north and brought rain to southern California.
- September 30-October 1, 1946: The remnants of a tropical storm brought several inches of rain.
[edit] 1950s
- August 27-August 29, 1951: The remnants of a tropical cyclone brought enough rain to wash out some roads in Southern California.
- September 19-September 21, 1952: The remnants of a hurricane brought rain to mountains in Southern California.
- July 17-July 19, 1954: The remnants of a hurricane moved into Arizona, bringing rain to the state and parts of California.
- September 11, 1959: The remnants of a hurricane generated some rain.
[edit] 1960s
- September 9-September 10, 1960: The remnants of Hurricane Estelle generated rain.
- September 17-September 19, 1963: Tropical Storm Katherine dissipated over northern Baja California and caused several inches of rain.
- September 4-September 5, 1965: Hurricane Emily's remnants brought rainfall.
[edit] 1970s
- September 30-October 1, 1971: Atlantic Hurricane Irene crossed Central America and became Hurricane Olivia. Olivia eventually recurved and made landfall in Baja California, with the remnants bringing rain to California.[4]
- September 3, 1972: Tropical Depression Hyacinth made landfall and produced rain around Los Angeles.
- October 6, 1972: Hurricane Joanne made landfall in Mexico and managed to bring gale-force winds to Arizona and rain to that state and California.
- September 10-September 11, 1976 : Hurricane Kathleen crossed the peninsula of Baja California moved into California as a tropical storm. Yuma, Arizona reported sustained winds of 91 km/h (57 mph).[4] Rains from Kathleen caused catastrophic damage to Ocotillo, California and killed at least three people.
- August 18-August 19, 1977: Hurricane Doreen dissipated off the coast of California. The remnants moved inland and caused flooding and crop damage as 7.01" of rain fell on Yuma Valley, Arizona.[5]
- October 6-October 7, 1977: Hurricane Heather's remnants moved into Arizona, bringing 8.30" of rain to Nogales, Arizona and up to 14 inches of rainfall to the adjacent mountains. This led to significant flooding.[6]
- September 5-September 6, 1978: The remnants of Hurricane Norman produced several inches of rain.
[edit] 1980s
- September 17-September 18, 1982: Remnants from Hurricane Norman generated rain in Arizona and Southern California.
- September 24-September 26, 1982: The remnants of Hurricane Olivia produced inches of rain in California.
- September 20-September 21, 1983: The remnants of Hurricane Manuel caused rain.
- October 7, 1983: The very weak remnants of Hurricane Priscilla caused showers in Southern California.
- September 10-September 11, 1984: Hurricane Marie's weak remnants generated showers.
- October 5-October 12, 1987: Weather associated with Hurricane Ramon caused moderate to heavy rains in southern California. The highest amount noted was 2.14 inches at Camp Pendleton.[7]
- September, 1989: Hurricane Octave's remnants brought rain to California, doing minimal damage.
[edit] 1990s
- June, 1990: The remnants of Hurricane Boris caused briefly heavy rainfall in southern California. This was one of the reasons that it was the wettest June in San Diego since record-keeping began in 1850.[8] Less than an inch of rain fell in most locations.[9]
- July, 1992: Cloudiness associated with the remnants of Darby caused showers in California. These clouds were also enough to delay the landing of the Space Shuttle Columbia for a day.
- August 19-August 20, 1997: Tropical Storm Ignacio's remnants produced gusty winds over the outer waters of California, and passed directly over the San Francisco Bay Area, and then across the interior of the Pacific Northwest. Sporadic moderate to heavy rainfall was recorded.[10]
- September 13-September 14, 1997: Hurricane Linda was at one point forecasted to make landfall in California.[11] Instead, it moved out to sea.
- September 25-September 26, 1997: After making landfall in Baja California, Hurricane Nora maintained gale-force winds into Arizona. Moderate to heavy rains fell across southeast California and Arizona, with a new 24-hour maximum for Arizona falling in the Mogollon Rim; 305 mm/12.01". Damage totaled several hundred million,[12] including US$40 million to lemon trees. The remnants of the hurricane flattened trees in higher elevations of Utah as the circulation aloft was slower to spin down than its remnant surface low. There were a few indirect deaths caused by the hurricane.[12]
[edit] 2000s
- September 2000: The remnant low from Hurricane Lane made landfall in California with minimal effects.
- September 2001: The remnants of Hurricane Flossie dissipated over the deserts of the Southwest United States and caused minor damage.
- September 30, 2001: Thunderstorms from the remnants of Hurricane Juliette caused minor damage to California and brought rain of less than an inch to the area.[5]
- September 2006: Remnants of Hurricane John triggered flash flood watches.[13]
[edit] Modern repeats
While rare, tropical cyclones do affect California, occasionally very seriously as far as rainfall is concerned.
[edit] Damage
A modern repeat of the 1858 storm is estimated to cause damages of hundreds of millions of dollars.[3] A repeat of the Long Beach tropical storm would cause around 200 million dollars in damage.[3] The most serious damage would be due to rains rather than winds or storm surge, although distant hurricanes may still create heavy surf,[11] possibly injuring or killing people. Nora caused millions in damage and skirted extreme southeastern California.
[edit] Preparedness
When Linda was forecast to make landfall, statements about its possible impact were issued by the Oxnard, California office of the National Weather Service. They stressed the uncertainty of a forecast that far in the future.
When Nora was threatening, "unprecedented coordination" was required between the NHC and several other agencies. The coordination was "smooth and effective".[12] However, no inland tropical storm warnings were issued for any area in the United States as Nora was approaching from the south.[12]
There are four Pacific Coast breakpoints in the United States. They are, from north to south, Point Conception, Point Mugu, "Orange County/Los Angeles County", San Mateo Point, and the international border with Mexico, although places outside this area can be selected if conditions warrant.[14] Should there be the threat of landfall, warnings or watches would be issued for those sections of coast. It is highly unlikely that any tropical cyclone will threaten the Central Coast or farther north, due to the stronger influence of the California Current.
[edit] See also
- List of notable tropical cyclones
- List of Arizona hurricanes
- List of Baja California Peninsula hurricanes
- List of Pacific hurricane seasons
- Tropical cyclone
[edit] References
- USA Today: California's tropical storms accessed September 29, 2005
- NOAA Tropical Cyclone FAQ Subject G9 accessed September 29, 2005
- The San Diego Hurricane of 2 October 1858 accessed September 29, 2005
- Unisys East Pacific Tropical Storm Tracking by Year accessed September 29, 2005
- NHC International Breakpoints list accessed October 15, 2005
- ^ http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/A16.html.
- ^ NOAA Tropical Cyclone FAQ
- ^ a b c d The San Diego Hurricane
- ^ a b c California's Tropical Cyclones
- ^ a b http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/tcmaxima.html
- ^ http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/heather1977.html
- ^ National Weather Service Forecast Office San Diego, California. A History of Significant Local Weather Events. Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
- ^ NHC 1990 Report
- ^ http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/boris1990rain.gif
- ^ http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/ignacio1997.html
- ^ a b NHC Linda Preliminary Report
- ^ a b c d NHC Nora Preliminary Report
- ^ Flash Flood Watch
- ^ NHC International Breakpoints list
