Hurricane Bob (1979)
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| Category 1 hurricane (SSHS) | ||
|---|---|---|
 Hurricane Bob on July 12, 1979 |
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| Formed | July 9, 1979 | |
| Dissipated | July 16, 1979 | |
| Highest winds |
|
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| Lowest pressure | 986 mbar (hPa; 29.13 inHg) | |
| Fatalities | 1 direct | |
| Damage | $20 million (1979 USD) $56 million (2006 USD) |
|
| Areas affected |
Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri Mississippi, Alabama, Indiana, Illinois, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina, western Virginia | |
| Part of the 1979 Atlantic hurricane season |
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Hurricane Bob was the fifth tropical cyclone,[1] second named storm, and first hurricane of the 1979 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm spread rainfall throughout several states, killing one person and causing over $20 million dollars in damage (1979 USD-$55.56 million in 2006 USD), mostly to flooding in the U.S. state of Indiana.[2][3] The same area would be affected by Tropical Storm Claudette and Hurricane Frederic later in the season.[1]
Bob formed from a tropical wave off the Cape Verde Islands on the last week of June and moved west, reaching the Lesser Antilles on July 6 and entering the western Carribean Sea on July 7.[3] The day after, convection increased and was declared a tropical depression on the 9th. When Tropical Depression Five strengthened into Tropical Storm Bob on July 10, the storm became the first storm to be given a male name since 1952 when the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet was dumped for the use of female names. Bob strengthened quickly into a minimal hurricane on July 10 with a peak of 75 mph (120 km/h) with a pressure of 986 mbar. Bob moved northward, quickly making landfall in Grand Isle, Louisiana on July 11 and rapidly weakened over land. Bob moved throughout the United States and soon entered the Atlantic Ocean where it was absorbed by a non-tropical low on July 16.
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[edit] Storm history
A tropical disturbance was first detected off the coast of the Cape Verde Islands during the last week of June.[3] The disturbance continued westward with no sign of convection until the disturbance reached the northwestern Carribean Sea on July 6.[3] On July 7, after passing the Yucatan Peninsula, convection started increasing and was declared Tropical Depression Five on July 9. An Air Force reconnaissance aircraft reported a developing tropical storm with winds of 60 mph and a minimum pressure of 998 mbar on July 10, becoming Tropical Storm Bob, the first ever male name since 1952. The drop to 998 mbar was a 14 mbar drop since the flight on July 9.[3]
The flights in the afternoon saw winds up to 70 mph and another 10 mbar drop in pressure.[3] Bob was upgraded to a minimal hurricane in the late afternoon of July 10 as the storm moved close to Grand Isle, Louisiana early the next day.[3] Bob made landfall in Grand Isle, rapidly weakened over Lake Pontchartrain[1] and moved north throughout the Mississippi Valley, weakening into a tropical depression on July 12,[3] and moved into Tennessee.[3] Hurricane Bob finally moved into southern Ohio on July 13.[3] The low-pressure area that used to be Hurricane Bob entered the Atlantic Ocean on July 15 where it was absorbed into a low-pressure system on July 16 on the Mid-Atlantic coast.[3]
[edit] Preparations
Battering winds from Hurricane Bob forced 8,000 people from offshore oil rigs to the mainland on July 10. Thousands of oil and natural gas wells existed in the Gulf of Mexico, but all were abandoned and left battened down for Bob. In some of the evacuations, oil and natural gas production was shut down, which caused problems for evacuating civilians in need of gas.[4]
Due to Bob forming so quickly and very close to shore, the workers had quickly put their hurricane evacuation plans into order. The storm also caused people to be evacuated to higher ground immediately. Public schools were shut down and Charity Hospital's 150 outpatient clinics were cancelled, which handles over 1400 patients.[4]
Over a 250-mile stretch of land from New Iberia to the Louisiana border was declared to be evacuated for an upcoming Bob.[4] Flash flood warnings were issued for southeastern Louisiana, predicting up to 6 feet high floods.[5]
[edit] Impact
Bob made landfall in Grand Isle, Louisiana on July 11. Tides were 3-5 feet above normal with rainfall of about 3-6 inches.[3] Highest winds reported from around 55-65 mph with a few locations reporting hurricane-strength winds of 75 mph. Rainfall was around one inch in extreme eastern Arkansas and Missouri, up to three inches on the Florida Panhandle, one inch in Tennessee, Kentucky, western Virginia and Ohio. Rainfall in Indiana was moderate with over five inches falling and around three inches in southeastern Illinois. North Carolina got little rainfall, peaking at about three inches where Bob entered the Atlantic Ocean. The peak rainfall was at Springville Fire Tower in Louisiana with over 7 inches.[2] Birmingham Airport reported over 3 inches within an hour from Bob. Bob breached Shell Island in Louisiana, which further deteriorated the island.[6]
Eight tornadoes were reported but only one caused severe damage when a tornado blew through Biloxi, Mississippi. Damage from the tornado totaled out to $27,500 (1979 USD-$75,000 in 2006 USD) but no fatalities were reported. Flooding was considerable in West Virginia, Indiana and Ohio. A tornado touched down in Kentucky from the remnants of Bob, which damaged some homes and left a mess of trees.[7] A tornado in southern Alabama injured and hospitalized four people. An 80-year old man was hospitalized after a tornado demolished a general store in South Community, Alabama. Three other people were injured in the tornado, but none of them were serious.[8]
Over 53,000 power failures were reported in the wake of Bob.[9]
A fishing party was caught in the midst of Bob. The Coast Guard sent a helicopter to rescue the party. Another helicopter was sent to check on a disabled veichle, but no details were reported.[4]
The only reported death by Bob was one of two men who were blown off a collapsing marina roof in Lafitte, Louisiana. The other person was injured. There was considerable pier damage from high tides and rough seas. Trees and power lines fell throughout New Orleans with gusty winds breaking windows in the business district and collapsing a brick wall. Billboards at New Orleans International Airport were tore off of buildings and blew small metal houses away, but did not injure anyone in the process. Pounding surf from Bob ended up blowing sand all over Louisiana State Route 1, which ended up blocking the road with blown in sand dunes. The Lafourche Bayou sent water over its banks and into the town of Leeville, Louisiana, blocking the main highway and littering the area with logs, timber, oil drums and swamped boats.[10]
Total damage from Bob totaled out to $20 million (1979 USD-$55.56 million in 2006 USD). A quarter-million dollars in damage alone came from Harrison County, Mississippi (1979 USD- $694,500 in 2006 USD).[3]
[edit] Lack of retirement
The name Bob was not retired after this season or the 1985 season. However the name was retired after the 1991 season and replaced in the list with Bill.
[edit] Trivia
- Bob was the first Atlantic hurricane to have a male name since Hurricane Charlie in 1952; male names started to be used during the 1979 Atlantic hurricane season. Since the 1979 season, hurricane names have alternated between male and female ones.[3][1]
- Bob became the first July hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico since July 1959.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Herbert, Paul (March 26, 1980). 1979 Monthly Weather Review. NHC. Retrieved on January 31, 2007.
- ^ a b Roth, David (2007). Hurricane Bob Rainfall Totals. HPC. Retrieved on January 31, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Clark, Gilbert B. (1979). Hurricane Bob Tropical Cyclone Report. NHC. Retrieved on January 31, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Newspaper Report - July 11, 1979 (Maryland News)
- ^ Hurricane Bob Nudges Louisiana
- ^ Coast 2050 Reports mentioning Hurricane Bob
- ^ Chronicle Telegram, The | Elyria, Ohio | Friday, July 13, 1979 | Page 13
- ^ Marysville Journal-Tribune | Marysville, Ohio | Thursday, July 12, 1979 | Page 17
- ^ Frederick Post, The | Frederick, Maryland | Thursday, July 12, 1979 | Page 16
- ^ Galveston Daily News, The | Galveston, Texas | Thursday, July 12, 1979 | Page 24
[edit] External links
- 1979 Monthly Weather Review
- Detailed information on all storms from 1979
- 1979 Atlantic hurricane season Rainfall Totals
