1977 Atlantic hurricane season

The 1977 Atlantic hurricane season was a very inactive Atlantic hurricane season, with only six named storms. The season officially began on June 1, 1977, and lasted until November 30, 1977. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclogenesis occurs in the Atlantic basin. The first tropical cyclone of the season developed over the western Caribbean Sea on June 13, 12 days after the start of the season. Three more organized during July and early August. Then, on August 29, the first named storm, Hurricane Anita formed and rapidly intensified to a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale on September 1, before striking Mexico, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall, causing 11 fatalities and leaving at least 25,000 people homeless.

In addition to Anita, another notable tropical cyclone of this season was Hurricane Babe. The storm caused coastal flooding in southeastern Louisiana, resulting in $13 million (1977 USD) in damage. After moving inland, it spawned 14 tornadoes throughout Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. In addition to Anita and Babe, five other tropical cyclones – hurricanes Clara, Dorothy, and Evelyn, as well as Tropical Storm Frieda and Tropical Depression Nine – left only minor impacts on land. Overall, the tropical cyclones of the season collectively caused 11 fatalities and more than $13 million in damage, excluding the remnants of Tropical Depression Nine, which led to 53 deaths and $203 million in losses due to flooding in the Southeastern United States, New Jersey, and New York.

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Season summary

The Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1977. Activity began several days later with the formation of a tropical depression on June 13. Although 16 tropical depressions formed, it was a below-average season because only six strengthened into tropical storms. In terms of named storms, this was the least active season since 1965. Three hurricanes and one tropical storm made landfall during the season, causing 11 deaths and $13 million in damage. The last storm of the season, Tropical Depression Nine, dissipated on November 7, over three weeks before the official end of the season on November 30. September, the climatological peak of hurricane season, was its most active month.

Systems

Hurricane Anita

A tropical wave spawned a tropical depression at 1200 UTC on August 29, while located about 230 miles (370 km) south-southwest of New Orleans, Louisiana. Gusty winds and storm surge effected Louisiana. At Grand Isle, storm tides above normal resulted in hundreds of families being asked to evacuate. Numerous coastal highways in Texas, including portions of State Highway 87, were closed due to above normal tides. Precipitation reached in Rio Grande City. The winds caused extensive damage to villages in northeastern Mexico, with about 25,000 people left homeless. The roofs of most buildings were destroyed near the location of Anita's landfall. The highest amount of precipitation observed during the storm was at Soto la Marina, Tamaulipas. In other states, Babe brought flash flooding along its path due to rainfall exceeding in Mississippi, northwestern Georgia, and western North Carolina. Strong wind shear caused Clara to weaken back to a tropical storm on September 9. Thereafter, the storm executed a cyclonic loop near Bermuda. By late on September 10, Clara accelerated northeastward and became extratropical at 1200 UTC on September 11. Additionally, Clara produced of precipitation in Bermuda. The remnants reached Canada and produced winds of in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, which knocked over campers, uprooted trees, damaged barns, and caused power outages in the area.

Hurricane Dorothy

A tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic Ocean from the west coast of Africa on September 15. The system tracked westward at and convection began organizing five days later. On September 21, the wave crossed the Windward Islands, bringing wind gusts of to Guadeloupe and Martinique and rainfall of on several islands. Although it was a strong tropical wave, the system weakened significantly while crossing Hispaniola on September 23. Tracking steadily northward, it developed into a tropical depression northeast of the Bahamas on September 26. A reconnaissance aircraft indicated that the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Dorothy at 1200 UTC on September 27.

Shortly after becoming a tropical storm, Dorothy passed just south of Bermuda, though no damage was reported on the island. The storm quickly strengthened while tracking northeastward and strengthened into a hurricane at 1200 UTC on September 28. By early on September 29, Dorothy attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of . Later that day, Dorothy transitioned into an extratropical storm while located south of Cape Race, Newfoundland. On September 30, the extratropical remnants of Dorothy were absorbed by a frontal low pressure system located in the northern Atlantic Ocean. and a small amount of rainfall – . In both Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, the storm dropped light rainfall, rarely exceeding . However, this may have been in combination with the cold front that Evelyn merged with. In addition, a ship near the southwestern tip of Newfoundland reported sustained winds of .

Tropical Storm Frieda

A tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic Ocean from the west coast of Africa on October 4. The wave tracked uneventfully westward for about 10 days. On October 12, the remnants of a cold front reached the northwestern Caribbean Sea. The wave began interacting with it and another cold front that entered the region by October 16. Later that day, a reconnaissance aircraft reported a surface circulation near Swan Island, Honduras.

Tropical Depression Nine

A tropical depression formed between the Greater Antilles and Bermuda on November 3. Initially, the depression moved northeastward, though on November 4, a building high pressure area forced it to track north of due west. Eventually, an upper-level low situated over the Southern United States caused the depression to re-curve north-northwestward. Late on November 7, the depression made landfall near Cape Lookout, North Carolina. By early on the following day, the depression degenerated into a low pressure area while located over eastern Virginia. The remnants continued northeastward across the Mid-Atlantic and New England, before being absorbed by an extratropical cyclone while offshore of Maine on November 11.

Moisture from Tropical Depression Nine and a low pressure area that tracked across the Southeastern United States resulted in heavy rainfall over western North Carolina and western Virginia, with up to at Idlewild in the former. The depression also produced of rainfall in northern Georgia. Eighteen bridges were destroyed and twenty-seven others were damaged. In Virginia, 100 homes were destroyed by flooding, with about the same amount suffering major damage. Similar impact was reported in Tennessee. Strong winds and storm tides in New Jersey caused extensive damage. Overall, the flooding event caused 53 deaths, 39 in Georgia,

Other systems

thumb|Tropical Depression Six in the central Atlantic on October 2.

In addition to the six named storms and Tropical Depression Nine, a total of nine other tropical depressions developed during the season. Later in June, a tropical depression formed in the west-central Gulf of Mexico on June 13. It headed north-northwestward and made landfall in Texas by the following day. The system rapidly dissipated after moving inland. The third tropical depression of the season developed in the central Gulf of Mexico on July 17. After tracking northward, the depression struck near Mobile, Alabama on July 18. By the following day, it dissipated in central Mississippi. In late July, another depression developed in the central Gulf of Mexico on July 25. No further strengthening occurred and by the following day, it dissipated north of the Yucatán Peninsula.

A tropical depression developed near the west coast of Africa on August 1. The system tracked westward for three days without intensifying and dissipated on August 4. The next tropical depression formed well west-southwest of Cape Verde on September 17. After remaining disorganized, it dissipated to the east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles about three days later. Tropical Depression Four developed in the Bay of Campeche on September 22. However, the depression remained weak and made landfall near Tampico, Tamaulipas at around 1000 UTC on September 23. Later that day, it dissipated while barely inland.

By October 1, another tropical depression formed east of the Lesser Antilles. It headed west-northwestward and dissipated on October 3, before reaching the Windward Islands. Tropical Depression Six developed in the central Atlantic Ocean on October 2. It briefly headed east-southeastward, before curving northwestward on October 4. The system dissipated later that day. Another tropical depression developed in the Gulf of Mexico east of the Texas and Mexico border on October 24. It tracked northeastward without intensification and made landfall in southeast Louisiana on October 25, while still a tropical depression. The system quickly weakened and dissipated over southern Mississippi later that day.

Storm names

The following list of names was used for named storms that formed in the North Atlantic in 1977. Storms were named Anita, Babe, Clara and Evelyn for the first (and only, in the case of Anita) time this season.

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Anita
Babe
Clara
Dorothy
Evelyn
Frieda

Retirement

The name Anita was later retired on account of the extensive damage it caused. It will never be used again for an Atlantic tropical cyclone.

Season effects

This is a table of all of the storms that formed in the 1977 Atlantic hurricane season. It includes their name, duration, peak classification and intensities, areas affected, damage, and death totals. Deaths in parentheses are additional and indirect (an example of an indirect death would be a traffic accident), but were still related to that storm. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical, a wave, or a low, and all of the damage figures are in 1977 USD.