<!-- "none" is a legitimate description when the title is already adequate; see WP:SDNONE -->

The 1979 Atlantic hurricane season was the first Atlantic hurricane season to include both male and female names on its list of tropical cyclone names. The season officially began on June&nbsp;1, and lasted until November&nbsp;30. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. Although 26&nbsp;tropical systems were observed, Of the nine tropical storms, five of them strengthened into a hurricane, which is also slightly below average. Despite their intensities, Tropical Depression One and an unnumbered one in September also caused deaths. Additionally, the former inflicted about $27&nbsp;million in damage from severe flooding in Jamaica.

Systems

Tropical Depression One

A tropical wave in the western Caribbean situated south of Grand Cayman developed into a tropical depression on June&nbsp;11. Tracking generally northward, the depression passed west of Jamaica. On June&nbsp;12, the depression peaked with maximum sustained winds of 35&nbsp;mph (55&nbsp;km/h) system, having never reached tropical storm status. The following day, it made landfall in Cuba. while up to 40,000&nbsp;people were rendered homeless. The city of New Market was submerged for at least six months. Crops, electricity, telephones, buildings, and railways also suffered damage during the disaster. The depression also brought heavy precipitation to the Bahamas and Cuba. Along the East Coast of the United States, light rainfall, strong winds, and rough seas were observed. In South Carolina, a person went missing and was later presumed to have drowned after their boat was torn loose from its mooring.

Tropical Storm Ana

A tropical wave exited the west coast of Africa and entered the Atlantic on June&nbsp;14. It headed westward and after satellite imagery indicated a closed circulation, the wave was classified as a tropical depression on June&nbsp;19, while located several hundred miles east-southeast of the Windward Islands. The system was the first tropical cyclone to develop east of the Lesser Antilles in June since the 1933 Trinidad hurricane.

A United States Air Force reconnaissance aircraft noted that the depression was strengthening and by early on June&nbsp;22, it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Ana. Thereafter, the storm began tracking almost due westward toward the Lesser Antilles. Ana peaked with winds of 60&nbsp;mph (95&nbsp;km/h), before wind shear began detaching deep convection from the center, resulting in weakening. Early on June&nbsp;23, the storm struck St. Lucia and then fell to tropical depression intensity upon entering the Caribbean Sea. Ana continued weakening and degenerated back into a tropical wave on June&nbsp;24, while located between Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

Hurricane Bob

A tropical wave developed into a tropical depression in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico on July&nbsp;9. Tracking in a general northward direction, favorable conditions allowed for quick strengthening. Less than a day after formation, the system reached tropical storm intensity, thus being named Tropical Storm Bob and becoming the first Atlantic tropical storm with a male name, followed by hurricane intensity on July&nbsp;11. Shortly after strengthening into a hurricane, Bob reached its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of . At the same intensity, Bob made landfall west of Grand Isle, Louisiana, and rapidly weakened after moving inland. However, the resulting tropical depression persisted for several days as it paralleled the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. On July&nbsp;16, the system emerged into the western Atlantic, where it was subsequently absorbed by a nearby low-pressure area. Effects from the hurricane on the United States were mostly marginal and typical of a minimal hurricane. The cyclone produced a moderate storm surge, damaging some coastal installments and causing coastal inundation. Heavy rainfall was also reported in some locations, peaking at in Louisiana. Further inland, the torrential rains led to flooding in Indiana, resulting in more considerable damage as opposed to the coast. Bob also spawned eight tornadoes, Overall, Bob was responsible for one death and $20&nbsp;million in damage. Six drowning deaths was reported in the state, Overall, Claudette was responsible for eight deaths and $750&nbsp;million in losses. There were 56&nbsp;deaths and 180&nbsp;injuries. Thousands of houses were destroyed, leaving over 200,000&nbsp;homeless in the aftermath of the hurricane. There were also 10&nbsp;tornadoes. Damage totaled approximately $95&nbsp;million. Throughout the United States, there were 15&nbsp;deaths and about $320&nbsp;million in damage. By the following day, the disturbance developed into a tropical depression, operationally classified as the eight of the season. The depression entered the Bay of Campeche on August&nbsp;25 and headed northward. In the Mobile, nearly 90% of the city lost electricity. Extensive coastal damage was also reported in Mississippi, due to tides ranging from above normal. Hundreds of structures were severely impacted or destroyed. In Canada, the remnants of Frederic caused about C$8.238&nbsp;million (US$7.095&nbsp;million) in damage in southern Quebec.

Tropical Storm Elena

A tropical wave moved off the coast of Africa on August 17. It tracked westward, passing through the Lesser Antilles on August 22, and on August 27 the weak wave axis crossed through Florida. A tropical disturbance organized along the wave axis, with ship and buoy reports indicating the development of a low-level circulation by August 29. At 23:08&nbsp;UTC later that day, a Hurricane Hunters flight reported the existence of a tropical depression; it was classified as Tropical Depression Thirteen,

Wind gusts from Elena reached in Galveston, Texas. As Elena moved ashore, it produced a storm tide at Galveston and Baytown.

Hurricane Gloria

A tropical wave exited the west coast of Africa and developed into a tropical depression by September&nbsp;4. Henri was one of only four hurricanes to enter the Gulf of Mexico without making landfall during the 20th century. Although it remained offshore, the storm brought heavy rainfall to Mexico, peaking at . The storm caused driving rains, strong winds, and floods in Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, forcing over 2,000&nbsp;people from their homes. Waters swelled in the town to about 12&nbsp;inches (305&nbsp;mm) above sea level. The remnants of Henri brought showers and thunderstorms to west-central Florida, causing river flooding and some evacuations.

Unnumbered tropical depression

This system formed as a non-tropical low within a pre-existing area of heavy thunderstorms along a stationary front on September&nbsp;19 off the coast of Brownsville, Texas. The low appeared to the northwest of Tropical Storm Henri in the Gulf of Mexico and to the east of a cold-core low over Arizona and New Mexico. The low became a non-tropical gale center on September&nbsp;20, while moving into southeast Texas. The cyclone continued northeastward and dissipating over Tennessee. Sources differ on the status of this storm, with the National Hurricane Center (NHC) initially considering it a tropical depression, while the National Climatic Data Center considered the system non-tropical and it is not included in the Atlantic hurricane best track.

The depression brought heavy rainfall to Texas, with of precipitation between Corpus Christi and southwestern Louisiana.

Other systems

The first tropical depression of the season developed north of Puerto Rico on June&nbsp;9. It headed northward without intensifying and dissipated near Bermuda on the following day. Tropical Depression One existed in June from June&nbsp;11 to June&nbsp;16. Another tropical depression developed north of Hispaniola on July&nbsp;8. It headed northward and then curved northeastward, bypass during the process. By July&nbsp;13, the depression dissipated while located well south of Newfoundland. A day after the previous tropical depression developed, another depression formed near 10th parallel in the eastern Atlantic on July&nbsp;9. It headed due westward and dissipated on July&nbsp;11. A tropical depression formed offshore of Georgia July&nbsp;10. The system moved north of due east with slight intensification on July&nbsp;11. It turned east, passing south of Bermuda early on the morning of July&nbsp;13 while accelerating eastward, with the depression dissipating that afternoon. A tropical depression formed offshore western Africa on July&nbsp;20. The system moved westward through Cape Verde as a weak system on July&nbsp;22. The system turned west-northwest and by late on July&nbsp;25, the depression began to weaken as it turned more to the north, and the system dissipated well to the east-southeast of Bermuda on July&nbsp;26. Tropical Depression Six developed east of the Lesser Antilles on July&nbsp;28. The depression moved to the northwest and bypassed Bermuda on August&nbsp;4. The depression made landfall on the southeastern tip of Newfoundland on August&nbsp;5 after passing southeast of Nova Scotia earlier that day. Tropical Depression Six became an extratropical cyclone while southeast of Labrador on August&nbsp;6.

Tropical Depression Eight formed in the Bay of Campeche on August&nbsp;25. Moving generally northwest, the depression moved into Mexico just south of the international border with the United States late on August&nbsp;27. Early on the following day, it dissipated inland. The last tropical depression in August developed offshore of The Carolinas on August&nbsp;29. The system quickly moved east-northeast between the East coast North America and Bermuda over the next couple days. The depression became a frontal wave southeast of Newfoundland on September 1, and dissipated soon afterward. This was the first Atlantic hurricane season to utilize both female and male names for tropical storms. Storms were named Ana, Bob, Claudette, David, Frederic, and Henri for the first (and, in the cases of David and Frederic, only) time in 1979. The names Elena and Gloria were previously used under the old naming convention.

{| width="90%"

|

  • Ana
  • Bob
  • Claudette
  • David
  • Elena
  • Frederic
  • Gloria

|

  • Henri

|

|}

Retirement

In the spring of 1980, the World Meteorological Organization retired the names David and Frederic from its rotating name lists due to the deaths and damage they caused, and they will not be used again in the North Atlantic.

Season effects

This is a table of all of the storms that formed in the 1979 Atlantic hurricane season. It includes their name, duration, peak classification and intensities, areas affected, damage, and death totals. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical, a wave, or a low, and all of the damage figures are in 1979 USD.