1982 Atlantic hurricane season

The 1982 Atlantic hurricane season was a well-below average Atlantic hurricane season with five named tropical storms and one subtropical storm. Two storms became hurricanes, one of which reached major hurricane status. The season officially began on June 1, 1982, and lasted until November 30, 1982. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. Activity started early with Hurricane Alberto forming on the first day of the season. Alberto threatened the Southwestern Florida coast as a tropical storm, meadering offshore in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico and causing 23 fatalities in Cuba. The next system, a subtropical storm, formed later in June and affected the same area as Alberto, causing $10 million in damage.

Tropical Storm Beryl formed on August 28, after a quiet July in the open Atlantic Ocean. Beryl grazed Cape Verde, killing 3 people. Tropical Depression Three formed just behind Beryl, tracking east and north of the Caribbean sea in early September. Soon after the dissipation of Beryl, Tropical Storm Chris formed in the Gulf of Mexico on September 9. Chris stayed a weak storm, making landfall near Sabine Pass, Texas, and dissipating over land on September 13. Hurricane Debby was the next storm and the strongest of the season. The formative stage of Debby produced rainfall in Puerto Rico, causing one death on the island, and soon strengthened into a Category 4 major hurricane. Debby passed by Newfoundland on September 18 and merged with a non-tropical low on September 20. In mid-September, Tropical Depression Six formed west of Africa, and tracked west-northwest, dissipating before reaching the Leeward Islands on September 20. Its remnant thunderstorm activity continued moving west-northwest, forming Tropical Depression Seven which moved near Bermuda on September 25 before dissipating offshore Nova Scotia. The final storm of the season, Tropical Storm Ernesto, was the shortest-lasting system and stayed out to sea, dissipating on October 3.

Season summary

The 1982 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1 and ended on November 30. The season was very inactive because of strong vertical wind shear due to stronger than normal westerly winds aloft. The wind shear was contributed by a variety of factors including a very strong El Niño. Vertical wind shear was strong enough to disrupt convection in areas of disturbed weather so they could not develop further. The El Niño which affected this hurricane season extended into the 1983 Atlantic hurricane season. Higher than average values of African mineral dust during the most active portion of the hurricane season could have also suppressed tropical cyclone activity.

The season's activity was reflected with a cumulative accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 32, which is classified as "below normal". ACE is, broadly speaking, a measure of the power of the hurricane multiplied by the length of time it existed, so storms that last a long time, as well as particularly strong hurricanes, have high ACEs. ACE is only calculated for full advisories on tropical systems at or exceeding or tropical storm strength. Although officially, subtropical cyclones are excluded from the total, the figure above includes periods when fully tropical storms were in a subtropical phase.

Systems

Hurricane Alberto

A surface low-pressure area developed an organized cloud system, leading to the formation of a tropical depression off the northeastern Yucatán Peninsula on June 2. It moved slowly northeastward through the Gulf of Mexico, and strengthened into Tropical Storm Alberto on the next day. Alberto traveled generally northeast on an erratic course, and briefly intensified to a Category 1 hurricane, one of the earliest hurricanes of June, and the earliest date for a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean since Hurricane Alma in May 1970. Due to strengthening vertical wind shear, Alberto then quickly weakened into a tropical storm, doubled back to the west, and dissipated near the Florida Keys on June 6.

Though Alberto never made landfall, the storm dropped more than of rain over western Cuba. This led to severe flooding, considered the worst in that part of the country since 1950. Over 50,000 people were forced to evacuated and approximately 9,000 homes in Pinar del Río Province alone suffered damaged. Severe crop and agricultural losses also occurred, particularly to bananas and tobacco. Overall, Alberto caused 23 deaths and an estimated $85 million in damage in Cuba. Southern Florida experienced moderate rainfall, with a peak of occurring in Tavernier. The storm also spawned a few tornadoes and a waterspout in the Florida Keys, collectively causing approximately $275,000 in damage.

Subtropical Storm One

In mid-June, a tropical disturbance over the Yucatán Peninsula interacted with an upper-level trough, leading to the development of a low-pressure center. After emerging into the Gulf of Mexico, the low organized into a subtropical depression at 00:00 UTC on June 18 about west-southwest of Naples, Florida. Twelve hours later, the system intensified into a subtropical storm shortly before making landfall near Homosassa, Florida. Moving quickly northeastward, the subtropical storm crossed the peninsula in only about four hours and emerged into the Atlantic from the First Coast. The cyclone also dropped heavy rainfall, peaking at southwest of DeSoto County. In that county, 130 families evacuated from Arcadia after the Peace River rose significantly. A total of 25 homes were destroyed in Florida, while some buildings, boats, and marinas from Naples to the Tampa Bay area suffered damage. The cyclone also killed three people in the state. In North Carolina, stream and urban flooding and minor beach erosion occurred. A fishing trawler also capsized offshore. Beryl peaked just below hurricane status, with winds reaching , and a minimum central pressure of . Only four hours later, strong wind shear from the west displaced the convection east of the center, leaving the low-level circulation exposed.

Beryl produced heavy rains and gusty winds on the Cabo Verde Islands. The storm rendered approximately 2,100 people homeless and caused about $3 million in damage. Additionally, at least 3 people died and another 122 others suffered injuries.

Tropical Depression Three

This system formed about east of the Lesser Antilles on September 6 and to the southeast of Tropical Storm Beryl. Due to unfavorable conditions, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) did not expect the cyclone to intensify significantly. The depression failed to strengthen beyond maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 km/h) and moved northwestward to west-northwestward until dissipating about north of Puerto Rico on September 9.

Tropical Storm Chris

A surface low-pressure area developed on September 8 in the Gulf of Mexico. It drifted westward and organized into a subtropical depression on the following day about south of the coast of Louisiana. Under the influence of a trough of low pressure, the storm turned northward and transitioned into a tropical depression early on September 10. Several hours later, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Chris. The storm attained peak winds of 65 mph (100 km/h) and a minimum pressure of before moving ashore near Sabine Pass in Texas. Chris continued inland until it dissipated over central Arkansas on September 13. The rainfall caused locally severe flooding as far inland as Tennessee and Kentucky, with flooding of some rivers reported. The storm spawned nine tornadoes, of which four were F2 or stronger on the Fujita scale, two of which damaged seven structures and destroyed sixteen others combined in Louisiana. Upon moving ashore, the hurricane produced a storm tide, resulting in severe damage to several boats in the Gulf of Mexico. Throughout its path, damage totaled $2 million.  The storm weakened significantly before passing to the southeast of Newfoundland on September 18, by which time Debby was a Category 2. The storm accelerated and weakened to a tropical storm on September 20 over the colder waters of the north Atlantic. Debby became extratropical over the far north Atlantic about west of Ireland and merged with a strong non-tropical system which was developing over British Isles later that day.

The precursor disturbance to Debby dropped heavy rainfall across Puerto Rico, peaking at in the southwestern portion of the island. Consequently, some rivers and streams overflowed and landslides occurred, while floodwaters entered some businesses and homes in Guayanilla. One person died after the car he was a passenger accidentally drove into an overflowing stream. Wind gusts on Bermuda approached , leaving minor damage. A storm development related to Debby left two dead in Finland. after a low-level circulation developed in association with an area of disturbed weather. Due to intense wind shear, the NHC did not initially anticipate strengthening as the depression moved west-northwestward across the Atlantic. The system moved within east of the Leeward Islands before dissipating on September 20.

Tropical Depression Seven

The remnant area of disturbed weather from Tropical Depression Six continued moving west-northwest into the southwest north Atlantic. A tropical depression formed from this area west of Bermuda on September 25. The system recurved off the north and northeast, dissipating in north Atlantic shipping lanes southeast of Nova Scotia on September 27.

Tropical Storm Ernesto

A tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa on September 23. The depression intensified and curved sharply northeastward on October 1. A reconnaissance flight found winds with a pressure of and the depression was given the name Ernesto. A second reconnaissance flight on October 1 recorded sustained winds of with a pressure of . However, on October 2, Ernesto rapidly weakened and by the next day, the cyclone became unidentifiable after merging with an extratropical low about east of Bermuda. Each name used this season was utilized for the first time, except for the name Debby as it has previously been used on the old naming lists, but spelled as Debbie. No names were retired from this list following the season, thus it was used again for the 1988 season.

{| width="90%"

Alberto
Beryl
Chris
Debby
Ernesto

Season effects

This is a table of all of the storms that formed in the 1982 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 1982 USD.

| Alberto || || bgcolor=#|Category 1 hurricane || || || Cuba, Florida || || ||

| One || || bgcolor=#| || || || Southeastern United States, Atlantic Canada || || ||

| Beryl || || bgcolor=#| || || || Cape Verde Islands || || ||

| Three || || bgcolor=#| || || || None || || ||

| Chris || || bgcolor=#| || || || Southern United States || || ||

| Debby || || bgcolor=#|Category 4 hurricane || || || Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Bermuda, Newfoundland || || ||

| Six || || bgcolor=#| || || Unknown || None || || ||

| Seven || || bgcolor=#| || || || None || || ||

| Ernesto || || bgcolor=#| || || || || || ||

</div>

References

External links

Monthly Weather Review