Hurricane Anita was a powerful tropical cyclone during the otherwise quiet 1977 Atlantic hurricane season, and the latest first named storm on record since tropical cyclones were first named in 1950. The first tropical cyclone of the season, Anita developed from a tropical wave on August 29 in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. It tracked westward into an area with conditions favorable for further development, and quickly intensified into a hurricane by late on August 30. Initially, Anita was forecast to strike Texas, though a building ridge turned it to the west-southwest. The hurricane rapidly strengthened to attain peak winds of 175 mph (280 km/h), and on September 2 Anita made landfall in eastern Tamaulipas as a Category 5 hurricane. It quickly weakened as it crossed Mexico, and after briefly redeveloping into a tropical depression in the eastern Pacific Ocean, Anita dissipated on September 4 to the south of the Baja California Peninsula.
The hurricane produced light rainfall and high tides along the Gulf Coast of the United States. Some low-level flooding was reported, but damage was slight. In Mexico, the hurricane caused strong winds and moderate rainfall. The winds caused extensive damage to villages in northeastern Mexico, with about 25,000 people left homeless. The rainfall, reaching over 17.52 inches (445 mm), caused flooding and mudslides which killed eleven people in Tamaulipas.
Meteorological history
A tropical wave moved off the coast of Africa on August 16. The wave axis tracked steadily westward, and on August 23 convection increased after the wave passed beneath a cold-core upper-level low. By August 27, the wave axis was located over Cuba, with the area of convection located between Florida and the Bahamas after tracking northwestward. The disturbance crossed southern Florida, and after entering the Gulf of Mexico an anticyclone provided favorable conditions for further development. It tracked slowly westward at 5 mph (7 km/h), and after developing a surface circulation the system developed into a tropical depression on August 29 while located about 230 miles (370 km) south-southwest of New Orleans, Louisiana.
With a ridge of high pressure to its north, the depression tracked westward. Favorable conditions persisted for several days prior to the arrival of the depression, and as such the depression quickly intensified into Tropical Storm Anita. The storm tracked slowly over warm water temperatures, and throughout its duration it was embedded within warm, moist tropical air; Anita rapidly organized and attained hurricane status late on August 30;
Preparations
right|thumb|250px|Hurricane Anita near its Mexico landfall
Shortly after first developing, one oil company evacuated its oil rigs off of Texas and Louisiana by helicopter, with several other companies beginning to evacuate unneeded workers. Ultimately, 7,000 oil workers were removed from offshore oil platforms. and on August 30 a hurricane watch was issued for the southwestern Louisiana and northeastern Texas coastlines. After the track shifted further to the south, the watch was replaced with a hurricane warning between Brownsville and just south of Corpus Christi, Texas. An official from the National Weather Service recommended evacuation for all residents east of Galveston, Texas living in an area below 5 feet (1.5 m) above sea level; about 20,000 left Cameron, Louisiana. In all, about 58,000 people evacuated coastal locations in Louisiana and Texas. The Mexican army assisted in evacuations and preparing emergency shelters.
Impact
right|thumb|250px|Rainfall Summary for Hurricane Anita
United States
As the precursor tropical disturbance crossed southern Florida, it dropped rainfall of over 1 inch (25 mm) in the Miami area. Later, as a developing tropical depression, the system produced gusty winds and heavy rainfall in southern Louisiana;
Mexico
thumb|250x250px|Hurricane Anita just after landfall
Hurricane Anita made landfall in a sparsely populated portion of Mexico; as a result, few meteorological statistics exist. A station near where the hurricane moved ashore recorded 17.52 inches (445 mm) of precipitation in six hours, which resulted in severe flooding and mudslides. and also caused widespread power outages which disrupted communications. Heavy rainfall destroyed or obstructed roadways across the region, with some flooded avenues in Tampico and reports of flooded highways near Ciudad Victoria. In all, at least 50,000 people were affected by the hurricane in Mexico.
Aftermath
Shortly after the hurricane made landfall, the government of Mexico sent two truckloads of food to the areas of greatest impact.
On account of the severe damage caused by the hurricane in the Atlantic basin, the name Anita was retired at the end of the 1977 season. It will never again be used to name a tropical storm in the basin.
See also
- Other storms of the same name
- List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes
- List of Atlantic–Pacific crossover hurricanes
- List of Mexico hurricanes
References
External links
- Monthly Weather Review for 1977