List of Arizona hurricanes
An Arizona hurricane is a tropical cyclone forming in the eastern Pacific Ocean that affects the state of Arizona in the United States. Usually, the storm makes landfall in the Mexican states of Baja California or Sonora, with the remaining moisture normally having mild rainfall effects on the state. However, a few storms have crossed into Arizona while they still had tropical storm strength.
It is extremely difficult for a hurricane to form in Arizona because the normal storms that form in the eastern Pacific Ocean move either parallel or away from the Pacific coast of Northwestern Mexico. As a result, most storms that could affect Arizona, are carried away from the United States, and only 6% of all Pacific hurricanes enter US territory.[1] In average, Arizona experiences the effects of tropical cyclones once every five years.[1] Many, but not all, of these systems also affected California.
Tropical storms are one of Arizona's main sources of rainfall, and they infuse the monsoon over the southwestern United States.[2] However, all of the storms that have impacted Arizona have formed in the latter parts of the Pacific hurricane season, and no storm has affected the state before August.[1]
| Storm | Peak intensity | Season | Intensity | Date[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed[4] | Unknown | 1921 | Remnant low | August 20, 1921 |
| Unnamed[5] | Unknown | 1921 | Tropical depression | September 30, 1921 |
| Unnamed[3] | Unknown | 1926 | Remnant low | September 20, 1926 |
| Unnamed[3] | Unknown | 1927 | Remnant low | September 7, 1927 |
| Unnamed[6] | Unknown | 1935 | Tropical storm | August 22, 1935 |
| Unnamed[7] | Tropical Storm[8] | 1951 | Tropical storm | August 3, 1951 |
| Unnamed[7] | Category 1[8] | 1958 | Tropical storm | October 6, 1958 |
| Claudia[3] | Tropical Storm | 1962 | Tropical storm | September 25, 1962 |
| Emily[7] | Category 1[8] | 1965 | Remnant low | September 6, 1965 |
| Katrina[3] | Category 1[8] | 1967 | Tropical storm | August 29, 1967 |
| Hyacinth[7] | Tropical Storm[8] | 1968 | Tropical depression | August 20, 1968 |
| Norma[3] | Tropical Storm | 1970 | Remnant Low | Labor day |
| Joanne[3] | Category 2 | 1972 | Tropical storm | October 4, 1972 |
| Kathleen[3] | Category 1 | 1976 | Tropical storm | September 10, 1976 |
| Liza[9] | Category 4 | 1976 | Remnant low | October 2, 1976 |
| Doreen[3] | Category 1 | 1977 | Tropical storm | August 13, 1977 |
| Heather[3] | Category 1 | 1977 | Tropical depression | October 4, 1977 |
| Octave[3] | Tropical Storm | 1983 | Tropical storm | September 28, 1983 |
| Raymond[7] | Category 3[8] | 1989 | Tropical depression | October 5, 1989 |
| Boris[10] | Category 1 | 1990 | Remnant low[10] | June 11, 1990 |
| Lester[7] | Category 1[11] | 1992 | Tropical storm | August 22, 1992 |
| Ismael[7] | Category 1[8] | 1995 | Remnant low | September 15, 1995 |
| Nora[3] | Category 4 | 1997 | Tropical storm | September 25, 1997 |
| Isis[12] | Category 1[8] | 1998 | Remnant low | September 5, 1998 |
| Marty[7] | Category 2[8] | 2003 | Remnant low | September 22, 2003 |
| Javier[13] | Category 4[8] | 2004 | Remnant low | September 20, 2004 |
| John | Category 4 | 2006 | Remnant low | September 5, 2006 |
| Julio | Tropical Storm | 2008 | Tropical Storm | August 25, 2008 |
| Jimena | Category 4 | 2009 | Remnant low | September 5, 2009 |
Deadly storms
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Some of these tropical cyclones have caused deaths or a lot of property damage, usually because of flooding created by rain.
In August of 1935, the remnants of an unnamed tropical storm that landed on southern California causing heavy rains and flooding across Arizona, especially along the Santa Cruz River and Rillito Creek on Southern Arizona. The rainfall due to the storm still holds the record rainfall at the National Weather Service office in Tucson.[6]
In September of 1970, the remnants of Tropical Storm Norma became Arizona's deadliest storm when they contributed to the disaster known as the "Labor Day storm of 1970". As Norma dissipated, moisture from the cyclone was captured in a large extratropical low. The resulting rainfall created deadly floods that killed 23 people and caused huge damages.[3] Two years later, the remnants of Hurricane Joanne caused flooding that created damages up to $10 million (1972 USD) and eight deaths.[2]
On September 11, 1976, Hurricane Kathleen killed a man when a gust of wind blew a palm tree down onto his mobile home. Strong flooding and hailstorms also resulted.[3]
A weather system, including moisture from Tropical Storm Octave, caused heavy rains over a ten-day period. Fourteen people drowned, 975 were injured, and roughly 10,000 people were left homeless when the flooding ended. The amount of damage from the disaster was put at 370 million (year unknown) USD.[3]
References
change- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Corbosiero, Kristen L. (2003). "The Contribution of Eastern North Pacific Tropical Cyclones to the Warm Season Rainfall Climatology of the Southwestern United States". University of Albany. Archived from the original on 2006-05-05. Retrieved 2006-03-20.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 United States Geological Survey (September 2005). "Hydrologic Conditions in Arizona During 1999 – 2004: A Historical Perspective" (PDF). Retrieved 2006-03-20.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 National Weather Service, Phoenix Regional Office. "Top Arizona Hurricane/Tropical Storm Events". Retrieved 2006-03-19.
- ↑ Williams, Jack (May 17, 2005). "Background: California's tropical storms". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2009-02-26. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
- ↑ Hurd, Willis E. (February 1929). "Tropical Cyclones of the Eastern North Pacific Ocean" (PDF). Monthly Weather Review. 57 (2): 78. doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1929)57<78:NPO>2.0.CO;2. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "Santa Cruz River, Paseo de las Iglesias (Pima County, Arizona) Final Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement" (PDF). USACE. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-10-05. Retrieved 2006-03-20.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 Coastal Services Center. "Historical Hurricane Tracks". NOAA. Archived from the original on 2006-04-10. Retrieved 2006-03-20.
- ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Research Division (2007). "East Pacific hurricane best track ("HURDAT"), 1949–2007". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 2008-08-22. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
- ↑ Roth, David (2008). "Tropical Cyclone Rainfall for the West". Tropical Cyclone Rainfall Climatology. Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. Archived from the original on 2008-10-04. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Roth, David (2008). "Hurricane Boris - June 7-11, 1990". Tropical Cyclone Rainfall Climatology. Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. Archived from the original on 2008-06-16. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
- ↑ National Hurricane Center (1992). "Preliminary Report: Hurricane Lester, 20–24 August 1992". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 2006-03-20.
- ↑ Roth, David (2008). "Hurricane Isis - September 1-5, 1998". Tropical Cyclone Rainfall Climatology. Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. Archived from the original on 2008-04-20. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
- ↑ Roth, David (2008). "Hurricane Javier - September 18-21, 2004". Tropical Cyclone Rainfall Climatology. Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. Archived from the original on 2008-06-16. Retrieved 2008-05-15.