Hurricane Doreen (1977)

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Hurricane Doreen
Hurricane Doreen on August 15, 1977
Meteorological history
FormedAugust 13, 1977
DissipatedAugust 18, 1977
Category 1 hurricane
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS)
Highest winds75 mph (120 km/h)
Lowest pressure979 mbar (hPa); 28.91 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities8 total
Damage$25 million (1977 USD)
Areas affectedMexico, Southwestern United States
IBTrACSEdit this at Wikidata
Part of the 1977 Pacific hurricane season

Hurricane Doreen was considered the worst

Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale near Puerto San Carlos. Drifting offshore, Doreen made a second and final landfall near the northern portion of the Baja California
as a tropical storm before rapidly weakening to a tropical depression. The tropical depression dissipated south of southern California on August 18.

Hurricane Doreen and its remnants caused severe flooding in northwestern Mexico and the southwestern United States. In Mexico, heavy rainfall was reported on both Baja California and the mainland of Mexico. Flooding left 2,000 people homeless in Mexicali along the United States-Mexico border, in addition, 325 homes and businesses were destroyed in southern California. Several highways were also flooded during the passage of the storm, most notably, lanes on Interstate 8 and Interstate 15 were washed out. In San Diego and Imperial County, the total damage to agricultural interests was $25 million (1977 USD). In addition, eight fatalities were reported in California. Elsewhere, impact from Doreen was relatively light.

Meteorological history

Map plotting the storm's track and intensity, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
Map key
Saffir–Simpson scale
  Tropical depression (≤38 mph, ≤62 km/h)
  Tropical storm (39–73 mph, 63–118 km/h)
  Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
  Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
  Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
  Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
  Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
  Unknown
Storm type
triangle Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depression

The origins of Hurricane Doreen were a tropical disturbance which formed 115 mi (185 km) west of

Air Force reconnaissance began investigating Doreen late on August 14, and located the center about 185 mi (298 km) south of the tip of Baja California. Another flight into the storm shortly thereafter confirmed that Doreen had intensified into a hurricane at 1800 UTC.[1]

At that time, the eye of Doreen was around 17 mi (27 km) in diameter. After becoming a hurricane, Doreen re-curved to the north-northwest as it sped up slightly to 10 mph (16 km/h). Doreen approached the

Hurricane Kathleen in 1976 which accelerated inland, Doreen moved slowly and re-emerged into the Pacific Ocean, over SST's of less than 72 °F (22 °C). As a result, Doreen weakened to a tropical storm before making another landfall on the Port Eugenia Peninsula on August 16 shortly after 0600 UTC. Once again, Doreen quickly re-emerged into the Pacific Ocean over the Bay of Sebastián Vizcaíno. Due to SST's as low as 68 °F (20 °C), Doreen continued to weaken, and was downgraded to a tropical depression early on August 17. After satellite imagery noted a poorly-defined low-level circulation, the final advisory was issued on Doreen, which was centered about 29 miles (47 km) west of San Clemente Island, California at 0000 UTC on August 18. The remnants of the storm tracked into the Southwestern United States and dissipated over the Colorado River Valley.[1]

Impact

Mexico

Rainfall summary for Hurricane Doreen

Hurricane Doreen dropped heavy rainfall along the western portions of Mexico and the Southwestern Region of the United States. In Mexico, Doreen produced heaviest precipitation along the Baja California peninsula, where rainfall peaked at 14.80 in (376 mm) in the Los Cabos Area. The mainland of Mexico also received heavy rainfall, especially in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains.[2] In the city of Mexicali, the storm left more than 2,000 people homeless, many of which lived in shanty-style homes.[3]

California

In anticipation of the storm,

Mohave Desert.[3][4] Heavy rainfall fell in southern California on August 16. An average of 2–4 in (51–102 mm) of rain fell over low-lying areas of southern California for a period of three days. Heavier precipitation was reported in the mountainous areas, where rainfall peaked at 7.45 in (189 mm) on San Jacinto Peak. Several other locations also reported heavy rainfall; 3.78 in (96 mm) was reported in Calexico and 6 in (150 mm) fell at Mitchell Caverns.[1][2] At Edwards Air Force Base, the launch of Space Shuttle Enterprise on August 31 was delayed to September 7 after rainfall from Doreen flooded the runway of the previous flight.[5]

In addition to heavy rain, high winds were reported. In

Hurricane Kathleen in 1976, was flooded again. Buses were sent to evacuate the townspeople, but the residents declined to evacuate. Overall, damage totaled $25 million, mostly in agricultural losses in San Diego and Imperial Counties.[1] Eight deaths were reported. Six children were swept away in the Los Angeles River; five of them were rescued, but the sixth was later presumed dead.[3]

Arizona

Doreen also produced heavy rainfall in a small area of southwestern Arizona, limited to the Yuma area. Along the border of Arizona, California, and Mexico, rainfall was recorded between 2 and 7 in (51 and 178 mm).[6] Rainfall in the state of Arizona had peaked at 7.01 in (178 mm) in that area.[7] Light to moderate rainfall also occurred in other areas of the state, such as Nogales, where 3.10 in (79 mm) of precipitation was recorded.[6] Damage to roads, levees, houses, dikes were reported throughout the state, especially in the Bullhead City area.[8]

While surveying damage in southwestern Arizona, a request was made to then-Governor

Raul Hector Castro for $750,000 in emergency services funds. The American Red Cross had been in the area and spent $12,000 to assist families that were left homeless after the flood.[8]

Elsewhere in the United States

Further west, larger swaths of rainfall occurred in Nevada, though precipitation was generally light with many areas experiencing less than 3 in (76 mm). Rainfall in Nevada had peaked at 4.14 in (105 mm) in Avaden,[2] making Doreen the wettest tropical cyclone for the state of Nevada as of 2011.[9] In Las Vegas, major intersections were flooded due to 1.5 in (38 mm) of rain. In addition to street flooding, some roofs of houses and buildings collapsed.[3]

In New Mexico, lesser amounts of rainfall were reported, and precipitation was limited to the northeastern and southwestern portions of the state. Much it the rainfall was between 1 and 2 in (25 and 51 mm),[2] and precipitation with the state peaked at 2.05 in (52 mm) in the city of Florida.[7] Rainfall was also minimal in the state of Utah, with only a few isolated areas reporting light precipitation, and generally did not exceed 3 in (76 mm).[2] However, rainfall peaked at 4.31 in (109 mm) in Logan.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISSN 1520-0493
    . Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  2. ^
    Hydrometeorological Prediction Center
    . Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d Associated Press and United Press International (August 18, 1977). "8 Killed as Storm Strikes California". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Remnants of Hurricane Belt Southern California". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. August 16, 1977. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  5. ^ United Press International (August 31, 1977). "Shuttle flight planned Sept. 7". Eugene Register-Guard. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Tropical cyclones in Arizona: Hurricane Doreen". United States National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office Tucson, Arizona. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Roth, David M (August 10, 2008). "Tropical Cyclone Rainfall for the West". United States Weather Prediction Center. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  8. ^
    Kingman Daily Miner
    . Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  9. ^ Roth, David M (May 12, 2022). "Maximum Rainfall caused by North Atlantic and Northeast Pacific Tropical Cyclones and their remnants Per State (1950–2020)". Tropical Cyclone Rainfall. United States Weather Prediction Center. Retrieved January 6, 2023. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

External links

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