Hurricane Heather
![]() Satellite image of Hurricane Heather | |
Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Formed | October 4, 1977 |
Dissipated | October 7, 1977 |
Category 1 hurricane | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Highest winds | 85 mph (140 km/h) |
Lowest pressure | 978 mbar (hPa); 28.88 inHg |
Overall effects | |
Casualties | None reported |
Damage | $15 million (1977 USD) |
Areas affected | Socorro Island, Arizona, California, New Mexico, Sonora |
IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1977 Pacific hurricane season |
Hurricane Heather was one of the worst tropical cyclones to affect Arizona on record. The sixteenth tropical cyclone, eighth named storm, and fourth hurricane of the 1977 Pacific hurricane season, it began as a tropical disturbance off the west coast of Mexico on October 3. The next day, October 4, it developed into a tropical depression and then turned to the northwest. It was soon upgraded to Tropical Storm Heather. On October 5, Heather became a hurricane, and later that day its winds peaked at 85 mph (137 km/h). Heather began to turn north-northwest around this time. By October 6, it was re-designated a tropical storm. Moving north, Heather continued to weaken over cooler waters, and on October 7, the final advisory was issued, downgrading Heather to a tropical depression.
Heather's remnants later brought heavy rains to southeast Arizona and far northern parts of Sonora from October 6–10, causing severe flooding. Rain totals as high as 14 inches (360 mm) were recorded in unspecified areas in this region, and the city of Nogales in Arizona officially recorded 8.30 inches (211 mm) of rain from the storm. The normally dry Santa Cruz River flooded several cities and towns along its path, reaching up to a 100-year flood stage near Nogales. Hundreds of people were driven from their homes due to flooding from Heather. Overall, the storm caused $15 million (1977 USD) in damage, primarily to agriculture, but caused no injuries or fatalities.
Meteorological history
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Heather_1977_track.png/275px-Heather_1977_track.png)
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
![triangle](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/ArrowUp.svg/18px-ArrowUp.svg.png)
Heather began as a tropical disturbance, roughly 300 miles (480 km) south-southwest of
At 12:00 UTC on October 5, Heather reached peak winds of 85 mph (137 km/h), while about 165 mi (265 km) west-northwest of Socorro Island.
Impact
![A map of Hurricane Heather's rainfall in the United States.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Heather_1977_rainfall.gif/220px-Heather_1977_rainfall.gif)
Total damage from the storm was at least $15 million,[4] with approximately $9 million of that coming in the Tucson, Arizona area;[5] the city of Tucson itself lost $2.7 million, with about $1 million being lost at a sewage treatment plant.[5] About $9 million of the damage was agriculture-related;[3] $4.7 million of that came in the Tucson area,[5] and an additional $3.2 million came in Santa Cruz County in Arizona.[5] Another $4 million in damage was related to transportation;[3] at least $1 million came from the Tucson area, where four roads crossing the dry riverbed of the Santa Cruz River outside city limits and another four roads crossing the Santa Cruz within city limits were damaged.[5] The other $2 million was in damage to businesses, residential areas, and utilities.[3] No injuries or fatalities were reported as a result of the storm.[6] At least 90 homes flooded, mostly near Nogales, Arizona.[3]
Arizona
Heather's remnants produced heavy rainfall in southeast Arizona from October 6–10.[7] A flash flood watch was put in place for the majority of Arizona on October 6,[8] which included all of Arizona outside of Mohave County by early October 7.[9] Flash flood warnings were in place for parts of Arizona later on October 7,[10] and remained in place in southeast Arizona on October 8.[11] The warnings were ultimately lifted on October 9 during the evening in eastern Pima, Cochise, and Santa Cruz counties.[12] The heaviest impacts came in Nogales, where at least 8.30 inches (211 mm) of rain fell in 4 days, though unofficial reports in some parts of the city indicated up to 12 inches (300 mm) of rain fell.[7] Residents of the city were urged to conserve and boil water, after wells became unusable due to mud.[13][14] Approximately 600 people, including 170 families, were evacuated in Nogales, with an estimate of 100 more people evacuated downstream along the San Pedro River.[12][15] Reports of 10–14 inches (250–360 mm) of rainfall were recorded in unspecified areas of the mountains near Nogales and across the border in far northern Mexico.[4]
The normally dry Santa Cruz River reached a 50-year flood stage near Tucson, and over a 100-year flood stage between Nogales and
Elsewhere
Parts of southern California received up to two inches (51 mm) of rain.[25] Minor crop damage occurred around the city of Tulare, where roughly 1,000 electricity customers lost power; most of the customers had power back within 20 minutes.[26] A flash flood watch was put in place along the coastal areas of San Diego and Riverside counties in California.[27] The Yeso 2 S weather station outside of Yeso, New Mexico recorded 3.17 in (81 mm) of rain, the highest total in the state.[28] In a period of six hours on October 6, the Cannon Air Force Base outside Clovis, New Mexico received 1.26 in (32 mm) of rain,[29] while Albuquerque received .73 in (19 mm) of rain in a 24-hour period.[10] Parts of south and southwest Colorado and west and central New Mexico had flash flood watches issued by October 7;[29] later that day, some were upgraded to warnings.[10]
Parts of the mountains of far northern
Aftermath
Governor Castro declared Santa Cruz County a disaster area.[31] By October 12, Castro had declared a proclamation of emergency for the counties of Santa Cruz, Pima and Pinal.[32] The Santa Cruz County Red Cross set up a relief program after the storm, which provided free food, clothing, shelter and medical care to victims of the storm.[20] On October 20, Wesley Bolin was sworn in as the new governor of Arizona and requested president Jimmy Carter to declare Santa Cruz, Pima, and Pinal counties major disaster areas after the storm;[5] six days later, he requested $11.3 million in flood relief from Carter.[33] Pima County itself requested $1.8 million in flood relief; it got approximately $1.3 million in August 1978.[34] The Arizona State Emergency Council authorized $250,000 to be used for repairs of "essential public facilities", along with $50,000 that had been approved for emergency repairs on October 9 by Castro.[5][32]
Multiple bridges in Pima County were expected to take up to two months to be repaired to a point where they could be used.[20] The Camino del Cerro bridge in Tucson was originally expected to take between three months and $75,000–150,000 for building a similar bridge, or up to seven months and $800,000 if they built a completely different bridge.[20] The bridge ultimately ended up costing $870,000 to complete;[35] $600,000 of the funds were supplied by the federal government.[36] The new bridge opened in November 1979.[37]
See also
- Tropical Storm Norma (1970) – Killed 23 people in Arizona
- Hurricane Kathleen (1976)– Brought record rainfall to California a year prior
- Hurricane Doreen (1977) – Caused heavy flooding in California earlier in 1977
- Tropical Storm Octave (1983) – Considered the worst tropical cyclone on record in Arizona
- Hurricane Nora (1997) – Reached Arizona as a tropical storm and caused record precipitation
- Hurricane Norbert (2014) – Remnants of the storm caused catastrophic flooding in Arizona
- List of Arizona hurricanes
- List of wettest tropical cyclones in Arizona
References
- ^ from the original on 2021-02-06. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
- ^ a b National Hurricane Center; Hurricane Research Division; Central Pacific Hurricane Center (April 26, 2024). "The Northeast and North Central Pacific hurricane database 1949–2023". United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service. Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. A guide on how to read the database is available here.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b c d e f g Aldridge, Byron Neil; Eychaner, James H. (1983). Floods of October 1977 in Southern Arizona and March 1978 in Central Arizona (PDF) (Report). United States Geological Survey. pp. 3–19. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Hurricane Heather 1977". National Weather Service, Tucson Regional Office. Archived from the original on June 16, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ from the original on 2022-01-02. Retrieved 2022-01-12 – via Taylor & Francis.
- ^ a b c Brazel, Anthony; Brazel, Sandra. Precipitation and flooding in southern Arizona: the legacy of Tropical Storm Heather, October, 1977 (PDF) (Report). Archived (PDF) from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ a b "Rain". Tucson Citizen. October 6, 1977. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Storm offers plenty of rain for Arizona". The Arizona Republic. October 7, 1977. p. 22. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "National weather". Statesman Journal. Associated Press. October 7, 1977. p. 2. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "National Weather Summary". Los Angeles Times. October 8, 1977. p. 31. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e Leonard, Susan (October 10, 1977). "170 families evacuated from Nogales flood". The Arizona Republic. p. 1. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- Kingman Daily Miner. October 10, 1977. p. 6. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2019 – via Google News.
- ^ "Flooding victims ask for relief". The Arizona Republic. October 15, 1977. p. 13. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Water Still Rising In San Pedro River". Arizona Daily Sun. October 11, 1977. p. 12. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Smith, Walter (August 1986). The Effects of Eastern North Pacific Tropical Cyclones on the Southwestern United States (PDF) (Report). Salt Lake City, Utah. pp. 177–179. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- ^ Fort Lauderdale News. Associated Press. October 12, 1977. p. 25. Archivedfrom the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Flood Insurance Study; Pima County Arizona and Incorporated Areas (PDF) (Report). Vol. 1. Federal Emergency Management Agency. September 28, 2012. p. 29. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- ^ Hogan, Don (April 2006). YEAR 1973–1979 (PDF) (Report). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "River swamps bridges, roads, landfill". Tucson Citizen. October 12, 1977. p. 3. Archived from the original on January 30, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Snow coats Rockies, flooded southwest gets break". The Port Arthur News. United Press International. October 10, 1977. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Residents in 3 counties assessing flood damage". The Arizona Republic. October 13, 1977. p. 40. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "National weather roundup". The Daily Journal. Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Associated Press. October 11, 1977. p. 6. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Burton, Ken; Durazo, Armando (October 10, 1977). "700 homeless; Santa Cruz floods 6 towns". Arizona Daily Star. p. 2A. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Miller, Miguel (2012). The Weather Guide (PDF) (Report) (6th ed.). National Weather Service in San Diego. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ "Lightning storm soaks Tulare area". Tulare Advance-Register. October 6, 1977. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "National Weather Summary". Los Angeles Times. October 6, 1977. p. 30. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tropical Cyclone Rainfall for the Western U.S." Weather Prediction Center. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ The Salina Journal. United Press International. October 7, 1977. p. 6. Archivedfrom the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Storm Damages Homes and Crops in Northern Mexico". Los Angeles Times. United Press International. October 11, 1977. p. 10. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Santa Cruz: A river to be reckoned with". Tucson Citizen. October 11, 1977. p. 22. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Cleanup launched as rivers recede". The Arizona Republic. October 12, 1977. p. 19. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- Arizona Republic. October 27, 1977. p. 5. Archivedfrom the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- ^ "Flood funds for Pima roads due". Arizona Daily Star. August 1, 1978. p. 11. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Almost there". Arizona Daily Star. October 9, 1979. p. 2. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "County plans opening by July for Camino del Cerro bridge". Arizona Daily Star. December 9, 1978. p. 22. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Camino del Cerro bridge closed today for repairs". Arizona Daily Star. January 24, 1980. p. 3. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.