Tropical Storm Amelia (1978)

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Tropical Storm Amelia
Tropical Storm Amelia on July 30, just offshore Brownsville, Texas
Meteorological history
FormedJuly 30, 1978
DissipatedAugust 1, 1978
Tropical storm
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS)
Highest winds50 mph (85 km/h)
Lowest pressure1005 mbar (hPa); 29.68 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities33 direct
Damage$110 million (1978 USD)
Areas affectedTexas
IBTrACSEdit this at Wikidata
Part of the 1978 Atlantic hurricane season

Tropical Storm Amelia was a weak but catastrophic

landfall before any significant intensification. However, the tropical depression defied predictions, quickly strengthening into a weak tropical storm just hours before making landfall in Corpus Christi. The storm lasted roughly a day over land before becoming unidentifiable after being active for just under 48 hours. After dissipating, the storm caused a severe flooding disaster in Texas
.

Amelia affected the Texas coast for two days which caused several shipping incidents and minor damage in Corpus Christi and South Padre Island. While active, there were no deaths linked to the storm. However, the biggest impact from the storm followed its dissipation, when its remnants contributed to record rainfall totals over the state. The state, already suffering from a previous drought, believed that the rain would help alleviate the conditions. However, the dry ground aided the flooding from the storm. The rainfall caused several rivers and creeks to flood, especially around the Texas Hill Country and northern Texas, leading to severe damage. Following the storm, President Jimmy Carter declared six counties in the state as federal disaster areas, allowing residents to seek aid from the government. Additional aid was brought in from as far away as New York. Overall, Amelia caused 33 fatalities with an estimated $110 million in damages in what then-governor Dolph Briscoe called one of the worst floods in the history of the state.

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

A

Yucatan Peninsula on July 29 and entered the Gulf of Mexico. No circulation was found in the developing system, however.[1]

On July 30, the disturbance turned to the northwest and entered an area of the Gulf with slightly above normal sea surface temperatures and low vertical wind shear, which favored further development.[3][4] At this point, the presentation seen on satellite imagery had indicated that a tropical cyclone was beginning to form in the Gulf. After a reconnaissance aircraft went into the system, the cyclone was upgraded into the first tropical depression of the season that afternoon while 30 miles (48 km) south of Brownsville, Texas. When it formed, it was moving north-northwest at 12 mph (19 km/h), which was thought at the time to inhibit further strengthening due to the depression moving onto land.[5] Several hours later, the depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Amelia, a decision that one forecaster said was made to be on the safe side.[6] Amelia peaked at 50 mph (80 km/h) in wind speed when it was upgraded, with the system beginning to skirt the Texas coast.[1] At peak intensity, the storm had gale-force winds along a diameter of 150 miles (240 km).[6]

Amelia, which never had a well-defined center, went up the coast during the afternoon and evening of July 30, making landfall in

San Antonio, where it became indiscernible after the morning of August 1.[1] The storm was active for a short span of time — just under two days — forming and dissipating so quickly that, following the storm, there was some controversy about the reliability of the weather forecasters.[7]

Preparations

While the storm was over water, small craft advisories were issued by the Coast Guard in addition to cautioning people on vacation in South Padre Island to avoid the beaches.[8] However, as it was a Sunday evening, most of the ships were already coming into port.[7] As Amelia approached the Texas coast, gale warnings were issued for the area from Brownsville to Port O'Connor on July 30.[9] Due to it forming in close proximity to the coast, warnings were issued as soon as the storm was named.[10] As the state had been in the midst of a severe drought the previous six weeks, there was hope that Amelia would relieve the dry conditions.[11] However, the drought conditions would benefit the floods from the storm due to the ground being rendered so dry that it was unable to soak up all the rain from the storm.[12][13]

Impact

The remnants of Amelia on August 3.

Effects from Amelia as a tropical cyclone ranged from 38 miles per hour (61 km/h) winds in Brownsville to gusts of up to 58 miles per hour (93 km/h) in Corpus Christi. Inland Texas fared much worse, though. The continuous flow of tropical moisture during Amelia's dissipation and remnant stage brought heavy flooding for two to three days, putting 25 counties under flash flood warnings.

Dallas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, any damages from the storm in these areas are unknown.[16] The final toll from the storm was 33 dead, most of which occurred a week after the storm made landfall, and $110 million in damage.[17][18] Most of the damage was located in two specific areas: an area consisting of the towns of Albany and Graham, and the Texas Hill Country, although light flooding was reported elsewhere.[19]

Gulf of Mexico and the Texas Coast

In coastal areas of Texas, damage was limited to the sinking of several shrimp boats and the beaching of sail boats. One ship — the Mermaid of the Sea — was caught in the middle of the storm.[8] Although it sank, its crew was rescued.[20] A pleasure boat with three occupants and the two-man crew of a beached catamaran were all reported missing, but were later found.[7][20] Three other people on board a fishing vessel were treated for exposure.[7] Rescue ships were hampered by anchored Mexican boats and surfers in a channel near the Coast Guard station.[21] According to the Coast Guard, all nine ships that had been reported missing in the storm were later accounted for.[22] Along with the ships, an oil drilling rig in the Gulf was ripped from its location and ran aground near Matagorda Island by the storm. The 19 crew members of the rig were rescued by helicopter. As the rig had not yet begun drilling, there was no threat from an oil spill.[7]

In Port Isabel, there was some flooding on the southeast part of the town which was alleviated when some of the manhole covers were opened. In addition, a tornado was thought to have touched down, causing minor damage.[23] South Padre Island reported power outages after receiving over 4 inches (100 mm) of rain and the Queen Isabella Causeway was rendered nearly impassable due to rainfall.[24] During its time as a tropical cyclone, there were no deaths linked to Amelia.[20]

Northern Texas

The town of Albany was hit hard when the town drainage system and

earthen dam at nearby Lake Throckmorton, but the water from the dam was safely taken up by a nearby creek. The town of Throckmorton itself was completely evacuated and, like Albany, had its fresh water supply contaminated.[28][31]

North of Albany, the Brazos River also flooded, with the Clear Fork Brazos River becoming 2 miles (3.2 km) wide at one point, despite normally being a dry creek bed.[25] The Brazos overflowing, in addition to the flooding of the nearby Salt Creek, resulted in the west side of Graham — the county seat of Young County where flood victims from Eliasville and South Bend had taken shelter — becoming flooded over to within blocks of the Young County Courthouse. Later, the flood waters were reported to have entered the basement of the courthouse.[29][32] Effects from the flooding in Graham ranged from 150 houses and 40–50 businesses being inundated to the loss of water and electrical utilities. No fatalities were reported, however, due to the water levels rising gradually, leaving time for residents to evacuate.[33][34] The crest of the Brazos flood then headed for the Possum Kingdom Lake with a threat of lowland flooding, resulting in evacuations of riverside towns in Parker and Palo Pinto counties, although a report from Palo Pinto said that no flooding was expected.[35] The flooding was alleviated at the Possum Kingdom Lake, as the lake was already down 6 feet (1.8 m) from normal and some of the floodgates there were opened, taking most of the water from the flood.[36] Elm Creek, near Abilene, also swelled, flooding into the town, but the only reported damage there was street flooding.[37][38] An additional death was reported in the town of Morse.[26]

Southern Texas

Amelia's Rainfall Totals in Texas

The hardest hit area during the storm was the

San Antonio and prompted evacuations in a 20 miles (32 km) area near the flood plains.[40][41] The overflowing river was responsible for ten total deaths in Kendall and Kerr Counties and submerging Comfort under seven feet of water, killing four people there. The towns of Welfare and Center Point were also reported to be flooded.[29][42][43] In nearby Hunt, a group of military personnel who entered the region to assist with rescues got stranded themselves.[31] After receding, the Guadalupe steadily became filled again, prompting re-evacuations.[44] Near Stonewall, the Pedernales overflowed its banks, covering the area in up to 28 feet (8.5 m) of water and swamping the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park.[37] The only overflow to emanate from Mexico was from the Rio Conchos, which dumped its overflowing water into the Rio Grande and subsequently damaged the international bridge between Mexico and the United States in Presidio.[13]

The worst impact was confined to

dude ranch in the area. After leaving and grabbing onto a tree, she witnessed cars and mobile homes passing by.[43]

Aftermath

Following the storm, there was some controversy as to the nature of the storms. A

Red Cross emergency center.[29]

In Albany, New York, a disk jockey named Bryan Jackson helped organize a relief effort for the Texas town of the same name, with sponsorship from radio station WOKO and a local supermarket chain. After raising six tons of emergency aid and $1,000 from area residents, a C-130 airplane was loaded with the provisions, but the plane was continuously grounded due to calls saying that Albany, Texas was not a disaster area and did not need the relief. After what was described by U.S. Senator Samuel S. Stratton as almost a comedy of errors, the flight was funded by the Defense Department and was able to take off.[48] In addition, a sheriff dispatch in the Texas town mentioned that aid was possibly being sent from several other towns with the same name as well as from other Texas towns like Abilene.[35]

Records

Amelia and its remnants set several records for rainfall and flooding. The Medina River crested at 45 feet (14 m), breaking the record for flood stage reached on the river that was set in 1919 at 43 feet (13 m) as well as breaking the record for water flow, or the rate in which water flows down the river, at 79 billion gallons per day.[37][42] Additionally, the Brazos River had its highest flooding since 1957.[36] Records were also set for flowing on the Guadalupe, which flowed at 149 billion gallons a day, more than twice the previous record and nearly 1500 times its usual rate of 100 million gallons per day.[37] The storm total of 48 inches (120 cm) measured at Medina was the wettest known storm total rainfall amount for both the state of Texas and any tropical cyclone impacting the continental United States until Hurricane Harvey in 2017.[49] A 12-hour total of 26 inches (660 mm) of rain at Abilene was an extreme example of the precipitation.[3]

In addition, with genesis occurring at a longitude of 97.0°W Amelia holds the record for the westernmost formation of a tropical cyclone in the North Atlantic hurricane database, which dates back to 1851.[50]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d John R. Hope (1978). "Preliminary Report: Tropical Storm Amelia Page 1". National Hurricane Center. Retrieved 2011-11-27.
  2. ^ John R. Hope (1978). "Preliminary Report: Tropical Storm Amelia Page 2". National Hurricane Center. Retrieved 2011-11-27.
  3. ^ a b Miles B. Lawrence (1979). "Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1978" (PDF). NOAA. Retrieved 2011-11-27.
  4. ISSN 1520-0493
    .
  5. ^ "Plane Spots First Tropical Depression". St. Petersburg Times. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-11-27.
  6. ^ a b "Atlantic's first tropical storm of the year, Amelia, forms over Gulf of Mexico". St. Petersburg Times. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-11-27.
  7. ^ a b c d e "The Victoria Advocate of August 1, 1978". The Victoria Advocate. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-11-27.
  8. ^ a b "Tropical Storm Threatens Coast". The Victoria Advocate. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
  9. ^ United Press Inc. (July 31, 1978). "Amelia Aims At Texas Coast". Galveston Daily News.
  10. ^ Paul J. Hebert and Staff (1979). "Annual Data and Tabulation Verification: Atlantic Tropical Cyclones 1978" (PDF). NOAA. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
  11. ISBN 0-292-78053-2
    .
  12. ^ a b "Floods in Aftermath of Tropical Storm Sweep Away Texas Homes, Cars". Times-Union. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
  13. ^ a b "Texans Keep Eyes on Sky and Gulf Storm". Beaver County Times. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
  14. ^ a b c d e "Workers Search Debris of Texas Flood; 21 Dead". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
  15. ^ John R. Hope (1978). "Preliminary Report: Tropical Storm Amelia Page 3". National Hurricane Center. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  16. ^ "National Weather Varied". Frederick Daily Leader. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  17. Hydrometeorological Prediction Center
    . Retrieved 2011-11-27.
  18. ^ "U.S. Escaped Direct Hit in 'Average' Season This Year, But That Could Change". The Evening Independent. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  19. ^ "New Flash Flooding Raises Texas Toll to 25 Dead, More Than 30 Missing". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
  20. ^ a b c "Tropical Storm Rages In Gulf, Six Missing". The Pittsburgh Press. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
  21. ^ "Tropical Storm Batters Texas". The Press-Courier. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
  22. ^ "Tropical Storm Amelia Blow Out Without Major Damage or Injuries". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
  23. ^ "'Amelia' First Tropical Storm Hits Gulf of Mexico". Frederick Daily Leader. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
  24. ^ "Tropical Storm Sinks Three Boats". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
  25. ^ a b "Texans Brace For New Floods". Spokane Daily Courier. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
  26. ^ a b "New Floods Sock Texas; Toll at 25". The Pittsburgh Press. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
  27. ^ "Torrent Terror Gone Leaving Memories of Watery Death". Lakeland Ledger. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
  28. ^ a b "Volunteers Hunt Texas Flood Victims". Tri City Herald. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
  29. ^ a b c d e f "Texans Recovering From River's Betrayal". Lakeland Ledger. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
  30. ^ "Troops Battle Surging Waters in Effort to Rescue Texans". The Vancouver Sun. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
  31. ^ a b "More Killer Rains Slog Through Texas". Ocala Star-Banner. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-21.
  32. ^ "Texans Hopeful Worst Over from Floodwaters". Times-Union. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
  33. ^ "Texans' Prayers Call for Rain to End". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
  34. ^ a b "Weary Texans Assess Flood Loss". Bangor Daily News. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
  35. ^ a b "Officials Brace for 10-Foot Rise". The Bonham Daily Favorite. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
  36. ^ a b "Flood Crest Moves on Brazos". The Victoria Advocate. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
  37. ^ a b c d e "30-Inches of Rain! Thousands Homeless, 16 Dead in Texas Floods". Middlesboro Daily News. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
  38. ^ "River Floods Kill 9 in Central Texas". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
  39. ^ "Floods Sweep Texas Towns". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  40. ^ "Torrent Feeds Texas Floods". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  41. ^ "Floods Kill Eight in Texas". Ocala Star-Banner. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-21.
  42. ^ a b "Flood Waters Gather New Strength". Bowling Green Daily News. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-21.
  43. ^ a b c d "Texas Flooding Death Count On". The News-Dispatch. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-21.
  44. ^ "Homes Swept Away By Floods". Frederick Daily Leader. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-21.
  45. ^ Peggy Tobin (2011). "Medina River". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2011-12-21.
  46. ^ "Some Homes Under Water". The Victoria Advocate. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
  47. ^ "Rampaging Texas Rivers Kill Nine, Devastate Towns". The Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
  48. ^ "Aid Flight Finally Airborne". The Victoria Advocate. Associated Press. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
  49. ^ David M. Roth (2008). "Tropical Cyclone Point Maxima". Weather Prediction Center. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  50. ^ "Atlantic hurricane best track (HURDAT version 2)" (Database). United States National Hurricane Center. April 5, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2024. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

External links

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