Hurricane Danny (1997)

Hurricane Danny was the only hurricane to make landfall in the United States during the 1997 Atlantic hurricane season. It became the earliest-formed fifth tropical or subtropical storm of the Atlantic season in history when it attained tropical storm strength on July 17. After making landfall on the Gulf Coast, Danny tracked across the southeastern United States and ultimately affected parts of New England with rain and wind. Danny is notable for its extreme rainfall, the tornadoes generated by it, and the destruction it produced on its path.

About Hurricane Danny (1997) in brief

Hurricane Danny was the only hurricane to make landfall in the United States during the 1997 Atlantic hurricane season. It became the earliest-formed fifth tropical or subtropical storm of the Atlantic season in history when it attained tropical storm strength on July 17. After making landfall on the Gulf Coast, Danny tracked across the southeastern United States and ultimately affected parts of New England with rain and wind. Danny is notable for its extreme rainfall, the tornadoes generated by it, and the destruction it produced on its path, causing a total of nine fatalities and USD 100 million in damage. Of the nine fatalities caused by Danny, one happened off the coast of Alabama, four occurred in Georgia, two occurred in South Carolina, and 2 occurred in North Carolina. The storm dropped a record amount of rainfall for Alabama, as at least 71 inches fell on Dauphin Island. Danny weakened as it continued northward, and degenerated into a tropical depression by July 20. On July 26, the former hurricane merged with a frontal zone, and became extratropical later that day. It is estimated the system developed into Tropical Depression Four on July 16 while about 150 miles south of the southwestern Louisiana coastline. Danny continued its unusual July track to the northeast, and crossed over southeastern Louisiana near the Mississippi River Delta on July 24. It stalled while just 30 miles southeast of Nucket on July 27, and turned to the east out to sea, and later merged with the frontal zone on July 28.

The former hurricane was the second hurricane and fourth Tropical Storm of the season, as well as the fifth of the hurricane season in terms of the number of tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean. It was the last hurricane and tropical storm to form in 1997, until Tropical Storm Emily in 2005, which had a non-tropical origin. Danny was guided northeast through the Gulf of Mexico by two high pressure areas, a rare occurrence in the middle of July. It quickly reached a secondary peak of 60 miles per hour, and continued rapidly northeastward towards the waters of theAtlantic. It continued to strengthen after reaching the coastal waters off Mississippi on the night of July 18, and attained a peak of 80 mph early on July 19. The hurricane-force winds, however, were confined to the eyewall, and made its final landfall near Mullet Point, Alabama later the next day. A few hours before its landfall in Alabama, the mayor of Isle Ballenger ordered the evacuation of the town’s 1,500 residents due to the potential 5-foot storm surge, and to prevent anyone from being unable to leave the island. Danny then weakened to a tropical storm on July 20, and dissipated the following day. Danny entered the Atlantic Sea, north of the North Carolina-Virginia border, near Virginia Beach, near. Virginia Beach on July 22, and continued to weaken as it moved northward. It then weakened into a weak tropical depression on July 23, and then a tropical Storm on July 25.

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