Hurricane Elena was an unpredictable and damaging tropical cyclone that affected eastern and central portions of the United States Gulf Coast in late August and early September 1985. Elena developed on August 28 near Cuba, and after traveling lengthwise across the island with little impact, it entered the Gulf of Mexico and continued to strengthen. Initially projected to strike the central Gulf Coast, the hurricane unexpectedly veered toward the east on August 30, then stalled just 50 mi west of Cedar Key, Florida. Eventually, Elena made landfall near Biloxi, Mississippi, on September 2 as a Category 3 major hurricane. The storm quickly weakened upon moving ashore and dissipated on September 4. Nine people died as a result of the hurricane: two in Texas due to
About Hurricane Elena in brief
Hurricane Elena was an unpredictable and damaging tropical cyclone that affected eastern and central portions of the United States Gulf Coast in late August and early September 1985. Elena developed on August 28 near Cuba, and after traveling lengthwise across the island with little impact, it entered the Gulf of Mexico and continued to strengthen. Initially projected to strike the central Gulf Coast, the hurricane unexpectedly veered toward the east on August 30, then stalled just 50 mi west of Cedar Key, Florida. Despite predictions that Elena would continue eastward across Florida, the cyclone remained nearly stationary for about 48 hours, causing damage all along the eastern gulf with high winds and waves. Eventually, Elena made landfall near Biloxi, Mississippi, on September 2 as a Category 3 major hurricane. The storm quickly weakened upon moving ashore and dissipated on September 4. Nine people died as a result of the hurricane: two in Texas due to drownings in rip currents, three in Florida, two in Louisiana, one in Arkansas, and one in a maritime accident. Damage totaled about USD 1.3 billion, and power outages from the storm affected 550,000 people. The name Elena was later retired from the cyclical list of Atlantic hurricane names because of the storm’s effects. The origins of Hurricane Elena trace to an easterly tropical wave that was first identified off the western coast of Africa on August 23, 1985. Driven by a strong subtropical ridge to its north, the disturbance developed into a tropical depression over the Windward Passage.
At 00: 00 UTC on August 29, the newly designated tropical depression began to track west-westwardward to disrupt development of tropical cyclones. Despite that, Elena intensified into a Category 1 hurricane on August 31. On August 31, Elena passed north of Havana, Cuba, passing north of the Cuban island of Santiago de Cuba. On September 2, Elena became a Category 2 hurricane, and on September 3, it weakened to a tropical storm. The hurricane’s unpredictable shifts in direction created what was considered the largest peacetime evacuation in the nation’s history. About 1.25 million people fled the storm in Florida alone, contributing to a region-wide total of nearly 2 million evacuees. Elena’s slow movement off western Florida resulted in severe beach erosion and damage to coastal buildings, roads, and seawalls, especially to those of old or inadequate construction. Over 13,000 homes were damaged in Mississippi, and 200 were destroyed. Cities close to the Alabama border—including Pascagoula—experienced widespread damage to residences, schools, and businesses, and the community of Gautier was effectively isolated from the outside world. Several apparent but unconfirmed tornadoes appear to have exacerbated the damage in the Gulfport area. The rest of the state’s coast also sustained considerable damage, and inland pecan and soybean crops were severely diminished in Alabama and Mississippi. In Elena’s wake, President Ronald Reagan declared parts of Alabama and Florida federal disaster areas, making storm victims eligible for financial aid.
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This page is based on the article Hurricane Elena published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 05, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
