Storms of 1974

Subtrop 2 | Subtrop 3 | Becky | Dolly | Elaine | Subtrop 4

On July 15, 1974, a weak circulation was developed northeast of the Bahamas. The circulation became increasingly better organized as it moved northeastward through July 18. The low became absorbed in a circulation of a large extratropical low pressure system off Newfoundland by July 20, as it continued rapidly northeastward.

The convective area that evolved into Subtropical Storm 3 was associated on August 10, 1974, with a wave located 550 kilometres southeast of southern New England. As the system drifted northeastward, it slowly deepened and suggested that it was acquiring some tropical structure. During the next several days, numerous ships reported winds in excess of gale force.

The low passed over Cape Race, Newfoundland, on August 15, and the remaining cloudiness assumed a configuration typical of a tropical band.

Becky attained tropical storm status west of Bermuda on the morning of August 28, 1974, after having acquired a circulation several hundred kilometres north of Puerto Rico on the 26^th. Hurricane strength was reached on the afternoon of the 28^th, followed by further intensification during the next two days as Becky moved slowly northeastward over the open sea. On September 2, the system lost tropical characteristics after it had accelerated eastward and merged with a frontal zone northeast of the Azores.

Never a threat to land, Becky was of concern only to shipping, because of its presence near the main North Atlantic shipping lanes for several days.

On September 2, the depression that would become Tropical Storm Dolly, formed. On the following day the storm was named and Tropical Storm Dolly curved to the northeast around the periphery of the Azores-Bermuda high. Dolly lost its tropical structure when it merged with a cold front on September 5.

The remnants of Dolly, as a frontal wave, produced sustained northerly winds of 61 kilometres per hour (33 knots) with gusts of 100 kilometres per hour (54 knots) on Sable Island.

On September 4, a depression was formed 1100 kilometres east of Leeward Islands. The storm was named late in the afternoon of the 9^th, while centered 415 kilometres east-southeast of Cape Hatteras. Thereafter, Elaine moved northeastward. Elaine lost its tropical characteristics as it neared a cold front 650 kilometres southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland, on September 13. No land areas were threatened by Elaine.

There were indications of a low centre forming over extreme eastern Cuba during the afternoon of October 3, 1974. By the afternoon of the 5^th, as the low centre moved into central Bahamas, a number of ships reported winds in excess of gale force, as did land stations in the Bahamas. Although the storm began to weaken as it moved northeastward away from the Florida coast during the afternoon of October 7, ships reported winds up to 74 kilometre per hour (40 knots) on the 7^th and 8^th. By the afternoon of the 8^th, the weakening storm had merged with a cold front 650 kilometres east of Cape Hatteras. The main effects of the storm on land areas were tidal flooding and some beach erosion along the Florida east coast, caused by the strong and persistent northeast winds, and some flooding as a result of heavy rain. Total damage along the Florida east coast was estimated at less than $1 million.