Storms of 1996

Arthur | Bertha | Edouard | Fran | Hortense

The Atlantic's first tropical depression of the year formed near the eastern end of Grand Bahamas Island. The depression became Tropical Storm Arthur June 19. The storm's centre crossed over Cape Lookout, North Carolina on the 20^th. This minimal tropical storm brought locally heavy rains to coastal areas of the Carolinas. The centre continued to move over the Pamlico Sound and the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and exited into the Atlantic. Presumably, most of the tropical storm force winds associated with Arthur remained offshore over the Atlantic waters. Arthur had a maximum wind speed of 72.3 kilometres per hour (39 knots). This tropical storm weakened to a tropical depression about 185 kilometres northeast of Cape Hatteras.

The remnants of Arthur was tracked for another 36 hours and was last identified about midway between Newfoundland and the Azores, where it was absorbed by a much larger extratropical low over the North Atlantic.

Arthur caused no significant damage and no deaths. It did not have an impact on Canada.

Bertha arose from a tropical wave that moved from Africa to the Atlantic on July 1. It was an early-season Cape Verde Hurricane that moved across the islands of the northeastern Caribbean Sea as a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale and made landfall on the North Carolina coast near Wilmington as a Category 2 hurricane. Bertha had a maximum wind speed of 185. 3 kilometres per hour (100 knots). It is responsible for an estimated eight deaths and $250 million in U.S. damages.

Bertha was declared extratropical on the July 14 when the centre moved from the Maine coast to New Brunswick, Canada. The remnants of Hurricane Bertha affected parts of the Maritimes provinces. Bertha caused heavy rainfall in southern and central New Brunswick and western Prince Edward Island. Rainfall amounts in these regions were between 70 and 95 millimetres.

Hurricane Bertha was tracked to just south of Greenland on the 17^th.

Edouard was the strongest tropical cyclone of the 1996 Atlantic season. Hurricane Edouard reached maximum wind speeds of 233 kilometres per hour (126 knots). It maintained Category 3 or greater intensity on the Saffir-Simpson scale for nearly eight days.

Edouard was created from a tropical wave that formed into a tropical depression on August 19, while concentrated about 550 kilometres southeast of the Cape Verde Islands. [Edouard was the 1^st in a series of 4 hurricanes that would form over the eastern Atlantic from waves that moved off the west coast of Africa during a two-week span in late August and early September of 1996. Three of these systems (Edouard, Fran, and Hortense) eventually became Category 3 (or stronger) hurricanes.] The system became Tropical Storm Edouard early on August 22, and strengthened into a hurricane the following day.

Edouard passed about midway between Cape Hatteras and Bermuda on September 1, and then started moving north, towards southeastern New England. However, early on the 2^nd, Edouard swerved sharply to the northeast, and Edouard's centre passed about 140 kilometres southeast of Nantucket Island, the closest point of approach to the United States.

Edouard weakened to a tropical storm near on the 3^rd, and became extratropical shortly thereafter. The storm kept just south of Nova Scotia, and, later, well offshore of Newfoundland. Hurricane Edouard was responsible for heavy rain in southern Nova Scotia. Rainfall amounts were between 95 and 140 millimetres. In the Cape Breton Highlands, strong wind gusts reached speeds of 120 kilometres per hour (65 knots). Edouard also caused some beach erosion on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. Edouard's remnant low was drawn around and into the circulation of a larger extratropical cyclone on the 6th, and was absorbed by this bigger system by September 7.

Fran was a Cape Verde-type hurricane that formed from a tropical wave off the west coast of Africa on August 22 and into a tropical depression just southeast of the islands on August 23. The tropical depression moved westward for the next couple of days without serious development and then became Tropical Storm Fran on August 27 while it was detected east of the Lesser Antilles. Fran is considered to have become a hurricane on the August 29 while centered about 740 kilometres east of the Leeward Islands.

Fran moved across the Atlantic during the peak of the hurricane season. It made landfall on the North Carolina coast as a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, resulting in significant storm surge flooding on the North Carolina coast, widespread wind damage over North Carolina and Virginia, and extensive flooding from the Carolinas to Pennsylvania. During this time Fran was responsible for an estimated $3.2 billion in damages and 34 deaths.

Fran weakened to a tropical storm while centered over central North Carolina and before long weakened again to a tropical depression while moving through Virginia. The tropical cyclone gradually lost its warm core as it moved over the eastern Great Lakes and became extratropical near on September 9 while passing over southern Ontario. Fran brought heavy rainfall to southern and southwestern Ontario. Rainfall amounts were estimated at 45-65 millimetres.

The remnants of Fran were absorbed into a frontal system on September 10.

Hurricane Hortense first began to develop on September 3 and its life spanned until September 16. Hortense became the season's second Category 4 hurricane and the fourth Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Hortense was a wet hurricane and most of the damage was caused by its accompanying torrential rains. Hortense crossed the southwestern tip of Puerto Rico and the eastern top of the Dominican Republic as a Category 1 hurricane and the associated floods killed at least 21 people. Hurricane Hortense had a maximum wind speed of 226.1 kilometres per hour (122 knots).

A developing trough along the eastern United States forced the hurricane to turn northward over the western Atlantic at an increased forward speed. A weakened Hurricane Hortense rapidly crossed eastern Nova Scotia on September 15. In Atlantic Canada, Hortense reached a maximum wind speed of 120 kilometres per hour (65 knots). Hortense became extratropical while moving just south of Newfoundland later in the day on September 15.

Hurricane Hortense was the first hurricane to make landfall in mainland Nova Scotia since Blanche in 1975. $3 million in damages were caused to Nova Scotia alone. Nova Scotia experienced heavy rain, strong winds, power outages, uprooted trees, blown out windows, damaged roofs and flooding as a result of Hurricane Hortense.