Storms of 1997

Ana | Bill | Claudette | Danny |

Tropical Storm Ana was the first named storm in the Atlantic in the 1997 season. This was the first of four named tropical cyclones to reach their maximum intensity in July. On June 30, it formed as a tropical depression just off the coast of South Carolina. It moved eastward slowly and became a tropical storm on July 1 when it developed winds of 75 kilometres per hour (40 knots). On July 2 and 3, a short-wave trough moved the storm to the northeast. During the afternoon of July 3, Ana entered the Response Zone and was downgraded to a tropical depression shortly thereafter. Neither the centre of Ana nor that of the remnant low entered the Area of Responsibility. By July 4, Ana dissipated over colder water. The only effects from Ana were marginal gales over the southern marine waters of the Maritime provinces.

Hurricane Bill developed from a large upper-air low that separated from the mid-oceanic trough northeast of Puerto Rico. A low pressure centre formed from the trough east of the Bahamas on July 7. A drop in pressure of 3 millibars over 24 hours in the eastern Bahamas was an indication that a tropical depression might be forming. By July 11, Bill was a tropical storm when it was 750 kilometres southeast of Cape Hatteras. Despite cool waters, Bill became the season’s first hurricane with winds near 120 kilometres per hour (65 knots). By the July 13, the remnant low of Bill was about 350 kilometres east of St. John’s Newfoundland. It then moved northward towards Greenland.

Gale and storm warnings were issued by both the Maritimes and Newfoundland Weather Centres for southern marine waters. No inland warnings were issued. Maximum sustained winds within the Area of Responsibility were near 111 kilometres per hour and most of the heavy precipitation remained offshore.

The same frontal system that moved Hurricane Bill across the western Atlantic generated a frontal low a few hundred kilometres east of South Carolina on July 11. The low pressure area stalled and developed into a tropical depression while located about 500 kilometres to the south-southeast of North Carolina. On July 13, the depression became a tropical storm when winds of 83 kilometres per hour (45 knots) were measured during a reconnaissance aircraft mission. Claudette retained 56 to 74 kilometres per hour (30 - 40 knot) winds from July 13 to July 16. Claudette turned eastward before being downgraded to a low pressure system during the afternoon of July 16. At this time its position was about 900 kilometres south of Sable Island, Nova Scotia. This track brought Tropical Storm Claudette through the Response Zone between the afternoon of July 15 and the early morning of July 16. No significant effects were observed or analyzed within the Area of Responsibility.

Tropical Storm Danny formed over the northern Gulf of Mexico on July 17 and was upgraded to a hurricane during the early hours of July 18. Danny moved very slowly to the northeast and made landfall northwest of the Mississippi River delta on July 18. Danny was a small hurricane with a maximum radius of 13 kilometres. After passing over Louisiana, Danny reached its peak intensity of 130 kilometres per hour (70 knots) and a minimum pressure of 984 millibars. Hurricane Danny then passed over Dauphin Island on July 19 bringing torrential rains and hurricane-force winds. It then moved to the southeast over Alabama and weakened to a tropical storm on July 20. The storm then turned to the north and passed over the Florida Panhandle, northern Georgia, and South Carolina between July 22 and 23. Continuing in a northeastward direction, Danny entered the Response Zone during the evening of July 24. This motion brought the storm to about 100 kilometres southeast of Cape Cod. Thereafter, Danny weakened while turning eastward. The remnant low continued eastward and by the morning of July 27 was about 450 kilometres southeast of Newfoundland.

This slow moving hurricane brought extreme rain and tides. Most of the extreme precipitation occurred in areas near the coast or over water, near southwestern Mobile Bay. It is estimated that Dauphin Island received around 930 millimetres of rain! There was significant flooding in Charlotte, North Carolina. A storm tide of 1.99 metres was reported between Gulf Shores and Fort Morgan. In Mobile Bay, the winds blew water out of the bay and the tides were 0.60 metres below normal. Hurricane Danny also spawned tornadoes in Alabama, and South Carolina. Hurricane Danny was directly responsible for four deaths. Three of the deaths were by drowning and one was by a tornado. It is estimated that there was around $100 million in damage caused by the hurricane.

There were 56 to 74 kilometre per hour (30 to 40 knot) winds and maximum significant wave heights of 5 to 7 metres over southern marine waters south of the Maritimes. Near 20 millimetres of rain were reported over extreme southwestern Nova Scotia. Little or no effects were felt further inland.