Hurricane Debby (1988)

Infobox Hurricane
Name=Hurricane Debby - Tropical Depression 17-E
Type=hurricane
Basin=Atl
Year=1988
Formed=August 31, 1988
Dissipated=September 8, 1988
Image location=Debby 02 sept 1988 2138.jpg


1-min winds=65
Pressure=987
Da

Fatalities=20 direct
Areas=Mexico
Hurricane season=1988 Atlantic hurricane season
1988 Pacific hurricane season

Hurricane Debby was the eighth tropical depression, fourth storm and the first hurricane of the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season. A feature to the storm was that Debby was one of the shortest-south of Tuxpan, Mexico, becoming the first hurricane to make landfall there since Hurricane Anna in the 1956 Atlantic hurricane season. Before, three storms in the 1955 season also made landfall there, Gladys, Hilda and Janet. After crossing into the eastern Pacific from Mexico, Debby became Tropical Depression 17-E, which moved northwest, but sheared and later dissipated.cite web
author=Harold P. Gerrish
year=1988-11-27
title=Hurricane Debby/Tropical Depression 17E Preliminary Report Page 1
publisher=National Hurricane Center
accessdate=2008-04-23
url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1988-prelim/debby/prelim01.gif] cite web
author=Harold P. Gerrish
year=1988-11-27
title=Hurricane Debby/Tropical Depression 17E Preliminary Report Page 2
publisher=National Hurricane Center
accessdate=2008-04-23
url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1988-prelim/debby/prelim02.gif]

300,000 people evacuated from Mexico as Debby caused mudslides and heavy rains throughout much of the country. Debby ended up causing 20 fatalities, all directly related. The total damage for Mexico was not released.

Meteorological history

Hurricane Debby

A strong tropical wave formed off of Africa's northwest coast on the 15th of August. As the wave moved westward a split area of the wave became Tropical Depression Seven near the Lesser Antilles. That system moved westward and became Tropical Storm Chris days later. The leftover wave continued westward and entered the Caribbean Sea as a disorganized center of showers. During the night of August 29, some convection came together and a low-level center appeared over the Yucatán Peninsula. The center moved into the Bay of Campeche and was declared a 1.5 on the Dvorak Scale and was estimated to become Tropical Depression Eight at that time, 1800 UTC August 30.

Banding came together and outflow patterns organized on September 1. Tropical Depression Eight moved westward and development increased, becoming Tropical Storm Debby on September 2. Debby moved towards Tuxpan, Mexico at convert|6|kn|km/h while an Air Force weather reconnaissance aircraft found winds of convert|90|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on at convert|1500|ft|m levels and convert|80|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on at the surface of the storm, upgrading Debby into the first hurricane of the season on September 2. At that point, Debby's small center was only convert|30|nmi|km from Mexico.

No more reconnaissance aircraft were deployed prior to landfall and forecasters depended on satellite imagery, which called little change in strength. Debby made landfall in Tuxpan, Mexico on September 3 at 0000 UTC. Debby weakened over Mexico's mountainous terrain, but was able to keep its bonding to become Tropical Depression Seventeen-E in the Eastern Pacific basin.

Tropical Depression 17-E

As Hurricane Debby entered the Eastern Pacific, it became Tropical Depression 17-E on September 5. Little movement occurred, leaving it stationary off the coast of Manazillo.cite web
author=Harold P. Gerrish
year=1988-09-06
title=Tropical Depression 17E Discussion 1
publisher=National Hurricane Center
accessdate=2007-03-20
url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1988/td17e/tropdisc/tcd0621z.gif] Even though Tropical Depression 17-E was a poorly organized cyclone, the possibility that it could still become a tropical storm in the small and narrow Gulf of California was possible. Six hours after that forecast, wind shear appeared and with the close proximity to land, the forecast changed to staying as a depression.cite web
author=B. Max Mayfield
year=1988-09-07
title=Tropical Depression 17E Discussion 6
publisher=National Hurricane Center
accessdate=2007-03-20
url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1988/td17e/tropdisc/tcd0803z.gif]

At this point, Tropical Depression 17-E was under the influence of a low-level trough and weak steering currents. A new low level center appeared on September 7, causing locally heavy rains and producing a new chance for Tropical Depression 17-E to develop into a storm. Also at this point, Tropical Depression 17-E was hard to track through satellite imagery. Tropical Depression 17-E came close to land, so the prediction to become a storm was doubtful and landfall was expected within 48 hours. Wind shear caused Tropical Depression to dissipate on September 8 near La Paz.cite web
author=Gross
year=1988-09-08
title=Tropical Depression 17E Discussion 8
publisher=National Hurricane Center
accessdate=2007-03-20
url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1988/td17e/tropdisc/tcd0821z.gif]

Preparations

Multiple warnings and/or watches were released in accordance with Hurricane Debby. The first was a storm warning for Santa Cruz to Veracruz on September 2. Part of it was discontinued the same day from Santa Cruz to Punto Jerez. The rest was discontinued a few hours later. The Punto Jerez to Veracruz area was put under a hurricane warning on September 2 and was discontinued that night. Tropical Storm and Hurricane Warnings were put in place, but were soon discontinued. Strike probabilities were low for land excepting Brownsville, Texas which got a 5 percent chance of Debby passing within convert|65|mi|km of it.cite web
author=Harold Gerrish
year=1988-11-27
title=Hurricane Debby/Tropical Depression 17E Preliminary Report Page 3
publisher=National Hurricane Center
accessdate=2008-04-23
url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1988-prelim/debby/prelim03.gif] Over 30,000 people were evacuated, many in Veracruz.

Impact

Reports for Tuxpan, Mexico, a city of 120,000 people, were non-existent and all that is known for there is that locally heavy flooding occurred. Three of the ten deaths reported by Debby were caused by a landslide in Papalanta crushed two homes. Three storm-related deaths were reported with house-crushing landslides in Poza Rica. Four people died and sixteen were injured in a town north of Mexico City when a mudslide crushed some homes. Ten other people were killed in Veracruz with over 25000 - 50000 without shelter. Emergency crews worked in a hurry to get shelter for them.cite web
author=Reuters
year=1988-09-05
title=MEXICO FLOODS KILL AT LEAST 20, OFFICIALS SAY
publisher=Dallas News
accessdate=2007-03-20
url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED3D00FEEE67C97&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM] cite web
author=Associated Press
year=1988-09-05
title=STORMS LEAVE 50,000 HOMELESS IN MEXICO
publisher=Philadelphia Inquirer
accessdate=2007-03-20
url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB29F1FB909E8EE&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM] Debby caused power outages in Tuxpan, Poza Rica and several other places. In Poza Rica, debris caused water runoffs to be blocked. Mud and rocks blocked roads and dozens were rescued from house and car flooding. There was major damage, mainly in eight communities.

See also

* List of Atlantic hurricanes
* List of tropical cyclones

References

External links

* [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/epacific/ep1988/td17e/ Tropical Depression 17-E Storm Wallet]