Hurricane Kathleen (1976)

Infobox Hurricane
Name=Hurricane Kathleen
Year=1976
Basin=EPac
Type=hurricane
Image location=Flooding from tropical storm kathleen.jpg


Formed=September 7, 1976
Dissipated= September 11, 1976
1-min winds=70
Pressurepre=≤
Pressure=986
Fatalities=4-7
Da

Inflated=-1
Areas=Baja California Peninsula, southern California, southwestern Arizona
Hurricane season=1976 Pacific hurricane season

Hurricane Kathleen was a tropical cyclone of the 1976 Pacific hurricane season. Though rather weak, only a Category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, it was very destructive. Kathleen caused widespread flooding and damage in northern Mexico and parts of the southwestern United States. It also took an unusual path.

Meteorological history

A tropical depression formed on September 7. Twelve hours later it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Kathleen. After spending the past day moving slowly, it started accelerating northwards. On September 9, it reached hurricane status and brushed a promontory on the Pacific coast of the Baja California. Kathleen was a hurricane for only six hours, and was a tropical storm when it made landfall in Baja California on September 10. With its circulation intact and still a tropical storm, it moved inland. Kathleen weakened to a depression when it crossed the US-Mexico border near El Centro, but its circulation allowed gale-force winds to be recorded in Arizona and California. Tropical Depression Kathleen dissipated on September 11 while over southern Nevada as it continued accelerating. Residual moisture from the hurricane hung around over the southwestern United States. ref|UnisysPath

Unusual path

Tropical cyclones bring gale-force winds to the Southwestern United States only rarely. The subtropical ridge causes most tropical cyclones in the northern hemisphere to move west. In the eastern Pacific, this causes landfalls at any location to be rare. To make landfall, troughs are generally needed to recurve storms. Northward movement also tends to move cyclones into unfavourable areas.

Kathleen's survival to such a northerly location was contributed to by a variety of factors. An El Niño caused warmer waters. Kathleen's rapid forward speed allowed it to keep its strength for a long time over land. The time of its genesis was near the peak of the season. Kathleen is one of only five recorded tropical cyclones in the eastern Pacific Ocean known to have brought gale or hurricane-force winds to the Continental United States.ref|Landsea

Impact

In the United States, Kathleen killed at least four people and caused millions of dollars of damage.

Mexico

A bulk of the rainfall from the tropical cyclone fell within Baja California state as well as eastern sections of Baja California Sur, to the east of its track. The highest amount reported was 165.6 mm/6.52 inches at San Antonio. [David M. Roth. [http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/kathleen1976.html Kathleen (1976) Rainfall Page.] Retrieved on 2007-07-22.]

outhwest

In Arizona on September 10 and 11, gales caused considerable damage in Yuma. For a time, the sustained winds exceeded 50 mph, with gusts up to 76 mph. Rains caused severe flash-flooding in Mohave County. One man was killed when the wind blew a palm tree onto his mobile home.ref|Arizona1

California received record rainfall, with 14.76 inches falling on the southern slopes of Mt. San Gorgonio, and 10.13 inches accumulated on Mount Laguna. [National Weather Service Forecast Office San Diego, California. [http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sgx/research/Guide/weatherhistory.pdf A History of Significant Local Weather Events.] Retrieved on 2007-02-02.] Flooding caused catastrophic destruction to Ocotillo. Because Ocotillo is situated atop an alluvial fan, the path of the raging floodwaters was wide and changing, with over half of the town being totally destroyed. The waters piled a layer of sand that was over 3 meters high in some places.ref|NOAA Three to six people drowned in the mud and waters in that city.ref|Ocotillo Other parts of Imperial County and Riverside County experienced severe flash flooding.ref|FEMA1

Flooding disrupted transportation routes in the city. Part of Interstate 8 along the San Diego and Imperial County border was washed out. ref|KathleenSite Three trestles belonging to the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway were destroyed, and five others were damaged. At more than 50 other locations, tracks were buried by mudslides or had the ground under them washed away. After assessing the damage from Kathleen, the Southern Pacific Transportation Company decided in 1977 to abandon most of the SD&AE railway, but in 1978 the Interstate Commerce Commission disallowed this plan and the railway was restored.ref|Railroad

Homeowners in Palm Desert received considerable damage from the storm. Many flood control structures throughout the area failed to work.ref|CourtCase1 The control structures in the area were rebuilt, and they withstood the next series of flash floods caused by Hurricane Doreen's remnants in 1977.ref|CourtCase2

Agriculture was disrupted throughout the area. The area covered by the Salton Sea increased. Parts of California were declared disaster area.ref|FEMA2 Damage estimates ranged from 40 to 160 million dollars.ref|AmountOfCost

In Nevada, Kathleen dissipated over Nye County. Heavy rain was also report in the Northeast part of the state

Northwest

In Wyoming,The cyclone is credited with the first known sighting of a White Ibis in the state's history. [University of New Mexico Library. [http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/wb/v14n04/p0207-p0208.pdf A White Ibis Near Sheridan, Wyoming] Retrieved on 2007-03-03.]

ee also

* List of Pacific hurricanes
* List of California hurricanes
* List of wettest tropical cyclones in California

References

# [http://www.weather.unisys.com/hurricane/e_pacific/1976/KATHLEEN/track.gifUnisys Path] accessed January 31, 2006
# [http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/Landsea/chenowethlandsea.pdf The San Diego Hurricane of 2 October 1858] accessed January 31, 2006
# [http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/psr/tropics/hurricanes.htm Top Arizona Hurricane/Tropical Storm Events] accessed January 31, 2006
# ibid.
# [http://hurricanes.noaa.gov/stories.html NOAA's Hurricane Story Ideas] accessed January 31, 2006
# [http://www.fema.gov/pdf/fhm/ft_af165.pdf Alluvial Fans: Hazards and Management] Federal Emergency Management Agency, February 1989 Report. URL accessed January 31, 2006
# [http://desert_ca.tripod.com/desert/kathleen.html Hurricane Kathleen Website] accessed January 31, 2006
# [http://www.sdrm.org/history/sda/spbulletin/1977.html 1977 Southern Pacific Bulletin] accessed January 31, 2006
# [http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:MNf0y92CvXcJ:www.iiaa.org/VU/NonMember/CourtCaseSafecoVsGuyton1982California.doc+%22Hurricane+Kathleen%22&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=13 Safeco v. Guyton] accessed January 31, 2006
# [http://online.ceb.com/calcases/C4/15C4t432.htm Bunch v. Coachella Valley Water District] accessed January 31, 2006
# [http://www.myspy.us/cgi-bin/nph-paidmember.cgi/111011A/http/www.fema.gov/news/event.fema?id=1722 FEMA Disaster 521] accessed January 31, 2006
# [http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/lox/Assets/final_la_climate_text.pdf An Overview of Los Angeles Climate] accessed January 31, 2006

External links

* [http://www.weather.unisys.com/hurricane/e_pacific/1976/KATHLEEN/track.gifStorm Path]
* [http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/kathleen1976.html Hurricane Kathleen Rainfall Page]
* [http://desert_ca.tripod.com/desert/kathleen.html Hurricane Kathleen Website]
* [http://www.usatoday.com/weather/whhcalif.htm California's Tropical Storms]
* [http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/psr/tropics/hurricanes.htm Top Arizona Hurricane/Tropical Storm Events]