Tropical Storm Chris (1982)

Infobox Hurricane
Name=Tropical Storm Chris
Type=Tropical storm
Year=1982
Basin=Atl
Image location=Tropical Storm Chris (1982).jpg


Formed=September 9, 1982
Dissipated=September 13, 1982
1-min winds=55
Pressure=994
Da

Inflated=0
Fatalities=None
Areas=Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Ohio, Michigan, New York
Hurricane season=1982 Atlantic hurricane season

Tropical Storm Chris was the weakest storm of the 1982 Atlantic hurricane season. Affecting the Gulf Coast, Chris did $2 million (1982 USD, $4 million (2008 USD)) to the United States locations of Texas and Louisiana. The storm formed on September 9 from an upper-low pressure system that formed a few days previously. The depression turned to the north, strengthening into Tropical Storm Chris the next day. Chris peaked at 65 mph (105 km/h) in wind speed just before making landfall near Sabine Pass, Texas. Chris dissipated over land on September 13.

Chris caused steady rainfall in parts of the mid-western United States. There was rainfalls as high as 16 inches (406.4 mm) in the southern parts and slightly less as the storm progressed northward. When Chris moved ashore, it caused high waves and tides along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico.

Meteorological history

A upper-low pressure system formed in the Gulf of Mexico on September 6, with the circulation heading westward. The reports over the next 48 hours remained the same, until on September 8, when it had turned into a surface low. The surface low continued to develop, strengthening into Tropical Depression Five on September 9. By the next day, several different pieces of evidence had shown that the depression had quickly strengthened into a tropical storm. This evidence include banding in the storm, reports of increasing winds on oil rigs in the Gulf, and a Reconnaissance aircraft report.cite web
author=Gilbert B. Clark
year=1982-09-27
title=Tropical Storm Chris Prelimary Report
publisher=National Hurricane Center
accessdate=2007-03-28
url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1982-prelim/chris/prelim01.gif]

The storm, now named Chris, quickly turned to the north, heading towards the Texas–Louisiana border. The storm strengthened quickly, peaking at 65 mph (105 km/h) winds and 994 millibars. The center of Chris moved towards the Gulf Coast, making landfall near Sabine Pass, Texas (near the Louisiana border) on September 11. As the weakening system continued northward, it began to lose its identity. Tropical Storm Chris was completely gone by September 12. Had Chris stayed a little longer offshore, chances were that Chris could have intensified into a Category 1 hurricane.

Preparations

As Chris approached the Gulf Coast, a large group of people, as many as 6,500, were evacuated from the Louisiana coast. Off-shore evacuations were also completed, with many oil rig workers were taken off of rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

Along with the evacuations, multiple watches/warnings were reported in accordance with Tropical Storm Chris. The first was on September 9, when a gale warning was released for the Louisiana area east of Port Arthur, Texas. Fifteen hours after that, a gale warning was released for Port Arthur to Port O'Connor, Texas. The next day, the Texan gale warnings were extended all the way to Brownsville. A hurricane watch was released at 2200 UTC for Morgan City, Louisiana to Port O'Connor, Texas. All were discontinued throughout Saturday, September 11.cite web
author=Gilbert B. Clark
year=1982-09-27
title=Tropical Storm Chris Prelimary Report - Watches and Warnings Summary
publisher=National Hurricane Center
accessdate=2007-03-28
url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1982-prelim/chris/prelim03.gif]

Impact

Rainfall had spread throughout sixteen states, cite web
author=David Roth
year=2007
title=Tropical Cyclone Rainfall: Tropical Storm Chris
publisher=Hydrometeorogical Prediction Center
accessdate=2007-03-28
url=http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/chris1982.html ] with Texas topping at only 1 inch (25.4 mm). Rainfall in Louisiana peak at 16 inches (407 mm) in Delhi, in the northeastern section of the state. Lake Charles reported about 5 inches (127 mm) of rain.cite web
author=AP
year=2007
title=Chris drenches Louisiana
publisher=Syracuse Herald Journal
accessdate=2007-03-28
url=http://www.thehurricanearchive.com/Viewer.aspx?
] In the rest of the state, 5–10 inches (127–254 mm) were reported with over 10 inches in local areas. In Mississippi, rains peaked at about 10 inches in the northwest section of the state. The rest of state reported widespread rains of 1–7 inches (25.4–178 mm). Alabama peaked at three inches in spots while Georgia topped at 3 inches (76.2 mm) in the southeastern portion of the state. In Florida, rains peaked at 7 inches (178 mm) in an extremely southern part of the Panhandle. Rains also reached Lake Okeechobee, which reported only 1 inch of rain. The northeastern section of the state reported 5 inches (127 mm) of rain. No rain was reported in the Florida Keys.

In Arkansas, only 1 inch (25.4 mm) of rain was reported, which were in several portions of the state. Missouri reported a peak of 5 inches (127 mm) of rain, in the southeastern portion of the state. Other rains in the state include 1–3 inches (25.4–76.2 mm), which was widespread. Illinois reported mainly one inch of rain, with one area of 3 inches (76.2 mm), all in the southern half of the state. Very little rain was reported in Indiana, with only 1 inch on the southern border of the state. In Tennessee and Kentucky, rains of 10–16 inches (254–407 mm) were reported with locally heavy flooding.cite web
author=U.S. Geological Survey Kansas Water Science Center
year=2007
title=Summary of Significant Floods in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, 1970 Through 1989 - 1982
publisher=U.S. Geological Survey Kansas Water Science Center
accessdate=2007-03-28
url=http://ks.water.usgs.gov/Kansas/pubs/reports/wsp.2502.sum82.html#HDR1] Others rains include one inch in the Carolinas, New York, Michigan, Virginia and Ohio.

Nine tornadoes were spawned by Tropical Storm Chris with four of them reaching F2 or higher on the Fujita Scale. However, no deaths were reported by the tornadoes.cite web
author=Tom Grazulis of The Tornado Project and Bill McCaul of USRA Huntsville
year=2007
title=List of Known Tropical Cyclones Which Have Spawned Tornadoes
publisher=Tornado Project
accessdate=2007-03-28
url=http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/allhurricanes.htm] Highest tides were 5–6 ft (1.5–1.8 m), mostly near the center of Chris. In Texas, a restaurant on Pleasure Island, took an estimated $200,000 in damage (1982 USD). There was also damage from Chris because of down power lines. The were several boats in the Gulf of Mexico which sustained heavy damage. Flooding and fatality figures in Kentucky are unavailable, but several rivers did cause damage in Tennessee. Preliminary damages were placed at less than $1 million (1982 USD) in Louisiana.

ee also

*List of notable Atlantic hurricanes
*List of notable tropical cyclones

References

External links

* [http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/general/lib/lib1/nhclib/mwreviews/1982.pdf Monthly Weather Review]
* [ftp://ftp.nhc.noaa.gov/pub/storm_archives/atlantic/prelimat/atl1982/ Detailed information on all storms from 1982]