List of wettest tropical cyclones in the United States

This list of wettest tropical cyclones in the United States presents the highest known rainfall totals from tropical cyclones and their remnants. These storms have moved into the lower 48 United States from the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern Pacific Ocean. The tropical cyclones and their remnants which have brought rainfall to Alaska, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Hawaii, Guam, and American Samoa are also included within this list.

Alabama

The wettest tropical cyclone to impact the state of Alabama was Hurricane Danny, which stalled over Mobile Bay for over 24 hours, and which led to significant rainfall. [cite web|author=David M. Roth|url=http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/danny1997.html|title=Hurricane Danny Rainfall Page|accessdate=2008-03-04]

Arkansas

Tropical Storm Allison in 1989 stalled for three days across southeast Texas which lead to prolonged rains across Arkansas. This way, Allison became the wettest known tropical cyclone to impact the state. [cite web|publisher=National Hurricane Center|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1989-prelim/allison/prelim02.gif|title=Tropical Storm Allison: Preliminary Storm Report|page=2|format=GIF|accessdate=2008-03-04]

Connecticut

The wettest known tropical cyclone to impact New England is also the wettest known for the state of Connecticut. The flood from Hurricane Diane led to a significant death toll (nearly 200) from Pennsylvania eastward through southern New England.cite web|url=http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/diane1955.html|author=David M. Roth|title=Hurricane Diane Rainfall Page.|date=2008-03-04|publisher=Hydrometeorological Prediction Center|accessdate=2008-03-04]

Georgia

Tropical Storm Alberto in 1994 looped across central Georgia, leading to 24-hour rainfall amounts exceeding convert|20|in|mm across central sections of the state. [cite web|author=David M. Roth|url=http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/alberto1994.html|title=Tropical Storm Alberto Rainfall Page|accessdate=2008-03-04] It also became the wettest tropical cyclone on record for the state of Georgia, eclipsing the record set in 1929.cite web|author=William H. Haggard, Thaddeus H. Bilton, and Harold L. Crutcher|url=http://ams.allenpress.com/archive/1520-0450/12/1/pdf/i1520-0450-12-1-50.pdf|title=Maximum Rainfall from Tropical Cyclone Systems which Cross the Appalachians|accessdate=2007-07-16|work=Journal of Applied Meteorology|pages=50-61|format-PDF]

Idaho

Impacts from tropical cyclones in the Pacific Northwest are rare. Most recently, the remains of Olivia moved through the region in 1982, spurring spotty moderate to heavy rainfall across Idaho.

Iowa

Hurricane Carla was a large hurricane which moved into Texas during September 1961. As it transitioned into an extratropical cyclone across the Great Plains and Midwest, heavy rainfall fell in a band on the poleward side of a frontal boundary extending northeast from Carla, leading to the wettest known event to be associated with a tropical cyclone or its remains across Iowa.

Louisiana

Heavy rains and flooding are the primary problem associated with tropical cyclones across the Pelican State. Recent examples of flooding across the state from tropical cyclones include Tropical Storm Allison, Tropical Storm Frances (1998), Tropical Storm Allison (1989), and Tropical Storm Claudette (1979). Three of the four systems stalled across eastern Texas, prolonging the rainfall which occurred over Louisiana. If it were not for the intermittent invasions from tropical cyclones, rainfall during the months of August, September, and October would average about 25% less that it currently does. [cite web|author=David M. Roth|url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lch/research/lahurclimo2.php|title=A Brief Climatology of Tropical Cyclones in Louisiana (continued)|accessdate=2008-03-05]

Massachusetts

The wettest known tropical cyclone to impact New England is also the wettest known for the state of Massachusetts. The flood from Hurricane Diane led to a significant death toll (nearly 200) from Pennsylvania eastward through southern New England.cite web|url=http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/diane1955.html|author=David M. Roth|title=Hurricane Diane Rainfall Page.|date=2008-03-04|publisher=Hydrometeorological Prediction Center|accessdate=2008-03-04]

Mississippi

Hurricane Georges stalled over the southern portion of the state, it produced torrential rainfall, exceeding convert|30|in|mm locally.cite web|author=David M. Roth|url=http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/georges1998.html|title=Hurricane Georges Rainfall Page|accessdate=2008-03-06] The heavy rainfall contributed to significant river overflowing, including the Tchoutacabouffa River at D'Iberville, which set a record crest of convert|19|ft|m. [cite web|author=John L. Guiney|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1998georges.html|title=Preliminary Report: Hurricane Georges 15 September - 01 October 1998|accessdate=2008-03-06]

Nebraska

Hurricane Carla was a large hurricane which moved into Texas during September 1961. As it transitioned into an extratropical cyclone across the Great Plains and Midwest, heavy rainfall fell in a band on the poleward side of a frontal boundary extending northeast from Carla, leading to the wettest known event to be associated with a tropical cyclone or its remains across Nebraska.

New Jersey

A large swath over heavy rainfall spread up the East coast along a frontal zone draping over the northern side of Hurricane Floyd,David M. Roth. [http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/floyd1999.html Hurricane Floyd - September 14-17, 1999.] Retrieved on 2008-03-06.] which produced over convert|14|in|mm across portions of New Jersey.

North Carolina

Heavy rains accompany tropical cyclones and their remnants which move northeast from the Gulf of Mexico coastline, as well as inland from the western subtropical Atlantic ocean. As much as 15% of the rainfall which occurs during the warm season in the Carolinas is attributable to tropical cyclones. [cite web|author=David B. Knight and Robert E. Davis|url=http://bellwether.metapress.com/content/n562284522t561n5/|title=Climatology of Tropical Cyclone Rainfall in the Southeastern United States|accessdate=2008-02-29] Over the past 30 years, the wettest tropical cyclone to strike the coastal plain was Hurricane Floyd of September 1999, which dropped over convert|24|in|mm of rainfall north of Southport. In the mountains, Hurricane Frances of September 2004 was nearly as wet, bringing over convert|23|in|mm of rainfall to Mount Mitchell.cite web|author=David M. Roth|url=http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/tcsoutheast.html|title=Tropical Cyclone Rainfall in the Southeast|accessdate=2007-12-20]

Ohio

The state of Ohio can be impact by the remnants of both eastern Pacific and Atlantic tropical cyclones, with a bulk of the activity originating in the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Frederic in 1979, interacting with a nearby frontal zone, [cite web|publisher=National Weather Service|url=http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/dwm/data_rescue_daily_weather_maps.html|title=Daily Weather Maps: September 10-16, 1979|accessdate=2008-03-06] brought over convert|8|in|mm of rainfall to isolated spots of the state, becoming the wettest known tropical cyclone, or remnant, to impact Ohio.

Pennsylvania

Although Hurricane Agnes was barely a hurricane at landfall in Florida, its major impact was over the Mid-Atlantic region, where Agnes combined with a non-tropical low to produce widespread rains of convert|6|in|mm to convert|12|in|mm with local amounts up to convert|19|in|mm in western Schuylkill County in Pennsylvania . These rains produced widespread severe flooding from Virginia northward to New York, with other flooding occurring over the western portions of the Carolinas.

outh Carolina

Portions of South Carolina experienced significant rainfall totals approaching convert|19|in|mm with Tropical Storm Jerry (1995), which became the wettest known tropical cyclone to impact the state. [cite web|author=David M. Roth|url=http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/jerry1995.html|title=Tropical Storm Jerry Rainfall Page|accessdate=2008-03-06] The flash flooding covered numerous roadways and washed out bridges, with the statewide transportation damage totaling $4.5 million (1995 USD). River flooding was great across the state. In addition, the rainfall broke dams, flooded houses, and covered fields, causing a damage total of $10.1 million (1995 USD). [cite web|author=Richard J. Pasch|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1995jerry.html|title=Preliminary Report: Tropical Storm Jerry 22-28 August 1995|accessdate=2008-03-06]

Texas

The most serious threat from tropical cyclones in Texas residents is from flooding. The worst aspect about tropical cyclones is that the weaker they are, the more efficient they can be at producing heavy rains and catastrophic flooding. Systems with sprawling circulations, such as Hurricane Beulah, also tend to make good rainmakers. [cite web|author=David M. Roth|url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lch/research/txhuclimo2.php|title=A Brief Climatology of Tropical Cyclones in Texas (continued)|accessdate=2008-03-05] Slow moving systems, such as Tropical Storm Amelia (1978) also can produce significant rainfall over the Lone Star State. Amelia's storm total rainfall is the most recorded within the contiguous United States. [cite web|author=David M. Roth|url=http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/amelia1978.html|title=Tropical Storm Amelia (1978) Rainfall Page|accessdate=2008-03-05] Tropical Storm Claudette (1979) holds the national 24-hour rainfall record for the United States, with convert|42|in|mm falling within a day. [David M. Roth. [http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/claudette1979.html Tropical Storm Claudette - July 16-31, 1979 .] Retrieved on 2008-03-13.]

Vermont

A large swath over heavy rainfall spread up the East coast along a frontal zone draped over the northern side of Hurricane Floyd.David M. Roth. [http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/floyd1999.html Hurricane Floyd - September 14-17, 1999.] Retrieved on 2008-03-06.] Over convert|11|in|mm fell across portions of Vermont, the most recorded during the passage of a tropical cyclone or its remnants within the state.

Wisconsin

Hurricane Carla was a large hurricane which moved into Texas during September 1961. As it transitioned into an extratropical cyclone across the Great Plains and Midwest, heavy rainfall fell in a band on the poleward side of a frontal boundary extending northeast from Carla, leading to the wettest known event to be associated with a tropical cyclone or its remains across Wisconsin.

ee also

*List of wettest tropical cyclones by country
*Tropical cyclone rainfall climatology
*United States tropical cyclone rainfall climatology

References

External links

* [http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/tcrainfall.html Individual Tropical Cyclone Rainfall Pages for United States]