Ураган Дэнни: Разрушительный путь по юго-востоку США (1997)

Category 1 Atlantic hurricane

Hurricane Danny was the only hurricane to make landfall in the United States during the 1997 Atlantic hurricane season, and the second hurricane and fourth tropical storm of the season. The system became the earliest formed fifth tropical or subtropical storm of the Atlantic season in history when it attained tropical storm strength on July 17, and held that record until the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season when Tropical Storm Emily broke that record by several days. Like the previous four tropical or subtropical cyclones of the season, Danny had a non tropical origin, after a trough spawned convection that entered the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Danny was guided northeast through the Gulf of Mexico by two high pressure areas, a rare occurrence in the middle of July. After making landfall on the Gulf Coast, Danny tracked across the southeastern United States and ultimately affected parts of New England with rain and wind. Danny is notable for its extreme rainfall, the tornadoes generated by it, and the destruction it produced on its path, causing a total of nine fatalities and $$100,000,000.00 (1997 USD, $  USD) in damage. The storm dropped a record amount of rainfall for Alabama, as at least fell on Dauphin Island. Flooding, power outages, and erosion occurred in many areas of the Gulf Coast, and rescues had to be executed from flooded roadways. Tornadoes generated by Danny on the East Coast caused a great amount of damage. Of the nine fatalities caused by Danny, one happened off the coast of Alabama, four occurred in Georgia, two occurred in South Carolina, and two occurred in North Carolina.

On July 13, a broad mid tropospheric trough of low pressure over the southeastern United States helped to initiate an area of atmospheric convection over the lower Mississippi River Valley. The area of convection moved southwards and appeared to contribute to the formation of a weak and isolated surface low pressure area in the Gulf of Mexico near the coast of Louisiana during the next day. Over the next couple of days, the systems circulation gradually expanded, however, surface winds remained weak and convection over the system did not persist or become well organized. Danny entered the Atlantic Ocean, north of the North Carolina Virginia border, near Virginia Beach. It quickly reached a secondary peak of , and continued rapidly northeastward towards the waters of the Atlantic. A strong mid to upper level cyclone turned Danny northward, threatening Massachusetts. It stalled while just 30 mile (48 km) southeast of Nantucket on July 26, turned to the east out to sea, and became extratropical later that day. On July 27, the former hurricane merged with a frontal zone. Prior to the arrival of the hurricane, the governors of Mississippi and Alabama declared disaster emergencies, expecting a 9 feet (3 m) storm surge and up to of rain at that time. Six shelters were opened in Mobile County, Alabama, though few utilized them. Officials also considered opening shelters near local casinos and beaches in Biloxi, Mississippi. Alabama Governor Fob James also activated the state's National Guard ahead of the storm and directed 30,000 sandbags to the Alabama coast for protection. Southeastern Massachusetts also had a tropical storm warning issued, a few hours before sustained tropical storm force winds affected the area and less than 12 hours before its closest approach to the coastline. Grand Isle and portions of the lower Plaquemines Parish were the worst hit in Louisiana. Additionally, Grand Isle reported a wind gust of and a storm surge of 5.2 feet (2 m). Around 160 households and 80 businesses reported damage on Grand Isle. Jefferson Parish and Plaquemines Parish had $$1,500,000.00 (1997 USD$,  USD) and $$3,500,000.00 (1997 USD$,  USD) total in damage respectively. An oil rig off the coast of Pascagoula was ripped from its moorings and collided with a tank that spilled 500 gallons (1,892 L) of fuel into the Bayou Casotte stream. By late on July 19, the American Red Cross was providing shelter to over 2,000 people in Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. Extreme amounts of rainfall were produced over Alabama. Dauphin Island Sea Lab recorded of rain, but not all the rain may have recorded in the rain gauge at this location, so it is possible the rainfall may have been underestimated. Doppler weather radar estimates show that around of rain fell off the coast of Dauphin Island. A storm surge of over 6.5 feet (2 m) occurred off Highway 182, midway between Gulf Shores and Fort Morgan, in addition to the rainfall. Unusually, when the storm stalled off the coast of Alabama, prevailing northerly winds forced the water out of Mobile Bay, causing tides to be two feet (0.61 m) below normal. Observers noted that, if river channels had not remained, it would have been possible to walk across the bay unhindered by water. In addition, three tornadoes occurred in Alabama, destroying a marina just south of Orange Beach and damaging several of the boats; Opelika, where damage was minimal; and Alabama Port respectively. Despite its effects in the northern Gulf of Mexico, only one person was directly killed from the storm there; a man drowned off the coast when he fell off his sailboat near Fort Morgan, Alabama. One indirect casualty also occurred in the area, when a man had a heart attack while trying to secure a boat off the Alabama coast during the storm. At the peak of the storm in Alabama, at least 44,000 people were without power in Mobile and Baldwin counties. In rural Choctaw County, north of Mobile, several families were rescued from flooded roads and trapped cars. A race in the NASCAR All Pro series at the Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida scheduled to be held on July 19 was postponed to September 13, 1997, due to Hurricane Danny. By the time Danny reached Georgia and the Carolinas, its potential impact had weakened, though it still managed to produce of rain as it drifted through the western portions of the states. Four indirect deaths occurred from traffic accidents during the storm's onslaught in Georgia. Among those tornadoes, a severe thunderstorm cell in South Carolina produced five tornadoes which touched down, one of which killed a woman in her destroyed duplex while passing through Lexington County. Several tornadoes and waterspouts were spawned over Virginia; most of them occurred in Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Hampton. An F1 tornado with a width of and a length of 1 mile (2 km), touched down 1 mile (2 km) in Portsmouth, causing $400,000 (1997 USD$,  USD) in damage. It destroyed a car wash and damaged 7 other structures, all but 1 of which were businesses, and also flipped over a semi trailer truck. Rainfall in Fayetteville measured , while the remainder of the Mid Atlantic states received approximately of rain. The heavy rains caused two people to drown in Charlotte. A girl drowned after being swept into a creek, and a woman drowned while in her car. After Danny emerged over the Atlantic Ocean on the North Carolina Virginia border and restrengthened into a tropical storm on July 25, wind and rain started as far north as New York and New England. Sustained tropical storm force winds affected Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket Island, and parts of Cape Cod, in addition to the coastal waters from the entrance of Buzzards Bay to the south and east of Cape Cod. Only minor damage occurred, despite these strong winds, which were experienced primarily in southeastern Massachusetts. The minor damage included localized flooding, power outages, downed tree limbs, and lost boats. A suspension of ferry service to Nantucket Island occurred for most of July 25, with a shorter suspension happening on the service to Martha's Vineyard. No significant coastal flooding affected the region, although a storm shelter was opened on Nantucket Island to host a Boy Scout group camping there. Danny was the fifth tropical cyclone to affect Southern New England in the 20th century during the month of July. Ultimately, the vote on the amendment failed by a vote of 209 to 216 and it failed to be included in the bill that later became law. On July 25, President Clinton declared a major disaster in Alabama in the aftermath of Hurricane Danny. He ordered that federal aid be provided in assistance to state and local efforts to respond in the areas of Alabama impacted by wind and flooding damage. Debris remained in the inland waters of Alabama until at least August 12, 1997. Endangered or threatened sea turtles lived in these waters and were threatened by the debris. Specialized turtle exclusion devices, known as TEDs, or specialized nets that allowed the turtles to escape them, were required before Danny for shrimp trawlers. The Director of the Marine Resources Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said that the "inordinate amount of debris is causing extraordinary difficulty with the performance of (TEDs) in these areas." Therefore, the United States Environmental Protection Agency allowed an alternative to the TEDs, of shorter tow times with seasonal restrictions of a maximum of 55 minutes from April 1 through October 31, and a maximum of 75 minutes from November 1 through March 31. By making the shorter tow times the required alternative, the EPA intended to minimize any sea turtle casualties as a result of trawlers being allowed to remove the TEDs. One of three wolves that escaped from a zoo in Gulf Shores, Alabama during Hurricane Danny was found in November later that year, after seasonal conditions meant less tourists and therefore less food in Gulf State Park where the wolf had resided. One of the other wolves had already been recaptured, while the other had already been shot and killed. Some cotton crops in the Southeast United States received needed rainfall from Danny, while others were harmed, as 100,000 acres of cotton fields in Alabama were too heavily damaged for their crop to be salvaged. The effects of Danny caused the gasoline production of Gulf Coast oil refineries to decline and thus contributed to an increase in gas prices in the months following Danny throughout the United States. A severe drought had been in place in the Mid Atlantic region during the month of July. A study published in Social Behavior and Personality in 1998 surveyed respondents from the University of West Florida and businesses in Pensacola for the news media sources they relied on during Hurricane Danny. Overall, the frequency of usage from highest to lowest among respondents was local TV stations, the cable network Weather Channel, local FM radio stations, cable news stations, and followed by other sources. The extremely short distance of the eyewall of Hurricane Danny from a Doppler weather radar station in Mobile, Alabama and its slow landfall over the course of a day led to further study by meteorologists. The proximity to land allowed for measurements at a level closer to the surface than it is possible for hurricane reconnaissance aircraft to achieve, with the slow landfall allowing for more extended observation. One conclusion of the study, published in 2000, included the need to sample the boundaries of an eyewall more to establish a better estimate of surface level winds and the overall intensity of a storm. Another conclusion was that while Danny's slow movement positioned it over a tidal estuary bordering the Gulf, maintaining of or increase in strength was possible since eyewall convection remained over waters with high sea surface temperatures and other environmental conditions remained favorable. The storm dropped of rain on Dauphin Island, setting the new record for the most tropical or subtropical cyclone related rainfall in the state of Alabama, and is among the largest in the United States.