Season Summary
The Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1979. Although 27 tropical cyclones developed, only nine of them became nameable storms, which is slightly below the 1950-2000 average of 9.6 named storms per season. Of the nine tropical storms, five of them strengthened into a hurricane, which is also slightly below average. Two of the five hurricane became major hurricanes, which is Category 3 or greater on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale. Three tropical storms, one subtropical storm, and three hurricanes made landfall during the season and caused at least 2,118 fatalities and $4.27 billion (1979 USD). Despite its intensity, Tropical Depression One also resulted in notorious impact in Jamaica. The last storm of the season, an unnamed subtropical storm, dissipated on November 15, about 15 days before the official end of hurricane season on November 30.
The 1979 season was an average but destructive season with 27 depressions, with nine reaching tropical storm strength. The notable cyclones include Tropical Depression One which caused one of Jamaica's worst natural disasters. Tropical Storm Claudette became one of the most destructive tropical storms of all time and created a 24-hour rainfall record for the United States. Hurricane David peaked at Category 5 status becoming the first hurricane of such strength to make landfall directly in the Dominican Republic, killing over 2,000 people. Hurricane Frederic became a weak Category 4 hurricane with winds of 135 mph (217 km/h), causing over $4–8 billion dollars in damage (2005 USD) to some of the same areas impacted by Hurricane David. Hurricane Henri formed in Mid-September in the Gulf of Mexico and never made landfall, which is a rare occurrence. Damage for the whole season totaled out to $4.27 billion (1979 USD).
The season's activity was reflected with an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 93. ACE is, broadly speaking, a measure of the power of the hurricane multiplied by the length of time it existed, so storms that last a long time, as well as particularly strong hurricanes, have high ACEs. ACE is only calculated for full advisories on tropical systems at or exceeding 34 knots (39 mph, 63 km/h) or tropical storm strength. Subtropical storms are not included in the ACE value.
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