This is the Hurricane Warning
archive of hurricane Danny.
The best data available was used
to create this archive, in order to
make it as educational as possible.
Meteorological Analysis
Danny had an unusual non tropical origin. On July 13th a trough over the
United States triggered a thunderstorm complex over the Mississippi
Valley. The thunderstorm complex trekked southwards and stalled once it
reached the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, south of Louisiana. A surface low then
formed in association with this area on the 14th. The surface low slowly
organized and became a tropical depression, about 125 nm S of southwestern
Louisiana. The depression then flared up on the 17th and became tropical storm
Danny, as it sat over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. This strengthening
trend continued and Danny became a hurricane on the 18th as it neared the
Mississippi Delta. Steering currents were fairly weak over Danny, as Danny was
in between 2 high pressure systems and under a trough. This caused Danny
to crawl ENE while lashing the northern Gulf coast for a few days. Danny then
made landfall on the small finger which comprises the Mississippi Delta on the 18th, near
Empire, Louisiana. Winds were 75 mph at landfall, and hurricane force winds
were confined to within 10 nm from the center. Danny crossed the narrow strip
of marshland unhindered and strengthened to its maximum intensity of 80 mph
with a pressure of 984 mb once over water. Danny then meandered erratically
into Mobile Bay on the 19th, and after its second landfall in the Bay moved
inland. Danny continued to move erratically over Alabama and was downgraded
to a tropical depression on the 20th as it weakened over land. Danny then
moved over the southeastern U.S. and emerged into the Atlantic off of North Carolina on the 24th. Danny became a tropical storm again just prior to
entering the waters, showing that Danny was partially baroclinic. Danny then
unexpectedly slowed near New England due to an interaction with a trough and
passed within 25 nm of Nantucket, Massachusetts on the 26th. Danny finally
accelerated out to sea on the 27th and was absorbed by a front the same day.
Casualty and Damage Overview
4 deaths are attributed to Danny, with 2 in Alabama, 1 in North Carolina, and 1 in
South Carolina. 5 deaths are also indirectly attributed to Danny. Danny caused
extensive flooding in the northern Gulf Coast region and the southeast United
States with Dauphin Island, Alabama receiving an estimated 43 inches of rain!
Total U.S. damage is estimated to be $100 million.
