All the TS's and Hurricanes that brought TS conditions to DC

[gymengineer]

I define tropical storm conditions as rain with frequent gusts above the 39 mph threshold (versus one peak gust barely hitting 40 mph, for example). The * indicates a storm that brought hurricane conditions to the DC area. Most of the data came from Washington Post archives stretching back into the late 1800's, with the earliest hits based on other research.

1870-1879

1876- September hurricane brought heavy rain and high storm surge

*1878- October hurricane undergoing ET transition brought probably the most severe conditions to DC until Hazel

1880-1889

1885-strong winds and heavy rain in August storm

1888-August hurricane making landfall in Louisiana sped NE'ward, bringing 40 mph sustained/60 mph gust to DC

1890-1899

1893 (1)- August major hurricane brought 42 mph five-minute sustained winds to DC with significant telegraph/telephone line damage

1893 (2)-October major hurricane brought a substantial storm surge and TS conditions to the city with even more damage to windows/wires

*1896-violent late September hit with significant structural damage in DC- 66 mph five-minute wind/80 mph gust

1899- Late October "gale"

1900-1909

1904- questionable- TS winds along coast, but DC?

1910-1919

None

1920-1929

1928- Lake Okeechobee hurricane- TS squalls in DC metro/60 mphs+ gusts near the bay

1929- Late September/October hurricane- TS conditions up the entire coast during ET transition

1930-1939

1933-Of course, infamous Chesapeake-Potomac hurricane. 50 mph gusts and record storm surge until Isabel

1940-1949

1944- August hurricane (not the Great Atlantic Hurricane) swept in from NC and left 5.2" rain in DC. It downed powerlines, uprooted trees, and left numerous fallen branches, especially in the western suburbs

1949- August FL hurricane brings down trees and powerlines in DC with 52 mph gusts

1950-1959

1952- Able- neat storm with a few hours of sustained TS winds region-wide. 60+mph gusts in DC, tornadoes around the region, and 3-4" of rain

*1954-Hazel- 98 mph all-time record gust w/ sustained hurricane-force winds, but not much rain (probably already ET by the time we experienced our peak winds)

1955- Connie- gust to 58 mph (same as Isabel) well before the closest approach of the center; sustained TS winds and ~6" rain

1960-1969

None

1970-1979

1972- Agnes- besides the rain, 43 mph sus/49 mph gust at DCA with numerous power outages and phone disruptions

1979- David- frequent TS gusts through most of the area (but somehow none at DCA) with 3-8" of rain; massive power outages all throughout the Northeast metropolis (this was NYC's big-time power outage, more than Irene)

1980-1989

1985- Bob-remants brought borderline TS conditions in squalls to DC with significant power outages

(1985- Gloria did bring borderline TS conditions to the eastern suburbs and Baltimore, but not to the immediate DC area)

1990-1999

1996- Fran--slightly less significant for wind damage than David with frequent TS gusts in many parts of the region;~100,000 power outages area-wide and a signifcant storm surge with a high tide/surge combo flooding lower Alexandria and parts of DC

(Earlier in July, Bertha brought borderline TS conditions to especially the eastern suburbs; DCA gusted above 40 mph)

1999- Floyd- frequent gusts above TS threshold from DC eastward with similar power disruptions to Fran; more rain, but of course less surge than Fran

2000-2009

2003- Isabel- longest duration of TS conditions in region since Connie with 12 hours of frequent TS gusts at DCA; record storm surge (not freshwater flooding) in DC, Annapolis, and Baltimore; by far the largest power outages ever with ~5/7 of Pepco customers out and more than 1 million customer out in DC metro

2006- Ernesto- a few hours of frequent TS gusts and more rain than Isabel

(2008- Hannah barely gusted at TS threshold in the area, but did bring more rain than Isabel, again)

2010-current

2011- Irene- more-or-less matched Isabel's wind gusts in the area with somewhat lower sustained winds; far less power outages in the DC region because of several factors, but still the most signficant TS conditions aside from Isabel since 1955

[WVclimo]

Really nice work. Thanks for posting it.

[real]

Kind of depressing. So we may have to wait another 55 years for what we even got Saturday night?

[onel0126]

Not on your list for obvious reasons but I remember the remnants of Ivan casuing more tornado warnings to be issued than I have ever seen in my years in the DC area.

[Bob Chill]

Just for fun, I put together a Temp and Precip for DJF for each winter following tropical storm conditions in DC since 1920.

I put together the same maps for the winters following years that any tropical system affected the DC area and the results were similar.

I'm going to dig up years when there was at least a Cat 1 or stronger that made landfall on the EC and see what it looks like.

I know this analysis really doesn't mean much but it's fun anyway. The weenie in me sure hopes there is no correlation because I don't like these maps.

[Ian]

1934?

http://pqasb.pqarchi...B+More+Rain+Due

http://www.americanw...e-aug-sep-2011/

[HurricaneJosh]

Hazel was 100% extratropical by the time it reached the DC area. In fact, there are indications it was even starting the the transition as it came ashore in SC/NC. This having been said, there's no denying that DC had solid Cat-1 conditions from the storm.

It's reasonable to think the 1878 and 1896 cyclone brought Cat-1 conditions to DC, given that each cyclone did bring Cat-1 impacts to adjacent states.

This aside... I don't disagree with your methodology, but technically "TS conditions" means sustained (1-min) winds of 34 kt. Frequent gusts aren't quite enough to qualify. But perhaps that's splitting hairs for this region.

[gymengineer]

Hazel was 100% extratropical by the time it reached the DC area. In fact, there are indications it was even starting the the transition as it came ashore in SC/NC. This having been said, there's no denying that DC had solid Cat-1 conditions from the storm.

This aside... I don't disagree with your methodology, but technically TS conditions means sustained (1-min) winds of 34 kt. Frequent gusts aren't quite enough to qualify. But perhaps that's splitting hairs for this region.

... hence the focus on the conditions, vs. the strict definition. Ernesto wasn't tropical either on it's closest approach. The obvious reason for not going with the 1-min sustained 34 kt is the sparcity of "official" land station data for the older storms.... If the area experienced frequent gusts above TS force, some location may have experienced a sustained TS wind somewhere in the region. I mean, the whole point of this list is to show the infrequency of even gusts to TS force from a tropical system/ex-tropical system.

[HurricaneJosh]

... hence the focus on the conditions, vs. the strict definition. Ernesto wasn't tropical either on it's closest approach. The obvious reason for not going with the 1-min sustained 34 kt is the sparcity of "official" land station data for the older storms.... If the area experienced frequent gusts above TS force, some location may have experienced a sustained TS wind somewhere in the region. I mean, the whole point of this list is to show the infrequency of even gusts to TS force from a tropical system/ex-tropical system.

I think we're talking about two different things. You're talking about actual obs, I'm talking about estimated impacts. So you're saying that reliable obs showing frequent gusts to 34 kt can be "extrapolated" to a reasonable assumption of sustained 34-kt winds in the region? It's a reasonable conclusion, I suppose.

P.S. I added a bit to my post after you quoted it-- Re: the the 1878 and 1896 events.