June’s Destructive Tropical Systems

NOAA data shows June is a quieter month in the tropical Atlantic Ocean

Tropical storms are relatively rare in June compared to later in the season.  However, there have been a number of high impact tropical storms and hurricanes over the course of history.  Conditions for tropical development tend to be most favorable in the Gulf of Mexico and western Caribbean Sea during the first month of hurricane season.

2012:  Tropical Storm Debby was a recent example of how a tropical system doesn’t have to be intense to have significant impacts.  That’s because both tropical storms and minimal hurricanes have the potential to bring significant amounts of rain along with coastal flooding and beach erosion.  Such was the case with Debby across much of central and northern Florida, where isolated rainfall totals of more than 20” were observed.  In fact, the heavy rain attributed to Debby helped make June 2012 the wettest on record in Tampa.

2001:  Tropical Storm Allison had the impressive distinction of being the first storm to have its name retired without reaching hurricane intensity.  Like Debby, Allison formed in the Gulf of Mexico and was a slow moving system that brought Texas and Louisiana significant flooding.  The worst flooding occurred around Houston but the remnants of Allison brought flooding as far north and east as Pennsylvania.  According to the National Hurricane Center, Allison caused an estimated $9 billion in damage (unadjusted for inflation) and remains the only tropical storm on the list of costliest hurricanes on record in the United States.

1986: Hurricane Bonnie was a rare June hurricane that developed in the Gulf of Mexico and became a Category 1 storm.  It made landfall near the Texas/Louisiana border and brought flooding rainfall to much of the U.S. Gulf Coast Region.  At peak intensity, Bonnie wasn’t much stronger than Allison or Debby which remained just below hurricane strength.  All three were prolific rain producers.  This was the last hurricane to make landfall in the United States during the month of June.

1972: Hurricane Agnes is one of the more infamous June hurricanes since it illustrated how much flooding tropical systems can cause – even hundreds of miles from where they make landfall.  Agnes made landfall in the Florida panhandle as a minimal hurricane and brought heavy rainfall across much of the eastern United States.  In the Mid-Atlantic Region, Agnes brought record flooding and the storm had a death toll of more than 100.

The strongest June hurricane on record in the Atlantic Ocean was Hurricane Audrey in 1957.  June hurricanes are relatively rare with only three in the last 25 years – Hurricane Allison in 1995, Hurricane Alex in 2010 and Hurricane Chris in 2012.