Notable July Hurricanes

 

Hurricane Chris over the North Atlantic, July 2018  (Source: NOAA)

The last July hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean Basin was minimal Hurricane Elsa last year.  That’s not unusual because July is often one of the quieter months of the Atlantic hurricane season that spans from June through November.  However, that doesn’t mean there haven’t been some memorable July hurricanes.  Here are some of the more significant ones.

Chris (2018):  Although not a particularly strong or destructive hurricane, I’m partial to mentioning my namesake storm.  “Chris” first appeared on the list of names for Atlantic tropical systems in 1982.  It has been a named storm every six years since then and was a hurricane three times, most recently in 2018.  On July 11, 2018, Hurricane Chris reached its peak intensity as a Category 2 storm with sustained winds of 105 mph.  Fortunately, it was a safe distance off the East Coast there weren’t any major impacts.

Hurricane Emily (2005) – Emily broke several records during the epic 2005 Atlantic hurricane season.  Emily was the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record to form (July 16).  It remains the only July Category 5 hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic.  At peak intensity, Emily had sustained winds of 160 mph with a minimum central air pressure of 929 millibars – the lower the air pressure the stronger the storm is.  Standard sea level air pressure is approximately 1013 millibars (mb).  Emily’s remnants brought south Texas some beneficial rainfall and a few tornadoes.

Hurricane Dennis (2005) – Dennis was a powerful Category 4 hurricane at peak intensity with sustained winds of 150 mph and a minimum central air pressure of 930 mb.  Dennis reached peak intensity on July 10 in the Gulf of Mexico.  After causing extensive damage in Cuba, it made landfall on the Gulf Coast as a Category 3 hurricane.  Dennis would become the first of five hurricanes to have their names retired by the World Meteorological Organization following the 2005 season – the highest such number on record.  Hurricanes and tropical storms have their names retired for being exceptionally damaging or deadly. 

Bertha (1996):  Bertha was an early season Cape Verde hurricane.  At peak intensity, it was a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 115 mph and a minimum central air pressure of 960 mb.  However, it weakened to a Category 1 storm with sustained winds of 90 mph prior to its North Carolina landfall.

There was another Hurricane Bertha in July 2008.  This version was even stronger with sustained winds of 125 mph and a minimum pressure of 952 mb.  Fortunately, it never made landfall and remained over the open Atlantic Ocean.  But it was a long-lasting system, having been a tropical storm or hurricane from July 3 – July 20.  That made the 2008 version of Bertha the longest lasting July tropical storm or hurricane on record in the Atlantic Ocean.