Beware July hurricanes

 

Hurricane Beryl, July 2024 (Source: NOAA)

The tropical Atlantic often sees an uptick in tropical storm and hurricane development in July as atmospheric and environmental conditions become more favorable. Although not as frequent as in late-August or September, there have been destructive July hurricanes.

Beryl (2024): Hurricane Beryl reached peak intensity on July 2 as only the second Category 5 storm to develop in the Atlantic in July. It highest sustained winds were 165 mph and its lowest minimum central air pressure was 932 millibars (mb). Standard sea level air pressure is 1013 mb. It was the earliest Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record, breaking Hurricane Emily's 2005 record by two weeks. When Beryl first reached Category 4 status on June 30, it broke another 2005 record for earliest Category 4 storm.

Chris (2018): While not particularly strong or destructive, 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. The most intense version occurred eight years ago when it reached peak intensity as a Category 2 storm on July 11, 2018, with sustained winds of 105 mph. Fortunately, it was a safe distance off the East Coast and didn’t have any major impacts on the United States.

Arthur (2014): Hurricane Arthur menaced beach-goers in North Carolina over the July 4 holiday 12 years ago. The first named storm of the season, Arthur also became the earliest landfalling North Carolina hurricane on record. At peak intensity, Arthur was a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 100 mph and minimum central air pressure of 973 mb. It made landfall near Cape Lookout, North Carolina early on July 4. Although damage was relatively minimal, it forced holiday travelers to leave early or postpone their travel plans altogether.

Bertha (2008): Bertha had sustained winds of 125 mph and a minimum pressure of 952 mb at peak intensity. 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 Bertha the most protracted July tropical storm or hurricane on record in the Atlantic Ocean.

Emily (2005): The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a record-setting year that saw the first Category 5 July hurricane on record. Hurricane Emily briefly reached Category 5 strength on July 16 with sustained winds of 160 mph and a minimum air pressure of 929 mb. Fortunately, Emily caused only minor damage in southern Texas.