Forming in the western Caribbean sea during the first week of November,
Hurricane Gordon became the twelfth tropical depression, the seventh named
tropical stormA tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones feed on heat released when moist air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor contained in the moist air...
, and the third hurricane of the
1994 Atlantic hurricane seasonThe 1994 Atlantic hurricane seasonofficially began June 1, 1994, and officially ended November 30, 1994. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin....
. An erratic, long-lived system which remained a tropical storm for most of its existence, it followed a winding path through the western
CaribbeanThe Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts...
and into
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
before strengthening into a Category 1 hurricane and threatening
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
. Gordon was a catastrophic storm in
HaitiHaiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Creole- and French-speaking Caribbean country. Along with the Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago...
, killing an estimated 1,122 people.
Meteorological history
Widespread
convectionConvection is the movement of molecules within fluids . Convection is one of the major modes of heat transfer and mass transfer...
persisted in the southwestern
Caribbean SeaThe Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean situated in the tropics of the Western hemisphere, bounded to the south and west by the American landmass, with the North Atlantic Ocean proper to the northeast and the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest...
during early November, which was enhanced by the passage of two
tropical waveTropical waves, or easterly waves, also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic region, are a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which move from east to west across the tropics causing areas of cloudiness and thunderstorms...
s passing through the area. The second produced a low-level circulation just north of
PanamaPanama, officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of both Central America and, in turn, North America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the...
early on November 6. Convection slowly organized as it drifted northwestward, and by 1200
UTCCoordinated Universal Time , ) is a time standard based on International Atomic Time with leap seconds added at irregular intervals to compensate for the Earth's slowing rotation...
on November 7 the circulation displayed enough curvature to warrant initiating
Dvorak techniqueThe Dvorak technique is a widely used system to subjectively estimate tropical cyclone intensity based solely on visible and infrared satellite images. Several agencies issue Dvorak intensity numbers for cyclones of sufficient intensity...
estimates. Late the next day, convection became more concentrated, and based on surface observations and satellite estimates the
National Hurricane CenterThe National Hurricane Center , located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, is the division of National Weather Service's Tropical Prediction Center responsible for tracking and predicting the likely behavior of tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes.When tropical...
estimates the system developed into Tropical Depression Twelve midday on November 8 while located a short distance off the southeast coast of
NicaraguaNicaragua officially the Republic of Nicaragua , is a representative democratic republic. It is the largest country in Central America with an area of 130,373 km
2. The country is bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The Pacific Ocean lies to the west of...
.
The depression continued drifting northwestward, and initially limited upper-level
outflowOutflow, in meteorology, is air that flows outwards from a thunderstorm. Outflow tends to indicate the "health" of a system. Large quantities of outflow at the upper levels of a thunderstorm indicate it is in good health...
led to very slow organization. Its environment became more favorable, and by November 9 the system maintained banding features and increasingly defined outflow. Proximity to land prevented strengthening, and early on November 10 it made
landfallLandfall is the event of a tropical cyclone or a waterspout coming onto land after being over water. When a waterspout makes landfall it is reclassified as a tornado, which can then cause damage inland...
near
Puerto CabezasPuerto Cabezas is a municipality in the North Atlantic Coast department of Nicaragua....
, Nicaragua. Shortly thereafter, an upper-level
troughA trough is an elongated region of relatively low atmospheric pressure, often associated with fronts.Unlike fronts, there is not a universal symbol for a trough on a weather chart. The weather charts in some countries or regions mark troughs by a line. In the United States, a trough may be marked...
turned the depression to the northeast, and the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Gordon after reaching open waters. Tracking slowly north-northeastward, the circulation of the cyclone was initially very broad, covering much of the western Caribbean Sea, and its combination with southwesterly
wind shearWind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
prevented significant strengthening. By November 12 the center was exposed due to the shear, though by later in the day the circulation became situated along the western edge of the deep convection. Early on November 13, Gordon struck
JamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width, amounting to 11,100 km
2. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harboring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
near
KingstonKingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica and is located on the southeastern coast of the island country. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
as a minimal tropical storm, and accelerating northeastward the cyclone made landfall near Guantánamo Bay,
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
later that day.
Around the time of Gordon crossing Jamaica, an upper-level
troughA trough is an elongated region of relatively low atmospheric pressure, often associated with fronts.Unlike fronts, there is not a universal symbol for a trough on a weather chart. The weather charts in some countries or regions mark troughs by a line. In the United States, a trough may be marked...
spawned a low-level disturbance over the central Bahamas. From surface synoptic reports, the National Hurricane Center estimates Tropical Storm Gordon rapidly crossed Cuba and became the dominant system between Cuba and the Bahamas. However, other meteorologists believe Gordon dissipated after hitting Cuba, and that a second cyclone became the dominant system. A deep-layer
ridgeA ridge is an elongated region of relatively high atmospheric pressure, the opposite of a trough.-See also:* Geopotential height* Block * Trough...
turned the storm to the west-northwest, and by November 14 the cloud pattern and surface wind field of Gordon resembled that of a
subtropical cycloneA subtropical cyclone is a weather system that has some characteristics of a tropical and an extratropical cyclone. As early as the 1950s, meteorologists were unclear whether they should be characterized as tropical or extratropical cyclones. They were officially recognized by the National...
, with little convection near and the strongest winds well-removed from the center. The storm paralleled the northern coast of Cuba, and
RadiosondeA radiosonde is a unit for use in weather balloons that measures various atmospheric parameters and transmits them to a fixed receiver. Radiosondes may operate at a radio frequency of 403 MHz or 1680 MHz and both types may be adjusted slightly higher or lower as required...
indicated a largely
cold-core systemExtratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
, with the exception of a mid-level warm core in its eastern semicircle. Early on November 15, Gordon began to re-acquire tropical characteristics, with a warm-core center re-developing near an area of deep convection. Later that day, the broad center crossed the
Florida KeysThe Florida Keys are a cluster of about 1700 islands in the southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the...
near
Key West Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States.The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
. Deep convection continued to build and concentrate over the center, and the wind field contracted as it transitioned into a fully tropical cyclone over the southeastern
Gulf of MexicoThe Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United...
. Under the influence of an approaching mid- to upper-level trough, Gordon turned to the northeast and made landfall near
Fort Myers, FloridaFort Myers is the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. Its population was 48,208 in the 2000 census. According to 2008 estimates, the population is 68,689....
on November 16 with winds of 50 mph (85 km/h).
Tropical Storm Gordon crossed the Florida peninsula in about nine hours, emerging into the
Atlantic OceanThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres , it covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface and about one-quarter of its water surface area. The first part of its name refers to the Atlas of Greek...
near
Vero BeachVero Beach is a city in Indian River County, Florida, USA. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 16,939. It is the county seat of Indian River County...
. As it reached the
Gulf StreamThe Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe, the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico, exits through the Strait of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland...
, a small but intense area of convection developed over the center, with winds increasing to 65 mph (105 km/h). On November 17 the thunderstorm activity was impacted by wind shear, which was expected to prevent further strengthening. However,
Hurricane HuntersHurricane Hunters are aircraft that fly into tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic Ocean and Northeastern Pacific Ocean for the specific purpose of directly measuring weather data in and around those storms. In the Western Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean, the titles of Typhoon Chasers or Typhoon...
reported strong winds in excess of 90 mph (145 km/h) within the deep convection, and late on November 17 Gordon attained hurricane status while located about 245 miles (345 km) southeast of
Cape FearCape Fear is a prominent headland jutting into the Atlantic Ocean from Bald Head Island on the coast of North Carolina in the southeastern United States. It is largely formed of barrier beaches and the silty outwash of the Cape Fear River as it drains the southeast coast of North Carolina through...
,
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
; shortly thereafter the hurricane reached peak winds of 85 mph (140 km/h). Upon attaining hurricane status, the trough that had turned Gordon to the north surpassed the cyclone, resulting in the development of a mid-level ridge to its north. The ridge turned the hurricane sharply northwestward, and at the time Gordon was expected to cross the
Outer BanksThe Outer Banks is a 200-mile long string of narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, beginning in southeastern corner of Virginia Beach on the east coast of the United States....
as a minimal hurricane. After passing about 90 miles (140 km) south of Cape Hatteras, Gordon turned to the south and south-southeast and weakened to a tropical storm. Encountering northwesterly wind shear and cooler, drier air, the cyclone steadily weakened as it lost much of its deep convection. On November 19, the storm turned to the southwest, and the next day Gordon deteriorated to tropical depression status as it curved westward. Early on November 20 Gordon moved ashore near
Cape Canaveral, FloridaCape Canaveral is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 8,829 at the 2000 census. As of 2008, the estimated population according to the U.S. Census Bureau was 10,147...
as a minimal tropical cyclone; it turned northward into
GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
, and on November 21 Gordon dissipated over
South CarolinaSouth Carolina is a U.S. state that borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence from the British Crown during the American Revolution. The colony was...
.
Lasting as a tropical cyclone for 324 hours, Gordon was tied with
Hurricane MarcoHurricane Marco was a Category 1 hurricane which caused flooding and mudslides in parts of the Caribbean. The 13th named storm of the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season, Marco developed in the southwestern Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and Honduras on November 16. It attained tropical storm...
of
1996The 1996 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1996, and lasted until November 30, 1996. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin....
as the longest lasting Atlantic tropical cyclone during the month of November.
Impact
Impact by area
| Region |
Deaths |
Damage |
Costa RicaCosta Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east and south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south and the Caribbean Sea to the east.Costa Rica, which translates literally as "Rich Coast", constitutionally...
|
6 |
Unknown |
JamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width, amounting to 11,100 km 2. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harboring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
|
4 |
$11.8 million |
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
|
2 |
$102 million |
HaitiHaiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Creole- and French-speaking Caribbean country. Along with the Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago...
|
1,122 |
Unknown |
Dominican RepublicThe Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are occupied by two countries...
|
5 |
Unknown |
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
|
8 |
$400 million |
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
|
0 |
$500,000 |
| Total |
1,147 |
$514 million |
Although Gordon was a tropical storm for most of its existence, it caused enormous damage and loss of life. The
United NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace...
estimated death toll in
HaitiHaiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Creole- and French-speaking Caribbean country. Along with the Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago...
was 1,122. Six deaths were reported in
Costa RicaCosta Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east and south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south and the Caribbean Sea to the east.Costa Rica, which translates literally as "Rich Coast", constitutionally...
, five in the
Dominican RepublicThe Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are occupied by two countries...
, two in
JamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width, amounting to 11,100 km
2. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harboring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, two in
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
, and eight in
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
. Property damage to the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was estimated at $400 million (1994 dollars). Property damage statistics for the other affected areas are not available, but were reportedly severe in both
HaitiHaiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Creole- and French-speaking Caribbean country. Along with the Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago...
and
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
.
Haiti
HaitiHaiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Creole- and French-speaking Caribbean country. Along with the Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago...
suffers large death tolls from many hurricanes, and was particularly devastated by Hurricane Gordon. Hurricane Gordon killed 1,122 in the impoverished nation in 1994 although estimates range as high as 2,200. It has been argued that the damage caused by Hurricane Gordon, among other storms, are in part human-caused disasters. Massive
deforestationDeforestation is the clearance of naturally occurring forests by the processes of logging and/or burning of trees in a forested area. There are several reasons deforestation occurs: trees or derived charcoal can be sold as a commodity and used by humans, while cleared land is used as pasture,...
has left Haiti with about 1.4% of its
forestA forest is an area with a high density of trees. There are many definitions of a forest, based on the various criteria. These plant communities presently cover approximately 9.4% of the Earth's surface in many different regions and function as habitats for organisms, hydrologic flow modulators,...
s as of 2004, leaving
denudedDenudation is a geologic term that indicates the process by which the removal of material, through means of erosion and weathering, leads to a reduction of elevation and relief in landforms and landscapes. Exogenic processes, including the action of water, ice, and wind, predominantly involve...
mountainA mountain is a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill. The adjective montane is used to describe mountainous areas and things associated with them...
slopes that rainwater washes down unimpeded. The lack of tree cover contributed to the devastating
floodA flood is an overflow or accumulation of an expanse of water that submerges land. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide....
s that caused a majority of the deaths resulting from Hurricane Gordon.
Florida
Between Hurricane Gordon's three Florida landfalls it disrupted power to 425,000 customers. During its second landfall it ran a 505 ft (154 m) cargo ship aground less than 148 ft (45 m) from the Ft. Lauderdale beach. The storm's second landfall also spawned six
tornadoA tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air which is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud...
es. Four of the tornadoes did no damage and were rated F0 on the
Fujita scaleThe Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
, but two were rated F1, and one was given an F2 rating. One of the F1 tornadoes occurred in Lake Worth where it uprooted several trees and damaged two businesses and 39 homes. The F2 tornado occurred closer to the landfall in
Brevard CountyBrevard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida, along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the population is 536,521. Influenced by the presence of the John F...
where it destroyed 62 mobile homes and damaged 229 more in the Snug Harbor/Barefoot Bay mobile home communities.
Florida's physical geography was also damaged by the storm. Gordon caused significant beach erosion along portions of Florida east coast and destroyed $275 million (1994 dollars) of crops and farmland.
Lack of retirement
Despite the devastation in Haiti and the extensive damage in
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
and
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
, Gordon was not retired out of 1994 (which is unusual, given that such catastrophic storms usually get their names retired). The
World Meteorological OrganizationThe World Meteorological Organization is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 188 Member States and Territories. It originated from the International Meteorological Organization , which was founded in 1873...
issued an official statement crediting
JamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width, amounting to 11,100 km
2. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harboring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
's warning infrastructure for the low loss of life there, and blaming
HaitiHaiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Creole- and French-speaking Caribbean country. Along with the Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago...
's lack of such a system for the large number of deaths there.
The name Gordon was used for the first time in 1994 (replacing 1988's
GilbertHurricane Gilbert was an extremely powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane that formed during the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season and created widespread destruction in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico...
); it was used again in
2000Hurricane Gordon was one of two U.S. landfalling tropical storms of the 2000 Atlantic hurricane season, and was the 7th named storm and 4th hurricane of the 2000 Atlantic hurricane season. Gordon was a category 1 hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico but weakened to a tropical storm before making...
and
2006Hurricane Gordon was a strong Category 3 hurricane that crossed the Azores as a Category 1 hurricane, making it the first hurricane to directly impact the Azores since 1991. Gordon's remnants also affected Western Europe...
, and is scheduled to be used again in 2012.
See also
- List of tropical cyclones
- List of Atlantic hurricanes
- Geography of Haiti
The Republic of Haiti comprises the western third of the island of Hispaniola, west of the Dominican Republic. It is positioned between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. Haiti's geographic coordinates are at a longitude of 72° 25′ west and a latitude of 19° 00′ north. The...
- Economy of Haiti
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the agriculture sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, and remain vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters, exacerbated by the country's widespread deforestation...
- Timeline of the 1994 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1994 Atlantic hurricane season was a below-average Atlantic hurricane season that produced seven named tropical cyclones. The season officially began on June 1 and ended on November 30, dates which conventionally limit the period of each year when tropical cyclones tend to form in the Atlantic....
- List of North Carolina hurricanes (1980–present)
External links