Unnamed subtropical storm In the middle of January, an upper-level trough in the
westerlies spawned a surface
low-pressure area to the east-northeast of the
Lesser Antilles and to the south of a
subtropical ridge. Isolated from the detrimental effects of the westerlies, it was initially
non-tropical in nature and intensified through a
baroclinic energy source, or one that derives energy from the interaction of cold and warm air. Convection increased slightly despite cool sea surface temperatures of around . At 1200
UTC on January 18, it organized into a
subtropical depression about east-northeast of Puerto Rico while moving in a general westward track, which it would maintain for much of its duration. On the same day, the pressure gradient between the storm and the ridge produced gale-force winds. Later that day, the storm strengthened into a subtropical storm and attained peak winds of , supported by both ship and
Hurricane Hunters reports. At around that time, the cyclone was moving west-southwestward, and within 72 hours was forecast by one
hurricane forecast model to be located over
Hispaniola. By midday on January 22, the winds decreased to below gale force after the convection dissipated near the center. Subsequently, it turned more to the west away from land, and by January 23 the circulation degenerated into a remnant trough about north of the Lesser Antilles. The storm was one of six tropical or subtropical cyclones on record to be active in the month of January, and one of four to have formed in the month.
Tropical Storm Amelia A
tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic Ocean from the west coast of Africa on July 19. The wave did not develop significantly while crossing the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The disturbance then entered an area of the Gulf of Mexico that was conducive to
tropical cyclogenesis and became a tropical depression while located about south of
Brownsville, Texas on July 30. Despite its proximity to land, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Amelia on July 31 and peaked with winds of . Around that time, Amelia made landfall near
Port Isabel, Texas. Later on July 31, the storm weakened to a tropical depression and dissipated early the following day. Amelia affected the Texas coast for two days, causing several shipping incidents and minor damage in Corpus Christi and South Padre Island. While active, there were no deaths linked to the storm. However, the biggest impact from the storm followed its dissipation, when its remnants contributed to record rainfall totals over the state. The state, already suffering from a previous drought, believed that the rain would help alleviate the conditions. However, the dry ground aided the flooding from the storm. The rainfall caused several rivers and creeks to flood, especially around the Texas Hill Country and northern Texas, leading to severe damage.
Tropical Storm Bess A low-pressure area developed in
Georgia along a dissipating
cold front on August 1. The system detached from the cold front and drifted southwestward, reaching northeastern Gulf of Mexico on August 3. Satellite imagery, buoys, and reconnaissance aircraft flights indicated that by August 5, the system likely acquired a closed circulation. Thus, the National Hurricane Center estimated that a tropical depression developed in the central Gulf of Mexico at 1200 UTC that day. On August 6, a reconnaissance flight into the depression resulted in an upgrade to Tropical Storm Bess, while located about southeast of
Brownsville, Texas. The storm had initially headed west-southwestward at , before moving southwestward at nearly the same speed. At 1200 UTC on August 7, Bess attained its minimum barometric pressure of . Thereafter, Bess began to turn nearly due southward under the influence of a high-pressure area over southern Texas. Later on August 7, the storm reached its maximum sustained winds of . Early on August 8, Bess made landfall near
Nautla, Veracruz, at the same intensity and then rapidly dissipated inland. The storm also produced heavy rainfall, peaking at in La Estrella. However, no flooding occurred and no damage or fatalities were reported.
Hurricane Cora On August 4, a disturbance exited the west coast of Africa and moved quickly westward within the
Intertropical Convergence Zone. Two days later, the system broke away from the ICTZ, when it started organizing. It developed into Tropical Depression Three late on August 7. A day later it intensified into Tropical Storm Cora on August 8. The storm quickly intensified and developed a well-defined eye feature. The NHC upgraded Cora to hurricane status, marking only the second time that an Atlantic hurricane was upgraded solely based on satellite photography; the first was
Doris in 1975. The NHC estimated that Cora attained peak winds of early on August 9. For much of its duration, Cora moved quickly to the west-southwest toward the Lesser Antilles. Possibly as a result of the fast forward motion, the hurricane weakened soon after reaching its peak intensity, dropping to tropical storm status on August 10. That day, a
Hurricane Hunter aircraft encountered the weakening storm. Cora struck the island of
Grenada on August 11 while weakening to a tropical depression. Cora degenerated into a tropical wave on August 12 in the eastern Caribbean. The remnant crossed over Central America into the Pacific Ocean, where it regenerated into
Hurricane Kristy. Oil companies evacuated about 1,000 employees from offshore oil rigs in
Texas and Louisiana. One person died while attempting to evacuate an oil rig to the south of
Cameron, Louisiana. In Louisiana, rainfall peaked at in
Freshwater Bayou. There was flooding in
Rapides Parish. Five
tornadoes were reported from the system in Texas, Louisiana, and
Mississippi shortly after Debra's
landfall. A tornado spawned in Turkey Creek, Mississippi, destroyed three mobile homes and a house, killing one person and seriously injuring another; this tornado tracked on to
Crystal Springs, Mississippi. A confirmed tornado at the Ike settlement in
Vernon Parish, knocked over a trailer. Wind gusts reached in
Grand Chenier, which downed tree and damaged roofs. One person was hurt in the Memphis tornado. Power was knocked out at four blocks of the
Memphis International Airport, gas supplies were cut off in Memphis, and downed trees and power poles blocked many streets.
Hurricane Ella Towards the end of August, a
cold front stalled and dissipated across the western Atlantic Ocean, which spawned a tropical disturbance southeast of
Bermuda on August 28. It developed into a tropical depression on August 30, about 520
miles (840
km) south-southeast of Bermuda. Located to the south of a
subtropical ridge, the depression tracked steadily west-northwestward, becoming Tropical Storm Ella 18 hours later. The storm reached hurricane status late on August 31, based on confirmation from nearby ship reports and a
Hurricane Hunters flight. On September 1, Ella reached a preliminary peak intensity of . At the same time, an approaching
short-wave trough caused the hurricane to decelerate and turn slightly to the north, bringing it just off the east coast of North Carolina. Ella's winds dropped to minimal hurricane status as the convection diminished. After stalling for about 24 hours, Ella turned and accelerated to the northeast, steered by another trough. The hurricane began to significantly re-intensify. Early on September 4, Ella again reached major hurricane status, and later that day it peaked with winds of ; at the time it was about south of
Halifax,
Nova Scotia, and its peak winds were measured by Hurricane Hunters. This made it the strongest hurricane ever recorded in Canadian waters. Weakening began immediately after peak intensity due to cooler water temperatures. Early on September 5, Ella passed very near
Cape Race, although the strongest winds were south and east of the center. Associated convection became completely removed from the center, and the hurricane became
extratropical as it was absorbed by a larger mid-latitude system. The hurricane prompted a hurricane watch for the
Outer Banks of North Carolina during
Labor Day Weekend, resulting in a significant decrease in tourism. Hurricane Ella produced waves of in height, as well as rip currents along the coast. This caused some minor beach erosion, but the depleted sand returned within a few days. Prior to the storm's arrival, the Newfoundland Weather Forecast Office issued a hurricane warning for southeastern Newfoundland. The ferry between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland was disrupted, and boats across the region were sent back to harbor. Rainfall was fairly light, peaking at in southeastern Newfoundland, and sustained winds reached at
Cape Race. After the trough began weakening, favorable conditions returned, allowing Flossie to re-strengthen into a tropical storm on September 10. Flossie then decelerated and became nearly stationary on September 12. Around that time, the storm was upgraded to a hurricane. Further intensification continued, and Flossie peaked with winds of early on September 13. The storm began turned nearly due northward and began weakening. Flossie accelerated to the northeast and eventually transitioned into an extratropical cyclone while north of the Azores on September 15. The strong
extratropical cyclone brought winds as high as to
Fair Isle,
Great Britain.
Hurricane Greta A tropical wave developed into a tropical depression near
Trinidad on September 13. By the following day, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Greta. It headed westward to west-northwestward across the Caribbean Sea and slowly intensified, becoming a hurricane on September 16. The rate of intensification increased as Greta was approaching the northwestern Caribbean Sea. Greta briefly peaked as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of , while brushing northeastern
Honduras. Although the storm remained offshore, land interaction caused significant weakening. On September 19, Greta made landfall in
Stann Creek District,
Belize with winds of . The storm rapidly weakened inland over
Central America, but survived its passage and eventually became Hurricane Olivia in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Early in its duration, Greta produced heavy rainfall in the
Netherlands Antilles. however, damage and loss of life was significantly less than feared. The storm damaged about 75% of the houses on
Roatán along the offshore
Bay Islands, and there was one death in the country. while on the mainland, there was minimal flooding despite a high
storm surge. In
Belize City, a tornado flipped over a truck and damaged four houses. Damage in Belize was estimated at $25 million, and there were four deaths. but produced only of rain on the island. The storm then made a brief dip to the east-southeast, before resuming its east-northeastward course on September 16. Beginning on the following day, satellite imagery indicated that the system was acquiring tropical characteristics. As a result, it was reclassified as Tropical Storm Hope at 0600 UTC on September 17. By 1200 UTC on September 21, Hope transitioned into an extratropical cyclone Six hours after being named, Irma reached its peak intensity of . On October 5, Irma turned towards the north-northeast and passed about midway between the central and western
Azores. and that evening was absorbed into an approaching
cold front, about northeast of the Azores. Although Irma passed near parts of the western and central Azores with gale-force winds in some areas, no reports of damage or casualties caused by Irma were received. Several nearby ships reported winds around . It was noted that heavy rains may have occurred on some of the mountainous islands as Irma passed. After peaking with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of early on October 9, Juliet passed north of Puerto Rico. Damage in Puerto Rico reached $6 million. A
high-pressure area and Kendra combined produced strong winds and abnormally high tides along the
East Coast of the United States, though no damage was reported.
Other systems In addition to the 12 other tropical cyclones, there were several tropical depressions that developed during the season. The first of which formed over the central Gulf of Mexico on June 21. The depression moved northeastward toward Florida and strengthened slightly. It dissipated by late on June 22. Another tropical depression developed about southwest of
Porto Novo, Cape Verde on July 10. The system moved generally westward and intensified into a strong tropical depression, before dissipating two days later. Tropical Depression Four formed about east of
Barbados on August 7. It tracked westward without significantly intensifying, and passed through the
Windward Islands over
Bequia on the following day. The depression continued westward and passed near
Aruba on August 9. It eventually traversed the Caribbean Sea, and made landfall to the south of
Bluefields,
Nicaragua on August 11. The depression dissipated shortly thereafter. A tropical depression formed in the central Gulf of Mexico on August 9. The storm moved northward and struck southeastern
Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana before dissipating the next day. By August 30, another depression developed in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. The system tracked generally eastward and avoided landfall. It dissipated around midday on September 1. Tropical Depression Eight developed over western
Senegal around 1200 UTC on September 3. The depression initially headed west-southwestward and soon entered the Atlantic Ocean. Between late on September 4 and early on September 5, the system passed south of Cape Verde. Later that day, the storm began curving west-northwestward. By early on September 7, it was heading northwestward and then turned to the north-northwest the next day. The depression moved northward between September 9 and September 10, before re-curving to the northeast. It dissipated about of
Flores Island in the
Azores around midday on September 11. At 1200 UTC on September 8, Tropical Depression Nine developed over the west-central Gulf of Mexico. Moving generally westward, the depression made landfall south of
La Pesca,
Tamaulipas, around midday on September 10. The system rapidly weakened inland and dissipated later that day. Another tropical depression formed over western Senegal on September 18. It moved westward across the Atlantic Ocean before curving west-northwestward about three days later. On September 25, the depression moved northwestward and then northward by September 28. It dissipated about east-northeast of Bermuda at 1200 UTC the following day. The next tropical depression developed in the Gulf of Mexico just offshore
Campeche on September 21. Moving west-northwestward, the depression made landfall near
Tampico on September 23, shortly before dissipating. A tropical depression formed at 1200 UTC on October 13, while located about north of
Corvo Island in the Azores. The depression initially moved south-southwestward, before curving southwestward by the following day. It then turned west-northwestward on October 15. Late the next day, the depression turned abruptly northward. The system dissipated about west-northwest of Flores Island. The next tropical depression developed at 1200 UTC on October 26, while located about south-southwest of the southernmost islands of Cape Verde. It moved generally westward and dissipated about halfway between the Lesser Antilles and the west coast of Africa on October 29. The final tropical depression of the season formed about northeast of
North Abaco in the Bahamas on November 3. Moving north-northeastward, the depression turned northeastward by the next day. It dissipated about east of
Virginia Beach, Virginia on November 5. == Storm names ==