The 1993 Atlantic hurricane season was a period in the annual formation of tropical cyclones. It officially began on June 1, 1993, and lasted until November 30, 1993. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The season experienced relatively low activity, with eight named storms, four becoming hurricanes; the low activity is the result of a strong El Niño that lasted from 1991 to 1994.

Tropical Storm Bret caused 184 deaths when it tracked across northern Venezuela in early August. Hurricane Gert caused significant damage to Mexico after tracking across Central America, killing 76. Hurricane Emily, the strongest storm of the season, caused light damage to the Outer Banks but never made landfall.

Storms

Tropical Depression One

This system formed just west of the Isle of Youth on May 31, then travelled across Cuba and the Bahamas before becoming extratropical southwest of Bermuda on June 2. Seven people were reported dead in Cuba from heavy rains associated with the tropical depression.

Tropical Storm Arlene

A tropical wave was detected in the Caribbean Sea over Central America on June 9. The system moved westward, bringing heavy rains in El Salvador before moving to the northwest. Moderately favorable conditions allowed the wave to organize into a tropical depression in the eastern Bay of Campeche on June 18. The system moved northwest and reached tropical storm strength on the 19th. Landfall occurred on June 20 on Padre Island, and the system dissipated the next day. Arlene caused 6 casualties and $55 million (1993 US dollars) in damage from its heavy flooding and beach erosion. In addition, the precursor tropical wave killed 20 people in El Salvador.

Tropical Storm Bret

Bret formed along 10°N about 1150 miles west of Cape Verde on August 4, a latitude it would stay at for most of its life. The storm tracked westward over Trinidad and a small portion of the Venezuelan coast on the 7th, and then back over the Caribbean Sea. The next day, Bret again crossed into Venezuela, and travelled into Colombia. It weakened over the mountainous terrain, and after becoming a tropical depression over the Caribbean, Bret hit southern Nicaragua on the 10th with 45 mph winds. 184 people were killed from the storm, with heavy damage reported.

Tropical Storm Cindy

Cindy became a named storm as a tropical depression crossed Martinique on August 14. The storm travelled west-northwest until its second landfall near Barahona in the Dominican Republic on August 16. It dissipated the next day. Heavy rainfall killed two in Martinique and two in the Dominican Republic. Specific damage estimates are not available.

Tropical Storm Dennis

Dennis formed in the mid-Atlantic on August 24, traveled northwest, and then dissipated on the 28th. Tropical Storm Dennis never affected land and no damage was reported.

Hurricane Emily

Emily formed on August 22 as a tropical depression and moved northwest, eventually coming to a standstill 1000 miles east of Florida. The storm initially moved southwest, but its track curved northward, sending it toward North Carolina. Hurricane Emily approached within 25 miles of Hatteras Island on August 31 as a Category 3 hurricane. Hurricane Emily then turned back out to sea, and on September 6 became extratropical and dissipated.

Three drowning deaths were reported along the coasts of North Carolina and Virginia. Property damage was isolated to the barrier islands, and was estimated at $35 million (1993 dollars).

Hurricane Floyd

Floyd formed midway between Bermuda and Hispaniola on September 7. It headed north while staying well west of Bermuda, and then took a northeastward track. A poorly organized tropical storm, Floyd did not reach hurricane strength until late on the 9th while southeast of Nova Scotia. Hurricane Floyd's motion began to become more eastward, and it started to lose its tropical characteristics. On September 10, Floyd was classified as a powerful extratropical storm. On September 12, Floyd's lowest barometric reading of 966 millibars was taken. The storm reached Brittany on the 13th as an extratropical storm with 80 mph winds.

No reports of damage were received by the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Gert

Gert formed as a tropical depression in the extreme southwest Caribbean Sea on September 14, about 105 miles north of Panama. The depression travelled west-northwest and was upgraded to a tropical storm on the 15th, just before landfall near Bluefields, Nicaragua. Gert weakened back to a tropical depression, travelled across Nicaragua and Honduras, and emerged briefly over water where it regained tropical storm strength. It hit Belize on September 18, crossed the Yucatán Peninsula, and emerged into the Bay of Campeche later that day. Over open water for the first time since it formed, Gert strengthened rapidly, reaching Category 2 strength just before landfall near Tuxpan on September 20. Gert dissipated on the 21st, having caused over $166 million in damage (1993 USD) and killing 76 people.

Hurricane Harvey

The depression that would become Harvey formed on September 18 about 400 miles south-southeast of Bermuda. It tracked northeast, and strengthened first to a tropical storm, then a hurricane. Harvey quickly weakened, and shortly after being declared extratropical on the 18th was absorbed by a front.

Tropical Depression Ten

A wind current strengthened into the tenth tropical depression of the season off Bermuda on September 29. It did not strengthen as predicted and ended merging with a cold front on the morning of October 1.

Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) Rating

ACE (104kt2) – Storm: Accumulated Cyclone Energy/Atlantic by year
1	22.1	Emily	5	2.14	Dennis
2	3.92	Bret	6	1.96	Harvey
3	3.77	Gert	7	1.14	Cindy
4	3.15	Floyd	8	0.490	Arlene
Total= 38.67 (39)

The table on the right shows the ACE for each storm in the season. The ACE is, broadly speaking, a measure of the power of the hurricane multiplied by the length of time it existed for, so hurricanes that lasted a long time have higher ACEs.

Storm names

The following names were used for named storms that formed in the north Atlantic in 1993. This is the same list used for the 1987 season. No names were retired, so it was used again in the 1999 season. Names that were not assigned are marked in .

Arlene Bret Cindy Dennis Emily Floyd Gert

Harvey

Retirement

The World Meteorological Organization retired no names used in the 1993 season.

See also

• List of Atlantic hurricanes
• List of Atlantic hurricane seasons
• 1993 Pacific hurricane season
• 1993 Pacific typhoon season
• 1993 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
• Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons: 1992–93, 1993–94

References

External links

• Monthly Weather Review
• Detailed information on all storms from 1993
• U.S. Rainfall information for tropical cyclones from 1993

The 1993 Atlantic hurricane season was a period in the annual formation of tropical cyclones. It officially began on June 1, 1993, and lasted until November 30, 1993. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The season experienced relatively low activity, with eight named storms, four becoming hurricanes; the low activity is the result of a strong El Niño that lasted from 1991 to 1994.

Tropical Storm Bret caused 184 deaths when it tracked across northern Venezuela in early August. Hurricane Gert caused significant damage to Mexico after tracking across Central America, killing 76. Hurricane Emily, the strongest storm of the season, caused light damage to the Outer Banks but never made landfall.

Storms

Tropical Depression One

This system formed just west of the Isle of Youth on May 31, then travelled across Cuba and the Bahamas before becoming extratropical southwest of Bermuda on June 2. Seven people were reported dead in Cuba from heavy rains associated with the tropical depression.

Tropical Storm Arlene

A tropical wave was detected in the Caribbean Sea over Central America on June 9. The system moved westward, bringing heavy rains in El Salvador before moving to the northwest. Moderately favorable conditions allowed the wave to organize into a tropical depression in the eastern Bay of Campeche on June 18. The system moved northwest and reached tropical storm strength on the 19th. Landfall occurred on June 20 on Padre Island, and the system dissipated the next day. Arlene caused 6 casualties and $55 million (1993 US dollars) in damage from its heavy flooding and beach erosion. In addition, the precursor tropical wave killed 20 people in El Salvador.

Tropical Storm Bret

Bret formed along 10°N about 1150 miles west of Cape Verde on August 4, a latitude it would stay at for most of its life. The storm tracked westward over Trinidad and a small portion of the Venezuelan coast on the 7th, and then back over the Caribbean Sea. The next day, Bret again crossed into Venezuela, and travelled into Colombia. It weakened over the mountainous terrain, and after becoming a tropical depression over the Caribbean, Bret hit southern Nicaragua on the 10th with 45 mph winds. 184 people were killed from the storm, with heavy damage reported.

Tropical Storm Cindy

Cindy became a named storm as a tropical depression crossed Martinique on August 14. The storm travelled west-northwest until its second landfall near Barahona in the Dominican Republic on August 16. It dissipated the next day. Heavy rainfall killed two in Martinique and two in the Dominican Republic. Specific damage estimates are not available.

Tropical Storm Dennis

Dennis formed in the mid-Atlantic on August 24, traveled northwest, and then dissipated on the 28th. Tropical Storm Dennis never affected land and no damage was reported.

Hurricane Emily

Emily formed on August 22 as a tropical depression and moved northwest, eventually coming to a standstill 1000 miles east of Florida. The storm initially moved southwest, but its track curved northward, sending it toward North Carolina. Hurricane Emily approached within 25 miles of Hatteras Island on August 31 as a Category 3 hurricane. Hurricane Emily then turned back out to sea, and on September 6 became extratropical and dissipated.

Three drowning deaths were reported along the coasts of North Carolina and Virginia. Property damage was isolated to the barrier islands, and was estimated at $35 million (1993 dollars).

Hurricane Floyd

Floyd formed midway between Bermuda and Hispaniola on September 7. It headed north while staying well west of Bermuda, and then took a northeastward track. A poorly organized tropical storm, Floyd did not reach hurricane strength until late on the 9th while southeast of Nova Scotia. Hurricane Floyd's motion began to become more eastward, and it started to lose its tropical characteristics. On September 10, Floyd was classified as a powerful extratropical storm. On September 12, Floyd's lowest barometric reading of 966 millibars was taken. The storm reached Brittany on the 13th as an extratropical storm with 80 mph winds.

No reports of damage were received by the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Gert

Gert formed as a tropical depression in the extreme southwest Caribbean Sea on September 14, about 105 miles north of Panama. The depression travelled west-northwest and was upgraded to a tropical storm on the 15th, just before landfall near Bluefields, Nicaragua. Gert weakened back to a tropical depression, travelled across Nicaragua and Honduras, and emerged briefly over water where it regained tropical storm strength. It hit Belize on September 18, crossed the Yucatán Peninsula, and emerged into the Bay of Campeche later that day. Over open water for the first time since it formed, Gert strengthened rapidly, reaching Category 2 strength just before landfall near Tuxpan on September 20. Gert dissipated on the 21st, having caused over $166 million in damage (1993 USD) and killing 76 people.

Hurricane Harvey

The depression that would become Harvey formed on September 18 about 400 miles south-southeast of Bermuda. It tracked northeast, and strengthened first to a tropical storm, then a hurricane. Harvey quickly weakened, and shortly after being declared extratropical on the 18th was absorbed by a front.

Tropical Depression Ten

A wind current strengthened into the tenth tropical depression of the season off Bermuda on September 29. It did not strengthen as predicted and ended merging with a cold front on the morning of October 1.

Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) Rating

ACE (104kt2) – Storm: Accumulated Cyclone Energy/Atlantic by year
1	22.1	Emily	5	2.14	Dennis
2	3.92	Bret	6	1.96	Harvey
3	3.77	Gert	7	1.14	Cindy
4	3.15	Floyd	8	0.490	Arlene
Total= 38.67 (39)

The table on the right shows the ACE for each storm in the season. The ACE is, broadly speaking, a measure of the power of the hurricane multiplied by the length of time it existed for, so hurricanes that lasted a long time have higher ACEs.

Storm names

The following names were used for named storms that formed in the north Atlantic in 1993. This is the same list used for the 1987 season. No names were retired, so it was used again in the 1999 season. Names that were not assigned are marked in .

Arlene Bret Cindy Dennis Emily Floyd Gert

Harvey

Retirement

The World Meteorological Organization retired no names used in the 1993 season.

See also

• List of Atlantic hurricanes
• List of Atlantic hurricane seasons
• 1993 Pacific hurricane season
• 1993 Pacific typhoon season
• 1993 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
• Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons: 1992–93, 1993–94

References

External links

• Monthly Weather Review
• Detailed information on all storms from 1993
• U.S. Rainfall information for tropical cyclones from 1993