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Hurricane Gladys (1975)
Encyclopedia
Hurricane Gladys was the eighteenth tropical cyclone
, seventh named storm
, fifth hurricane, and third major hurricane during the 1975 Atlantic hurricane season
. Gladys developed from a tropical wave
that emerged from the west coast of Africa on September 17. The wave moved westward into the central Atlantic, where upon becoming a tropical depression on September 22, turned towards the northwest. Continuing its movement above warm sea surface temperature
s and low wind shear
, the depression gradually strengthened into a tropical storm by September 24, when it receiving the name Gladys from the National Hurricane Center
(NHC). Despite entering a more unfavorable environment several hundred miles east of the northern Leeward Islands
, Gladys became a Category 1 hurricane
on September 28. Shortly thereafter, the storm reentered an area favorable for strengthening, and a well-defined eye became visible on satellite imagery. As the storm tracked to the east of the Bahamas, a curve to the north began, and an anticyclone
developed atop the cyclone. This subsequently allowed Gladys to rapidly intensify
into a Category 4 hurricane, reaching a peak intensity of 140 mph (225.3 km/h) on October 2. As a weakening system, Gladys passed very close to Cape Race, Newfoundland before merging with a large extratropical cyclone
. Effects from the system along the East Coast of the United States
were minimal, although heavy rainfall and rough seas were reported.
emerged off the western coast of Africa, and into the Atlantic Ocean. The disturbance followed another tropical wave which became Hurricane Faye several days later. Operationally, the information about the early stages of the disturbance was unknown until later when a review of storm data showed that the system became a tropical depression on September 22. The depression then strengthened into a tropical storm and was named Gladys by the National Hurricane Center
on September 24. After becoming a tropical storm, Gladys slowly intensified as winds increased to 50 mph (80 km/h). The storm then moved west-northwest where it reached hurricane strength on September 25 where it encountered wind shear
. Despite the wind shear, Gladys managed to maintain hurricane strength as the pressure rose to 1000 millibars on September 28.
After passing though the strong area of wind shear, the storm began to strengthen further as it interacted with an upper level southeasterly flow. On September 29, the center of Gladys passed 350 miles (563.2 km) north of Puerto Rico
as the storm continued moving west-northwest at 12 mph (19 km/h). Later that day, the barometric pressure fell to 975 millibars as the winds increased to 90 mph (145 km/h), and a clear eye
was visible on satellite
imagery. The following day, the hurricane further strengthened due to decreasing wind shear and a building high pressure area. The storm's winds reached 110 mph (177 km/h) and its forward speed increased to 15 mph (24 km/h) as the storm continued west northwest. On October 1, Gladys began to recurve as an anticyclone
developed over the storm. The interaction with the system allowed the hurricane strengthen rapidly. By October 2, the barometric pressure fell to 939 millibars and the winds peaked to 140 mph (215 km/h) as the storm recurved northwest at 23 mph (37 km/h). Gladys passed 70 miles (113 km) southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland before merging with an extratropical storm by October 4.
, a NOAA C-130 hurricane hunter aircraft flew into Gladys on October 1 on a research mission. The mission was to study the storm and use the information to improve seeding operations for the now defunct Project Stormfury
. The plane and its eight crewmen which included Bob Sheets
made nine trips in and around the storm monitoring its structure. On one trip, the plane hit a sheet of ice which caused it to shake violently. The impact damaged the nose of the plane and knocked out two of the measuring instruments. After the mission into the storm, information gathered from it improved knowledge of the conditions of hurricanes and their effects on cloud seeding. That information was then used for cloud seeding operations that were planned to go into effect in 1977 in the Pacific Ocean
. However, pull out of the United States Navy
from the project and opposition by countries of China
and Japan
resulted in the cancellation of those missions.
As the center of the hurricane by passed the coast of North Carolina
, the weather radar
at Cape Hatteras showed the eye
centered 270.3 miles (435 km) offshore and spiral bands surrounding the eye. The close proximity of the eye of Hurricane Gladys to be observed by radar was the first since Hurricane Carla
of 1961 when the eye of that storm was observed on radar at 260.4 miles (419 km).
As Gladys neared the East Coast of the United States
, meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center
forecast the storm to make landfall within three days. That prompted meteorologists to issue a hurricane watch for North Carolina
's Outer Banks
extending from Cape Lookout to Kitty Hawk
In Manteo
, residents began laying sandbag
s and filling their cars up with fuel
in anticipation for possible evacuation, and the United States Coast Guard
sent a plane equipped with a loudspeaker
to warn fishermen of the hurricane. Elsewhere in the Outer Banks
, residents evacuated to hotels in Elizabeth City
and four United States Coast Guard
servicemen stationed at a lighthouse
in Cape Hatteras were evacuated. While passing the Outer Banks
, the storm brought waves up to 8 ft (2.4 m) which resulted in a campground and a coastal road being closed. As the cyclone moved northward, it brushed Newfoundland with high winds. The effects of the storm on North Carolina
and Newfoundland were minimal.
Tropical cyclone
A 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 strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
, seventh named storm
Tropical cyclone naming
Tropical cyclones have officially been named since 1945 and are named for a variety of reasons, which include to facilitate communications between forecasters and the public when forecasts, watches, and warnings are issued. Names also reduce confusion about what storm is being described, as more...
, fifth hurricane, and third major hurricane during the 1975 Atlantic hurricane season
1975 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1975 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1975, and lasted until November 30, 1975. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin...
. Gladys developed from a tropical wave
Tropical wave
Tropical waves, easterly waves, or tropical 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...
that emerged from the west coast of Africa on September 17. The wave moved westward into the central Atlantic, where upon becoming a tropical depression on September 22, turned towards the northwest. Continuing its movement above warm sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperature is the water temperature close to the oceans surface. The exact meaning of surface varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air masses in the Earth's atmosphere are highly modified by sea surface temperatures within a...
s and low wind shear
Wind shear
Wind 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...
, the depression gradually strengthened into a tropical storm by September 24, when it receiving the name Gladys from the National Hurricane Center
National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center , located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, is the division of the National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting weather systems within the tropics between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 30th...
(NHC). Despite entering a more unfavorable environment several hundred miles east of the northern Leeward Islands
Leeward Islands
The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the West Indies. They are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. As a group they start east of Puerto Rico and reach southward to Dominica. They are situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean...
, Gladys became a Category 1 hurricane
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
The Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale , or the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale , classifies hurricanes — Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms — into five categories distinguished by the intensities of their sustained winds...
on September 28. Shortly thereafter, the storm reentered an area favorable for strengthening, and a well-defined eye became visible on satellite imagery. As the storm tracked to the east of the Bahamas, a curve to the north began, and an anticyclone
Anticyclone
An anticyclone is a weather phenomenon defined by the United States' National Weather Service's glossary as "[a] large-scale circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure, clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere"...
developed atop the cyclone. This subsequently allowed Gladys to rapidly intensify
Rapid deepening
Rapid deepening, also known as rapid intensification, is a meteorological condition that occurs when the minimum sea-level atmospheric pressure of a tropical cyclone decreases drastically in a short period of time. The National Weather Service describes rapid deepening as a decrease of...
into a Category 4 hurricane, reaching a peak intensity of 140 mph (225.3 km/h) on October 2. As a weakening system, Gladys passed very close to Cape Race, Newfoundland before merging with a large extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical 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...
. Effects from the system along the East Coast of the United States
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
were minimal, although heavy rainfall and rough seas were reported.
Meteorological history
On September 17, a tropical waveTropical wave
Tropical waves, easterly waves, or tropical 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...
emerged off the western coast of Africa, and into the Atlantic Ocean. The disturbance followed another tropical wave which became Hurricane Faye several days later. Operationally, the information about the early stages of the disturbance was unknown until later when a review of storm data showed that the system became a tropical depression on September 22. The depression then strengthened into a tropical storm and was named Gladys by the National Hurricane Center
National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center , located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, is the division of the National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting weather systems within the tropics between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 30th...
on September 24. After becoming a tropical storm, Gladys slowly intensified as winds increased to 50 mph (80 km/h). The storm then moved west-northwest where it reached hurricane strength on September 25 where it encountered wind shear
Wind shear
Wind 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...
. Despite the wind shear, Gladys managed to maintain hurricane strength as the pressure rose to 1000 millibars on September 28.
After passing though the strong area of wind shear, the storm began to strengthen further as it interacted with an upper level southeasterly flow. On September 29, the center of Gladys passed 350 miles (563.2 km) north of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
as the storm continued moving west-northwest at 12 mph (19 km/h). Later that day, the barometric pressure fell to 975 millibars as the winds increased to 90 mph (145 km/h), and a clear eye
Eye (cyclone)
The eye is a region of mostly calm weather found at the center of strong tropical cyclones. The eye of a storm is a roughly circular area and typically 30–65 km in diameter. It is surrounded by the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms where the second most severe weather of a cyclone...
was visible on satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
imagery. The following day, the hurricane further strengthened due to decreasing wind shear and a building high pressure area. The storm's winds reached 110 mph (177 km/h) and its forward speed increased to 15 mph (24 km/h) as the storm continued west northwest. On October 1, Gladys began to recurve as an anticyclone
Anticyclone
An anticyclone is a weather phenomenon defined by the United States' National Weather Service's glossary as "[a] large-scale circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure, clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere"...
developed over the storm. The interaction with the system allowed the hurricane strengthen rapidly. By October 2, the barometric pressure fell to 939 millibars and the winds peaked to 140 mph (215 km/h) as the storm recurved northwest at 23 mph (37 km/h). Gladys passed 70 miles (113 km) southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland before merging with an extratropical storm by October 4.
Observation, preparations and impact
While over the Atlantic OceanAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, a NOAA C-130 hurricane hunter aircraft flew into Gladys on October 1 on a research mission. The mission was to study the storm and use the information to improve seeding operations for the now defunct Project Stormfury
Project Stormfury
Project Stormfury was an attempt to weaken tropical cyclones by flying aircraft into them and seeding with silver iodide. The project was run by the United States Government from 1962 to 1983....
. The plane and its eight crewmen which included Bob Sheets
Bob Sheets
Robert C. Sheets is a meteorologist who served as the director of the National Hurricane Center from 1987 to 1995. He is well remembered for numerous interviews given from the Hurricane Center during Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Sheets also was a member and eventual director in Project Storm Fury,...
made nine trips in and around the storm monitoring its structure. On one trip, the plane hit a sheet of ice which caused it to shake violently. The impact damaged the nose of the plane and knocked out two of the measuring instruments. After the mission into the storm, information gathered from it improved knowledge of the conditions of hurricanes and their effects on cloud seeding. That information was then used for cloud seeding operations that were planned to go into effect in 1977 in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. However, pull out of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
from the project and opposition by countries of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
resulted in the cancellation of those missions.
As the center of the hurricane by passed the coast of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located 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. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, the weather radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
at Cape Hatteras showed the eye
Eye (cyclone)
The eye is a region of mostly calm weather found at the center of strong tropical cyclones. The eye of a storm is a roughly circular area and typically 30–65 km in diameter. It is surrounded by the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms where the second most severe weather of a cyclone...
centered 270.3 miles (435 km) offshore and spiral bands surrounding the eye. The close proximity of the eye of Hurricane Gladys to be observed by radar was the first since Hurricane Carla
Hurricane Carla
Hurricane Carla was one of two Category 5 tropical cyclones during the 1961 Atlantic hurricane season. It struck the Texas coast as a Category 4 hurricane, becoming one of the most powerful storms to ever strike the United States. Hurricane Carla was the second most intense storm to ever...
of 1961 when the eye of that storm was observed on radar at 260.4 miles (419 km).
As Gladys neared the East Coast of the United States
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
, meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center
National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center , located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, is the division of the National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting weather systems within the tropics between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 30th...
forecast the storm to make landfall within three days. That prompted meteorologists to issue a hurricane watch for North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located 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. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
's Outer Banks
Outer Banks
The Outer Banks is a 200-mile long string of narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, beginning in the southeastern corner of Virginia Beach on the east coast of the United States....
extending from Cape Lookout to Kitty Hawk
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
Kitty Hawk is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,000 at the 2000 census. It was established in the early 18th century as Chickahawk....
In Manteo
Manteo, North Carolina
Manteo is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States, located on Roanoke Island. The population was 1,052 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Dare County.-Geography:...
, residents began laying sandbag
Sandbag
A sandbag is a sack made of hessian/burlap, polypropylene or other materials that is filled with sand or soil and used for such purposes as flood control, military fortification, shielding glass windows in war zones and ballast....
s and filling their cars up with fuel
Fuel
Fuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air...
in anticipation for possible evacuation, and the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
sent a plane equipped with a loudspeaker
Loudspeaker
A loudspeaker is an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input. Non-electrical loudspeakers were developed as accessories to telephone systems, but electronic amplification by vacuum tube made loudspeakers more generally useful...
to warn fishermen of the hurricane. Elsewhere in the Outer Banks
Outer Banks
The Outer Banks is a 200-mile long string of narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, beginning in the southeastern corner of Virginia Beach on the east coast of the United States....
, residents evacuated to hotels in Elizabeth City
Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank County and Camden County in the State of North Carolina. With a population of 18,683 at the 2010 census, Elizabeth City is the county seat of Pasquotank County....
and four United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
servicemen stationed at a lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
in Cape Hatteras were evacuated. While passing the Outer Banks
Outer Banks
The Outer Banks is a 200-mile long string of narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, beginning in the southeastern corner of Virginia Beach on the east coast of the United States....
, the storm brought waves up to 8 ft (2.4 m) which resulted in a campground and a coastal road being closed. As the cyclone moved northward, it brushed Newfoundland with high winds. The effects of the storm on North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located 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. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and Newfoundland were minimal.
See also
- List of Category 4 Atlantic hurricanes
- Other storms of the same nameTropical Storm Gladys (disambiguation)The name Gladys has been used for four tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean.* 1955's Hurricane Gladys* 1964's Hurricane Gladys* 1968's Hurricane Gladys - hit Cuba, Florida and Nova Scotia.* 1975's Hurricane Gladys...