Tropical Depression One (1993)
Encyclopedia
Tropical Depression One was a weak tropical cyclone
that struck Cuba
and the Bahamas in May and June 1993. It formed in the western Caribbean Sea
on May 31 and produced heavy rainfall along its path. In Cuba, the precipitation reached 12.4 inches (31.5 cm), which caused widespread flooding and damage in nine provinces
. Over 16,500 houses were damaged, and a further 1,860 were destroyed. At least seven people were killed in the country. In neighboring Haiti
, the flooding killed thirteen people, as well as thousands of livestock. Rainfall was also reported in southern Florida, which eased drought conditions. The depression eventually crossed the Bahamas and became extratropical.
that exited the coast of Africa
on May 13. It crossed the Atlantic Ocean
and Caribbean Sea
, reaching a position east of the Yucatan Peninsula
by May 25. The system interacted with a monsoon
-type circulation over Central America
, and a broad low-level circulation developed near Cozumel
, Mexico
. Atmospheric pressure
in the region fell gradually as the system organized, and on May 31, the National Hurricane Center
classified it as Tropical Depression One near the Isle of Youth
. At the time of being upgraded, the circulation was located on the northwest side of the convection due to wind shear
.
Throughout its duration, the depression maintained a northeast track, due to an approaching shortwave trough
to its north. Late on May 31, the poorly-organized center crossed western Cuba
, accompanied by heavy rainfall but light winds. By the time the circulation reached the Florida Straits, it was exposed and removed from the convection, although slight intensification was anticipated. The depression accelerated northeastward through the Bahamas, passing near Nassau
. Based on Hurricane Hunters
observations, it maintained stronger winds in squalls away from the center, and the pressure deepened to 999 mbar (hPa; 29.5 inHg). By June 2, reconnaissance flights into the system had difficulty discerning a circulation. Later that day, the National Hurricane Center discontinued advisories, as the depression had become extratropical. It strengthened slightly to reach gale force winds as an extratropical storm, and persisted until early on June 3.
, Cuba
, Haiti
, south Florida
, and the Bahamas. The agency also advised small craft in Cuba and the Cayman Islands
to remain at port. The depression was the first tropical cyclone threat to south Florida since Hurricane Andrew
nine months prior, although officials noted the depression's winds were no cause for concern.
The precursor to the disturbance brought locally heavy rainfall to the Yucatán Peninsula
, with a maximum of 7.09 inches (18 cm) in Lázaro Cárdenas, Quintana Roo
. The depression produced intense precipitation across central and eastern Cuba, peaking at 12.4 inches (31.5 cm) in Topes de Collantes
. In Victoria de Las Tunas
, a rainfall total of 8.6 inches (21.8 cm) set the new record most rainfall in 24 hours. The rainfall caused flooding of rivers and lakes behind dams, and in some places, residents required rescue from the roofs of their houses. Officials forced the evacuation of 40,000 people in several provinces
, and across the country, the storm destroyed 1,860 homes and damaged 16,500 more. The flooding blocked mountainous highways in Santiago de Cuba Province
, and in Las Tunas Province
railway lines were damaged. Widespread crop damage occurred just two months after the Storm of the Century left similar heavy damage. The flooding damaged 87 sugar production centers. The depression killed seven people in the country with another five missing, as reported by a newspaper on the day after the depression left the island. After the storm passed, the Cuban government activated the Civil Defense, while National Relief Services worked to rescue all people affected by the flooding.
Elsewhere along its path, heavy rainfall was reported in Jamaica, Hispaniola, and southern Florida
. In Haiti, the rainfall caused 13 deaths and left thousands of livestock killed. In Florida, the precipitation peaked at 9.99 inches (25.4 cm) in Canal Point
near Lake Okeechobee
. Another high total was 9.4 inches (23.9 cm) in Tavernier
, and the precipitation as a whole alleviated drought conditions.
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...
that struck Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main 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...
and the Bahamas in May and June 1993. It formed in the western Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
on May 31 and produced heavy rainfall along its path. In Cuba, the precipitation reached 12.4 inches (31.5 cm), which caused widespread flooding and damage in nine provinces
Provinces of Cuba
Administratively, Cuba is divided into 15 provinces and one special municipality not included in any province. The last modification was approved in August 2010 , splitting Havana province into two new provinces: Artemisa and Mayabeque...
. Over 16,500 houses were damaged, and a further 1,860 were destroyed. At least seven people were killed in the country. In neighboring Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, the flooding killed thirteen people, as well as thousands of livestock. Rainfall was also reported in southern Florida, which eased drought conditions. The depression eventually crossed the Bahamas and became extratropical.
Meteorological history
The origins of the tropical depression were from 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...
that exited the coast of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
on May 13. It crossed the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic 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...
and Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
, reaching a position east of the Yucatan Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
by May 25. The system interacted with a monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
-type circulation over Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, and a broad low-level circulation developed near Cozumel
Cozumel
Cozumel is an island in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen, and close to the Yucatan Channel. Cozumel is one of the ten municipalities of the state of Quintana Roo...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure is the force per unit area exerted into a surface by the weight of air above that surface in the atmosphere of Earth . In most circumstances atmospheric pressure is closely approximated by the hydrostatic pressure caused by the weight of air above the measurement point...
in the region fell gradually as the system organized, and on May 31, 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...
classified it as Tropical Depression One near the Isle of Youth
Isle of Youth
Isla de la Juventud is the second-largest Cuban island and the seventh-largest island in the West Indies . The island has an area and is 100 km south of the island of Cuba, across the Gulf of Batabanó...
. At the time of being upgraded, the circulation was located on the northwest side of the convection due to 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...
.
Throughout its duration, the depression maintained a northeast track, due to an approaching shortwave trough
Trough (meteorology)
A 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...
to its north. Late on May 31, the poorly-organized center crossed western Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main 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...
, accompanied by heavy rainfall but light winds. By the time the circulation reached the Florida Straits, it was exposed and removed from the convection, although slight intensification was anticipated. The depression accelerated northeastward through the Bahamas, passing near Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
. Based on Hurricane Hunters
Hurricane Hunters
The Hurricane 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 United States, the Air Force, Navy, and NOAA units have all participated in...
observations, it maintained stronger winds in squalls away from the center, and the pressure deepened to 999 mbar (hPa; 29.5 inHg). By June 2, reconnaissance flights into the system had difficulty discerning a circulation. Later that day, the National Hurricane Center discontinued advisories, as the depression had become extratropical. It strengthened slightly to reach gale force winds as an extratropical storm, and persisted until early on June 3.
Preparations and impact
In its first advisory on the depression, the National Hurricane Center emphasized the threat for heavy rainfall in JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main 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...
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, south Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, and the Bahamas. The agency also advised small craft in Cuba and the Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...
to remain at port. The depression was the first tropical cyclone threat to south Florida since Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew was the third Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the United States, after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and Hurricane Camille in 1969. Andrew was the first named storm and only major hurricane of the otherwise inactive 1992 Atlantic hurricane season...
nine months prior, although officials noted the depression's winds were no cause for concern.
The precursor to the disturbance brought locally heavy rainfall to the Yucatán Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
, with a maximum of 7.09 inches (18 cm) in Lázaro Cárdenas, Quintana Roo
Lázaro Cárdenas, Quintana Roo
Lázaro Cárdenas is one of the ten municipalities that make up the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Its municipal seat is the town of Kantunilkín, which was founded on 10 October 1859...
. The depression produced intense precipitation across central and eastern Cuba, peaking at 12.4 inches (31.5 cm) in Topes de Collantes
Topes de Collantes
Topes de Collantes is a nature reserve park in the Escambray Mountains range in Cuba. It also refers to the third highest peak in the reserve, where a small settlement and tourist center is located, all sharing the same name.- Geography :...
. In Victoria de Las Tunas
Victoria de Las Tunas
Victoria de las Tunas is a city and municipality in central-eastern Cuba. It is the capital of the Las Tunas Province.The municipality is divided into the barrios of Primero, Segundo, Antonio Machado, Arenas, Caisimú, Cauto del Paso, Cuaba, Curana, Dumañuecos, Ojo de Agua, Oriente, Palmarito,...
, a rainfall total of 8.6 inches (21.8 cm) set the new record most rainfall in 24 hours. The rainfall caused flooding of rivers and lakes behind dams, and in some places, residents required rescue from the roofs of their houses. Officials forced the evacuation of 40,000 people in several provinces
Provinces of Cuba
Administratively, Cuba is divided into 15 provinces and one special municipality not included in any province. The last modification was approved in August 2010 , splitting Havana province into two new provinces: Artemisa and Mayabeque...
, and across the country, the storm destroyed 1,860 homes and damaged 16,500 more. The flooding blocked mountainous highways in Santiago de Cuba Province
Santiago de Cuba Province
Santiago de Cuba Province is the second most populated province in the island of Cuba. The largest city Santiago de Cuba is the main administrative center...
, and in Las Tunas Province
Las Tunas Province
Las Tunas is one of the provinces of Cuba. Major towns include Puerto Padre and Amancio, as well as the capital, Victoria de Las Tunas ....
railway lines were damaged. Widespread crop damage occurred just two months after the Storm of the Century left similar heavy damage. The flooding damaged 87 sugar production centers. The depression killed seven people in the country with another five missing, as reported by a newspaper on the day after the depression left the island. After the storm passed, the Cuban government activated the Civil Defense, while National Relief Services worked to rescue all people affected by the flooding.
Elsewhere along its path, heavy rainfall was reported in Jamaica, Hispaniola, and southern Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. In Haiti, the rainfall caused 13 deaths and left thousands of livestock killed. In Florida, the precipitation peaked at 9.99 inches (25.4 cm) in Canal Point
Canal Point, Florida
The unincorporated community of Canal Point is a census-designated place in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 525 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Canal Point is located at ....
near Lake Okeechobee
Lake Okeechobee
Lake Okeechobee , locally referred to as The Lake or The Big O, is the largest freshwater lake in the state of Florida. It is the seventh largest freshwater lake in the United States and the second largest freshwater lake contained entirely within the lower 48 states...
. Another high total was 9.4 inches (23.9 cm) in Tavernier
Tavernier, Florida
Tavernier is a census-designated place in Monroe County, Florida, on an island named Key Largo in the upper Florida Keys. The population was 2,173 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Tavernier is located at ....
, and the precipitation as a whole alleviated drought conditions.