Hurricane Heather

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For other storms of the same name, see List of storms named Heather.
Hurricane Heather
Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS/NWS)
Heather 1977.JPG
Satellite image of Hurricane Heather
FormedOctober 4, 1977
DissipatedOctober 7, 1977
Highest winds1-minute sustained: 85 mph (140 km/h)
Lowest pressure978 mbar (hPa); 28.88 inHg
FatalitiesNone reported
Damage$15 million (1977 USD)
Areas affectedSocorro Island, Arizona, Sonora
Part of the 1977 Pacific hurricane season

Hurricane Heather was one of the worst tropical cyclones to affect Arizona on record. The sixteenth tropical cyclone, eighth named storm, and fourth hurricane of the 1977 Pacific hurricane season, it began as a tropical disturbance on October 3, before later developing into a tropical depression on October 4. Later that day, the depression turned to the northwest, and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Heather. Continuing to strengthen, on October 5, Heather strengthened into a hurricane, and later that day its winds peaked at 85 mph (135 km/h). Heather began to turn north-northwest around this time, and by October 6, it weakened into a tropical storm. Moving north, Heather continued to weaken over cooler waters, and on October 7, the final advisory was issued, downgrading Heather to a tropical depression.

Heather's remnants later brought heavy rains to southeast Arizona and far northern parts of Sonora from October 6–10, causing severe flooding. Rain totals as high as 14 inches were recorded in unspecified areas in this region, and the city of Nogales in Arizona officially recorded 8.30 inches (211 mm) of rain from the storm. At least 700 people were driven from their homes due to flooding from Heather. The Santa Cruz River flooded along its path, reaching up to a 100-year flood stage near Nogales. Overall, the storm caused $15 million (1977 USD) in damage, primarily to agriculture, but caused no fatalities.

Meteorological history[]

Map plotting the storm's track and intensity, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
Map key
Saffir–Simpson scale
  Tropical depression (≤38 mph, ≤62 km/h)
  Tropical storm (39–73 mph, 63–118 km/h)
  Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
  Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
  Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
  Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
  Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
  Unknown
Storm type
▲ Extratropical cyclone / Remnant low / Tropical disturbance / Monsoon depression

Heather began as a tropical disturbance, roughly 300 mi (480 km) south-southwest of Manzanillo, at 18:00 UTC on October 3.[1] Moving west-northwest at about 14 mph, the disturbance intensified over sea surface temperatures (SSTs) of 84 °F (29 °C), and was upgraded to Tropical Depression Sixteen at 00:00 UTC on October 4.[1] The depression turned to the northwest, and 6 hours later was upgraded to Tropical Storm Heather.[1] Heather continued to intensify, and by 06:00 UTC on October 5, Heather was upgraded to a hurricane while 70 miles west of Socorro Island; the storm brought 60 mph (95 km/h) winds to the island at this time.[1][2]

At 12:00 UTC on October 5, Heather reached peak winds of 85 mph (135 km/h), while about 165 mi (270 km) west-northwest of Socorro Island.[1][2] A NOAA reconnaissance aircraft estimated a sea-level pressure of 978 millibars (28.9 inHg) at 21:00 UTC, the lowest recorded in relation to the storm.[1] After this point, Heather began to weaken after moving north-northwest over colder SSTs.[1] Heather fell to tropical storm status late on October 6, while about 285 mi (460 km) west of Isla Magdalena.[1] Heather continued to weaken after turning north over waters as cool as 72 °F (22 °C), and satellite imagery showed the storms upper and lower circulations separating by about 140 mi (225 km).[1] The final advisory on Heather was issued at 06:00 UTC on October 7, downgrading Heather to a tropical depression that was rapidly dissipating.[1] Heather's remnants collided with a cold front on October 8 or 9, which became nearly stationary south of Nogales around this time for 24–36 hours, before weakening and moving east on October 10.[3]

Impact[]

A map of Hurricane Heather's rainfall in the United States.
Rainfall summary for Hurricane Heather

Heather's remnants produced heavy rainfall in southeast Arizona from October 6–10.[4] A flash flood watch was put in place for the majority of Arizona on October 6,[5] which included all of Arizona outside of Mohave County by early October 7.[6] Flash flood warnings were in place for southeast Arizona on October 8.[7] The heaviest impacts came in Nogales, where at least 8.30 inches (211 mm) of rain fell in 4 days,[4] though unofficial reports in some parts of the city indicated 12 inches (300 mm) of rain fell.[8] Residents of the city were urged to conserve and boil water, after wells of the city became unusable due to mud.[8][9] Approximately 600 people were evacuated in Nogales, with an estimate of 100 more people evacuated downstream.[10] Reports of 10–14 inches (250–360 mm) of rainfall were recorded in unspecified areas of the mountains near Nogales and in far northern Sonora.[11] The normally dry Santa Cruz River reached a 50-year flood stage near Tucson, and over a 100-year flood stage near Nogales, rising 3 feet in 15 minutes in the latter.[4][12] The river also reached its highest known discharge at the time upstream of Tucson;[13] it also reached its highest level since records for the river began in 1915, at 17 feet.[14]

Tucson had an inch of rain fall in one hour on October 6.[5] The town of Marana also flooded due to the storm.[4][15] As a result of the floods, a bridge leading to the Mount Hopkins Observatory collapsed,[16] and several more bridges over the Santa Cruz River were damaged due to the flooding.[17] In addition, flooding washed out a bridge on Interstate 19 between Tucson and Nogales, closing the interstate.[12] A freight railway connecting the two cities had several bridges washed out and was flooded, leading to it being shut down until repairs were complete.[18] The normally dry San Pedro and Gila rivers also flooded; the former's flood was considered severe.[4][3][19] The town of Winkelman had one bridge wash out, and another just outside the town on Arizona State Route 177 was shut down; 20 people had to leave their homes due to flooding.[10] Riverside, Arizona was disconnected from the rest of the state when the bridge leading to the town was flooded.[18]

Parts of southern California received up to 2 inches of rain.[20] Minor crop damage occurred around the city of Tulare, where roughly 1,000 electricity customers lost power; most of the customers had power back within 20 minutes.[21] A flash flood watch was put in place along the coastal areas of San Diego and Riverside counties in California.[22] In a period of 6 hours, the Cannon Air Force Base outside Clovis, New Mexico received 1.26 in (32 mm) of rain;[23] some areas of New Mexico received 2 inches of rain.[24] Parts of south and southwest Colorado and west and central New Mexico had flash flood watches issued.[23] In Hermosillo, Mexico and surrounding areas, roughly 100 families were left homeless after flash floods from Heather.[25] The village of Cibuta had 45 families evacuated, while 40 more were evacuated from .[25] Another 20 families were rescued by a helicopter sent by Arizona Governor Raúl Héctor Castro after being trapped by the Cibuta River.[25] Over 98,000 acres of cotton crops were damaged by rains from Heather in Mexico.[25]

Aftermath[]

Total damage from the storm was at least $15 million,[11] with approximately $9 million of that coming in the Tucson area;[26] the city of Tucson itself lost $2.7 million, with about $1 million being lost at a sewage treatment plant.[26][27] About $9 million of the damage was agriculture-related;[3] $4.7 million of that came in the Tucson area,[26] and an additional $3.2 million came in Santa Cruz County.[27] Another $4 million in damage was related to transportation;[3] at least $1 million came from the Tucson area, where 4 roads crossing the dry riverbed of the Santa Cruz outside city limits and 4 roads crossing the Santa Cruz within city limits were damaged.[27] The other $2 million was in damage to businesses, residential areas, and utilities.[3] No injuries were reported as a result of the storm.[12] At least 90 homes flooded, mostly near Nogales.[3] Along the Santa Cruz, 15,600 acres of farmland were inundated in Santa Cruz and Pima counties.[3]

The governor of Arizona at the time, Raúl Héctor Castro, declared Santa Cruz County a disaster area.[28] By October 12, Castro had declared a proclamation of emergency for the counties of Santa Cruz, Pima and Pinal.[29] The Santa Cruz County Red Cross set up a relief program after the storm, which supplied free food, clothing, shelter and medical care to victims of the storm.[17] On October 20, Wesley Bolin was sworn in as the new governor of Arizona and requested president Jimmy Carter to declare Santa Cruz, Pima, and Pinal counties major disaster areas after the storm;[26] six days later, he requested $11.3 million in flood relief from Carter.[30] The Arizona State Emergency Council authorized $250,000 to be used for repairs of "essential public facilities", along with $50,000 that had been approved for emergency repairs on October 9th by Castro.[26][29]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Gunther, Emil B. (1978-04-01). "Eastern North Pacific Tropical Cyclones of 1977". Monthly Weather Review. 106 (4): 557–558. doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1978)1062.0.CO;2. ISSN 1520-0493. Archived from the original on 2021-02-06. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  2. ^ a b National Hurricane Center; Hurricane Research Division; Central Pacific Hurricane Center. "The Northeast and North Central Pacific hurricane database 1949–2019". United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service. Retrieved 1 October 2020. A guide on how to read the database is available here.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Aldridge, Byron Neil; Eychaner, James H. (1983). Floods of October 1977 in Southern Arizona and March 1978 in Central Arizona (PDF) (Report). United States Geological Survey. pp. 3–19. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e Brazel, Anthony; Brazel, Sandra. Precipitation and flooding in southern Arizona: the legacy of Tropical Storm Heather, October, 1977 (PDF) (Report). Archived (PDF) from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Tucson Citizen on October 6, 1977". Tucson Citizen. October 6, 1977. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  6. ^ "Storm offers plenty of rain for Arizona". The Arizona Republic. October 7, 1977. p. 22. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  7. ^ "Weather summary - National". Tampa Bay Times. October 8, 1977. p. 2. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Town hall set". Kingman Daily Miner. October 10, 1977. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  9. ^ "Flooding victims ask for relief". The Arizona Republic. October 15, 1977. p. 13. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Water Still Rising In San Pedro River". Arizona Daily Sun. October 11, 1977. p. 12. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  11. ^ a b National Weather Service, Tucson Regional Office. "Hurricane Heather 1977". Archived from the original on June 16, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
  12. ^ a b c "Snow coats Rockies, flooded southwest gets break". The Port Arthur News. United Press International. October 10, 1977. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  13. ^ Smith, Walter (August 1986). The Effects of Eastern North Pacific Tropical Cyclones on the Southwestern United States (PDF) (Report). Salt Lake City, Utah. pp. 177–179. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  14. ^ "Storm, Frost Warnings Posted Across Midwest; Arizona Hit By Floods". Fort Lauderdale News. Associated Press. October 12, 1977. p. 25. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  15. ^ Flood Insurance Study; Pima County Arizona and Incorporated Areas (PDF) (Report). 1. Federal Emergency Management Agency. September 28, 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  16. ^ Hogan, Don (April 2006). YEAR 1973–1979 (PDF) (Report). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  17. ^ a b "Tucson Citizen from Tucson, Arizona on October 12, 1977". Tucson Citizen. October 12, 1977. p. 3. Archived from the original on January 30, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  18. ^ a b "Residents in 3 counties assessing flood damage". The Arizona Republic. October 13, 1977. p. 40. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  19. ^ "National weather roundup". The Daily Journal. Fergus Falls, Minnesota: Associated Press. October 11, 1977. p. 6. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  20. ^ Miller, Miguel (2012). The Weather Guide (PDF) (Report) (6th ed.). National Weather Service in San Diego. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  21. ^ "Lightning storm soaks Tulare area". Tulare Advance-Register. October 6, 1977. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  22. ^ "National Weather Summary". The Los Angeles Times. October 6, 1977. p. 30. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  23. ^ a b "Hurricane-related showers moisten the arid Southwest". The Salina Journal. United Press International. October 7, 1977. p. 6. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  24. ^ "WASHED OUT". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 8, 1977. p. 11. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  25. ^ a b c d "Storm Damages Homes and Crops in Northern Mexico". The Los Angeles Times. United Press International. October 11, 1977. p. 10. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  26. ^ a b c d e "State to ask U.S. help for victims of flooding". Tucson Citizen. October 20, 1977. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  27. ^ a b c "State to ask U.S. help for victims of flooding". Tucson Citizen. October 20, 1977. p. 2A. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  28. ^ "The Santa Cruz: A river to be reckoned with". Tucson Citizen. October 11, 1977. p. 22. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  29. ^ a b "Cleanup launched as rivers recede". The Arizona Republic. October 12, 1977. p. 19. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  30. ^ "Bolin requests $11.3 million for flood relief". Arizona Republic. October 27, 1977. p. 5. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
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