Timeline of the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season

The 1996 Atlantic hurricane season had 13 named storms, of which 9 became hurricanes and 6 became major hurricanes (hurricanes that are classified as Category 3 or higher).[1] These major hurricanes were Bertha, Edouard, Fran, Hortense, Isidore, and Lili.[2][3][4][5][6][7] This timeline documents all the storm formations, strengthening, weakening, landfalls, extratropical transitions, as well as dissipation. The timeline also includes information that was not operationally released, meaning that information from post-storm reviews by the National Hurricane Center, such as information on a storm that was not operationally warned on, has been included. The season officially began on June 1, 1996, and ended on November 30 that same year.

Timeline of the
1996 Atlantic hurricane season
Season summary map
Season boundaries
First system formedJune 17, 1996
Last system dissipatedNovember 26, 1996
Strongest system
NameEdouard
Maximum winds145 mph (230 km/h)
(1-minute sustained)
Lowest pressure933 mbar (hPa; 27.55 inHg)
Longest lasting system
NameFran
Duration15.5 days
Storm articles
Other years
1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998

The season's most destructive storms were Hurricane Cesar, Hurricane Fran, and Hurricane Hortense. Hurricane Cesar (later known as Hurricane Douglas in the Eastern Pacific basin) was the deadliest storm of the season; it killed at least 51 people and caused severe damage in northern Colombia and southern Central America.[8] Hurricane Fran caused $3.2 billion (1996 USD) worth of damage in the United States, mostly in North Carolina, and killed 26 people.[4] Hurricane Hortense dropped torrential rainfall on southwestern Puerto Rico and the eastern Dominican Republic, killing 21 people and leaving behind $127 million (1996 USD) in damage.[5] All three storms had their names retired by the World Meteorological Organization in the spring of 1997,[9] and were replaced with Cristobal, Fay, and Hanna for the 2002 season, respectively.

By convention, meteorologists use one time zone when issuing forecasts and making observations: Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), and also use the 24-hour clock (where 00:00 = midnight UTC).[10] The National Hurricane Center uses both UTC and the time zone where the center of the tropical cyclone is currently located. The time zones utilized (east to west) prior to 2020 were: Atlantic, Eastern, and Central.[nb 1][11] In this timeline, all information is listed by UTC first with the respective regional time included in parentheses. Additionally, figures for maximum sustained winds and position estimates are rounded to the nearest 5 units (knots, miles, or kilometers), following the convention used in the National Hurricane Center's products. Direct wind observations are rounded to the nearest whole number. Atmospheric pressures are listed to the nearest millibar and nearest hundredth of an inch of mercury.

Timeline of storms

edit
Hurricane Marco (1996)Hurricane Lili (1996)Tropical Storm Josephine (1996)Hurricane HortenseHurricane FranHurricane Edouard (1996)Hurricane Dolly (1996)Hurricane Cesar–DouglasHurricane Bertha (1996)Tropical Storm Arthur (1996)Saffir-Simpson scale

June

edit
June 1
June 17
 
Tropical Storm Arthur near landfall in North Carolina on June 19
June 19
June 20
June 21

July

edit
July 5
July 7
 
Hurricane Bertha storm path
July 9
July 10
July 12
July 13
July 14
July 24
 
Hurricane Cesar at landfall in Nicaragua
July 25
July 27
July 28
July 29

August

edit
August 19
 
Hurricane Dolly near its landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula
August 20
August 21
August 22
August 23
August 24
 
Hurricane Edouard storm path
August 25
August 26
August 27
August 28
August 29
August 30
August 31

September

edit
September 1
September 2
September 3
September 4
 
Hurricane Fran at peak intensity
September 5
September 6
September 7
September 9
 
Hurricane Hortense near peak intensity
September 10
September 11
September 12
September 13
September 14
September 15
September 24
 
Hurricane Isidore near peak intensity
September 25
September 26
September 27
September 28
September 29
September 30

October

edit
October 1
October 2
October 4
 
Tropical Storm Josephine at peak intensity
October 6
October 7
October 8
October 11
October 12
October 14
 
Hurricane Lili at peak intensity
October 16
October 17
October 18
October 19
October 20
 
Hurricane Lili storm path
October 25
October 26
October 27

November

edit
November 16
November 19
November 20
 
Hurricane Marco in the Caribbean Sea
November 23
November 24
November 26
November 30
  • The 1996 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends.[12]

See also

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^ In addition, Hurricane Dolly reached the Mountain Time Zone shortly before its dissipation.
  2. ^ The figures for maximum sustained winds and position estimates are rounded to the nearest 5 units (knots, miles, or kilometers), following the convention used in the National Hurricane Center's operational products Archived 2009-05-06 at the Wayback Machine for each storm. All other units are rounded to the nearest digit.

References

edit
  1. ^ "1996 Atlantic Ocean Tropical Storms and Hurricanes". National Data Buoy Center. June 16, 2006. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Miles B. Lawrence (November 9, 1996). "Preliminary Report: Hurricane Bertha". National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on August 25, 2010. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Richard J. Pasch (December 20, 1996). "Preliminary Report: Hurricane Edouard". National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on July 14, 2013. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Max Mayfield (October 10, 1996). "Preliminary Report: Hurricane Fran". National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2009.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Lixion A. Avila (October 23, 1996). "Preliminary Report: Hurricane Hortense". National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2009.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Edward N. Rappaport (November 1, 1996). "Preliminary Report: Hurricane Isidore". National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on August 2, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Miles B. Lawrence (November 18, 1996). "Preliminary Report: Hurricane Lili". National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on July 14, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Lixion A. Avila (August 26, 1996). "Preliminary Report: Hurricane Cesar". National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on August 2, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2009.
  9. ^ "FAQ: What names have been retired in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific basins?". Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. Archived from the original on December 6, 2006. Retrieved April 4, 2009.
  10. ^ "Understanding the Date/Time Stamps". Miami, Florida: NOAA National Hurricane Center. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  11. ^ "Update on National Hurricane Center Products and Services for 2020" (PDF). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. April 20, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  12. ^ a b "FAQ: When is hurricane season?". Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. Archived from the original on July 18, 2006. Retrieved April 4, 2009.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Max Mayfield (August 19, 1996). "Preliminary Report: Tropical Storm Arthur". National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2009.
  14. ^ Lixion A. Avila (October 24, 1996). "Preliminary Report: Hurricane Douglas". National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on March 20, 2013. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Edward N. Rappaport (October 3, 1996). "Preliminary Report: Hurricane Dolly". National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  16. ^ a b c d e Miles B. Lawrence (November 28, 1996). "Preliminary Report: Tropical Storm Gustav". National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  17. ^ a b c d e Richard J. Pasch (February 21, 1997). "Preliminary Report: Tropical Storm Josephine". National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on August 2, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  18. ^ a b c d e Max Mayfield (November 5, 1996). "Preliminary Report: Tropical Storm Kyle". National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on August 2, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h Lixion A. Avila (December 3, 1996). "Preliminary Report: Hurricane Marco". National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on August 2, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2009.