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On This Day In 2020: Hurricane Hanna Forms
July 24, 2023 at 12:40 AM EDT
By Weatherbug Meteorologist John Benedict
On this day in 2020, Tropical Storm Hanna formed. Hanna would strengthen into a category 1 Hurricane just day later before making landfall in South Texas. In the hyperactive 2020 Hurricane Season, Hanna was the earliest eighth-named storm on record, passing 2005’s Tropical Storm Harvey by 10 days.
Hurricane Hanna’s origin can be traced back to a tropical wave the pushed off the west coast of Africa on July 11. Conditions were not favorable for the wave to further develop as it traversed the Atlantic, but that was not the case when this wave entered the Gulf of Mexico on July 21. Thunderstorms gradually became better organized, and a tropical depression formed by July 23 in the center of the Gulf of Mexico.
Tropical Storm Hanna formed on July 24. Despite being surrounded by dry air as the storm drifted across the western Gulf of Mexico, Hanna was able to strengthen into a hurricane on July 25 as it encountered the warm shelf waters along the southern coast of Texas. Hurricane Hanna would then make landfall later that afternoon at Padre Island, Texas with sustained winds of 90 mph.
Hanna produced heavy rain that led to widespread flooding across South Texas. Rain amounts between 6 to 12 inches fell across the Rio Grande Valley with isolated totals up to 15 inches. The highest rain amounts fell in Santa Rosa totaling 15.49 inches. Port Mansfield received 14.80 inches while rain amounts up to 3 inches fell as far north as Houston. Heavy rain even led to Flash Flood Emergencies being issued for McAllen, Mission and Weslaco. Hanna’s heavy rain also took a toll across northeastern Mexico where flooding was responsible for several fatalities.
High winds knocked out power to around 194,000 customers in addition to damaging structures, marinas and crops. A peak gust of 110 mph was reported about 15 miles north of Port Mansfield. A storm surge of 6.24 feet was recorded as Hanna made landfall which did significant damage to the Bob Hall Pier in Corpus Christi.
Hanna’s rain bands also produced numerous tornado warnings with 5 confirmed EF-0 tornadoes. A tornado touched down at the Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport and damaged a hangar and a few nearby homes.
Hanna was the first Hurricane of a record-tying six Atlantic hurricanes to make landfall in 2020. The other years with six landfalls were 1886 and 1985. Hanna ended up being responsible for 1.2 billion dollars of damage and 9 fatalities.
Source: NOAA, wikipedia.org
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Image: Tropical Storm Hanna forms in the Gulf of Mexico on July 24. Hanna would strengthen into a Hurricane and make landfall in South Texas a day later. (NASA Aqua/MODIS True Color)
Hurricane Hanna’s origin can be traced back to a tropical wave the pushed off the west coast of Africa on July 11. Conditions were not favorable for the wave to further develop as it traversed the Atlantic, but that was not the case when this wave entered the Gulf of Mexico on July 21. Thunderstorms gradually became better organized, and a tropical depression formed by July 23 in the center of the Gulf of Mexico.
Tropical Storm Hanna formed on July 24. Despite being surrounded by dry air as the storm drifted across the western Gulf of Mexico, Hanna was able to strengthen into a hurricane on July 25 as it encountered the warm shelf waters along the southern coast of Texas. Hurricane Hanna would then make landfall later that afternoon at Padre Island, Texas with sustained winds of 90 mph.
Hanna produced heavy rain that led to widespread flooding across South Texas. Rain amounts between 6 to 12 inches fell across the Rio Grande Valley with isolated totals up to 15 inches. The highest rain amounts fell in Santa Rosa totaling 15.49 inches. Port Mansfield received 14.80 inches while rain amounts up to 3 inches fell as far north as Houston. Heavy rain even led to Flash Flood Emergencies being issued for McAllen, Mission and Weslaco. Hanna’s heavy rain also took a toll across northeastern Mexico where flooding was responsible for several fatalities.
High winds knocked out power to around 194,000 customers in addition to damaging structures, marinas and crops. A peak gust of 110 mph was reported about 15 miles north of Port Mansfield. A storm surge of 6.24 feet was recorded as Hanna made landfall which did significant damage to the Bob Hall Pier in Corpus Christi.
Hanna’s rain bands also produced numerous tornado warnings with 5 confirmed EF-0 tornadoes. A tornado touched down at the Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport and damaged a hangar and a few nearby homes.
Hanna was the first Hurricane of a record-tying six Atlantic hurricanes to make landfall in 2020. The other years with six landfalls were 1886 and 1985. Hanna ended up being responsible for 1.2 billion dollars of damage and 9 fatalities.
Source: NOAA, wikipedia.org
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Image: Tropical Storm Hanna forms in the Gulf of Mexico on July 24. Hanna would strengthen into a Hurricane and make landfall in South Texas a day later. (NASA Aqua/MODIS True Color)