On This Day in 2005: Dennis Reached Major Hurricane Status | WeatherBug
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On This Day in 2005: Dennis Reached Major Hurricane Status

July 3, 2022
By WeatherBug Meteorologist, Fred Allen
In the second busiest Atlantic hurricane season on record, Hurricane Dennis was a menace along its path from the southeastern Caribbean Sea to a western Florida panhandle July 10, 2005, landfall. Shattering a few notable records, Dennis was retired in spring 2006.

Dennis formed from a tropical wave near the southern Windward Islands July 4, 2005. Tracking across a favorable environment and the warm Caribbean Sea, Dennis became a tropical storm July 5 and a hurricane July 6 as it approached southern Hispaniola. Dennis strengthened to a powerful Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale July 7 and 8.

Dennis’ wobble along the southern Cuba coast allowed it to make multiple landfalls. The first occurred near Punta del Ingles with sustained winds of 140 mph late July 7, which caused the storm to fall to a Category 3 hurricane. In the Gulf of Guacanayabo, Dennis intensified more before churning ashore just west of Punta Mangles Altos July 8 with sustained winds of 140 mph. 

Western Cuba’s mountainous terrain interrupted Dennis’ organization, knocking it down to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale. After clearing Cuba, Dennis moved into the eastern Gulf of Mexico and strengthened at an intense rate while passing over a warm Gulf current loop. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center indicated Dennis could regain Category 4 status if the core had been able to recover.

A steady north-northwest motion in the eastern Gulf of Mexico followed until landfall at 1:30 p.m. near Navarre Beach, Fla., as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds near 120 mph. Dennis’ demise was rapid, becoming a tropical storm, depression, and remnant low pressure, all within a 24-hour window on July 10 to 11.

Dennis was a small hurricane and fast-moving which limited damage as it moved inland into Alabama. A 5 to 10-mile wide area east of the center suffered destruction in Florida, while damage became even smaller geographically in southern Alabama. A gust of 121 mph was measured in Navarre Beach, Fla., at landfall. Most other gusts were 80 to 100 mph, though a gust of 106 mph was recorded in mid-afternoon in Pace, Fla. In Alabama, a peak gust of 67 mph was recorded on the USS Alabama in Mobile Bay.

Meanwhile, rainfall totals were kept down by the storm’s hasty movement with 3 to 5 inches generally falling. However, higher totals of 5 to 8 inches and locally 8 to 10 inches were more common across the western Florida Panhandle and southwestern Alabama, including Escambia County in Florida to Monroe, Clarke and Wilcox Counties in Alabama.

Storm surge flooding was a huge factor too. At Fort Morgan, Ala., a storm surge of 7.1 feet was observed while at Navarre Beach, Fla., a 6.5-foot surge occurred. Similar or higher storm surge occurred much further east from Apalachicola to Taylor, Fla., in the Apalachee Bay. These coastal communities suffered severe to major coastal erosion and structural damage, especially in Navarre Beach, Fla., where Dennis made landfall.

Destruction was extensive across the Caribbean as well. Seventy three out of 89 deaths were directly related to Dennis in Cuba, Haiti, and Jamaica combined. In Haiti, 929 homes were destroyed and another 3,000 were damaged, leaving 1,500 families homeless. There were 120,000 homes damaged across Cuba, 15,000 of which were destroyed. A 149 mph gust was reported to Cuban meteorologists, while 85-percent of power lines were down, and extensive damage to communications infrastructure had occurred. Cuba’s bread-and-butter citrus and vegetable industries were devastated as well.

Now retired, Dennis was a monster storm that etched its own infamy. The first storm to form away from Mexico and Central America in 2005, Dennis was the earliest Atlantic season’s fourth storm which was held by Hurricane Alex and Hurricane Charley in early August 2004. Dennis also remains the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever to form before August. In total, Dennis caused approximately $6 to $9 billion U.S. dollars of damage throughout the Caribbean Sea, eastern Gulf Coast, and Southeast.
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Story Image: Nose radar image of Hurricane Dennis near time of Florida panhandle landfall (Courtesy: NOAA/OAR/AOML/Hurricane Research Division).