| dbo:abstract |
From 1980 to the present, 81 tropical or subtropical cyclones affected the U.S. state of Texas. According to David Roth of the Weather Prediction Center, a tropical cyclone makes landfall along the coastline about three times every four years, and on any 50 mi (80 km) segment of the coastline a hurricane makes landfall about once every six years. The most active month is September, with 21 total storms, while no recorded storms have affected Texas during the months of December through May. While the most intense storm in terms of barometric pressure is Hurricane Allen in 1980, Hurricane Harvey in 2017 caused the most fatalities and damages, with $125 billion in Texas. The first storm to impact the state during the period is also Hurricane Allen in August 1980, with the most recent being Hurricane Harvey on August 25, 2017. In terms of wind speed, Hurricane Harvey is the strongest storm to affect the state since 1980, producing maximum sustained winds equivalent to Category 4 status on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale. During the 1980s, multiple tropical cyclones affected the state, of which six made landfall as hurricanes; three made landfall as major hurricanes. Hurricane Alicia is the most destructive hurricane of the decade, severely impacting the Greater Houston area. The names of all three major hurricanes that impacted Texas during the 1980s were later retired by the World Meteorological Organization. In contrast to the 1980s, during the 1990s only one hurricane, Hurricane Bret, made landfall on the Texas coast. In the next decade five hurricanes would make landfall on Texas. Hurricane Ike, the second costliest hurricane to impact Texas, made landfall during the decade. Other notable systems include Tropical Storm Allison and Hurricane Rita. (en) |
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