Hurricane Allen
This article or subsequent section is not sufficiently supported by evidence (e.g., anecdotal evidence). Information without sufficient evidence may be removed in the near future. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and adding good supporting evidence.
Hurricane Allen was the strongest hurricane of the 1980 Atlantic hurricane season and one of the strongest hurricanes ever since weather records began (with peak winds of up to 305 km/h). It was also one of only a few Atlantic hurricanes to reach Level 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale at three different locations, the others being Hurricane Ivan and Hurricane Isabel. Allen also experienced the fifth lowest atmospheric pressure recorded to date of 899 hPa, just behind 2005's Rita at 895 hPa, the 1935 Labor Day hurricane (892 hPa), 1988's Hurricane Gilbert (888 hPa), and 2005's Hurricane Wilma at 882 hPa. Of particular interest is that Allen never passed directly over land with the center of its circulation during its passage through the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.
The storm front that would later form into a hurricane originated over the Cape Verde Islands, a rarity for tropical systems in early August. As it moved through the Caribbean, the system became the first named storm of the season and quickly intensified into a Category 5 hurricane as it moved westward.
After briefly weakening, Allen strengthened again to level 5. This powerful hurricane brushed Haiti at level 4 and also caused extensive damage in Jamaica.
Due to the influence of the mountainous landscape on Jamaica and Haiti, Allen lost some of its strength and weakened to level 3. Due to its enormous extension, Allen still caused hurricane-like winds even on the island chain of the Florida Keys. Over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Allen strengthened to the highest level 5 for the third time. Dry high-altitude air subsequently caused a significant weakening of the powerful storm before it hit the American mainland north of Brownville, Texas. Surprisingly, wind speeds of only 185 km/h were recorded. Allen caused limited damage in the U.S. as it weakened and the storm surge it carried hit mostly sparsely populated coastal areas. The storm surge had a height of 3.7 m at Port Mansfield (Texas), although higher values may well have occurred in uninhabited areas. A peak gust of 209 km/h was also recorded in Port Mansfield. The hurricane killed seven people in Texas and 17 in Louisiana (most of the victims in the crash of a helicopter evacuating workers from an offshore oil platform).
Several tornadoes were triggered in Texas by Allen. One of these caused about $100 million in damage when it directly hit Austin. This makes it the most expensive tornado triggered by a hurricane to date.
Nevertheless, Allen's arrival had one good side: the rainfall of 200 - 250 mm brought an end to a long-lasting drought caused by the heat wave of 1980.
The name Allen was removed from the list of tropical cyclone names in the spring of 1981 and replaced by Andrew.
See also
- List of Atlantic Category 5 hurricanes
