Hurricane Alberto (1982)

Hurricane Alberto

Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS/NWS)
Alberto near peak intensity
Formed	June 1, 1982
Dissipated	June 6, 1982
Highest winds	1-minute sustained: 85 mph (140 km/h)
Lowest pressure	985 mbar (hPa); 29.09 inHg
Fatalities	23 direct
Damage	$85 million (1982 USD)
Areas affected	Cuba, Florida
Part of the 1982 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Alberto caused the worst flooding in western Cuba in 32 years. The first tropical storm and hurricane of the 1982 Atlantic hurricane season, Alberto developed from a tropical disturbance on June 2 in the southern Gulf of Mexico. It rapidly organized and attained hurricane status the following day, the earliest date for a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean since Hurricane Alma in May 1970. Shortly after reaching peak winds off 85 mph (140 km/h), Alberto rapidly weakened due to approaching upper-level winds. Initial forecasts predicted the hurricane would continue northeastward into Florida; it turned sharply westward and drifted erratically for several days across the eastern Gulf of Mexico, before dissipating on June 6.

Alberto produced heavy rainfall in western Cuba, causing flash flooding and severe damage. The storm damaged 8,745 houses and destroyed 154 buildings, leaving hundreds homeless. Heavy rainfall continued in the country for several weeks after the storm, and damage from Alberto totaled about $85 million (1982 USD, $211 million 2017 USD). At least 23 people were killed in the country. Initially, Alberto was forecast to continue northeastward and strike Florida, though it turned and rapidly weakened, resulting in minor effects in the state.

In late May, a tropical disturbance gradually developed over the northwestern portion of the Caribbean. It drifted westward into the Yucatán Peninsula, and on June 1 the convection organized into a circular cloud pattern in association with a low pressure system. The system tracked northeastward into the Gulf of Mexico while continuing to organize, and subsequent to the formation of a low-level circulation it developed into Tropical Depression One while located about 40 miles (65 km) north-northwest of Cancún. Reconnaissance Aircraft confirmed the existence of the tropical depression later that day. Early on June 3, it is estimated the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Alberto while located about 150 miles (240 km) north-northwest of the western tip of Cuba, based on a ship report of 45 mph (75 km/h) winds about 115 miles (185 km) south of its center. An Air Force flight was scheduled into the storm, though was forbidden by the Cuban government due to its presence in Cuban airspace.