Hurricane Jeanne (1980)

Hurricane Jeanne (1980)

Category 2 hurricane (SSHWS/NWS)
Hurricane Jeanne in the Gulf of Mexico
Formed	November 7, 1980
Dissipated	November 16, 1980
Highest winds	1-minute sustained: 100 mph (155 km/h)
Lowest pressure	986 mbar (hPa); 29.12 inHg
Fatalities	None direct
Damage	Minimal
Areas affected	Gulf of Mexico, Key West, Florida coast
Part of the 1980 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Jeanne was a moderate hurricane that formed and dissipated in the Gulf of Mexico without making landfall. The tenth tropical cyclone and eighth hurricane of the 1980 Atlantic hurricane season, Jeanne developed over the southern Caribbean on November 7. It moved swiftly northward, and it intensified to a tropical storm on November 9. It entered the southern Gulf of Mexico on November 10. Jeanne turned to the west on November 11, and it rapidly intensified to its peak intensity of 100 mph (155 km/h). It weakened on November 12, and its forward motion slowed; the cyclone weakened further to a tropical storm because of dry air intrusion, and it executed a clockwise loop on November 15. It dissipated on November 16.

At the time, Jeanne was one of three November hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico; it was the first tropical cyclone to attain hurricane strength in the Gulf of Mexico during November. The late season storm surprised maritime interests, and two barges broke free from towing vessels. Indirectly, the hurricane produced heavy precipitation that peaked at 23.28 inches (591 mm) in Key West. Minor beach erosion occurred along the Texas coast, where tides were two to four feet above normal; coastal flooding affected the state, which was heavily impacted by tropical cyclones in August and September. Jeanne caused no deaths.

On the late afternoon of November 7, an area of disturbed weather organized to a tropical depression 60 miles (100 km) east of Atlántico Norte, Nicaragua. Its origins were traced to a tropical wave that originated over western Africa on October 26. Atmospheric conditions resembled an early fall pattern, and a large ridge was situated over the Gulf of Mexico and Southwestern United States. The depression moved northward into the Caribbean Sea, and the environment supported further development. On November 9, the depression strengthened to a 40 mph (65 km/h) tropical storm and was given the name Jeanne. Later, an Air Force reconnaissance aircraft reported a strengthening system; maximum sustained winds increased to 50 mph (80 km/h), and a minimum pressure of 999 mbar was measured. The tropical cyclone moved northward into the southern Gulf of Mexico on November 10. Jeanne's northward movement was blocked by the ridge, and the cyclone slowly turned to the west. On November 11, Jeanne quickly intensified to a minimal hurricane; later, it attained its peak intensity of 100 mph (155 km/h).