Hurricane Klaus

Hurricane Klaus

Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS/NWS)
Hurricane Klaus at peak intensity
Formed	October 3, 1990
Dissipated	October 9, 1990
Highest winds	1-minute sustained: 80 mph (130 km/h)
Lowest pressure	985 mbar (hPa); 29.09 inHg
Fatalities	11 direct
Damage	> $1 million (1990 USD)
Areas affected	Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas, Southeastern United States
Part of the 1990 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Klaus was a minimal Atlantic hurricane that dropped heavy rainfall across the Lesser Antilles in October 1990. The eleventh tropical cyclone and sixth hurricane of the 1990 Atlantic hurricane season, Klaus developed from a tropical wave on October 3 a short distance east of Dominica. It drifted northwestward, and quickly intensified to attain hurricane status on October 5. Though its closest approach to the Lesser Antilles was within 12 miles (19 km), the strongest winds remained to its northeast due to strong wind shear, which caused Klaus to steadily weaken. After deteriorating into a tropical depression, Klaus briefly restrengthened over the Bahamas before dissipating on October 9 under the influence of developing tropical storm, Marco.

Heavy rainfall on Saint Lucia destroyed about 15% of its yearly banana crop. Damage was heaviest on Martinique, where seven casualties occurred and 1,500 people were left homeless as the heavy rainfall caused severe flooding on the island, resulting in some landslides. The remnant moisture of Klaus entered the southeastern United States, dropping heavy rainfall and causing four casualties; the same area was affected with more precipitation a few days later by Tropical Storm Marco. Due to the damage caused by the storm, the name Klaus was retired from the list of tropical cyclone names.

A tropical wave moved off the coast of Africa on September 27. It tracked westward to the south of a subtropical ridge, becoming convectively active, and a low-level circulation was observed as it passed south of the Cape Verde islands on September 28. The organization of the convection oscillated over the subsequent days, and a few times the system showed signs of developing into a tropical depression. As it approached the Lesser Antilles it organized further, and despite unfavorable upper-level wind shear the system developed into Tropical Depression Thirteen on October 3 while located about 115 miles (185 km/h) east of Dominica. Located in an area of weak steering currents, the depression drifted to the northwest, and about six hours after first developing the cyclone intensified into a tropical storm; the National Hurricane Center designated it with the name Klaus.