Tropical Depression Fifteen (1970)
| Tropical depression (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Satellite image of the depression south of Puerto Rico
|
|
| Formed | September 23, 1970 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | October 20, 1970 |
| (Extratropical after October 11) | |
| Highest winds |
1-minute sustained: 35 mph (55 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 1000 mbar (hPa); 29.53 inHg |
| Fatalities | At least 22 |
| Damage | > $65.5 million (1970 USD) |
| Areas affected | Lesser Antilles (especially Barbados and USVI), Puerto Rico |
| Part of the 1970 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Tropical Depression Fifteen in 1970 was the wettest known tropical cyclone to affect the United States territory of Puerto Rico. The long-lived depression formed on September 24 just off the west coast of Africa, and for several days maintained a general westward track. It passed through the Lesser Antilles on October 1, and later stalled in the eastern Caribbean Sea. On October 8, the depression crossed over the Dominican Republic, and subsequently it accelerated to the northeast. It was declassified as a tropical cyclone on October 12, although its remnants persisted for another week before dissipating in the westerlies near the Azores.
The depression produced heavy rainfall in the Lesser Antilles, reaching 12 in (300 mm) on Barbados; it left three deaths and moderate damage on the island. Another death was reported in the United States Virgin Islands. Torrential rainfall on Puerto Rico inflicted heavy damage, totaling $65 million (1970 USD, $384 million 2017 USD). The highest precipitation total was 41.68 in (1,059 mm) in Jayuya, of which 17 in (430 mm) fell in a 24‑hour period. Most of the damage can be attributed to damaged sugar cane and coffee crops. At least 18 people were killed on the island, and the system was considered one of the worst disasters in Puerto Rican history.
The origins of the depression were identified as a tropical wave on September 22 over western Africa. The system exited the west coast of Africa the next day, and on September 24 it developed into a tropical depression about 95 mi (153 km) southwest of Conakry, Guinea. The depression moved generally westward, gradually intensifying to attain peak winds of 35 mph (56 km/h) by September 25. A nearby upper-level trough — an elongated area of low pressure — hindered further strengthening, and on October 1 the depression struck the island of Saint Lucia. As it crossed the Lesser Antilles, its winds and barometric pressure approached the values of a tropical storm.
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