Tropical Storm Debra (1978)
| tropical storm (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Tropical Storm Debra making its landfall on August 28.
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| Formed | August 26, 1978 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | August 29, 1978 |
| Highest winds |
1-minute sustained: 60 mph (95 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 1000 mbar (hPa); 29.53 inHg |
| Fatalities | 2 confirmed |
| Damage | Minimal |
| Areas affected | Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee |
| Part of the 1978 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Tropical Storm Debra was the second of two tropical storms to hit the United States in the 1978 Atlantic hurricane season. The fourth named storm of the season, Debra developed from the interaction between a high-altitude cold low and a lower tropical wave in the Gulf of Mexico. Forming on August 25, it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Debra based on data from a Hurricane Hunter aircraft. As Debra approached the coast, it attained peak winds of 60 mph (95 km/h). The storm made landfall on the coast of Louisiana, east of the Texas border. Two deaths were caused by the storm. Debra weakened as it moved inland and ultimately dissipated on August 29 over Arkansas.
Debra originated in an upper-level cold-core low pressure system that developed over southwestern Florida in late August 1978. The low moved southwest towards the Yucatán Peninsula over the next day, as a tropical wave drifted westwards from the Caribbean Sea. The interaction between the upper-level system and the wave led to the formation of a tropical depression on August 26 around 460 miles (740 km) south of New Orleans.
At first the depression drifted westward but, as the western periphery of a high-pressure area weakened, it tracked towards the north and slowly strengthened. After a reconnaissance aircraft found surface winds of 45 mph (70 km/h) on August 28, the depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Debra. The aircraft also recorded a minimum pressure of 1002 mbar (hPa; 29.59 inHg). While Debra approached the coast of Louisiana, an additional flight into the system found a drop in surface pressure to 1000 mbar (hPa; 29.53 inHg), as well as peak winds of approximately 60 mph (100 km/h) at 00:00 GMT on August 29. Observation stations off the coast recorded sustained winds of 45–50 mph (70–80 km/h) on August 28, as Debra passed 150 miles (240 km) to the west.
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