Tropical Storm Erin (2007)
| Tropical storm (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Tropical Storm Erin near landfall
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| Formed | August 15, 2007 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | August 20, 2007 |
| (Extratropical after August 17) | |
| Highest winds |
1-minute sustained: 40 mph (65 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 1003 mbar (hPa); 29.62 inHg |
| Fatalities | 21 direct |
| Damage | $248.3 million (2007 USD) |
| Areas affected | Texas, Oklahoma, central United States |
| Part of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Tropical Storm Erin was the second largest tropical cyclone to make landfall in the United States in the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season. The fifth named storm of the season, it formed in the Gulf of Mexico on August 14 from a persistent area of convection. It attained tropical storm status the next day, and on August 16 Erin made landfall near Lamar, Texas, and persisted over land across Texas before moving northward into Oklahoma. Due to the brown ocean effect Erin intensified after landfall. The storm resulted in at least 16 fatalities and worsened an already-severe flooding issue in Texas.
On August 1, an area of convection developed just south of Jamaica in association with a trough of low pressure. The system tracked west-northwestward, and by August 10 consisted of a broad surface trough with minimal shower activity. Convection increased on August 11, and by August 12 the interaction between a tropical wave and an upper-level low in the area resulted in a large area of disorganized thunderstorms extending from the western Caribbean Sea into the central Bahamas. Upper-level winds gradually became more beneficial for development, and on August 13 a broad low pressure area formed about 90 miles (145 km) north-northeast of Cancún, Quintana Roo. Late on August 14, a Hurricane Hunters flight into the system reported a small circulation center, but at the time was not well-defined enough to result in the initiation of tropical cyclone advisories. However, deep convection was maintained near the increasingly organizing center, and at 0300 UTC on August 15 the National Hurricane Center classified it as Tropical Depression Five about 425 miles (685 km) southeast of Brownsville, Texas.
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