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Meteorological history[edit]

Map plotting the storm's track and intensity, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
Map key
  Tropical depression (≤38 mph, ≤62 km/h)
  Tropical storm (39–73 mph, 63–118 km/h)
  Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
  Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
  Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
  Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
  Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
  Unknown
Storm type
triangle Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depression

Hurricane Harvey originated from a westward-moving tropical wave that emerged from Africa over the eastern Atlantic Ocean, on August 12. A surface circulation slowly developed and convection consolidated around the low over the subsequent days; the system became a tropical depression on August 17, roughly 505 mi (815 km) east of Barbados.[1] Maintaining its brisk westward motion, the system strengthened slightly and became a tropical storm later that day, at which time it was assigned the name Harvey. With maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (70 km/h), Harvey made landfalls in Barbados and St. Vincent on August 18 before entering the Caribbean. Hostile environmental conditions, namely wind shear, imparted weakening and caused Harvey to degenerate into a tropical wave by August 19.[2] Though it lacked an organized surface low, the remnants of Harvey continued to produce significant convection as it traversed the Caribbean Sea and Yucatán Peninsula. The system reached the Bay of Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico on August 23 and soon consolidated around a new surface low.[3]

Hurricane Harvey as seen by NASA aboard the International Space Station on August 25.

Late on August 23, the remnants of Harvey regenerated into a tropical cyclone and re-attained tropical storm intensity by 18:00 UTC.[4] Initial reorganization was slow; however, within a highly favorable environment, the system soon underwent rapid intensification as an eye developed and its central pressure quickly fell. After becoming a hurricane on August 24, Harvey continued to quickly strengthen over the next day, ultimately reaching peak intensity as a Category 4 hurricane.[5] Around 03:00 UTC on August 26, the hurricane made landfall at peak intensity on San Jose Island, just east of Rockport, with winds of 130 mph (210 km/h) and an atmospheric pressure of 937 mbar (27.7 inHg). It made a second landfall on the Texas mainland, at Rockport, three hours later in a slightly weakened state. Harvey became the first major hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Wilma in 2005.[3]

Once Harvey moved inland, it began to weaken rapidly as its speed slowed dramatically to a crawl, and Harvey weakened to a tropical storm on August 26. For about two days the storm stalled just inland, dropping very heavy rainfall and causing catastrophic flash flooding. Harvey's center drifted back towards the southeast, ultimately re-emerging into the Gulf of Mexico on August 28. Once offshore, the poorly organized system struggled against strong wind shear. Deep convection persisted north of the cyclone's center near the Houston metropolitan area along a stationary front, resulting in several days of record-breaking rain. Early on August 30, the former hurricane made its fifth and final landfall just west of Cameron, Louisiana, with winds of 45 mph (70 km/h). Associated convection with Harvey became focused north of the center and along a warm front on September 1 as it moved further inland, indicating that the system transitioned into a post-tropical cyclone by 06:00 UTC that day. The remnants continued northeastwards before being absorbed into another extratropical system on September 3.[3]

Preparations[edit]

Impact[edit]

Caribbean and Latin America[edit]

The remnants of Harvey (bottom right) approaching the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, as the shadow of the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 is visible (upper left).

Winds left residents throughout Barbados without electricity, with a majority of outages occurring in Christ Church, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, and Saint Michael provinces. Flooding washed one house off its foundation, while water entered some houses, forcing some people to evacuate. Bridges in Saint Andrew and Saint Joseph were damaged. Additionally, a fuel depot in Speightstown was flooded. Winds from Harvey ripped the roof off a church.[6] In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, nine homes were flooded and four others experienced wind damage. Also, a tree fell on a school, damaging the building. Blocked drains in Port Elizabeth resulted in more than 15 businesses being flooded. A total of 15 people were housed in shelters after the storm.[7] Strong winds and heavy rainfall also affected Suriname and Guyana. In the former, high winds in the capital city of Paramaribo caused roof damage to the Presidential Palace and two homes, while the Torarica Hotel and Casino suffered structural impact. Additionally, four dwellings were deroofed in Commewijne and three others lost their roofs in Wanica; in the latter, the Ministry of Social Affairs building was damaged by falling trees. In Guyana, the village of Jawalla bore the brunt of the storm. Four homes were demolished, while five other residences and two shops were damaged. Several public buildings were also damaged, including the community center, the village council buildings, the nursery, and public schools. A 29-year-old woman died after her house collapsed on her.[7]

United States[edit]

The path of Hurricane Harvey through affected states, including rainfall totals.

Texas[edit]

Radar animation of Hurricane Harvey moving ashore on August 26.
Coastal Bend[edit]
A marina was destroyed by Harvey's intense winds and storm surge in Rockport, Texas.
Coast Guard video during an overflight from Port Aransas to Port O'Connor, Texas, Aug. 26, 2017
  • Port Aransas 100% damage[8]
Southeast Texas[edit]
Precipitation in Nederland, Texas
Flooding in Port Arthur, Texas, on August 31.
Elsewhere in Texas[edit]
Enlarged map of rainfall from the hurricane in the Houston and Beaumont metropolitan areas in southeast Texas. Areas in blue indicate accumulations in excess of 15 in (380 mm), while areas in yellow indicate accumulations in excess of 40 in (1,000 mm).

Louisiana[edit]

Elsewhere in United States[edit]

Aftermath[edit]

Records[edit]

Retirement[edit]

Due to the extensive damage and loss of life the hurricane caused along its track, particularly in Texas, the World Meteorological Organization retired the name Harvey from its rotating name lists in April 2018, and it will never again be used for another Atlantic tropical cyclone. It was replaced with Harold for the 2023 season.[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Harvey Advisory Number 2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Harvey Advisory Number 11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c Eric S. Blake; David A. Zelinsky (January 23, 2018). Hurricane Harvey (AL092017) (PDF) (Report). Tropical Cyclone Report. Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 26, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Harvey Advisory Number 12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Harvey update was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ CDEMA Situation Report #1 – Tropical Storm Harvey – as of 4:00pm on August 18th, 2017. Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (Report). New York City: ReliefWeb. August 18, 2017. Archived from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  7. ^ a b CDEMA Situation Report #2 - Tropical Storm Harvey - as of 11:00am on August 22nd, 2017. Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (Report). New York City: ReliefWeb. August 22, 2017. Archived from the original on August 24, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  8. ^ Harvey Damaged 100 Percent of Port Aransas Businesses; But The Island Town Is Working Its Way Back
  9. ^ "Hurricane names Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate being retired". The Washington Post. Associated Press. April 12, 2018. Archived from the original on April 13, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2018.