ALICIA TURNS 40

1983 was one of the least active Atlantic hurricane seasons on record. The Atlantic basin only had 4 named storms in 1983, not only the fewest in the satellite era (1965), and since storms started receiving names (1950), it's the least amount of at least tropical storm strength systems since there were only 3 recorded in 1930, and is tied for the 3rd fewest all-time, or since records became official in 1851.

1983 was coming off a strong El Nino event during the '82-'83 hurricane seasons, where there were just 10 named storms during that 2 year stretch. '83 was so quiet that it wasn't until late July when the 1st tropical depression of the season formed almost 1,000 miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. This system made it to the Lesser Antilles as a depression before dissipating in the Caribbean. Tropical depression #2 formed 4 days after TD1, about 250 miles SW of the Cabo Verde Islands. 6 days later it dissipated just north of the Leeward Islands.

On the morning of August 15th, Tropical Depression #3 formed from a deteriorating front coming off the northern Gulf coast about 185 miles SSW of New Orleans. 6 hours later it strengthened into the season's 1st tropical storm and was given the name Alicia. Alicia was a small storm and moved slowly westward around the periphery of high pressure to it's north. This slow movement allowed Alicia to take advantage of the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, along with favorable upper level conditions to allow unabated strengthening, and 36 hours after formation, on the evening of August 16th, Alicia became a hurricane.

Hurricane Alicia was slow moving, stationary at times, and conditions were expected to remain favorable for strengthening. And strengthen it did. By the afternoon of August 17th Alicia had reached category 2 intensity. For the next 12 hours Alicia was still working around the high pressure system that had shifted eastward, allowing Alicia to take a more northwesterly track. This had Alicia setting it's sights on Galveston Island.

At 1:00 am on August 18th, Alicia had strengthened into a category 3 major hurricane. 2 hours later, Alicia made landfall on the southwestern tip of Galveston Island near San Luis Pass with 115 mph winds. Alicia maintained hurricane status as it passed just to the west of downtown Houston later that morning. In fact, Alicia didn't lose hurricane intensity until it reached the College Station area that afternoon, 10 hours after making landfall. It took another 12 hours before Alicia was downgraded to a depression as it neared the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Alicia became extratropical over Oklahoma on the 20th before being absorbed by a trough over eastern Nebraska on the 21st.

Alicia's 12 mile wide eye passed just to the west of Alvin, and then Pearland. What was then the Astrodomain Complex, now NRG, was right in the western eyewall of Alicia. Hobby Airport reported sustained winds of 81 mph with gusts to 99 mph. Alicia passed just to the west of downtown Houston causing extensive window damage in skyscrapers. It continued through the River Oaks and Timbergrove subdivisions, and over what was once Northwest Mall near the 610 North Loop and U.S. 290, still at hurricane strength. 

Alicia was responsible for 21 deaths, 7 in Harris County. Alicia totaled an estimated $3 billion in damages, which at the time made Alicia the costliest tropical system in U.S. history. Alicia produced 22 tornadoes throughout Texas, with most

being low end F0. The strongest tornado was an F2 in Corsicana, about 50 miles south of Dallas. 5 to 8 inches of rain were common throughout Galveston, Brazoria and Harris counties. A 12 foot storm surge crested along the interior coast of Galveston Bay from Baytown to Seabrook. Subdivisions in Baytown were reported to be 10 feet underwater. 90% of homes in Crystal Beach were damaged, half of those destroyed.

An estimated 60,000 - 80,000 people were evacuated from Brazoria, Chambers, Harris and Galveston counties. However, only about 10% of the population living behind the Galveston seawall chose to evacuate. This was down from the 30% who evacuated when Hurricane Allen threatened the coast 3 years earlier, and Allen ended up making landfall in south Texas near Port Isabel. Alicia was the 1st U.S. landfalling hurricane since Allen in 1980, ending the longest stretch without a hurricane making U.S. landfall in the 20th century.

Personal experience - Alicia was the 1st encounter with a hurricane in my lifetime and is the very storm that started my interest in tracking hurricanes. As a teenager I rode out the storm at my grandparents house in northeast Houston. Howling winds throughout the dark of night and the sound of the carport about to blow away at any second. Amazingly the grandparents carport remained intact. The yard was flooded with several inches of water. The howling winds lasted well past dawn as the center of Alicia when it was near Northwest Mall at about 7:00 am put me about 9 miles from the eye. It's the closest to the eye of a hurricane I would ever be until the eye of Hurricane Ike passed directly over me in 2008. By the way, Ike turns 15 this year.  Luckily the most damage from Alicia that I experienced was tons of downed tree limbs and branches that had to be cut up and stacked on the side of the road for pickup at some point, all while being without power for 2 straight weeks. Area schools were about to open for the new school year, and most had to postpone opening for at least a week.

The name Alicia was retired by the WMO (World Meteorological Organization) in the spring of 1984. It was replaced by Allison. Of course, Allison effected the same area Alicia did 18 years later and became the first tropical system ever retired that didn't become a hurricane. Allison is also the 7th and to this point last "A" storm ever retired. Alicia was the 5th retired "A" storm. Andrew would be the one in between the two. Allison was replaced by Andrea, first used in 2007, and will come up again in 2025. Andrea, a subtropical storm in 2007 and 2019, and a tropical storm in 2013, has yet to affect Texas in any way.

So I don't really want to say happy 40th birthday to Alicia because of the 21 lives she took, and the countless other lives she affected, but this is the storm that started my fascination of the tropics, for whatever relevance that holds.

40 years ago. Now I feel old.