STORM TRACK: January 31, 1984 (Volume 7 Issue 2)

The following excellent account of a hurricane intercept was sent to ST last fall by one of the few active women storm chasers, Barbara White (Address in the "Roster"). Until she recently moved to Guam and "typhoon alley," Barbara resided in Fort Lauderdale, from which she chased Atlantic hurricanes in the fall and Texas tornadoes in the spring (a nice, well rounded existence, indeed!). Like many gifted amateurs in this field, she has studied, asked questions and acquired a good, basic knowledge of meteorology and atmospheric dynamics, so that she now knows what she's looking for and when to go for it. The Editor notes with some surprise (and not a little envy at "true grit") that she quit her job of seven years, packed up and went to where the action is! How many of us would like to follow in those steps, where-ever we might want to be. Here's wishing Barbara good luck and good fortune. (I'm sure a letter or two from ST's readers would be appreciated, to remind her that she's still one of us and in the wider community of storm chasers everywhere).

On August, 15, 1983, Tropical Storm Alicia formed in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. Alicia originated from a mid-level baroclinic low which had developed en the western edge of a stationary front. The 500 millibar trough was positioned over the east coast of the United States. It, was suggested to me that the low originated from an area of positive vorticity, which had moved down the western edge of the trough. The low then became embedded in the western edge of the stationary front, and cyclogenesis occurred. As the front diminished, the low had worked its way to the surface and developed tropical characteristics on August 15.

At 6:00 PM EDT, the system was classed as Tropical Storm Alicia with sustained winds of 45 mph. Conditions were favorable for further development, and Alicia attained hurricane intensity by 6:00 PM on August 16. The maximum sustained winds had reached 80 mph. Satellite imagery showed a very organized circulation, with heavy convection wrapped around a visible center. The 500 millibar high pressure ridge was positioned over the central United States.

Three storm chasers and myself decided to fly into Houston, Texas to intercept Alicia somewhere along the upper Texas coast. Our flight arrived in Houston at 9:30 PM CDT. Jim Leonard and his chasing partner headed toward Freeport. Forecasters were indicating the highest probability of landfall to be Galveston Island. I was in full agreement with the forecast, so Al Wootten and I decided to go to Galveston. The odds of getting to see the eye were slim, so we preferred to stay slightly north of the forecast track, to remain on the strongest side of the hurricane.

We made it to Galveston Island by midnight and looked for a hotel which appeared to be well-constructed. We decided to stay at the La Quinta Hotel, which was located on Seawall Boulevard across the street from the Gulf. The building appeared to be sturdy, and we chose to stay on the third floor. The room faced the Gulf, giving us a good view of the waves and the wind blowing directly off the water, without obstructions.

At 1:00 AM CDT, August 17, we took a ride down the boulevard and noticed that there were very large swells on the Gulf. The wind was light and out, of the northeast. We checked the northeast end of Galveston Island, and tidal flooding was already occurring in the low lying areas. The local action statement indicated that the tides were two feet above normal at that time. We drove along Seawall Boulevard to see if the buildings appeared to be well-constructed. We also wanted to see how the local townspeople were reacting to the hurricane warnings. It did not appear that many people were taking any precautions at that time. A few houses were boarded up; however, the majority of homes and businesses were untouched.

The hurricane was still moving west-northwest at 5 mph but appeared to be having nighttime convection problems. Alicia remained at the same intensify throughout the night, and satellite imagery showed a reduction of convective activity. Steering currents remained weak, so I forecast the hurricane to begin drifting on a more northwesterly track, due to the Coriolis effect. I felt that Alicia was high enough in latitude to avoid the tendency to drift southwestward, due to the effect of the heat low and mountains over Mexico. Also, while listening to the temperature and pressure readings for Texas coastal cities, the pressure for Galveston was slightly lower than all of the other readings.

On the morning of August 17, I awoke at 7:30 AM CDT, due to the sound of rough seas. The waves had increased considerably in height, and the wind was beginning to pick up to around 30 mph. Al and I drove south along Seawall Boulevard and went over to the Flagship Hotel, which was located on a big pier out over the Gulf. Many reporters were staying at the Flagship, as it remained open during the hurricane. The large swells and waves were crashing through the pilings of the hotel, and up over the connecting fishing pier.

By 12:00 PM CDT, the wind had increased to around 40 mph, minimal gale force, and was beginning to blow the tops off of waves. By 1:30 PM, the first squall began to affect the island. At that time, heavy rain began to fail, and the wind increased to around 50-55 mph. It was difficult to keep good balance, while standing. The wind had rapidly changing currents of warm and cold air. Clouds appeared to be more convective, mostly stratocumulus lined with towering cumulus. We filmed the waves and blowing rain from the Flagship pier.

By 2:00 PM CDT, Alicia had intensified to 100 mph and by 6:00 PM to 110 mph. Rapid intensification had occurred during the afternoon, as Alicia increased from 80 mph to 110 mph in only eight hours. Satellite imagery and enhanced radar showed Alicia to be a small, compact, well organized and intense hurricane. Alicia had a tight, well defined eye. While the hurricane was intensifying, it remained nearly stationary, moving only twenty miles in an eleven hour period. A local action statement indicated that the high pressure ridge was weakening. I could not see how Alicia could avoid the tendency to move on a more northwesterly course.

Composite and imaginative picture from prints from B. White

At 4:20 PM CDT, we noticed that the west side of the Flagship Hotel had begun peeling off. The walls of the hotel appeared to be made of a decorative lightweight material. Most businesses were closed by 5:00 PM, however a few beachfront restaurants remained open in spite of the hurricane warnings. One restaurant sign read, "Welcome Alicia, we are opened." Although most people had finished boarding up and making last minute preparations, many believed that Alicia would turn and not affect Galveston. They were basing their opinions on the track of Hurricane Allen of 1980. It seemed to be the same reasoning that South Floridians used in regards to Hurricane David and Alberto.

By 6:00 PM CDT, the tides were five feet above normal, and there was heavy flooding on the northeast and southwest ends of Galveston Island. Strong northeasterly gales were blowing the tops off of waves, Rainfall was also very intense and blowing horizontally to the ground. Minor damage to roofs and signs began to occur, with half the roof of a Seven-Eleven store blowing off.

By 9:00 PM CDT, an intense squall hit with what appeared to be hurricane force winds, The wind was very strong, with heavy rain falling. The wind and rain had been steadily increasing since 5:00 PM. Alicia was still around 60 miles south of Galveston, and forecasters were predicting further intensification. A lot of things were beginning to blow through the air. Glass was shattering out of street lights and blowing past us. Singles were peeling off of roofs, and sheet metal was flying through the air. Little rocks pelted the side of the hotel. I wanted to stand out in the wind to feel its intensity; however, the threat of being hit by flying debris stopped me.

By 10:00 PM CDT, Alicia had intensified to 115 mph. The wind continued to increase, with the rain becoming torrential and tides approaching the top of the seawall. Waves were crashing over it, and the tops of waves were being blown off over the hotel. I noticed a rain of sparks blowing out of the hallway on the second floor of the hotel and saw the sparks several more times as wind gusts blasted down the hall. I was hoping that the electricity would be cut off to keep electrical fires from starting.

At, 12:56 AM, CDT, August 18, the electricity did go out. All of Galveston Island was in total darkness. We had a flashlight, which helped keep track of the time and for operating the cassette recorder. It was no help, however, in penetrating through the torrential rains. The complete darkness did aid in observing cloud to cloud lightning, which was occurring regularly. The lightning was extremely fascinating. Some of the time, it would be white flashes and at other times pale blue flashes. I have seen the pale blue and white lightning in every other tropical storm I have chased. The lightning also aided in seeing the intense wind and rain, which was tearing the sheet metal off the roof of the JoJo's restuarant & the parking lot below. The wind made a loud rushing sound, with extreme sounds during peak gusts.

At about 2:00 AM CDT, the wind appeared to be slowly shifting from northeast to east. It was obvious that the eye had passed just south of our location. The wind continued to slowly shift, and at 2:50 AM, a sudden drop in wind speed occurred. The wind dropped off to around 50 mph, and the rain almost stopped completely. Within five minutes, the wind resumed its full intensity.

By 3:30 AM CDT, the wind had nearly completed its shift and was blowing from the southeast. I still noticed frequent flashes of pale blue lightning. After the shift, the wind was hitting our hotel room door more directly, whereas the northeast wind had been blocked by the "L" shape of the building. The torrential rain began steadily coming in the cracks between the door and the door jam. At the same time, the wind was hitting the window more directly. The window was made up of six small panes of glass, therefore it had more elasticity than one single pane. Although the window bowed from the force of the wind and airborne objects which bombarded the side of the hotel, it remained intact.

The 3:00 AM CDT, advisory indicated that Alicia had made landfall over the southwest end of Galveston Island. Air Reconnaissance reported sustained winds of 115 MPH and a barometric pressure reading of 962 millibars (28.41 inches) at landfall. The 7:00 AM local statement indicated that the eye of Alicia continued moving northwest over Alvin, Texas, and the barometric pressure at Alvin dropped to 28.55 inches. The statement also indicated that hurricane force winds were still being experienced in Galveston. It mentioned that sustained winds were 66 mph, with gusts up to 86 mph. Those wind readings were measured at the weather service office in downtown Galveston. The wind was directly off the Gulf at Galveston Beach and appeared to be higher than those readings, at that time.

By 7:15 AM CDT, it was light enough to go out and film the hurricane. The rain was still very heavy, and the wind made it difficult to get down the stairway. We drove down Seawall Boulevard to view the wind and damage. There was a lot of major structural damage right along the coastline. Many buildings had roofs missing and windows blown out. Some buildings even had their north walls collapsed, due to the intense wind. Many street lights were down, and signs were either down or blown out. There was so much debris scattered about in the road that it made driving very difficult. There were a lot of logs, cinder blocks, street lights, palm trees, pieces of roofs, pieces of signs and other building materials spewed about.

Most of the damage along the part of the boulevard which was protected by the seawall was due to high winds. The seawall blocked the storm surge from going inland, however there was an area where a lot of seaweed and large logs were across the road, in front, of the buildings. One area of fence was knocked down, with debris lined along it. A few store fronts were knocked out, with seaweed inside the stores. It was apparent that sea water had crossed the road in that area. That was most likely due to the large waves breaking over the seawall.

We attempted to go to the southwest end of Galveston Island, where the eye had passed inland. When we arrived at the area where the seawall ended, we could not go any further due to tidal flooding. 'dater covered the road, and a lot of debris was floating on the swift current, which was caused by the strong winds. We decided to turn around and check out the northesst end of the island. Two condominiums, which were located east of the seawall, were completely surrounded by water. A bait and tackle shop, which we had photographed the previous day, was completely washed away. A trailer park, which was also located east of the seawall, was totally demolished by the storm surge.

After surveying damage on the northeast end of the island, we decided to drive inland on Route 75 to check out inland flooding and damage. Al noticed that the Moody Press building was on fire. Several fire fighting teams were unable to get, over to it, due to heavy street, flooding from the intense rainfall. It was difficult to drive on the inland roads due to the standing water and debris, which was scattered about,. There were many large tree limbs, signs, roof fragments and sheet metal cluttering the roads. Many trees were uprooted, some of which had fallen onto houses.

After investigating inland, we again drove down Seawall Boulevard to film the wind and waves. At 10:00 AM CDT, gale force winds continued causing damage to already weakened structures. Rainfall was still heavy, and the wind continued to blow from the south at around 55 mph.

By 1:00 PM CDT, the rain had stopped and the wind had decreased to minimal gale force. It was sunny, and the sky was almost clear to the southeast. Some scattered cirrostratus clouds ware to the northeast. A lot of people were out driving around, looking at the damage that, had occurred. We decided to again attempt to go to the southwest end of Galveston Island. We stopped in Jamaica Beach, which was located 6.2 miles south of the La Quinta Hotel. The center of attention was a Seven-Eleven convenience store, which was totally demolished. We talked with a police officer, who was guarding the store against looters. He claimed to live near the store and when asked about the storm said that he had gotten a total calm for several minutes. It is unknown how far he lived from the store, but several other people who lived 0.4 miles north of the store described having a decrease of wind to around 50 mph, but no total calm. One couple, that lived 0.2 miles from the Gulf, claimed that the tides wore two fest higher than their four foot fence. It appeared to be true, as seaweed was plastered all over the enters fence. Seaweed was seen scattered 0.8 miles inland in that area. A few families remained in Jamaica Beach during the hurricane, however the majority evacuated on their own.

We continued south toward Sea Isle and encountered a road block to stop people from- entering the area. They were not even allowing local residents in to see if their homes were still there. We got through on another road and proceeded to photograph the damage that had occurred. The beach was lined with houses which were built on stilts. Almost every one had major structural damage. Many had their roofs blown off, windows blown out and at least one or more walls collapsed. Some homes were moved off of their stilts and set down several hundred feet away. Other houses were totally gone, with only the stilts and bottom floor remaining. There was an area of bare sand, where a whole row of houses supposedly existed before the hurricane hit. The road was so full of seaweed and debris from broken up buildings, that we could not go further. Also, the roadsides were too muddy to allow any but a four wheel vehicle to pass without getting stuck.

Luck was with us as two men in a pickup truck stopped to ask us if we needed help. One of the men introduced himself as Rob. We explained what we were doing there, and he offered to drive us back into the area of heaviest damage. He also wanted to show us his house, where he had ridden out the storm. We took him up on his offer, and he easily maneuvered around the debris. On the way, he stopped at a house with a Corvette parked out back and went to see if anyone needed help. A young man came out and bragged that he rode out the hurricane in his bathtub. He claimed that the eye passed directly over and lasted for about thirty minutes. His house had major roof damage and windows blown out, but the walls remained standing. However, the houses on both sides of his were totally destroyed. He claimed that a tornado hit just before the eye arrived. I explained to him that a tornado probably would not develop in the eye wall, and that it was most likely a peak gust of wind. He said it sounded like a freight train, but I told him that a peak gust of wind could also sound like that. He admitted not seeing a tornado, but just took it for granted that the sound came from one.

After talking with him for awhile, we continued south. Rob drove us five blocks inland, where he and his wife lived. Many of the homes in his area had major structural damage. Some fared better than others, with only roof damage or windows broken out. Rob's house had the sliding glass doors blown in, and everything inside was ruined. The roof had peeled from the inside but did not come off. He mentioned that he had just completed building the house last January. His neighbors house had all but two rooms blown off the main floor. Most of the debris from the house was heaped up on the front lawn.

At this point, we could see West Bay about 0.5 miles to our west. Seaweed was spewed about, as far inland as we could see. It was apparent that the storm surge had crossed all the way to the bay. Rob mentioned that the eye lasted for about thirty minutes and claimed that many tornadoes had gone through his area. He even showed us what he claimed to be tornado paths. However, it was plain to see that all of the paths were caused by straight line winds from the northeast. I tried to explain that peak gusts of wind could cause that type of damage, but he was convinced that tornadoes must have done it, although he admitted seeing none.

We noticed a red Ford Maverick, sitting in a yard five blocks away. Rob mentioned that the car belonged to a family who lived on the beach. That family happened to be staying at the La Quinta Hotel and had asked us to check on their house, since we were going into the area. They said that the police wouldn't let them get through, and we told them we'd check on it. Their house was still standing, but unfortunately the garage was washed out, the roof and top story were gone, and all of the windows were blown out. Only the stilts and bottom story remained. Their neighbor's houses fared even worse, with only a couple of walls standing. Most of the people evacuated the area, although a few stayed through the hurricane. At the time, I wondered how many were washed into the bay, whom nobody had discovered yet. I asked Rob if he would ever ride out another hurricane there. He said, "No way!"

After several hours of looking around, Rob and his wife drove us back to our car. We had to hurry back to the La Quinta Hotel to beat an 8:00 PM curfew, which was to be strictly enforced. When we got back, I had to write my notes by flashlight. All of Galveston Island was still without electricity. In some areas, it would take at least a month to restore. In Sea Isle, most of the utility poles were either bent over or knocked down due to the storm surge.

Throughout the day, Alicia had continued moving northwest, passing over Houston with hurricane force winds. By 2:00 PM, CDT, Alicia had been downgraded to a tropical storm. That was the last advisory issued for Alicia.

On August 19, we looked around Seawall Boulevard. one last time, and then headed back to the Houston airport. We noticed damage all the way to Houston. Some roofs had shingles peeled off, and some windows were blown out. Many signs were broken or knocked down, and billboards were bent or destroyed. Some buildings also had sheet metal peeled off.

In downtown Houston, the damage was relatively light. Some windows were blown out of high rise buildings. Most signs were left untouched. We did not, see any structural damage to buildings, however, there were many trees uprooted near the Houston airport. A lady who worked for the auto rental company blamed tornadoes for all of the tree damage. She claimed to have seen a few, so I did not dispute the issue. Although being fifty miles inland would enhance the opportunity for tornadic development, winds gusting as high as 94 mph certainly could have caused the damage that, we saw.

The chase had come to its conclusion, and we headed back to Miami. One final comment I must add is that Alicia was the best experience of my life."