Hurricane Alberto (1982)

Hurricane Alberto

Alberto at peak intensity in the Straits of Florida on June 3
Meteorological history
Formed	June 1, 1982
Dissipated	June 6, 1982
Category 1 hurricane
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS)
Highest winds	85 mph (140 km/h)
Lowest pressure	985 mbar (hPa); 29.09 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities	23 direct
Damage	$85 million (1982 USD)
Areas affected	Cuba, Florida
IBTrACS
Part of the 1982 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Alberto was a Category 1 hurricane that caused the worst flooding in western Cuba in 32 years. The first tropical storm and hurricane of the 1982 Atlantic hurricane season, Alberto developed from a tropical disturbance on June 2 in the southern Gulf of Mexico. It rapidly organized and attained hurricane status the following day, the earliest date for a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean since Hurricane Alma in May 1970.^[1] Shortly after reaching peak winds off 85 mph (137 km/h), Alberto rapidly weakened due to approaching upper-level winds. Initial forecasts predicted the hurricane would continue northeastward into Florida; it turned sharply westward and drifted erratically for several days across the eastern Gulf of Mexico, before dissipating on June 6.

Alberto produced heavy rainfall in western Cuba, causing flash flooding and severe damage. The storm damaged 8,745 houses and destroyed 154 buildings, leaving hundreds homeless. Heavy rainfall continued in the country for several weeks after the storm, and damage from Alberto totaled about $85 million (1982 USD$, 268 million 2024 USD). At least 23 people were killed in the country. Initially, Alberto was forecast to continue northeastward and strike Florida, though it turned and rapidly weakened, resulting in minor effects in the state.