Hurricane Babe

Hurricane Babe
Black and white satellite image of a weakening tropical storm. The white represents clouds and the lines are country and state borders while the black represents land and water. The Gulf of Mexico is at the bottom of the image, with the spiraling hurricane situated over Louisiana. Most of the southern and central United States can be seen in the image.
Babe soon after moving inland on September 5
Meteorological history
FormedSeptember 3, 1977
DissipatedSeptember 9, 1977
Category 1 hurricane
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS)
Highest winds75 mph (120 km/h)
Lowest pressure995 mbar (hPa); 29.38 inHg
Overall effects
FatalitiesNone
Damage$13 million (1977 USD)
Areas affectedFlorida, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia
IBTrACSEdit this at Wikidata
Part of the 1977 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Babe was the second named storm and the first to impact the United States during the inactive 1977 Atlantic hurricane season. Forming out of a tropical wave on September 3, Babe began as a subtropical cyclone in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The storm gradually intensified as it tracked westward. On September 5, the storm turned north and acquired tropical characteristics. Later that day, Babe intensified into a hurricane and attained its peak strength with winds of 75 mph (120 km/h) and a barometric pressure of 995 mbar (hPa; 29.38 inHg). Several hours later, the hurricane made landfall in Louisiana and quickly weakened. By September 6, Babe had weakened to a tropical depression and later dissipated early on September 9 over North Carolina.

Hurricane Babe produced minimal impact throughout its path in the United States. The most significant impact occurred in Louisiana where the storm caused $10 million (1977 USD; $50.3 million 2024 USD) in damage, mainly from crop losses. An additional $3 million (1977 USD; $15.1 million 2024 USD) in losses resulted from tornadoes spawned by Babe. Heavy rainfall in North Carolina, peaking at 8.99 in (228 mm) triggered flash flooding but little damage. No fatalities resulted from the hurricane. Coincidentally, a typhoon, also named Babe, existed at exactly the same time as Hurricane Babe.[1]

  1. ^ "Annual Tropical Cyclone Report: Typhoon Babe" (PDF). Joint Typhoon Warning Center. United States Navy. 1978. pp. 27–29. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 25, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2013.