&sq=&lang=&file=File:Danny_1997-07-19_1445Z.png) Danny at peak intensity making landfall in Louisiana on July 19 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | July 16, 1997 |
| Extratropical | July 26, 1997 |
| Dissipated | July 27, 1997 |
| Category 1 hurricane | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 80 mph (130 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 984 mbar (hPa); 29.06 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 9 |
| Damage | $100 million (1997 USD) |
| Areas affected | Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, The Carolinas, Virginia, Massachusetts |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1997 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Danny was the only hurricane to make landfall in the United States during the 1997 Atlantic hurricane season, and the second hurricane and fourth tropical storm of the season. The system became the earliest-formed fifth tropical or subtropical storm of the Atlantic season in history when it attained tropical storm strength on July 17, and held that record until the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season when Tropical Storm Emily broke that record by several days. Like the previous four tropical or subtropical cyclones of the season, Danny had a non-tropical origin, after a trough spawned convection that entered the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Danny was guided northeast through the Gulf of Mexico by two high pressure areas, a rare occurrence in the middle of July. After making landfall on the Gulf Coast, Danny tracked across the southeastern United States and ultimately affected parts of New England with rain and wind.
Danny is notable for its extreme rainfall, the tornadoes generated by it, and the destruction it produced on its path, causing a total of nine fatalities and $100 million (1997 USD, $190 million 2024 USD) in damage. The storm dropped a record amount of rainfall for Alabama, as at least 36.71 inches (932 mm) fell on Dauphin Island. Flooding, power outages, and erosion occurred in many areas of the Gulf Coast, and rescues had to be executed from flooded roadways. Tornadoes generated by Danny on the East Coast caused a great amount of damage. Of the nine fatalities caused by Danny, one happened off the coast of Alabama, four occurred in Georgia, two occurred in South Carolina, and two occurred in North Carolina.