List of West Africa hurricanes

This list of West Africa hurricanes includes all tropical cyclones which originated in the Atlantic and directly or indirectly affected the west coast of Africa or its surrounding islands, or both. Atlantic hurricanes seldom directly affect West Africa, the Cape Verde Islands, or the Canary Islands, since easterly winds carry the storms away from land, and most Atlantic storms that move off the African coast tend to be weak.

Tropical Storm Delta before hitting the Canary Islands on November 28, 2005

List of tropical cyclones

This is a list of tropical cyclones that have either made direct landfall in Western Africa and its surrounding islands or have come close to making landfall.

Before 1950

• September 10, 1900: A tropical storm formed on September 8, 1900, at 10°N-18.5°W and moved northwestward. The storm rapidly gained strength as it reached hurricane on September 9. The hurricane continued moving northwestward as it bypassed the Cape Verde Islands to the west at Category 1 strength. The storm later reached Category 2 status after passing the islands. Despite its close proximity to the islands, it's unclear if any watches or warnings were issued nor were any reports of damage or fatalities reported from the storm.[1]
• August 29, 1901: A tropical depression formed on August 29 and moved westward where it became a tropical storm. The storm brushed the Cape Verde's before continuing on westward and becoming a hurricane. The storm caused no damage on the islands.[2]
• August 25, 1906: A tropical storm brushed the Cape Verde Islands as a 40 mph (64 km/h) tropical storm causing no damage. Days later, the storm strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane.[3]
• September 2, 1927 : A weak tropical storm passed through the Cape Verde Islands before becoming a category 2 hurricane. There was no recorded damage after the storm's passing through the islands.[4]
• September 6, 1928: The 1928 Lake Okeechobee Hurricane passed through the Cape Verde Islands as a weak tropical storm.[5]
• September 10, 1938: Before becoming a hurricane, the 1938 New England Hurricane passed through the Cape Verde Islands as a 40 mph (64 km/h) tropical storm.[6]
• September 5, 1947: The Fort Lauderdale Hurricane brushed the Cape Verde Islands as a Category 1 hurricane at 0000 UTC. There were no reports of damage or injuries from the hurricane.[7]
• September 5, 1948: A mid season hurricane brushed the Cape Verde Islands as a Category 1 storm. There were no reports of damage or injuries from that storm.[8]

1950-1979

• August 19, 1952: Tropical Depression Two struck the Cape Verde Islands before becoming a hurricane.[9]
• August 28, 1953: Tropical Depression Four passed through the Cape Verde Islands before becoming a hurricane.[10]
• September 3, 1957: While transitioning to a tropical storm, Tropical Depression Four passed south of the Cape Verde Islands causing no damage.[11]
• August 8, 1958: Tropical Depression Two passed through the Cape Verde Islands before reaching tropical storm strength. There were no reports of damage.[12]
• September 5, 1964: Tropical Depression Eight brushed the Cape Verde Islands before reaching tropical storm strength. The storm caused no known damage.[13]
• September 5, 1967: Tropical Depression Three passed through the Cape Verde Islands before becoming a hurricane.[14]
• October 5, 1967: Tropical Storm Ginger formed east of the Cape Verde Islands on October 5. The storm reached a peak intensity of 50 mph before dissipating two days later. Ginger's formation was the farthest east on record for an Atlantic tropical cyclone.[15][16]
• September 12, 1968: Tropical Depression Seven brushed the Cape Verde Islands before reaching tropical storm strength.[17]
• August 25, 1973: Tropical Depression Nine formed over western Africa at 10°N-15°W before reaching tropical storm strength.[18]
• September 15, 1973: Tropical Storm Ellen brushed the Cape Verde Islands as a 45 mph (72 km/h) tropical storm,[19] before becoming a hurricane.
• September 4, 1979: Tropical Depression Eleven brushed the northern Cape Verde Islands before becoming a hurricane.[20]

1980-1999

Tropical Storm Beryl

• September 4, 1980: Tropical Depression Nine brushed the northern Cape Verde Islands hours before strengthening into Tropical Storm Earl.[21]
• August 29, 1982: Tropical Storm Beryl of 1982 passed south of the Cape Verde Islands, killing 3 people and injuring 112 people.[22][23]
• September 16, 1984: Tropical Storm Fran bypassed the Cape Verde Islands to the south whilst strengthening.[24] The storm killed 31 people, mainly from landslides and flooding.[23]
• September 8, 1988: Tropical Storm Eleven formed extremely close to western Africa on September 6 where it moved slightly northwestward and dissipated. It was not named because of its extreme location at the time, and it was originally thought to be a tropical depression. However, post storm analysis revealed that the system had maintained tropical storm strength for at least 48 hours. The storm produced heavy rain but caused no reported damage.
• September 18, 1989: Before reaching hurricane status, Hurricane Erin passed through the Cape Verde Islands as a tropical depression, causing no damage.[25]
• September 21, 1998: Hurricane Jeanne of 1998 passed south of the Cape Verde Islands as a Category 1 hurricane.[26] Because of Jeanne's rapid formation, forecasters predicted that the storm will bring tropical storm conditions to the Cape Verde Islands. However, the storm's center stayed off shore and there were no reports of damage.[27]

2000-present

Hurricane Fred at Category 1 strength over Cape Verde on August 31, 2015.

• August 4, 2000: The tropical wave that later became Hurricane Alberto dropped 1 inch (25 mm) of rain across Dakar, Senegal and produced winds of 40 mph (64 km/h) off the West African coastline.[28]
• September 9, 2003: Tropical Depression Fourteen brushed the Cape Verde Islands after reaching peak intensity of 35 mph (56 km/h).[29] The depression produced heavy rainfall and gusty winds to the islands.[30]
• November 23, 2005: Tropical Storm Delta, after meandering eastward in the Atlantic Ocean for several days, struck the Canary Islands shortly after becoming extratropical, and 70 mph (110 km/h) winds with 90 mph (150 km/h) gusts caused over $360 million (2005 USD) in damage and nineteen deaths.[31][32] The remnants of Delta then struck Morocco, where no damage was reported.
• August 21, 2006: Tropical Storm Debby passed south of the Cape Verde Islands as a tropical depression. A tropical storm warning was issued for the Cape Verde Islands, but was discontinued when Debby turned further westward and away from the islands.
• September 9, 2010: Tropical Storm Igor passed about 30 miles (48 km) to the south of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands,[33] bringing tropical storm force winds to Brava & Fogo,[34] before reaching hurricane strength.
• August 31, 2015: Hurricane Fred reached Category 1 strength as it hit Cape Verde, resulting in hurricane conditions across many of the islands. Seven people died when their fishing boat capsized off the coast of Guinea-Bissau, and another two fishermen were presumed dead after never returning to Boa Vista.
• September 8, 2018: Tropical Storm Helene dropped heavy rainfall in Guinea, triggering flooding that claimed three lives in Doko.[35]

Monitoring stations

The Cape Verde Islands has only one tropical cyclone monitoring station in Sal.[36] In Western Africa, there are three tropical cyclone monitoring stations in Dakar, Senegal,[37] Bamako, Mali[38] and Niamey, Niger[39]

Climatological statistics

At least 31 tropical cyclones have affected Western Africa and its surrounding islands since records began in 1851. The majority of the storms affect West Africa and Cape Verde islands during the months of August and September which are the active months of a typical Atlantic hurricane season.[40]

Month Number of recorded storms affecting West Africa August 10 September 19 October 1 November 1

Deadliest storms

The following is a list of Atlantic tropical storms that caused fatalities in West Africa and its surrounding islands.

Name	Year	Number of deaths
Fran	1984	31
Delta	2005	19
Fred	2015	9
Beryl	1982	3
Helene	2018	3

See also

• Tropical cyclone
• List of Atlantic hurricanes
• List of notable tropical cyclones

References

1. Weather Underground (2007). "Weather Underground 1900 Archive". Retrieved 2007-01-11.
2. Weather Underground (2007). "Weather Underground 1901 Archive". Retrieved 2007-01-11.
3. Weather Underground (2007). "Weather Underground 1906 Archive". Retrieved 2007-01-11.
4. Weather Underground (2007). "Weather Underground 1927 Archive". Retrieved 2007-01-11.
5. Weather Underground (2007). "Weather Underground 1928 Archive". Retrieved 2007-01-11.
6. Weather Underground (2007). "Weather Underground 1938 Archive". Retrieved 2007-01-11.
7. Weather Underground (2007). "Weather Underground 1947 Archive". Retrieved 2007-01-10.
8. Weather Underground (2006). "Weather Underground 1948 Archive". Retrieved 2006-08-15.
9. Weather Underground (2006). "Weather Underground 1952 Archive". Retrieved 2006-08-02.
10. Weather Underground (2006). "Weather Underground 1953 Archive". Retrieved 2006-08-02.
11. Weather Underground (2006). "Weather Underground 1957 Archive". Retrieved 2006-08-02.
12. Weather Underground (2006). "Weather Underground 1958 Archive". Retrieved 2006-08-02.
13. Weather Underground (2006). "Weather Underground 1964 Archive". Retrieved 2006-08-02.
14. Weather Underground (2006). "Weather Underground 1967 Archive". Retrieved 2006-07-21.
15. Weather Underground (2006). "Weather Underground 1967 Archive". Retrieved 2006-07-24.
16. Arnold L. Sugg and Joseph M. Pelmisser (1968). "Hurricane Season of 1967" (PDF). NOAA. Retrieved 2006-07-24.
17. Weather Underground (2006). "Weather Underground 1968 Archive". Retrieved 2006-07-21.
18. Hurricane.com (2007). "Tropical Storm Christine (1973) best track data". Retrieved 2007-05-08.
19. Weather Underground (2006). "Weather Underground 1973 Archive". Retrieved 2006-07-21.
20. Weather Underground (2006). "Weather Underground 1979 Archive". Retrieved 2006-07-20.
21. Weather Underground (2006). "Weather Underground 1980 Archive". Retrieved 2006-07-21.
22. Gilbert C. Clark (1983). "Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1982" (PDF). NOAA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-12-10. Retrieved 2006-07-17.
23. National Hurricane Center (2005). "The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492-1996". NOAA. Retrieved 2006-07-17.
24. Weather Underground (2006). "Weather Underground 1984 Archive". Retrieved 2006-07-17.
25. Weather Underground (2006). "Weather Underground 1989 Archive". Retrieved 2006-07-17.
26. Weather Underground (2006). "Weather Underground 1998 Archive". Retrieved 2006-07-17.
27. Mayfield (1998). "Tropical Storm Jeanne Advisory #2". NOAA. Retrieved 2006-07-17.
28. Gary Paddget (2000). "Monthly Global Tropical Summary for June". Australian Severe Weather. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
29. Weather Underground (2006). "Weather Underground 2003 Archive". Retrieved 2006-07-17.
30. Alvia (2003). "Tropical Depression Fourteen Discussion #8". NOAA. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
31. Staff Writer (2005). "Delta force in the Canaries". Tenerife News. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved 2006-07-17.
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33. FORECASTER CANGIALOSI/BRENNAN (2010). "TROPICAL STORM IGOR ADVISORY NUMBER 5". NOAA. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
34. UNKNOWN (2010). "TROPICAL STORM IGOR CUMULATIVE WIND HISTORY". NOAA. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
35. Mohamed Moro Sacko (September 6, 2018). "Siguiri : Trois morts suite à des pluies duliviennnes à Doko" (in French). Guinea News. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
36. National Hurricane Center (2007). "NHC database". NOAA. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
37. National Hurricane Center (2007). "61641 Dakar, Senegal". NOAA. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
38. National Hurricane Center (2007). "61291 Bamako, Mali". NOAA. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
39. National Hurricane Center (2007). "61052 Niamey, Niger". NOAA. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
40. Chris Landsea (2007). "FAQ Subject: A2) What is a "Cape Verde" hurricane?". NOAA. Retrieved 2007-12-14.