Tropical Storm Joyce

Tropical Storm Joyce is the costliest tropical storm in U.S. history, as well as one of the wettest tropical cyclones ever to strike the country. The tenth named storm, Joyce brought historic amounts of rainfall to the Gulf Coast of the United States and Southeastern United States in September of 2018. In total, Joyce is responsible for $13.8 billion (2018 USD) in damage as well as 16 fatalities. In the spring of 2019, the name Joyce was retired.

Meteorological History
On September 22, the National Hurricane Center began monitoring a weak subtropical low entering the Bay of Campeche. The disturbance was very disorganized, and had a medium chance of development through the next 5 days. On September 24, NOAA recon aircraft flew into the system for data, and discovered center circulation and maximum sustained winds of up to 30 MPH. The system, however, didn’t exhibit normal tropical characteristics, and was named Subtropical Depression Ten, and the NHC began issuing advisories. Early in the forecasts, the NHC predicted the storm would become a tropical depression and then effect Texas, but early on the morning of September 26, the system became Subtropical Storm Joyce as winds reached 45 MPH. Joyce began to slow down as it approached Texas, but avoided the coast, but spawning some damaging tornadoes in and around Galveston. On September 27, Joyce transitioned into a tropical storm south of Louisiana. Late on the 28th, Joyce made it’s first U.S landfall near Marsh Island, Louisiana as a tropical storm with winds of up to 65 MPH. The storm‘s center moved inland, before shortly re-emerging in the Gulf of Mexico on September 29. Then, Joyce made a second landfall in New Orleans, Louisiana with maximum sustained winds of up to 45 MPH. Joyce then weakened to a tropical depression while sitting over New Orleans and surrounding areas. Joyce then re-entered the gulf as an Post-Tropical Cyclone on the 1st of October, making its final landfall in Mobile, Alabama. Joyce passed over Georgia and The Carolinas as a powerful extratropical cyclone, before dissipating over Cape Hatteras on October 2.