1979 What-might-have-been Atlantic hurricane season (Cooper)

The 1979 Atlantic hurricane season was the first season to include both male and female names, as well as the common six-year rotating lists of tropical cyclone names. The season officially started on June 1, and lasted until November 30. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year in which most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The season was above average, with 13 systems reaching tropical storm intensity. The first system, Tropical Depression One, formed on June 9. In mid-August, Hurricane Frederic caused $2.8 billion in damages in Louisiana, making it the costliest Atlantic hurricane at the time.

The most intense tropical cyclone of the season was Hurricane Henri. It tracked through the Lesser Antilles in early September, with the islands of Antigua and Montserrat being the hardest hit. The storm then strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane and passed north of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Hispaniola, bringing heavy rain to these regions due to the storm's large size. Henri was the deadliest tropical cyclone in the Lesser Antilles since the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane. Henri then struck South Carolina, bringing high winds, flooding, and tornadoes to the state and surrounding areas. Overall, Henri caused 2,074 deaths and $1.9 billion in damages.