Hurricane Harold[]
| Category 2 hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
 Harold at peak intensity | |
| Formed | July 7, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | July 15, 2023 |
| Highest winds | 1-minute sustained: 110 mph (175 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 978 mbar (hPa); 28.88 inHg |
| Fatalities | 7 |
| Damage | $8 billion |
| Areas affected | Bahamas, Florida, Alabama |
Hurricane Harold was a Category 2 hurricane that caused severe damage to parts of the Bahamas and the U.S. Harold also brought severe flooding to the the Northern parts Bahamas and parts of the U.S, mainly Florida and Alabama, due to the stalling in the Florida Peninsula. Harold was the 8th named storm, and the 2nd hurricane of the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season. At its strongest, it caused severe damage and flooding to the U.S. Due to the stalling, it caused a lot of damage.
In the early hours of July 7, 2023, A tropical wave moved off of the Coast of Africa but didn't form until it got near Eastern Florida. The wave stalled for a bit, which brought rain to the Bahamas. The wave's convection increased rapidly and it was upgraded to a tropical depression, then a tropical storm, and given the name Harold by NOAA. It moved over Florida and was upgraded to a tropical storm. The storm stalled and brought rain to Florida and Alabama, then moved north. The storm then rapidly intensified into a Category 2 then made landfall in Alabama. The stormed then rapidly weakened and then finally dissipated early on July 15.
Due to the stalling, Harold brought tons and tons of rain to Florida and Alabama. Because of this, 90% of the agriculture was set back about 70 years wiping out most of the crops including rice, carrots, and potatoes. Consequences from Peter including a lack of food and water, as this rate wasn't sufficient. The Bahamas was spared though, as it didn't get as much rain and floods instead of its neighboring country and states.
Many watches and warnings took place within the approach of Harold mostly in Florida and Alabama. Harold brought severe flooding and heavy rain. Alabama, took most of the damage mostly from the stalling and slow movement from flooding and rain. Damage estimates total to $8 billion U.S dollars. (2023 USD) The name Harold was removed permanently from the rotating name lists and was replaced with Hector.
Meteorological history[]
Map plotting the track of the storm, according to the Saffir-Simpson scale.
On July 7, 2023 in 2:15 EST, a tropical wave moved off the Coast of Africa, but wasn't defined as a tropical depression for a long time. The wave then moved to the Bahamas and brought rain to most of the islands, even stalling for a little bit. Harold then moved over Florida as a weak tropical storm, but brought heavy rain and severe flooding to most parts of Florida.
What came unexpectedly, is that Harold started stalling between Florida and Alabama. It stalled for a few days, bringing tons of rain to Alabama and Florida. It moved North-West then started to rapidly intensify into a Category 1 hurricane. It stalled again, but for even longer. Harold then intensified into a low-end category 2, but a few hours later rapidly intensified into a high-end category 2, so high other meteorologists think it was a low end category 3. Harold reached its peak intensity with winds up to 110 mph and a pressure of 978 millibars. Harold then made landfall at Gulf Shores, Alabama at peak intensity, then soon rapidly weakened into a low. At 3:00 EST on July 15, Harold finally dissipated over South Carolina.
Preparations[]
Bahamas[]
The Governor of the Bahamas ordered the country a possible tropical storm watch since the wave wasn't designated as Harold yet. Many of the people evacuated, with 15% of the population evacuating their homes and fleeing to the U.S.
Florida[]
Ron Desanti, the incumbent governor of Florida ordered people to evacuate, while officials posted a tropical storm warning. Many people took this seriously, with 70% of the population evacuating, with 30% staying in their homes.
Alabama[]
Alabama officials posted a tropical storm warning, they didn't think Harold would rapidly intensify this close to the state. The warning upgraded into a Hurricane Watch, then Warning. 80% of the population evacuated, with 20% stayed in the state.
Impact[]
The sudden stalling for a few days caught many people by surprise, which including heavy rain and flooding. Parts of 1-10 were shut down, with many people trapped in their homes. Florida and Alabama lost power of a couple of months. Coastal Areas were stuck in the northern part of Harold's eyewall for many minutes, due to the slowness or stalling.
Florida[]
Harold's final landfall near Gulf Shores, Alabama.
In Florida, heavy rain and flooding occurred, with continuous showers and thunderstorm activity in most parts of Florida. A supercell started to form, which led into officials prompting a tornado watch, possibly even a tornado warning. The tornado watch turned into a tornado warning, which led into several tornadoes causing destruction all over Florida. Damage costs totaled about $3 billion dollars, with a death toll of about 5 people.
Alabama[]
Winds from Harold toppled over house built on stilts, then being washed away from the severe flooding from the heavy rains. Many tornado warnings ensured, leading into devastating damage from Harold. Many parts of the state lost power, including some parts from Florida and even Louisiana. Gulf Shores, Alabama reported a wind gust of 92 mph. Only a few people died, only two people. Damage costs estimated about $4.5 billion dollars.
Elsewhere[]
The remnants of Harold caused rain to parts of Georgia and South Carolina. Power outages lasted about a week, shutting down schools and workplaces across the two states. Tornadoes wiped out buildings, including one person dead from the flying debris all over the place. In the Bahamas, a man died after being electrocuted in the pole lines. Rain caused roads to be slippery and wet, injuring three people but luckily no one died.
Aftermath[]
A downed tree in Florida.
Restoration overall took many months, with several billion dollars took place to rebuild the buildings of Florida and Alabama. Many people decided to move elsewhere, due to the risk of many more hurricanes in the future. Because of the severe damage from the floods and tornadoes, the governors of both states issued a curfew that will be released when all the damage has been cleaned up. The agriculture was set back by about 70 years, with many types of crops being wiped out.
Retirement[]
Due to the severe impacts of Harold to the U.S, the World Meteorological Organization retired the name Harold from the devastating damage it caused and number of deaths. It will be replaced with Hector for the 2029 Atlantic Hurricane Season.