Tropical Storm Imelda in 2019 left its mark on Texas as being one of the state’s wettest cyclones, producing around $5 billion in damage.
The storm formed quickly on Sept. 17 and dissipated after landfall on Sept. 19, but its remnants unleashed catastrophic flooding.
Some communities reported between 40-45 inches of rainfall, ranking Imelda as the fourth-wettest tropical cyclone in Lone State history.
Several weather observation sites reported rainfall rates of more than 4 inches per hour, exceeding hourly precipitation rates encountered during Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
The heavy rainfall forced the temporary closure of major airports around Houston and Interstate 10 to be shut down between the metro and the Texas-Louisiana State line.
Tropical Storm Imelda satellite image from Sept. 2019.
(NOAA)
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The largest county in the region, Jefferson, was considered to be the hardest hit, with more than 5,000 homes reported damaged or destroyed.
In all, Texas authorities reported more than 10,000 homes were significantly impacted – most by the storm system’s catastrophic flooding.
In addition to the torrential rainfall, at least two significant tornadoes were reported in Harris County and Cameron Parish, Louisiana.
Both twisters contained stronger winds than the tropical storm itself and were responsible for damaged homes and snapped trees.
Two weeks after landfall, Texas Governor Greg Abbott requested a major disaster declaration be issued for the state and the request was signed by President Trump days later.
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HOUSTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 19: Cars pull to the side of the freeway of highway 69 North to get by the flood waters on September 19, 2019 in Houston, Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott has declared much of Southeast Texas disaster areas after heavy rain and flooding from the remnants of Tropical Depression Imelda dumped more than two feet of water across some areas.
(Photo by Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images) -
HOUSTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 19: A school bus makes its way on the flooded Hopper Rd. on September 19, 2019 in Houston, Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott has declared much of Southeast Texas disaster areas after heavy rain and flooding from the remnants of Tropical Depression Imelda dumped more than two feet of water across some areas.
(Photo by Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images) -
Afton Way flooded after Luce Bayou overflowed during Tropical Storm Imelda Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Huffman, Texas.
(Photo by Godofredo A. Vasquez/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) -
Tropical Storm Imelda path in September 2019.
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At least seven deaths were either indirectly or directly tied to the storm, with most reported occurring in Texas.
Despite the destruction, members of the World Meteorological Organization opted not to retire the name, with the scope of the devastation likely being masked by the impacts of Dorian, which occurred weeks earlier.
That Category 5 hurricane produced at least $5 billion in damage in the Bahamas and along the Southeast coast, with nearly 300 people who were either reported to be killed or missing, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Even though “Imelda” did not make the retirement list, no other letter has had more replacements than “I”-named storms.
Retired tropical cyclone names by letter.
(FOX Weather)
According to WMO records, 13 I-named storms have been retired in the Atlantic basin, with 10 occurring just in the past two decades alone.
Due to the nature of the alphabet, the ninth named storm of the alphabet usually forms around Sept. 16, when water temperatures are at their warmest and atmospheric conditions are conducive for extensive development.
These factors allow for intense hurricanes to form, with many reaching Category 3, 4 or 5 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
