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Tropical Storm Bonnie was a small and rather weak tropical storm that brought squally weather to the northern
Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...
and
Gulf Coast of the United States The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South or the South Coast, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The list of U.S. states and territories by coastline, coastal states th ...
in July 2010. The third
tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
and second
named storm Tropical cyclones and subtropical cyclones are named by various warning centers to simplify communication between forecasters and the general public regarding forecasts, watches and warnings. The names are intended to reduce confusion in the ...
of the
2010 Atlantic hurricane season The 2010 Atlantic hurricane season was the first of three consecutive very active Atlantic hurricane seasons, each with 19 Tropical cyclone naming, named storms. This above average activity included 12 hurricanes, equaling the number t ...
, Bonnie developed from a
tropical wave A tropical wave (also called easterly wave, tropical easterly wave, and African easterly wave), in and around the Atlantic Ocean, is a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which ...
over the
Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...
on July 22. It strengthened to a tropical storm while crossing the islands, and made
landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
on the southeastern coast of
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
the following day. Inland, Bonnie weakened to a tropical depression before entering the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...
, where its surface circulation dissipated on July 24. The remnants of the storm moved ashore between
Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
and
Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
early on July 25, prompting severe thunderstorm and
tornado warning A tornado warning ( SAME code: TOR) is a public warning that is issued by weather forecasting agencies to an area in the direct path of a tornado, or a severe thunderstorm capable of producing one, and advises individuals in that area to take c ...
s in the area. The precursor to Bonnie produced considerable amounts of rainfall across the
Greater Antilles The Greater Antilles is a grouping of the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica, together with Navassa Island and the Cayman Islands. Seven island states share the region of the Greater Antille ...
, resulting in light to moderate flooding. In the
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
, hundreds of people were displaced, and several bridges collapsed over rushing waters. One person drowned after being swept away by a swollen river in
Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
. Elsewhere, light amounts of rainfall was reported in
Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...
, the Bahamas and Florida. Effects were more severe from the remnants of Bonnie, with heavier rain amounts and higher winds reported near the Gulf Coast, especially in Louisiana. Damage as a result of the storm and its remnants totaled $1.36 million (2010 USD).


Meteorological history

On July 10, a
tropical wave A tropical wave (also called easterly wave, tropical easterly wave, and African easterly wave), in and around the Atlantic Ocean, is a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which ...
exited the
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
n coast and moved westward over the open
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
for several days. Initially, the associated weather activity was limited to weak showers, and environmental conditions were not forecast to become conducive for significant organization. Although upper-level
wind shear Wind shear (; also written windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical ...
remained somewhat adverse, a process of slow
development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development (music), the process by which thematic material is reshaped * Photographic development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting * Development hell, when a proje ...
became evident by July 19 as
surface pressure Surface pressure may refer to: * " Surface Pressure", a song from the film ''Encanto'' (2021) * Surface pressure in physical chemistry * Surface pressure within the Earth's atmosphere {{dab ...
s began to fall. The wave proceeded along the extreme northeastern Caribbean, where convective activity waxed and waned due to periods of variable wind shear and brief land interaction with
Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ) is an island between Geography of Cuba, Cuba and Geography of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and the second-largest by List of C ...
. By July 22, thundershower activity reestablished over the Bahamas, with a distinct
area of low pressure In meteorology, a low-pressure area (LPA), low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. It is the opposite of a high-pressure area. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclem ...
centered between the islands of
Acklins Acklins is an island and district of the Bahamas. It is one of a group of islands arranged along a large, shallow lagoon called the Bight of Acklins, of which the largest are Crooked Island () in the north and Acklins () in the southeast, and ...
and Great Inagua. Satellite observations confirmed a closed circulation, leading the
National Hurricane Center The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the IERS Reference Meridian, Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian ...
(NHC) to issue the formation of Tropical Depression ''Three'' around 1500 
UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...
. However, post-storm analysis indicated that a depression had developed nine hours earlier than operationally confirmed. Upon its formation, the depression was forecast to be steered to the west-northwest along a well-established
subtropical ridge The horse latitudes are the latitudes about 30 degrees north and south of the Equator. They are characterized by sunny skies, calm winds, and very little precipitation. They are also known as subtropical ridges or highs. It is a high-pressur ...
. Later that day, minimum pressure dropped to 1006 
mbar The bar is a metric unit of pressure defined as 100,000  Pa (100 kPa), though not part of the International System of Units (SI). A pressure of 1 bar is slightly less than the current average atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea ...
(29.74 
inHg Inch of mercury (inHg, ″Hg, or in) is a non- SI unit of measurement for pressure. It is used for barometric pressure in weather reports, refrigeration and aviation in the United States. It is the pressure exerted by a column of mercury in h ...
), and satellite imagery showed an establishment of favorable outflow in nearly all quadrants. Although its cloud pattern remained disorganized—with the circulation center disassociated from the deepest
convection Convection is single or Multiphase flow, multiphase fluid flow that occurs Spontaneous process, spontaneously through the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoy ...
—a
reconnaissance aircraft A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially, a spy plane) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using Aerial photography, photography), signals ...
flight into the cyclone found that the winds had increased. It was therefore upgraded to Tropical Storm Bonnie southeast of
Nassau, Bahamas Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of The Bahamas. It is on the island of New Providence, which had a population of 246,329 in 2010, or just over 70% of the entire population of The Bahamas. As of April 2023, the preliminary results of ...
, about five hours after NHC initiated advisories on the system. Around 2100 UTC, Bonnie moved over Ragged Island in the Bahamas with winds of , and shortly thereafter it attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of . Due to increasingly unfavorable conditions aloft, little change in intensity occurred during the following day as the storm accelerated toward Florida. Though tropical storm-force winds prevailed, they were confined to a few
rainband A rainband is a cloud and precipitation structure associated with an area of rainfall which is significantly elongated. Rainbands in tropical cyclones can be either stratiform or convective and are curved in shape. They consist of showers and th ...
s to the north and east of the center at that time, with the deepest convection dislocated over southeast Florida. On July 23 at 1430 UTC, the center of Bonnie made landfall near Elliott Key with winds of . Interaction with land caused the organization to deteriorate further, and its corresponding convection quickly diminished. In addition, a second reconnaissance flight affirmed a lack of significant winds; it is estimated the cyclone lost tropical storm status around 1800 UTC that same day. On the morning of July 24, deep
convection Convection is single or Multiphase flow, multiphase fluid flow that occurs Spontaneous process, spontaneously through the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoy ...
briefly redeveloped over the center as Bonnie emerged into the Gulf of Mexico. Despite the redevelopment, the storm subsequently entered a region of intense upper-level winds, causing associated convection to become sheared away rapidly. Embedded within a well-established steering flow, Bonnie further degenerated to a tight swirl of low clouds, with no more than a few remaining patches of strong thunderstorms. Subsequent satellite images confirmed Bonnie no longer maintained a definable structure; following the final advisory by the NHC, the system was pronounced dissipated while located about from the mouth of the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
. The remnant low of Bonnie drifted west-northwestward before dissolving over southeast Louisiana on July 25.


Preparations

When the NHC initiated advisories on Bonnie, a tropical storm warning was issued for the central and northwest islands of the Bahamas. In Florida, a tropical storm watch was issued for Golden Beach northward to
Jupiter Inlet The Jupiter Inlet is a natural opening through the barrier islands of Martin County, Florida, Martin and Palm Beach County, Florida, Palm Beach counties in Jupiter, Florida, Jupiter, Florida, that connects the south end of the Indian River (Flori ...
, and included
Lake Okeechobee Lake Okeechobee ( ) is the largest freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the List of largest lakes of the United States by area, eighth-largest natural freshwater lake among the 50 states of the United States and the second-largest ...
. In addition, a tropical storm warning was issued from Golden Beach to Bonita Springs on the west coast of the state, and included the
Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral island, coral cay archipelago off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami a ...
and
Florida Bay Florida Bay is the bay located between the southern end of the Florida mainland (the Everglades, Florida Everglades) and the Florida Keys in the United States. It is a large, shallow estuary that while connected to the Gulf of Mexico, has limited ...
. By early July 23, the tropical storm warning from Golden Beach to Bonita Springs was discontinued, while a tropical storm warning was issued from Englewood to
Deerfield Beach, Florida Deerfield Beach is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States, just south of the Palm Beach County, Florida, Palm Beach County line. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 86,859, making it the Broward County# ...
. Six hours later, a tropical storm watch was put into effect for
Destin, Florida Destin is a city located in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. It is a principal city of the Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,931 at the 2020 census, up from 12,305 at th ...
to
Morgan City, Louisiana Morgan City is a small city in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States, located in the Acadiana region. The population was 11,472 at the 2020 census. Known for being "right in the middle of everywhere", Morgan City is located southeast of ...
; it was later upgraded to a tropical storm warning. Three hours later, the tropical storm watch from Deerfield Beach to Jupiter Inlet, Florida and all tropical storm warnings in the Bahamas were discontinued. All tropical storm watches and warnings had been discontinued by 1500 UTC July 24, shortly before Bonnie dissipated. Three cruise ships, '' Carnival Pride'', '' Carnival Destiny'', and '' Grandeur of the Seas'' had to alter their courses due to the presence of Bonnie. Due to the threat of a tropical storm, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal declared a
state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...
on July 22. Along the
Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South or the South Coast, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Tex ...
, concerns arose regarding the potential effects of the storm on the
BP oil spill The ''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill was an environmental disaster off the coast of the United States in the Gulf of Mexico, on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect. It is considered the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum ...
earlier in the year. Due to risk of intoxicated
storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...
, authorities prepared for possible evacuations of low-lying areas along coastlines. On July 23,
Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...
Thad Allen Thad William Allen (born 16 January 1949) is a former admiral of the United States Coast Guard who served as the 23rd commandant from 2006 to 2010. Allen is best known for his performance directing the federal response to hurricanes Katrina a ...
ordered the oil spill site to be evacuated, as Bonnie posed a safety threat to nearly 2,000 people in that area. The ships and vessels in the area began preparation for evacuation on July 24. Closer to shore, approximately 1,300 fishing boats laying boom had to evacuate.


Impact


Caribbean

The precursor to Bonnie brought significant rainfall to parts of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, leading to widespread flooding. In Puerto Rico, one person drowned after being caught in a swollen river, and roughly 1,500 people required evacuation in the Dominican Republic. According to officials in the Dominican Republic, the system produced more than of rain across the territory. Several towns in the country were isolated after bridges collapsed. Some light flooding also occurred in Artibonite, Haiti, though no damage was reported. As Bonnie moved through the Bahamas, residents stocked up on food and water as a precautionary measure; however, no major preparations took place. Most businesses remained open during the system's passage and schools were already closed for the summer. Throughout the islands, the effects from Bonnie were relatively minimal. Heavy rain fell across a few islands and copious
lightning Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. One or both regions are within the atmosphere, with the second region sometimes occurring on ...
was reported. No known damage or loss of life took place.


United States

Due to the weak and disorganized structure of the storm, its effects upon landfall in Florida were minimal. Gusty winds damaged newly planted trees, and some power lines were downed; throughout the state, roughly 14,000 people lost power. A storm surge of was measured at
Virginia Key Virginia Key is an barrier island in Miami, Florida. It is located in Biscayne Bay south of Brickell and north of Key Biscayne and is accessible from the mainland via the Rickenbacker Causeway. The island is mainly occupied by the Virginia Ke ...
. Tropical storm-force winds were recorded in several areas, although sustained winds of over were confined to Virginia Key. Rainfall was also minimal, with a maximum of falling in northern
Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade County () is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most-populous coun ...
. Overall, monetary losses as a result of the storm in Florida amounted to $2,000 (2010 USD). In
Pinellas County Pinellas County (, ) is located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 959,107, making it the seventh-most populous county in the state. It is also the most d ...
, one person was hospitalized after being struck by lightning at Fred Howard Park on July 24. On July 25, the remnants of Bonnie brought torrential rainfall to parts of Louisiana. In a 90-minute span, between of rain fell in
West Baton Rouge Parish West Baton Rouge Parish (, Spanish language, Spanish: ''Parroquia del Oeste de Baton Rouge'') is one of the List of parishes in Louisiana, sixty-four parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Established in 1807, its parish seat is Port Allen, L ...
. About 110 homes were flooded throughout the parish, resulting in $500,000 (2010 USD) losses. Along Highway 15, of water was reported to have covered the road. In Washington Parish, more than 20 bridges and roads were washed out by flash flooding, the losses is about $200,000 (2010 USD). Strong thunderstorms associated with the system also produced strong winds, estimated up to , which downed several trees, leading to $6,000 (2010 USD) losses. A second day of severe weather on July 26 brought hurricane-force wind gusts to portions of Vernon Parish; two chicken houses were destroyed by the winds, killing 22,000 chickens. Losses from the winds were estimated at $310,000 (2010 USD). After moving through Louisiana, Bonnie's remnants brought heavy rain to parts of Texas. In Hidalgo County, U.S. Route 69 was reportedly covered with high water. Further inland, moisture from Bonnie combined with a
cold front A cold front is the leading edge of a cooler mass of air at ground level that replaces a warmer mass of air and lies within a pronounced surface Trough (meteorology), trough of Low-pressure area, low pressure. It often forms behind an extratropica ...
to produce widespread thunderstorms over
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
,
Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
and
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
. In Arkansas, lightning from a severe thunderstorm knocked out power to much of the city of
Rison Rison may refer to: People *Andre Rison (born 1967), American football player * Mose Rison (born 1956), American football coach * Vera B. Rison (1939–2015), politician Places *Rison, Arkansas **Rison High School Rison High School (RHS) is a ...
after striking a transformer. Significant wind damage took place in Dallas County where awnings were blown off homes, structures sustained roof damage, and trees were felled. Heavy rains also triggered localized flash flooding, covering several highways. Throughout the state, storm damage was estimated at $344,000 (2010 USD).


See also

* Other storms named Bonnie * List of Florida hurricanes (2000-present) *
Tropical Depression Five (2010) Tropical Depression Five was an Atlantic tropical cyclone that lasted for 12 hours, although its remnants persisted for almost another week. Its precursor was from a non-tropical trough east of Florida, and on August 10 it developed in ...
– Took a similar track later in the season


References


External links

*The NHC'
Advisory Archive for Tropical Storm Bonnie
* {{good article Bonnie (2010) Bonnie (2010) Bonnie (2010) Bonnie (2010) Bonnie (2010) Bonnie (2010)