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Tropical Storm Christine was the first
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 ...
to form as far east as longitude 30° W in the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
since Tropical Storm Ginger in 1967. Forming as a tropical depression over the country of
Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...
on August 25, 1973, the system tracked nearly due west for several days before intensifying into a tropical storm on August 28. However, the National Hurricane Center did not issue their first advisory on the system until its intensity was confirmed by 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 ...
on August 30. Turning slightly northward, Christine gradually intensified, attaining its peak strength on September 2. At that time, the storm had winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 996 mbar (hPa; 29.41 inHg), just below hurricane status. Shortly after, increasing
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 ...
caused the system to quickly weaken. By September 4, Christine had been downgraded to a tropical depression as it tracked through the
Leeward Islands The Leeward Islands () are a group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico, they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. In Engl ...
. After degenerating into 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 ...
, the cyclone's remnants fully dissipated on September 6. Although Christine had weakened to a tropical depression by the time it passed through the Leeward Islands, heavy rains from the storm, peaking at , caused flooding in Puerto Rico. Over 600 homes were flooded and dozens of families had to be evacuated from several towns. One person died from electrocution after stepping on a downed wire on a flooded street. Minor damage was recorded in the Virgin Islands, mainly downed power lines which left roughly 500 people without telephone service.


Meteorological history

Tropical Storm Christine originated 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 Africa in late-August. As it neared the Atlantic Ocean, the wave spawned a tropical depression inland at 14.0°W, over the country of
Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...
, on August 25. The formation of this depression was farther east than any other
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 ...
on record in the Atlantic hurricane basin. This was unlike most cyclone producing waves which travel several hundred miles over water before spawning a depression. Tracking nearly due west, the depression moved over water several hours later and bypassed the
Cape Verde Islands Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...
on August 27. The following day, the depression intensified into a tropical storm; however, advisories were not issued by 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) on the system until August 30 because of the lack of
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 ...
data. It was determined that Christine had become a tropical storm by this time after receiving reports of gale-force winds from a German cargo ship in the vicinity of the storm. The first advisory from the NHC came after a reconnaissance plane found sustained winds of 50 mph (85 km/h) and a
barometric pressure Atmospheric pressure, also known as air pressure or barometric pressure (after the barometer), is the pressure within the atmosphere of Earth. The standard atmosphere (symbol: atm) is a unit of pressure defined as , which is equivalent to 1,013.2 ...
of 1007 mbar (hPa; 29.74 inHg). At that time, Christine was located roughly 1000 mi (1,500 km) east of
Trinidad Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...
. Although the storm was relatively disorganized by this point, satellite imagery showed large outer bands extending hundreds of miles (kilometres) from the storm. By August 31, the storm began to slow and turn towards the west-northwest. The NHC noted that they did not have a firm grip on the storm and were unsure of its future track and intensity. Below average
sea surface temperature Sea surface temperature (or ocean surface temperature) is the ocean temperature, temperature of ocean water close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies in the literature and in practice. It is usually between and below the sea ...
s ahead of the system would hamper significant development. Continuing on this track, Christine gradually intensified and on September 2, the storm attained its peak intensity just below hurricane-status while situated roughly 300 mi (500 km) east of
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...
. At this time, a reconnaissance aircraft recorded sustained winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 996 mbar (hPa; 29.41 inHg). Shortly after Christine attained this intensity, increasing
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 ...
caused the storm to weaken as it neared the
Leeward Islands The Leeward Islands () are a group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico, they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. In Engl ...
. The NHC noted that a
trough Trough may refer to: In science * Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench * Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure * Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave * Trough level (medicine), the l ...
ahead of Christine would determine the future of the storm. This trough would either merge with the storm and allow significant intensification, or remain separate and cause Christine to dissipate. By September 3, the low-level circulation had been displaced from all convective activity and Christine weakened to a tropical depression. Several hours after weakening, the depression passed over
Antigua Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...
with winds of 35 mph (55 km/h). The following day, the system degenerated into a tropical wave near the northeastern coast of 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 ...
. The remnants of Christine were monitored by the NHC for several days before dissipating near the trough on September 6.


Observation

Throughout its existence, Christine was monitored by astronauts in the
Skylab 3 Skylab 3 (also SL-3 and SLM-2) was the second crewed mission to the first American space station, Skylab. The mission began on July 28, 1973, with the launch of NASA astronauts Alan Bean, Owen Garriott, and Jack Lousma in the Apollo command ...
project. During this project, active and passive microwave satellite imagery was used for the first time to determine the wind speed within a tropical cyclone. This was accomplished after the removal of regions of heavy rain from the data, a factor that gives inaccurate wind readings.Saltzman, p. 207


Preparations and impact

On September 2, the National Hurricane Center issued gale warnings and hurricane watches for
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...
, Desirade,
Antigua Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...
and
Barbuda Barbuda (; ) is an island and dependency located in the eastern Caribbean forming part of the twin-island state of Antigua and Barbuda as an autonomous entity. Barbuda is located approximately north of Antigua. The only settlements on the i ...
. Later that day, the gale warnings were expanded southward to include islands north of
Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...
. After Christine weakened to a tropical depression, the NHC discontinued all watches and warnings for the Leeward Islands. Schools were closed in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands as a precaution. Six scientists had to be evacuated from the small island of
Aves Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight ...
once the storm posed a threat to them. On St. Thomas, nine emergency shelters were opened, mainly in schools. On September 5, an emergency meeting was held by disaster officials in Puerto Rico about the threat of flooding from Christine. All residents were urged by government officials to have their disaster kits ready and be prepared to evacuate if told to do so. Firefighters, on and off-duty, were advised about the possibility of evacuations and would be pulled into work if needed. As it passed through the Leeward Islands, Christine produced torrential rainfall, peaking at in eastern
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 ...
. A maximum of also fell in the
United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located ...
. Rainfall totals on other islands are unknown but are likely similar to those in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The precipitation led to flooding on several islands. One person was killed during the storm after being electrocuted by a downed power line on a flooded road. Public works crews worked throughout the storm to keep roads clear; however, one road that was under construction became a "sea of mud" as crews could not clear the flood waters fast enough. The towns of Yabucoa,
Humacao Humacao () is a city and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the eastern coast of the island, north of Yabucoa; south of Naguabo; east of Las Piedras; and west of Vieques Passage. Humacao is spread over 12 barrios and Humacao Pueblo (the ...
, Maunabo, Las Piedras and Carolina sustained flood damage from the storm. In Yabucoa, 40 families were evacuated as 25 homes were damaged. The most substantial flooding took place in Humacao where 60 families were evacuated and 500 homes sustained damage. Six bridges, four sewer systems and 14 homes were damaged in Maunabo. An additional 21 people were evacuated from Las Piedras and 41 homes were damaged and in Carolinas, 23 more homes were damaged. Although there was extensive property damage, no monetary value is available. Numerous calls were made to police in the United States Virgin Islands about downed power lines throughout the passage of the depression. High winds, gusting up to 40 mph (65 km/h) left roughly 500 people without telephone service on St. Croix. No major damage was reported on any of the affected islands in the wake of Christine. Residents in the drought-stricken regions of Florida were hoping for increased rainfall from the remnant wave of Christine; however, the system did not reach the United States before dissipating. The storm's remnants only produced squally weather in Florida on September 7 and 8.


See also

*
Hurricane Danny (2015) Hurricane Danny was the first major hurricane to develop between the Lesser Antilles and Western Africa since Hurricane Julia in 2010. The fourth tropical cyclone, and first hurricane of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season, Danny originated from ...
– followed a path similar to that of Christine *
Brown ocean effect The brown ocean effect is an observed weather phenomenon involving some tropical cyclones after landfall. Normally, hurricanes and tropical storms lose strength when they make landfall, but when the brown ocean effect is in play, tropical cyclone ...
– the rare phenomenon when tropical cyclones form, intensify or hold their intensity for exceptionally long time periods while inland


References


Further reading

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Christine (1973) Atlantic tropical storms 1973 Atlantic hurricane season Hurricanes in the Leeward Islands Hurricanes in the British Virgin Islands Hurricanes in the United States Virgin Islands Hurricanes in Puerto Rico