Tropical Storm Jerry was a

tropical storm A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depen ...

that caused severe flooding throughout the southeast

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

in August of the

1995 Atlantic hurricane season The 1995 Atlantic hurricane season was an extremely active Atlantic hurricane season and is considered to be the start of an ongoing era of high-activity tropical cyclone formation. The season produced twenty-one tropical cyclones, nineteen n ...

. Jerry, the tenth tropical storm of the season, formed from a tropical wave that moved off the

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

n coast in early August, which organized into a tropical depression and tropical storm between the

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the archi ...

and

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

later in the month, before striking Florida in the latter part of the month. Its remnant circulation persisted until five days after landfall. The rainfall it produced, amounting to over in several locations across Florida,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

, and

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = G ...

, was responsible for $40 million (2005 USD) in damage and 6 deaths. At the time, Jerry was the earliest tenth storm to form in a season on record, until

Jose Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilea ...

in the 2005 season overtook it. Tropical Storm Jerry was also the first tropical cyclone to make landfall in

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of ...

since

Hurricane Andrew Hurricane Andrew was a very powerful and destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that struck the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana in August 1992. It is the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida in terms of structures damaged ...

in 1992.

Meteorological history

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 ...

moved off the west coast of

on August 9. It moved westward across the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

, and reached the

Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc bet ...

on August 15. While passing through the islands,

convection Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the c ...

greatly increased, causing wind gusts of up to , though it remained disorganized. On August 22, convection organized while the system was over the western

, and it developed into Tropical Depression Eleven later that day. Conditions were only marginally favorable due to lack of

outflow Outflow may refer to: * Capital outflow, the capital leaving a particular economy * Bipolar outflow, in astronomy, two continuous flows of gas from the poles of a star * Outflow (hydrology), the discharge of a lake or other reservoir system *Outflo ...

to its west, but the depression strengthened to reach tropical storm status on August 23.Richard Pasch
Tropical Storm Jerry Report.
Retrieved on 2008-03-06. Jerry, having reached tropical storm strength east of the coast of

, moved to the northwest and hit

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousandt ...

later on August 23. It continued to the northwest across the state, and remained a tropical storm until late on August 24 when it entered the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United S ...

over

Citrus County Citrus County is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 153,843. Its county seat is Inverness, and its largest community is Homosassa Springs. Citrus County comp ...

. It remained over waters briefly until moving inland in Dixie County on August 25. It continued slowly northward, entering

on August 26. The weak depression turned to the east, and dissipated into 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), th ...

of low pressure on August 28 near the Georgia/

border. The trough developed two circulation centers, one of which moved eastward while the other moved southward. The latter drifted southwestward across Florida until dissipating in early September. It is unknown if either of the circulations are directly related to the original center of Jerry.

Preparations

Because much of the circulation was over land, Jerry was not predicted to intensify to a tropical storm. This caused tropical storm warnings not to be issued until just hours before landfall. While crossing over the state, the storm retained its strength, causing officials to issue Tropical Storm Warnings over the

Florida Panhandle The Florida Panhandle (also West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida; it is a salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia on the north, and the G ...

. However, Jerry remained a

tropical depression A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm, storm system characterized by a Low-pressure area, low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, Beaufort scale, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms tha ...

over the Gulf of Mexico, and the warnings were dropped after Jerry's second landfall.

Impact

Florida

Upon making landfall in southeastern and western

, Jerry caused a

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 ...

of to in most areas. Rainfall was generally moderate in the southeastern portion of the state, with the highest amounts of over occurring in

Palm Beach County Palm Beach County is a county located in the southeastern part of Florida and lies directly north of Broward County and Miami-Dade County. The county had a population of 1,492,191 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous count ...

.David M. Roth
Tropical Storm Jerry Rainfall Page.
Retrieved on 2008-03-06. A larger area of higher totals was recorded in southwestern Florida, with rainfall peaking at in

Golden Gate The Golden Gate is a strait on the west coast of North America that connects San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. It is defined by the headlands of the San Francisco Peninsula and the Marin Peninsula, and, since 1937, has been spanned by ...

. Winds were light, peaking at at

Patrick Air Force Base Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People * Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint * Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

Brevard County Brevard County ( ) is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 606,612, making it the 10th-most populated county in Florida. The official county seat is located in T ...

. The storm caused two weak

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, alt ...

es and one

waterspout A waterspout is an intense columnar vortex (usually appearing as a funnel-shaped cloud) that occurs over a body of water. Some are connected to a cumulus congestus cloud, some to a cumuliform cloud and some to a cumulonimbus cloud. In the c ...

, though damage was minimal. In addition, Jerry caused light

beach erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward ...

. While wind damage was minimal, the heavy flooding left many roads across the state under water. In addition, it damaged 340 houses and destroyed 12, most of which were in Collier County. In northwestern Florida, the flooding caused severe damage to the citrus crop, with total agricultural damage amounting to $15 million. In all, damage in Florida amounted to $19 million (1995 USD). The storm also caused two indirect deaths in the state, though no fatalities were directly attributed to Jerry.

Georgia

, Jerry dropped severe rainfall of over near Surrency, covering numerous waterways and flooding numerous houses. A state of emergency was declared within Georgia as Jerry moved through the state. Flooding from the storm across Georgia was mild to moderate due to the very dry conditions which preceded Jerry's arrival. In

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

, of rainfall was measured, which flooded the Ogeechee and Savannah Rivers.

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

National Water Conditions: Streamflow Conditions for the month of August 1995.
Retrieved on 2008-03-18.

South Carolina

Portions of

experienced significant rainfall totals of up to . The significant rainfall led to flooding along the Saluda, the

Edisto Edisto Island is one of South Carolina's Sea Islands, the larger part of which lies in Charleston County, with its southern tip in Colleton County. The town of Edisto Beach is in Colleton County, while the Charleston County part of the island is u ...

, the Broad, and the Congaree Rivers in South Carolina. Dam breaks were also reported, which led to flooding which covered numerous roadways and washed out bridges, with the statewide transportation damage totaling $4.5 million (1995 USD). In addition, houses were flooded and fields covered, which caused a damage total of $10 million (1995 USD). Jerry also killed 3 people in the state.

North Carolina

The remnants of Jerry caused heavy precipitation in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

, amounting up to in the southwest corner of the state. This led to flooding along the Neuse, the French Broad, the Warned, the Lynches, the Black, the Little Pee Dee, the

Pee Dee The Pee Dee is a region in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of South Carolina. It lies along the lower watershed of the Pee Dee River, which was named after the Pee Dee, a Native American tribe that historically inhabited the region. Hi ...

, and the Waccomaw rivers. Across the state, numerous roads, including portions of

Interstate 85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virgini ...

, and houses were submerged. Flood stage records were set for McMullen and McAlpine Creeks, with McAlpine reaching a stage of .Jerald B. Robinson, William F. Hazell, and Wendi S. Young
Effects of August 1995 and July 1997 Storms in the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
Retrieved on 2008-03-18. In the

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

area, the flooding forced the evacuation of 63 people from a nursing home, as well as 200 people from a pair of apartment complexes.

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. n ...

'Jerry' causes flooding in much of Carolinas.
Retrieved on 2008-03-18. Mecklenburg County reported damages of $5 million (1995 USD). In

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

, over 140 buildings or houses were damaged or destroyed, resulting a damage total in the area of $6 million (1995 USD). In all, Jerry caused $11 million (1995 USD) in damage across the state and 3 fatalities. It washed out Perry Mill Pond's dam outside of Zebulon NC on SR 1001.

References

External links

NHC Jerry Report
{{Good article

Jerry Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * Jerry (film), ''Jerry'' (film), a 200 ...

Jerry (1995)

1995 natural disasters in the United States 1995 in Florida 1995 in Georgia (U.S. state) 1995 in South Carolina 1995 in North Carolina