1979 Atlantic Hurricane Season

The 1979 Atlantic hurricane season was the first Atlantic hurricane season to include both male and female names. The hurricane season began on June 1 and ended on November 30. Although the season had 27 tropical depressions, it was inactive due to only 9 named storms. The first tropical cyclone, an unnumbered tropical depression, developed on June 9 and dissipated a few days with no impact. Tropical Depression One, the next system, caused significant flooding in Jamaica. Later in June, Tropical Storm Ana caused minimally impact in the Lesser Antilles. Hurricane Bob, the first male named storm in the Atlantic, caused moderate damage in the Gulf Coast region of the United States. Tropical Storm Claudette dropped up to 45 inches (1,100 mm) of rain in Texas, causing moderate damage from flooding.

The most significant storm of the season was Hurricane David, a Category 5 hurricane that caused devastation in Dominican Republic, as well as significant impact in the Lesser Antilles and the Southeastern United States. David caused $1.54 billion (1979 USD) in damage and at least 2,068 fatalities. Another significant storm, Hurricane Frederic, resulted in extensive impact, especially in the United States, where it was the costliest tropical cyclone on record, at the time. Tropical Depression Eight, Tropical Storm Elena, Hurricane Henri, an unnumbered tropical depression in September, and Subtropical Storm One all caused minor effects on land. Several of the tropical cyclones also moved in close proximity to land, but impact is unknown. Collectively, the tropical cyclones of the season resulted in $4.27 in damage and at least 2,118 deaths.