Hurricane Bob (1979)

Hurricane Bob (1979)

Hurricane Bob was a minimal hurricane that brought rainfall throughout several states, killing one person and causing over $20 million (1979 USD; $59 million (2008 USD)) in damage. Bob was the fifth tropical depression, second named storm, and first hurricane of the 1979 Atlantic hurricane season. The same area would be affected by Tropical Storm Claudette and Hurricane Frederic later in the season.

The hurricane formed as tropical depression from a tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico on July 9. When the depression was named Tropical Storm Bob on July 10, it was the first storm to be given a male name since 1952 when the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet was replaced with female names. Also the first July hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico since July 1959, Bob continued to strengthen into the Gulf, attaining peak winds of 75 mph (115 km/h). The hurricane struck land near Grand Isle, Louisiana, on July 11, and continued northward over the United States. The cyclone eventually emerged over open water on July 15, but failed to restrengthen. The storm finally dissipated on July 16.