Hurricane Bob (1979) - Meteorological History

Meteorological History

A tropical disturbance formed off the African coast on the last week of June 1979. The disturbance showed no signs of organization until July 6, when the system entered the Caribbean Sea. It passed over the Yucatan Peninsula on July 7 and entered the Gulf of Mexico. A weak circulation began to form, and the disturbance was upgraded into a tropical depression on July 9.

An Air Force reconnaissance aircraft reported that a tropical storm was forming on the morning of July 10, while Tropical Depression Five was 400 miles (645 km) off the coast of Louisiana. The depression moved to the north and attained tropical storm status at 0600 UTC on July 10, and as such, was named Bob. Bob made a gradual turn to the northeast, increasing its forward speed to 20 mph (24 km/h). More reconnaissance flights reported a drop in pressure and an increase in winds, now at about 70 –80 mph (110–130 km/h). The storm intensified into a minimal hurricane late on July 10, maintaining that strength until making landfall at Grand Isle, Louisiana on the morning of July 11.

Bob moved inland into the Mississippi Valley and weakened, tracking to the northeast with wind speeds of around 25–30 mph (30–35 km/h). Bob reached western Tennessee on July 12 and parts of Ohio the next day. A few days later, the remnants reached the Atlantic Ocean, and was absorbed by a low-pressure system on July 16.