1997 Atlantic hurricane season

1997 Atlantic hurricane season
Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formed	June 1, 1997
Last system dissipated	October 17, 1997
Strongest storm
Name	Erika
• Maximum winds	125 mph (205 km/h) (1-minute sustained)
• Lowest pressure	946 mbar (hPa; 27.94 inHg)
Seasonal statistics
Total depressions	9
Total storms	8
Hurricanes	3
Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+)	1
Total fatalities	12 total
Total damage	$111.46 million (1997 USD)
Related articles
Timeline of the 1997 Atlantic hurricane season 1997 Pacific hurricane season 1997 Pacific typhoon season 1997 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
Atlantic hurricane seasons 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999

The 1997 Atlantic hurricane season was a below-average hurricane season. It officially began on June 1,^[1] and lasted until November 30 of that year.^[2] These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The 1997 season was fairly inactive, with only seven named storms forming, with an additional tropical depression and an unnumbered subtropical storm. It was the first time since the 1961 season that there were no active tropical cyclones in the Atlantic basin during the entire month of August–historically one of the more active months of the season—a phenomenon that would not occur again until 2022. A strong El Niño is credited with reducing activity in the Atlantic, while increasing the number of storms in the eastern and western Pacific basins to 19 and 26 storms, respectively. As is common in El Niño years, tropical cyclogenesis was suppressed in the tropical latitudes, with only two becoming tropical storms south of 25°N.

The first system, an operationally unnoticed subtropical storm, developed north of the Bahamas on June 1 and dissipated by the following day without any impact. Tropical Storm Ana developed offshore South Carolina on June 30 and dissipated on July 4, after causing minor affects in North Carolina. Hurricane Bill was a short-lived storm between that lasted from July 11 to July 13 and produced light rainfall in Newfoundland. As Bill was dissipating, Tropical Storm Claudette developed and generated rough seas in North Carolina. The most devastating storm was Hurricane Danny, which caused extensive flooding, particularly in southern Alabama. Danny resulted in 9 fatalities and about $100 million (1997 USD) in damage. The outer bands of Hurricane Erika brought rough seas and gusty winds to the Lesser Antilles, resulting in two deaths and $10 million in losses. The precursor to Tropical Storm Grace caused flooding in Puerto Rico, while Tropical Depression Five and Tropical Storm Fabian did not impact any land. Collectively, the storms of the 1997 Atlantic hurricane season resulted in 12 fatalities and approximately $111.46 million in damages.