Heavy Rain and Flooding Possible in the Southwest U.S, Ohio Valley, and Hawaii

Heavy rainfall is expected to continue through Thursday over New Mexico into far west Texas. Flash flooding and debris flows in wildfire burn areas will be possible. Heavy rain and flash flooding is also expected over the southern Appalachians and Ohio Valley. Tropical Depression 15-E, southeast of Hawaii, is expected to bring heavy rain beginning today to the Big Island and Maui. Read More >

Hurricane Debra

July 22-27, 1959

Above: An early radar photo (owned by Dow Chemical Company in Freeport, Texas) at 7:33 AM CST July 24, 1959.

An area of disturbed weather originating over the Bahamas moved across the Gulf July 20^th and 21^st. The disturbance gradually organized into a tropical depression late on July 22^nd about 150 miles south of the Louisiana coast. The depression moved slowly to the west being steered by a mid to upper level ridge to the north. The depression, slow to organized at first, became Tropical Storm Debra the afternoon of July 23^rd.

Tropical Storm Debra rapidly intensified overnight, and by daybreak on July 24^th, had attained hurricane strength. An early radar photo (owned by Dow Chemical Company in Freeport, Texas) at 7:33 AM CST July 24^th showed a well-defined eye and banding radar echoes associated with Hurricane Debra centered just off the upper Texas coast.

Weakening of the mid to upper level ridge allowed Hurricane Debra to move slowly northward, slowly intensifying for the remainder of the day. Hurricane Debra made landfall between Freeport and Galveston, Texas around 11 PM CST July 24^th with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (75 knots) and a minimum central pressure of 980 millibars (28.94 inches). Debra was downgraded to a strong tropical storm by daybreak July 25^th as the center was passing over the Houston metropolitan area. Debra further weakened to a tropical depression early on July 25^th moving across the remainder of East Texas and Oklahoma before dissipating on July 27^th. Click here for an interactive map of Hurricane Debra.

WIND & PRESSURE:
The highest sustained winds across our area of responsibility in Southeast Texas was 45 mph near High Island Texas. A peak sustained wind of 33 mph (gust unknown) was recorded at the Port Arthur Weather Bureau office. Further west near the Brazos Floodgates near Freeport Texas near the eye landfall, sustained winds of 81 mph (70 knots) with gusts of 105 mph (91 knots) was the highest recorded winds. The Weather Bureau Galveston Texas office recorded maximum sustained winds of 57 mph (50 knots) with a peak gust of 85 mph (74 knots). The Weather Bureau Houston Texas office recorded maximum sustained winds of 58 mph (50 knots) with a peak gust of 82 mph (71 knots). Observations obtained from the Preliminary Report on Hurricane Debra, the Hurricane Re-analysis Project (1959)^{and hourly surface observations from the}National Centers for Environmental Information (NECI).

STORM SURGE:
Storm surge of 1 to 2 feet above MSL occurred across coastal Jefferson County, with 1.6 feet MSL measured near High Island. Further west, higher storm surge of 2 to 7 feet MSL occurred across the Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Bay, with 7.9 feet MSL recorded at Morgan Point, Texas on the northern end of Galveston Bay.

RAINFALL:
Rainfall of 8 to 15 inches was recorded over Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana, with 3 to 7 inches falling over the remainder of Central and South-Central Louisiana. The highest rainfall total of 15.89 inches occurred at Orange Texas. Across Calcasieu parish, 14.10 inches was recorded at Vinton, with 10.31 inches recorded at the Weather Bureau Lake Charles office near Chennault. For complete rainfall totals reported across our region, see the Rainfall section.

TORNADOES:
No tornadoes were reported.

Additional Data, Maps, Tables
Wind and Pressure		Storm Rainfall

Other Post Tropical Cyclone Reports
DOC/Weather Bureau Preliminary Report on Hurricane Debra
Monthly Weather Review - 1959 Atlantic Hurricane Season Summary
National Hurricane Center Hurricane Debra Storm Wallet of Documents

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Heavy Rain and Flooding Possible in the Southwest U.S, Ohio Valley, and Hawaii

Hurricane Debra 1959