This list of West Africa hurricanes includes all tropical cyclones which originated in the Atlantic
and directly or indirectly affected the west coast of Africa or its
surrounding islands, or both. Atlantic hurricanes seldom directly affect
West Africa, the Cape Verde Islands, or the Canary Islands, since easterly winds carry the storms away from land, and most Atlantic storms that move off the African coast tend to be weak.
List of tropical cyclones
This is a list of tropical cyclones that have either made direct landfall in Western Africa and its surrounding islands or have come close to making landfall.
Before 1950
- September 10, 1900: A tropical storm formed on September 8, 1900, at 10°N-18.5°W and moved northwestward. The storm rapidly gained strength as it reached hurricane on September 9. The hurricane continued moving northwestward as it bypassed the Cape Verde Islands to the west at Category 1 strength. The storm later reached Category 2 status after passing the islands. Despite its close proximity to the islands, it's unclear if any watches or warnings were issued nor were any reports of damage or fatalities reported from the storm.[1]
- August 29, 1901: A tropical depression formed on August 29 and moved westward where it became a tropical storm. The storm brushed the Cape Verde's before continuing on westward and becoming a hurricane. The storm caused no damage on the islands.[2]
- August 25, 1906: A tropical storm brushed the Cape Verde Islands as a 40 mph (64 km/h) tropical storm causing no damage. Days later, the storm strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane.[3]
- September 2, 1927 : A weak tropical storm passed through the Cape Verde Islands before becoming a category 2 hurricane. There was no recorded damage after the storm's passing through the islands.[4]
- September 6, 1928: The 1928 Lake Okeechobee Hurricane passed through the Cape Verde Islands as a weak tropical storm.[5]
- September 10, 1938: Before becoming a hurricane, the 1938 New England Hurricane passed through the Cape Verde Islands as a 40 mph (64 km/h) tropical storm.[6]
- September 5, 1947: The Fort Lauderdale Hurricane brushed the Cape Verde Islands as a Category 1 hurricane at 0000 UTC. There were no reports of damage or injuries from the hurricane.[7]
- September 5, 1948: A mid season hurricane brushed the Cape Verde Islands as a Category 1 storm. There were no reports of damage or injuries from that storm.[8]
1950-1979
- August 19, 1952: Tropical Depression Two struck the Cape Verde Islands before becoming a hurricane.[9]
- August 28, 1953: Tropical Depression Four passed through the Cape Verde Islands before becoming a hurricane.[10]
- September 3, 1957: While transitioning to a tropical storm, Tropical Depression Four passed south of the Cape Verde Islands causing no damage.[11]
- August 8, 1958: Tropical Depression Two passed through the Cape Verde Islands before reaching tropical storm strength. There were no reports of damage.[12]
- September 5, 1964: Tropical Depression Eight brushed the Cape Verde Islands before reaching tropical storm strength. The storm caused no known damage.[13]
- September 5, 1967: Tropical Depression Three passed through the Cape Verde Islands before becoming a hurricane.[14]
- October 5, 1967: Tropical Storm Ginger formed east of the Cape Verde Islands on October 5. The storm reached a peak intensity of 50 mph before dissipating two days later. Ginger's formation was the farthest east on record for an Atlantic tropical cyclone.[15][16]
- September 12, 1968: Tropical Depression Seven brushed the Cape Verde Islands before reaching tropical storm strength.[17]
- August 25, 1973: Tropical Depression Nine formed over western Africa at 10°N-15°W before reaching tropical storm strength.[18]
- September 15, 1973: Tropical Storm Ellen brushed the Cape Verde Islands as a 45 mph (72 km/h) tropical storm,[19] before becoming a hurricane.
- September 4, 1979: Tropical Depression Eleven brushed the northern Cape Verde Islands before becoming a hurricane.[20]
1980-1999
Tropical Storm Beryl
- September 4, 1980: Tropical Depression Nine brushed the northern Cape Verde Islands hours before becoming a hurricane.[21]
- August 29, 1982: Tropical Storm Beryl of 1982 passed south of the Cape Verde Islands, killing 3 people and injuring 112 people.[22][23]
- September 16, 1984: Tropical Depression Nine bypassed the Cape Verde Islands to the south before reaching tropical storm strength.[24] The storm killed 31 people, mainly from landslides and flooding.[23]
- September 8, 1988: Tropical Storm Thirteen formed extremely close to western Africa on September 6 where it moved slightly northwestward and dissipated. It was not named because of its extreme location at the time, and it was originally thought to be a tropical depression. However, post storm analysis revealed that the system had maintained tropical storm strength for at least 48 hours. The storm produced heavy rain but caused no reported damage.
- September 18, 1989: Before reaching hurricane status, Hurricane Erin passed through the Cape Verde Islands as a tropical depression, causing no damage.[25]
- September 21, 1998: Hurricane Jeanne of 1998 passed south of the Cape Verde Islands as a Category 1 hurricane.[26] Because of Jeanne's rapid formation, forecasters predicted that the storm will bring tropical storm conditions to the Cape Verde Islands. However, the storm's center stayed off shore and there were no reports of damage.[27]
2000-present
Hurricane Fred at Category 1 strength over Cape Verde on August 31, 2015.
- August 4, 2000: The tropical wave that later became Hurricane Alberto dropped 1 inch (25 mm) of rain across Dakar, Senegal and produced winds of 40 mph (64 km/h) off the West African coastline.[28]
- September 9, 2003: Tropical Depression Fourteen brushed the Cape Verde Islands after reaching peak intensity of 35 mph (56 km/h).[29] The depression produced heavy rainfall and gusty winds to the islands.[30]
- November 23, 2005: Tropical Storm Delta, after meandering eastward in the Atlantic Ocean for several days, struck the Canary Islands shortly after becoming extratropical, and 70 mph (110 km/h) winds with 90 mph (150 km/h) gusts caused over $360 million (2005 USD) in damage and nineteen deaths.[31][32] The remnants of Delta then struck Morocco, where no damage was reported.
- August 21, 2006: Tropical Storm Debby passed south of the Cape Verde Islands as a tropical depression. A tropical storm warning was issued for the Cape Verde Islands, but was discontinued when Debby turned further westward and away from the islands.
- September 9, 2010: Tropical Storm Igor passed about 30 miles (48 km) to the south of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands,[33] bringing tropical storm force winds to Brava & Fogo,[34] before reaching hurricane strength.
- August 31, 2015: Hurricane Fred reached Category 1 strength as it hit Cape Verde, resulting in hurricane conditions across many of the islands. Seven people died when their fishing boat capsized off the coast of Guinea-Bissau, and another two fishermen were presumed dead after never returning to Boa Vista.
- September 8, 2018: Tropical Storm Helene dropped heavy rainfall in Guinea, triggering flooding that claimed three lives in Doko.[35]
Monitoring stations
The Cape Verde Islands has only one tropical cyclone monitoring station in Sal.[36] In Western Africa, there are three tropical cyclone monitoring stations in Dakar, Senegal,[37] Bamako, Mali[38] and Niamey, Niger[39]Climatological statistics
At least 31 tropical cyclones have affected Western Africa and its surrounding islands since records began in 1851. The majority of the storms affect West Africa and Cape Verde islands during the months of August and September which are the active months of a typical Atlantic hurricane season.[40]
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Deadliest storms
The following is a list of Atlantic tropical storms that caused fatalities in West Africa and its surrounding islands.| Name | Year | Number of deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Fran | 1984 | 31 |
| Delta | 2005 | 19 |
| Fred | 2015 | 9 |
| Beryl | 1982 | 3 |
| Helene | 2018 | 3 |
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