As hurricane season 2009 closes, city crunches the numbers (PHOTOS)

1998’s Hurricane Georges wasn’t Destin’s worst storm, but it dumped the most rain of any hurricane or tropical storm in the past 15 years, Destin City Hall’s Larry Beat says.

With the 2009 hurricane season wrapping up, Beat, the administrative assistant in the Community Development Department, compiled 15 years worth of City Hall weather records into a “storm log.”

“The storm log lists only storms that had an effect on Destin, either increased wind or rain, no matter where they hit,” Beat said, though for some of the earlier storms, the city had no wind-speed on record.

Georges dropped 21.78 inches in Destin before dissipating, which is more than the cumulative rainfall in either the 2004 or the 2005 seasons. The lowest hurricane-related rainfall came from 2004’s Hurricane Frances, at .05 inches.

The highest winds? Hurricane Ivan’s maximum wind gusts hit 90 mph.

Maximum damage, of course, is another matter. Hurricane Opal put down only 9.9 inches of rain in Destin, but for destruction, Mayor Craig Barker ranked it at the top.

“Hurricane Opal,” Barker told The Log,” “was clearly number one in terms of devastation.”

For this season, Barker said, most of Destin got off lightly: “We clearly were not hit by a major hurricane, which is something we can all be thankful for. But the two tropical storms that grazed the area still caused significant property damage.”

For 2009, Beat added, the total rain for January through November has been 58.28 inches, compared to the annual 11-month average of 56.49. Destin is projected to end the year with above average rainfall.

A BLOW BY BLOW ACCOUNT
Here’s the city’s list of hurricanes and tropical storms that produced measurable wind or rain in Destin over the past 15 years. Storms that only generated a wave surge aren’t included.

1994
•July 3: TS Alberto, 6.3 inches.
•Aug. 16: TS Beryl, .4 inches.

1995
•June 5: Hurricane Allison, 1.2 inches.
•Aug. 3: Hurricane Erin, 5 inches.
•Oct. 5: Hurricane Opal: 9.9 inches.

1996
•Oct. 7: TS Josephine, 1.7 inches, 39 mph.
1997
•July 20: Hurricane Danny: 1.35 inches, 28 mph.

1998
•Sept. 2: Hurricane Earl, 7.45 inches, 44 mph
•Sept. 27: Hurricane Georges, 21.78 inches, 58 mph maximum winds

2000
•Sept. 22: TS Helene, 3.7 inches, 40 mph.

2001
•June 11: TS Allison, 4.5 inches, 36 mph.
•Aug. 6: TS Barry, 4.2 inches, 45 mph.

2002
•Sept. 14: TS Hanna, 4.9 inches, 40 mph.
•Sept. 26: Hurricane Isidore, 6.05 inches, 52 mph.
•Oct. 3: Hurricane Lili, .6 inches, 29 mph.

2003
•July 1: TS Bill: 7.9 inches, 38 mph maximum winds.

2004
•Aug. 11: TS Bonnie, 6.25 inches, 32 mph.
•Aug. 13: Hurricane Charley, 1.55 inches, 23 mph.
•Sept. 6: Hurricane Frances, .05 inches, 38mph.
•Sept. 16: Hurricane Ivan: 5.2 inches, 90 mph.
•Sept. 26: Hurricane Jeanne, No rain, 25 mph.
•Oct. 10: TS Matthew, 2.2 inches, 30 mph.

2005
•June 11: TS Arlene, 3 inches, 45 mph.
•July 6: Hurricane Cindy, .4 inches, 39 mph.
•July 10: Hurricane Dennis: 3.35 inches, 74 mph.
•Aug. 29: Hurricane Katrina, 2.15 inches, 51 mph.
•Sept. 24: Hurricane Rita, .45 inches, 37 mph.

2006
•June 13: TS Alberto, .54 inches, 26 mph.

2007
•Sept. 22: TS 10, 3.15 inches, 40 mph.

2008
•Aug. 26: TS Fay, 1.58 inches, 41 mph.
•Sept. 1: Hurricane Gustav, 2.63 inches, 33 mph

•Sept. 12: Hurricane Ike, no rain, 28mph [Edited to include this storm]

2009
•Aug. 17: TS Claudette, 1.11 inches, 39 mph.
•Nov. 10: TS Ida, 2.35 inches, 43 mph.