Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina was a late-forming tropical cyclone that impacted portions of the Greater Antilles and Bahamas in November 1981. The twenty-first tropical cyclone, eleventh named storm, and seventh hurricane of the 1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Katrina developed from an area of cloudiness in the western Caribbean Sea early on November 3. The initial tropical depression deepened slowly, and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Katrina on November 5. About six hours later, Katrina peaked with sustained winds of 85 mph (140 km/h). The storm made landfall along the south coast of Camagüey Province in Cuba early on November 6. Katrina quickly weakened to a tropical storm, before emerging into the Atlantic Ocean hours later. The system then accelerated northeastward and crossed the Bahamas late on November 6. Katrina dissipated late on November 7, shortly before merging with a frontal system. On Grand Cayman, a waterspout ripped out a grape tree and slammed it into the Brac Reef Hotel's bar. Heavy rainfall was observed on Cuba, peaking at . As a result, Cuba experienced flash flooding in mountainous areas as Katrina moved across the country. In southern Camagüey Province, several bridges and railroads were reportedly washed out. Two sugar mills suffered damage. An estimated 4,641 homes suffered impact, 39 of which were destroyed. In addition, approximately 80% of sugar cane crops were damaged. Two people drowned in Cuba while attempting to cross a swollen river in Camagüey Province. The Bahamas received up to 14 in (360 mm) of rain, causing flood damage to watermelon, tomato and corn crops, particularly on Long Island. Meteorological history On November 1, an area of disturbed weather – a mass of cloudiness and thunderstorms – developed over the western Caribbean Sea. Subsequently, a low pressure area began to form. The system was designated a tropical depression early on November 3, while located about to the south of the Cayman Islands. Operationally, the National Hurricane Center began issuing advisories on the tropical depression at on November 3. In the initial advisory, it was noted that the depression would slowly strengthen, but reach tropical storm status within 24 hours due to "strong" convection. The depression remained disorganized through early on November 4, with satellite imagery and weather stations in the Caribbean Sea region indicating no intensification.