Hurricane Harvey facts for kids
| Category 4 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Hurricane Harvey near peak intensity prior to landfall in southern Texas on August 25
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| Formed | August 17, 2017 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | September 2, 2017 |
| (Extratropical after September 1) | |
| Highest winds | 1-minute sustained: 130 mph (215 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 937 mbar (hPa); 27.67 inHg |
| Fatalities | 68 direct, 39 indirect |
| Damage | $125 billion (2017 USD) (Tied as costliest tropical cyclone on record) |
| Areas affected | Windward Islands, Suriname, Guyana, Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, Cayman Islands, Yucatán Peninsula, Southern and Eastern United States (especially Texas, Louisiana) |
| Part of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Harvey was a very strong tropical storm that happened in 2017. It was the eighth named storm, the third hurricane, and the first major hurricane of the very active 2017 Atlantic hurricane season. Harvey traveled through the Caribbean and Mexico. It then headed towards southern Texas, especially the Corpus Christi and Victoria areas. The storm hit Texas as a powerful Category 4 hurricane on August 25.
Harvey was the first major hurricane to hit the United States in twelve years, since Hurricane Wilma in 2005.
How Harvey Formed and Grew
Harvey first started on August 17, 2017. It began as a tropical wave of weather east of the Lesser Antilles islands. It then weakened and almost disappeared by August 19. But on August 24, Harvey grew strong again and became a tropical storm. Soon after, it turned into a hurricane.
On August 25, Harvey quickly became much stronger. It turned into a Category 4 hurricane with winds of at least 130 miles per hour. It then made landfall in Texas as a strong Category 4 hurricane.
Impact and Damage
After hitting land on August 26, Harvey slowed down a lot and quickly became a weaker tropical storm. This caused it to dump huge amounts of rain. It led to major and terrible flooding in parts of southeastern Texas, especially in the Houston area.
Harvey was the strongest hurricane to hit Texas since Hurricane Carla in 1961. The damage from Hurricane Harvey was estimated to be around $125 billion. This makes it one of the most expensive tropical cyclones ever recorded in the Atlantic and in United States history, tied with Hurricane Katrina from 2005. Harvey also brought the most rain ever recorded from a tropical cyclone in the United States, especially in Texas. Some areas got over 60 inches of rain!
Sadly, over 100 people lost their lives in Texas because of the storm.
Name Retirement
The name Harvey was officially removed from the list of hurricane names in April 2018 by the World Meteorological Organization. This is done for very destructive storms. The name Harold will be used instead for the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season.
Images for kids
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As Tropical Storm Harvey continued along the Gulf Coast, NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik took this photo of the storm Aug. 28 from the International Space Station–52
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Tropical Storm Harvey in the Eastern Caribbean on August 18.
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Satellite picture of Harvey making landfall in Texas on August 26
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Flooding in Port Arthur, Texas on August 31.
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Coast Guard rescue swimmer is about to load up for rescue operations
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Enlarged map of rainfall from the hurricane in the Houston and Beaumont metropolitan areas in southeast Texas. Areas in blue indicate accumulations in excess of 15 in (380 mm), while areas in yellow indicate accumulations in excess of 40 in (1,000 mm).
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Infrared satellite loop of Harvey making its third U.S. landfall in Louisiana on August 30
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Map of the total rainfall from Hurricane Harvey in the United States.
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Damage by Harvey to a marina in Rockport, Texas, on August 28, 2017
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Houston's very flat topography makes flooding a problem. (Simulated-color image)
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See also
In Spanish: Huracán Harvey para niños
