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 2017 tropical cyclone, the 8th named storm, 3rd hurricane, and the 1st major hurricane of the hyperactive 2017 Atlantic hurricane season. Harvey was also the 3rd consecutive hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season—after Franklin and Gert. The storm went through the Caribbean and Mexico. It threatened southern Texas, particularly the Corpus Christi and Victoria areas. The storm struck the state as a Category 4 hurricane on August 25.
The storm was the first major hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Hurricane Wilma in twelve years earlier.
The storm first developed on August 17, 2017, from a tropical wave to the east of the Lesser Antilles. It faded into an open tropical wave on August 19. But on August 24, Harvey redeveloped into a tropical storm, and then strengthened into a hurricane. On August 25, Harvey rapidly strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of at least 130 mph, and it made landfall in Texas as a low-end Category 4 hurricane. On August 26, Harvey stalled and rapidly weakened into a tropical storm in just a few hours after making landfall, resulting of dumping heavy rainfall and caused major and catastrophic flooding in parts of southeastern Texas especially the Houston metropolitan area.
Harvey was the strongest hurricane to hit Texas since Hurricane Carla in 1961.
Damage from Harvey was set around $125 billion. This and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 are both tied as the costliest tropical cyclones on record in the Atlantic and the United States history. Harvey is the wettest tropical cyclone on record in the United States, especially in Texas with rainfall accumulations of over 60 inches.
The storm killed just over 100 people in Texas alone.
The name Harvey was retired in April 2018 by the World Meteorological Organization and was replaced with Harold 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
