Tropical Storm Becky (1970)
Tropical Storm Becky peaked at 55 kt in the North Atlantic between July 19, 1970 and July 23, 1970, with a lowest pressure of 1003 mb, and made landfall.
Track and intensity
The whole track of Tropical Storm Becky, colored by strength, with the other storms of the 1970 season in the same basin behind it, and its wind and pressure hour by hour. Every fix is in the track table below.
The storm
- Basin
- North Atlantic
- Dates
- July 19, 1970 to July 23, 1970
- Peak strength
- Tropical Storm, 55 kt (63 mph)
- Lowest pressure
- 1003 mb (29.62 inHg)
- Landfall
- Yes
- Accumulated cyclone energy
- 2.4
- Fastest the center moved
- 22 kt (25 mph)
- Identifier
- AL021970
Deaths and damage
No source this site reads publishes a machine-readable casualty or damage figure for a storm of this era. The National Hurricane Center’s season tables begin in 1995 and carry deaths and damage only from 2005 in the Atlantic and 2020 in both basins; the US Storm Events record begins in 1996.
Landfall
| Time (UTC) | Where | Position | Wind | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 22, 10:00 | Port Saint Joe, FL, 12 km away | 29.7N 85.3W | 40 kt (46 mph) | 1007 mb |
Landfall points the US agencies flagged in the best track. The nearest town is named from the site’s gazetteer, not from the report.
Rainfall
The Weather Prediction Center attributes 1,444 rain gauge totals over the contiguous United States to this storm. The wettest reached 10.50 inches (267 mm).
| Station | Total | Position |
|---|---|---|
| WILLIAM O HUSKE L&D | 10.50 in (267 mm) | 34.83N 78.82W |
| TALLAHASSEE RGNL AP | 8.18 in (208 mm) | 30.38N 84.35W |
| MELVIN | 7.41 in (188 mm) | 31.92N 88.45W |
| SHUBUTA | 7.08 in (180 mm) | 31.85N 88.68W |
| TALLAPOOSA 2 N | 6.50 in (165 mm) | 33.77N 85.30W |
| ANDREWS | 6.40 in (163 mm) | 33.43N 79.57W |
| LONG CREEK | 6.19 in (157 mm) | 34.78N 83.27W |
| OCALA | 6.07 in (154 mm) | 29.07N 82.07W |
| HIGHLANDS | 5.84 in (148 mm) | 35.05N 83.18W |
| WINTER HAVEN | 5.69 in (145 mm) | 28.00N 81.72W |
| ALPHARETTA 4 SSW | 5.63 in (143 mm) | 34.42N 84.32W |
| CAMP HILL 2NW | 5.53 in (140 mm) | 32.82N 85.65W |
WPC’s storm rainfall file, 1900 to 2020, compiled by David Roth.
Track
| Time (UTC) | Position | Wind | Pressure | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 19, 00:00 | 18.5N 83.5W | 30 kt | 1011 mb | Tropical depression |
| Jul 19, 06:00 | 18.8N 84.5W | 30 kt | 1011 mb | Tropical depression |
| Jul 19, 12:00 | 19.4N 85.2W | 30 kt | 1009 mb | Tropical depression |
| Jul 19, 18:00 | 20.3N 85.6W | 30 kt | 1010 mb | Tropical depression |
| Jul 20, 00:00 | 21.3N 85.9W | 35 kt | 1009 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jul 20, 06:00 | 22.3N 86.2W | 40 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Jul 20, 12:00 | 23.2N 86.4W | 40 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Jul 20, 18:00 | 24.1N 86.6W | 45 kt | 1008 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jul 21, 00:00 | 25.0N 86.7W | 50 kt | 1003 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jul 21, 06:00 | 25.8N 86.8W | 55 kt | 1004 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jul 21, 12:00 | 26.6N 86.7W | 55 kt | 1006 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jul 21, 18:00 | 27.5N 86.3W | 55 kt | 1007 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jul 22, 00:00 | 28.3N 85.9W | 50 kt | 1007 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jul 22, 06:00 | 29.1N 85.5W | 45 kt | 1007 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jul 22, 10:00 landfall | 29.7N 85.3W | 40 kt | 1007 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jul 22, 12:00 | 30.0N 85.2W | 35 kt | 1007 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jul 22, 18:00 | 31.5N 85.3W | 25 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Jul 23, 00:00 | 33.4N 85.6W | 25 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Jul 23, 06:00 | 35.4N 86.1W | 20 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Jul 23, 12:00 | 37.5N 86.7W | 20 kt | Tropical depression |
Other North Atlantic storms of 1970
- Hurricane AlmaNorth Atlantic · 1970
- Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 1970
- Hurricane CeliaNorth Atlantic · 1970
- Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 1970
- Unnamed hurricaneNorth Atlantic · 1970
- Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 1970
- Tropical Storm DorothyNorth Atlantic · 1970
- Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 1970
- Unnamed tropical stormNorth Atlantic · 1970
- Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 1970
- Hurricane EllaNorth Atlantic · 1970
- Tropical Storm FeliceNorth Atlantic · 1970
- Unnamed tropical stormNorth Atlantic · 1970
- Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 1970
- Tropical Storm GretaNorth Atlantic · 1970
- Unnamed hurricaneNorth Atlantic · 1970
- Unnamed hurricaneNorth Atlantic · 1970
- Unnamed hurricaneNorth Atlantic · 1970
- Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 1970
- Unnamed tropical stormNorth Atlantic · 1970
What this means
A best track is the record a warning agency settles on after the storm, not what it said at the time: position, maximum sustained wind and central pressure every six hours, revised against every observation that came in later. Category is the Saffir-Simpson scale, which runs from Category 1 at 64 kt to Category 5 at 137 kt and reads wind only, so it says nothing about surge or rain. Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the square of the wind through the storm's life, so it counts strength and duration together.
Sources
Storm history from NOAA NCEI’s International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS), which merges the official best track of every warning agency. Live storms, cones, watches and warnings from the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Archived radar from NOAA’s Level II archive.
The National Hurricane Center has published no tropical cyclone report for this storm.