Hurricane Danny (1997)

Basin

North Atlantic

Dates

July 16, 1997 to July 27, 1997

Peak strength

Category 1, 70 kt (81 mph)

Lowest pressure

984 mb (29.06 inHg)

Landfall

Yes

Accumulated cyclone energy

6.0

Fastest the center moved

63 kt (72 mph)

Identifier

AL051997

Radar at KMOB as it neared land, Jul 19, 18:00 UTC

The sources count different things and are not added together.

Landfall points the US agencies flagged in the best track. The nearest town is named from the site’s gazetteer, not from the report.

NOAA’s Storm Events database, the record National Weather Service offices compile months after a storm, as compiled March 2026.

Deaths

1 (1 direct, 0 indirect)

Injuries

8

Property damage

$70 million

Crop damage

$2.5 million

Events recorded

120 in 24 reports from 12 states and marine areas

State by state

What was recorded

51 flash flood, 25 heavy rain, 17 hurricane (typhoon), 8 strong wind, 7 high wind, 4 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 3 flood, 2 lightning.

3 tornadoes recorded in the United States, strongest first.

The Weather Prediction Center attributes 1,507 rain gauge totals over the contiguous United States to this storm. The wettest reached 37.75 inches (959 mm).

WPC’s storm rainfall file, 1900 to 2020, compiled by David Roth.

The strongest winds National Weather Service offices recorded with this storm. An estimated figure is a forecaster’s judgment from the damage, not an instrument reading.

From the Storm Events narratives, unedited.

Torrential rains from Hurricane Danny started falling in Baldwin county Saturday evening and the Fish river came out of its banks and remained out of its banks for several days. People living along the river were forced to evacuate and numerous homes sustained major water damage. Most of the roads in the south part of the county, generally south of U. S. Highway 98, had to be closed due to high water. Many of the roads in this area were closed into Monday evening to allow the water to recede. Some roads had to be closed for several weeks before crews had time to get them in a condition to allow traffic on them again. The heaviest rainfall in this area was estimated to be 30 to 35 inches with some estimations of even higher amounts near Weeks Bay.

Baldwin, Alabama · Flash Flood · Jul 20, 03:00 UTC

Heavy rains from the remnants of Hurricane Danny caused flash flooding and mud slides in Tuscaloosa. Eight families had to be evacuated from rising waters in a mobile home park and several roads were closed across Tuscaloosa county. The heavy rains caused a mud slide over railroad tracks, which stopped the north and south bound trains just south of Tuscaloosa. The mud moved the track about 150 feet out of alignment.

Tuscaloosa, Alabama · Flash Flood · Jul 22, 10:15 UTC

Lightning was responsible for at least three house fires in Jefferson County. The first one was reported at approximately 1:33 am in Zebina. Lightning struck a tree and jumped to a nearby home, entering the home through electrical wiring. Several appliances were damaged and the front door was knocked off of its hinges. A second strike at 1:38 am, entered the homes attic, after having struck a nearby tree. Some of the attic's insulation caught fire. The third lightning strike occurred just before 3:00 am. The lightning struck a pecan tree at the corner of a home, then entered the house. The sole occupant was able to escape and drive for help. The house was a total loss.

Jefferson, Georgia · Lightning · Jul 23, 05:33 UTC

Sweetwater Creek was over its banks in several areas. A car was entirely submerged by water on Barrett Parkway and Interstate 575 after the driver attempted to drive into a large puddle. Twelve people from two families had to be evacuated from their duplex apartment due to minor flooding in Kennesaw.

Cobb, Georgia · Flash Flood · Jul 23, 12:30 UTC

• Unnamed tropical stormNorth Atlantic · 1997Tropical Storm45 kt · 1003 mb
• Tropical Storm AnaNorth Atlantic · 1997Tropical Storm40 kt · 1000 mb
• Hurricane BillNorth Atlantic · 1997Cat 165 kt · 986 mb
• Tropical Storm ClaudetteNorth Atlantic · 1997Tropical Storm40 kt · 1003 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 1997Tropical Depression30 kt · 1008 mb
• Hurricane ErikaNorth Atlantic · 1997Cat 3110 kt · 946 mb
• Tropical Storm FabianNorth Atlantic · 1997Tropical Storm40 kt · 1004 mb
• Tropical Storm GraceNorth Atlantic · 1997Tropical Storm40 kt · 999 mb

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.

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.

• Tropical cyclone report, National Hurricane Center
• Wikipedia article: Hurricane Danny