Hurricane Lili was a moderate

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

of the

1990 Atlantic hurricane season The 1990 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active Atlantic hurricane season since 1969 Atlantic hurricane season, 1969, with a total of 14 Tropical cyclone naming, named storms. The season also featured eight hurricanes, one of which i ...

. It began as a

subtropical cyclone A subtropical cyclone is a weather system that has some characteristics of both tropical cyclone, tropical and an extratropical cyclone. As early as the 1950s, meteorologists were uncertain whether they should be characterized as Tropical cyclo ...

over the central Atlantic and became a hurricane while moving westward toward the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Lili did not gain any additional strength before curving away from land and weakening into a tropical storm. After transitioning into an

extratropical cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of ...

, it made landfall in southeastern

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. Overall, the hurricane's effects on land were minimal, despite multiple

tropical cyclone watches and warnings Tropical cyclone warnings and watches are alerts issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity. They are notices to the local popul ...

. Initial uncertainty in its track prompted some concern of a landfall in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, but it remained predominantly over the open ocean.

Meteorological history

In early October 1990, a non-tropical low-pressure system existed in the upper levels of the atmosphere southwest of the

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

. By October 6, the low moved to the

surface A surface, as the term is most generally used, is the outermost or uppermost layer of a physical object or space. It is the portion or region of the object that can first be perceived by an observer using the senses of sight and touch, and is t ...

, and upon doing so it immediately became a subtropical cyclone. The system slowly moved toward the southwest for several days, gradually gaining the characteristics of a

; subsequent to turning westward and accelerating in forward speed, it became a hurricane at 0000 UTC on October 11. Steered by a

ridge A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...

to the north, Hurricane Lili continued on its westward track. It never intensified significantly, and reached its peak intensity with windspeeds of 75 mph (120 km/h) and a minimum air pressure of 987

mbar The bar is a metric unit of pressure, but not part of the International System of Units (SI). It is defined as exactly equal to 100,000 Pa (100 kPa), or slightly less than the current average atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea leve ...

(hPa; 29.15

inHg Inch of mercury (inHg and ″Hg) is a non- SI unit of measurement for pressure. It is used for barometric pressure in weather reports, refrigeration and aviation in the United States. It is the pressure exerted by a column of mercury in heigh ...

) concurrently with its upgrade into a hurricane. Afterward, its air pressure began to slowly rise. Late on October 11, the cyclone passed about south of

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

. As it approached the United States, the storm slowed and began curving northward, passing east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. It weakened into a tropical storm on October 13. For a time, the system's proximity to

Tropical Storm Marco The name Marco has been used for four tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean. * Tropical Storm Marco (1990), hugged west coast of Florida, making landfall as a tropical depression, causing heavy rain and moderate damage * Hurricane Marco (1996), f ...

resulted in hints of the

Fujiwhara effect The Fujiwhara effect, sometimes referred to as the Fujiwara effect, Fujiw(h)ara interaction or binary interaction, is a phenomenon that occurs when two nearby cyclonic vortices move around each other and close the distance between the circulations ...

, in which two tropical cyclone appear to rotate around each other. A high-pressure area over

steered Lili northeastward, away from the United States, and the tropical storm once again sped up. It skirted the coast of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

and transitioned into an

on October 15, dissipating shortly after crossing southeastern Newfoundland.

Preparations and impact

On October 11, a hurricane warning was issued for Bermuda, although it was replaced by a

tropical storm warning Tropical cyclone warnings and watches are alerts issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity. They are notices to the local popul ...

later that day. However, the storm's effects on the island were limited to rainfall and gusty winds. It also caused strong winds in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. The hurricane's track was initially uncertain. Some forecasts indicated it would continue westward and make landfall on

, while others predicted it would miss land. A "general evacuation" was ordered on

Ocracoke Island Ocracoke
, from the North Carolina Collection website at the

, while multiple

were posted along the coasts of North Carolina and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Some residents purchased emergency supplies to prepare for the hurricane. Lili had minimal impact on land, with no deaths or significant damage reported. The North Carolina coast sustained minor

beach erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward ...

. A newspaper reported that rainfall from the storm led to flooding in southern

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, particularly in and around Arendtsville. At least one family was forced to leave their home, and a state highway was temporarily closed. The National Hurricane Center's preliminary report on Hurricane Lili does not confirm the two events were related, however.

References

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Lili ''Lili'' is a 1953 American film released by MGM. It stars Leslie Caron as a touchingly naïve French girl whose emotional relationship with a carnival puppeteer is conducted through the medium of four puppets. The film won the Academy Award for ...

Lili (1990) Lili (1990) Lili (1990)

Meteorological history

Preparations and impact

See also

References