Tropical Storm Alma, the first

named storm Tropical cyclones and subtropical cyclones are named by various warning centers to simplify communication between forecasters and the general public regarding forecasts, watches and warnings. The names are intended to reduce confusion in the ...

to develop in the 1974 Atlantic hurricane season, was a short lived

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 ...

that made a rare

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...

. The storm formed from the

Intertropical Convergence Zone The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ ), known by sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its monotonous windless weather, is the area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. It encircles Earth near the thermal e ...

(ITCZ) on August 12 well to the east of the

Windward Islands french: Îles du Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Windward Islands. Clockwise: Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean SeaNorth ...

, but advisories were not issued until the next day when Alma was at peak intensity. Alma entered the southeastern

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

at an unusually brisk westward pace of between to , prompting numerous watches and gale warnings throughout the nations in this region. After crossing

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

, Alma became one of only four tropical storms to traverse the

Paria Peninsula The Paria Peninsula () is a large peninsula on the Caribbean Sea, in the state of Sucre in northern Venezuela. Geography Separating the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Paria, the peninsula is part of the mountain range, in the Venezuelan Co ...

of northeastern

. The storm dissipated on August 15 over the high terrain of Venezuela. Alma left heavy damage in Trinidad, amounting to about US$5 million (value in 1974), making it the most destructive cyclone of the 20th century on the island at that time. Alma damaged about 5,000 buildings, leaving 500 people homeless. The storm also wrecked of crop fields. There were two deaths in Trinidad, including one person who was struck by flying debris. Alma's heavy rainfall was responsible for a plane crash on

Isla Margarita Margarita Island (, ) is the largest island in the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, situated off the northeastern coast of the country, in the Caribbean Sea. The capital city of Nueva Esparta, La Asunción, is located on the island. History ...

off the Venezuelan coast, killing the 49 people on board.

Meteorological history

A disturbance associated with the

(ITCZ) left the coast of West Africa on August 9, producing mid-

level Level or levels may refer to: Engineering *Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights *Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical *Canal pound or level *Regr ...

winds of 75 mph (120 km/h) in

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

. A weak circulation formed near the sea surface on August 10 within an area of thunderstorms. The disturbance moved slowly westward over the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, developing into a

tropical depression 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 ...

at 18:00 UTC on August 12, around the 10th parallel north, an unusually southern latitude the cyclone would remain around throughout its lifetime. On August 13, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Alma about 375 mi (605 km) east of

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

, as indicated by a Hurricane Hunters flight reporting winds of 65 mph (105 km/h). This same flight observed a circular eye with a diameter of , the only report of an eye-like structure from this storm. The center of Alma was elongated, causing

gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ). On August 14 the Hurricane Hunters measured gusts of 80 mph (130 km/h); however, the storm's overall wind pattern weakened after its initial peak. Alma continued westward at , which

National Hurricane Center The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 3 ...

(NHC) Director

Neil Frank Neil Laverne Frank (born September 11, 1931) is an American meteorologist and former director of the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Florida. He was instrumental in advancing both the scientific and informational aspects of hurricane forecasti ...

noted was unusually rapid for a tropical cyclone at this time and location. Alma was able to maintain its low latitude westward movement due to a strong

subtropical ridge The horse latitudes are the latitudes about 30 degrees north and south of the Equator. They are characterized by sunny skies, calm winds, and very little precipitation. They are also known as Subtropics, subtropical ridges, or highs. It is a h ...

to its north, which was at an unseasonably low latitude for the month of August. On August 14, Alma made

with winds of 55 mph (90 km/h), the southernmost landfall on that island since a storm in

1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...

. Even though the storm traversed Trinidad in only three hours, its time over land was sufficient to disrupt the circulation. The storm crossed the

Gulf of Paria The Gulf of Paria ( ; es, Golfo de Paria) is a shallow (180 m at its deepest) semi-enclosed inland sea located between the island of Trinidad (Republic of Trinidad and Tobago) and the east coast of Venezuela. It separates the two countries ...

and made its second and final landfall on the

of Venezuela, one of only four storms on record to do so; the others were in 1605, 1725, and 1933. The high mountains in Venezuela took a toll on the storm, ripping the circulation and causing Alma to be downgraded to a tropical depression on August 15. At 02:00 UTC that day, Alma's circulation passed near

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

. The convection rapidly diminished, and the storm's presence on satellite imagery faded, though the NHC noted the potential for redevelopment once it reached open waters. The storm did not survive its trek over land; late on August 15, the NHC issued the final advisory after the circulation dissipated near the border of Venezuela and Colombia. The remnants of Alma continued westward across South and Central America, reaching the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

where they would eventually restrengthen into Hurricane Joyce.

Preparations, impact, and aftermath

Before Alma made landfall,

gale warning A gale warning is an alert issued by national weather forecasting agencies around the world in an event that maritime locations currently or imminently experiencing winds of gale force on the Beaufort scale. Gale warnings (and gale watches) a ...

s and a

hurricane watch 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 ...

was issued for Trinidad, Tobago,

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea wh ...

, and

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

. As Alma progressed westward, gale warnings were also issued for the Paria and Paraguaná peninsulas of Venezuela, the

Guajira Peninsula The Guajira Peninsula ( es, Península de La Guajira, links=no, also spelled ''Goajira'', mainly in colonial period texts, guc, Hikükariby) is a peninsula in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela in the Caribbean. It is the northernm ...

, and the ABC islands. Initially, the Trinidad and Tobago weather service anticipated Alma would strike Tobago, but as the storm approached, the trajectory over Trinidad became apparent. While moving across Trinidad, Alma produced sustained winds of only 35 mph (56 km/h) at

Piarco Piarco is a town in northern Trinidad and is the site of Piarco International Airport . Geography Piarco is the site of one of the few natural savannas in Trinidad and Tobago, the ''Piarco Savanna''. Most of this savanna land has been incorporate ...

, yet gusts reached 91 mph (147 km/h) at Savonetta. Rainfall at Piarco did not exceed 1 inch (25 mm) during the storm's passage. The strong gusts downed trees and power lines, and damaged about 5,000 buildings, including schools, hospitals, and hundreds of households, wrecking everything inside. This left about 500 people homeless. Alma also caused widespread damage to agriculture, mostly to sugar, resulting in of ruined fields. Several highways in the country suffered damage. The winds flung debris from a roof, which struck and killed a woman. There was also an indirect death on the island, along with several injuries. Damage estimates on the island totaled $5 million (1974

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

); the American embassy in the country considered Alma to be the most destructive storm in Trinidad during the 20th century. After the storm, local

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

volunteers provided meals and clothing to thousands of storm victims. The government allocated $5.1 million (

Trinidad and Tobago dollar The Trinidad and Tobago dollar (ISO 4217, currency code TTD) is the currency of Trinidad and Tobago. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively TT$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. It is subdiv ...

s) for relief work, to be coordinated by the National Emergency Relief Organization of Trinidad and Tobago, which was established following the damaging Hurricane Flora in 1963. This helped rebuild damage houses, clear roads, and assist affected farmers. The

United States Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...

sent about US$5,000 in assistance, after the country's ambassador sent a formal request to Washington, D.C. The

Amoco Amoco () is a brand of fuel stations operating in the United States, and owned by BP since 1998. The Amoco Corporation was an American chemical and oil company, founded by Standard Oil Company in 1889 around a refinery in Whiting, Indiana, a ...

oil company also sent a $500 donation to the country's Red Cross. While moving through the Windward Islands, Alma produced strong wind gusts on

. The outer rainbands of Alma spread over Venezuela while the center was still over Trinidad. At about 13:00 UTC on August 14, the rains caused a

Linea Aeropostal Venezolana Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela C.A. is a state-owned airline of Venezuela based in Torre Polar Oeste in Caracas, Venezuela. It operates domestic services and international services in the Caribbean. Its main base is Simón Bolívar Internatio ...

Vickers Viscount 749

turboprop A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel ...

airliner An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an ...

circling the airport on

to crash. The aircraft struck the side of La Gloria, below the summit. All but one of the 49 people aboard died on impact; the co-pilot survived for 17 more days before dying from irreversible brain damage. Elsewhere in Venezuela, Alma's heavy rainfall triggered several landslides.

References

{{1974 Atlantic hurricane season buttons Alma (1974) Alma (1974) 1974 meteorology Alma (1974) Alma (1974) Alma (1974)

Meteorological history

Preparations, impact, and aftermath

See also

References