Tropical Storm Tammy was a short-lived

tropical storm 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. Dependi ...

during October in the

2005 Atlantic hurricane season The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active Atlantic hurricane season in history, until the record was broken 15 years later in 2020. The season broke numerous records at the time, with 28 tropical or subtropical storms recorded. ...

which caused minor damage to the southeastern United States. More significant, however, were its remnants, which contributed to the

Northeast U.S. flooding of October 2005 In October 2005, remnants of Tropical Storm Tammy and Subtropical Depression Twenty-Two merged with incoming continental cold fronts to produce torrential rains over interior New England, as well as over parts of New Jersey and New York. Particula ...

. Tropical Storm Tammy formed from a non-tropical system off the

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

coast on October 5. It moved north just offshore before making

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 ...

later that day. The tropical storm rapidly weakened as it moved overland and dissipated the next day. Its remnant circulation moved south towards the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

, while the moisture was absorbed by a northeasterly moving

cold front A cold front is the leading edge of a cooler mass of air at ground level that replaces a warmer mass of air and lies within a pronounced surface trough of low pressure. It often forms behind an extratropical cyclone (to the west in the Northern ...

. There were no fatalities directly related to Tammy; however, ten people were killed by the remnants of the storm in combination with the remnants of Subtropical Depression Twenty-Two. Total damages from the storm were $30 million.

Meteorological history

A tropical wave left the western coast of Africa on September 24 and crossed the

Atlantic 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 an ...

without any development. The wave began to develop on October 2 north of the Lesser Antilles when it encountered an upper-level trough. It strengthened as it passed through the Bahamas and early on October 5 a vigorous tropical disturbance formed. As the system already had tropical-storm force winds, it was immediately named Tropical Storm Tammy. Upon being classified, the system was poorly organized, with deep Atmospheric convection, convection only persisting to the northeast of the eye (cyclone), center of circulation. Tropical storm-force winds were presumed to be located underneath the convection as ship reports nearby the system only reported winds up to . Tammy quickly tracked towards the northwest in a southerly flow between a mid to Low pressure area, upper-level low over the

and a High pressure area, ridge located over the western Atlantic Ocean. Later that day, a reconnaissance flight into the storm recorded flight level winds of , which corresponds to surface winds of . However, small areas of were reported by the crew members of the aircraft. At 6:30 pm EST (2300 UTC), the storm made landfall with winds of near Atlantic Beach, Florida. The tropical storm then moved inland over Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and into southeastern Alabama near Ozark, Alabama, Ozark, where it lost its circulation on October 6. The remnant low drifted south towards the

before being absorbed by a

(which also picked remnants of Subtropical Depression Twenty-two (2005), Subtropical Depression Twenty-two), and moving northeast. This cold front, of which Tammy's remnants were a part, affected much of the Northeastern United States over the next few days.

Preparations

Tropical Storm Tammy surprised forecasters when it formed on October 5. Because they had not expected the disturbance to develop, warnings were not issued until about 12 hours before the storm made landfall. Despite the short warning, tourists and business travelers cancelled flights as the storm neared landfall. Upon the storm developing, a Tropical cyclone warnings and watches, tropical storm warning was immediately issued for the coast from Cocoa Beach, Florida to the Santee River, South Carolina. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Coast Guard, 7th District issued an advisory to mariners, warning them to prepare for the storm and avoid the ocean if possible. In Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, the National Park Service evacuated the residents of Cumberland Island and closed the ferry which services it. The Glynn County Emergency Operations Agency monitored and prepared for Tropical Storm Tammy's landfall, however the poor warning hampered their efforts. Residents all over the state expressed frustration at the lack of time they had to prepare. When Tammy moved inland 12 hours later the southern end of the warning zone moved north to Altamaha Sound, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia before all warnings were discontinued on October 6.

Impact

Tropical Storm Tammy caused minor damage. Its highest sustained winds were and its strongest recorded wind gust was . The winds produced no significant damage, but did disrupt power to 16,500 utility customers and delayed the Trysail College Regatta. Lightning produced by a thunderstorm in Broward County, Florida struck three teenagers during a football game in Coconut Creek, Florida, Coconut Creek, killing one and injuring the other two. To most areas in north Florida and southern Georgia, Tammy brought of rain, though some isolated areas received . In Georgia, flooding damaged over 30 homes in Brunswick, Georgia, Brunswick. Several dirt and coastal roads were washed out, and sewers overflowed as far north as Baltimore County, Maryland. Two small pond dams burst, including a 173-year-old wooden dam, but new stone dams were constructed in place before the old ones failed. Conversely, Tammy's rains were beneficial in South Carolina, where they helped alleviate dry conditions after a rainless September. Tammy's storm surge was approximately and caused salt-water flooding along the coast of northeastern Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. The surge damages boardwalks along the coast, and wave action causes over of coastal erosion, beach erosion. In addition to the flooding, Tropical Storm Tammy spawned one tornado. Rated an Fujita scale, F0 tornado, it touched down near Brunswick, Georgia where it snapped trees and caused moderate roof damage along its path. The storm's total damage was estimated at $30 million (2005 USD). The outer bands of Tammy brought heavy rains, peaking around in places, and caused significant beach erosion. Winds along the coastline gusted up to , downing numerous trees. The worst damage occurred in Beaufort County, South Carolina, Beaufort County where 30 trees were downed, one of which fell on a home. Rough seas undermined several beach homes and caused one to be condemned. Casualties in New England included seven people in New Hampshire and three people in Connecticut.

Aftermath and records

A Red Cross shelter at Seldon Park, Brunswick, Georgia, opened for two days following the storm to temporarily house those whose houses were flooded. Tammy's remnant low was absorbed a larger Extratropical cyclone, extratropical low which tracked north and contributed to the

, which killed ten people and caused significant damage. As a result of the flooding, the Federal Emergency Management Agency paid $44 million in losses. Shrimp and prawn fishery, Shrimpers in the Carolinas blamed high fuel prices and the disruption of Tropical Storm Tammy for some of the troubles facing the shrimping industry in 2005. Rising fuel prices and dwindling demand has already created tough conditions that year, but the disruption of several days' fishing due to Tammy escalated the situation. When Tammy formed on October 5, it became the earliest in the season that the twentieth storm formed, a distinction it held until 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, 2020, when Tropical Storm Vicky (2020), Tropical Storm Vicky formed on September 14.

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