page_title: Hurricane Juan (1985)
section_title: Impact
hierarchical_section_title: Hurricane Juan (1985) / Impact
context_page_description: Hurricane Juan was a large and erratic tropical cyclone that looped twice near the Louisiana coast, causing widespread flooding. It was the tenth named storm of the 1985 Atlantic hurricane season, forming in the central Gulf of Mexico in late October. Juan moved northward after its formation, and was subtropical in nature with its large size. On October 27, the storm became a hurricane, reaching maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. Due to the influence of an upper-level low, Juan looped just off southern Louisiana before making landfall near Morgan City on October 29. Weakening to tropical storm status over land, Juan turned back to the southeast over open waters, crossing the Mississippi River Delta. After turning to the northeast, the storm made its final landfall just west of Pensacola, Florida, late on October 31. Juan continued quickly to the north and was absorbed by an approaching cold front, although its moisture contributed to a deadly flood event in the Mid-Atlantic states.
  Juan was the last of three hurricanes to move over Louisiana during the season, after Danny in August and Elena in early September.
context_section_description: While on its erratic path off the northern Gulf Coast, Juan killed 12 people, nine of whom offshore due to overturned oil rigs or boats. The hurricane directly caused about $1.5 billion in damage, making it the fourth costliest United States hurricane at the time without adjusting for inflation; it was behind only Hurricane Frederic of 1979, Hurricane Agnes of 1972, and Hurricane Alicia of 1983. The damage total included losses to the oil industry, wrecked crops, and overall flooding damage, mostly in Louisiana. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Juan injured 1,357 people, mostly to a minor extent. Juan struck less than two months after Hurricane Elena hit the northern Gulf Coast, resulting in further damage to already ravaged areas.
  For about five days, Juan and its precursor produced gale-force winds along the northern Gulf of Mexico. The strongest winds in relation to Juan were on offshore oil rigs, with one rig recording peak sustained winds of 92 mph (148 km/h) and gusts to 110 mph (176 km/h). Juan also produced high waves that damaged several rigs, of which two were overturned. One of the rigs collapsed and fell onto an adjacent rig about 35 mi (56 km) south of Golden Meadow, Louisiana amid hurricane-force winds and high seas. The collapsed rigs, built in 1956 and 1961, were designed to withstand 45 ft (14 m) waves that would accompany a 25 year storm at the time, though Juan produced waves approaching 70 ft (21 m). The combination of the waves and strong winds in advance of the storm prevented early evacuation of the oil rigs. A boat of evacuees overturned in the midst of the storm, killing one and hospitalizing two others; the remaining workers were rescued by the United States Coast Guard, and overall the agency rescued at least 160 people. While conducting a search and rescue mission, a boat named Miss Agnes capsized about 60 mi (97 km) south of Grand Isle, Louisiana; two members of the crew went missing and were presumed killed, and two other occupants were rescued. A jackup rig capsized near the mouth of the Mississippi River, killing three. A rescue helicopter off the coast of Louisiana caused three severe injuries when the rescue basket blew onto the evacuated oil rig amid strong winds.
  Because it looped twice near the coastline, Hurricane Juan brought extensive rainfall from eastern Texas to the western Florida Panhandle. In Texas, the highest precipitation total was 12.84 in (326 mm) at a station southwest of Alto. The highest rainfall related to Juan in the United States was 17.78 in (452 mm), recorded in Galliano, Louisiana. Farther east, there were more reports of high rainfall, measured at 10.52 in (267 mm) and 12.23 in (311 mm) in Biloxi, Mississippi and Fairhope, Alabama, respectively. In Florida, the highest rainfall was 11.71 in (297 mm) near Pensacola. As well as the heavy rainfall, Juan produced heightened tides along the Gulf Coast, peaking at 8.2 ft (2.5 m) in Bayou Bienvenue in Louisiana. Tides peaked at around 3.3 ft (1 m) in the other coastal states, although offshore winds caused below-normal tides in western Louisiana and Texas after Juan exited the area. The storm also spawned a few tornadoes, most of them weak. Two were in Mississippi, each damaging a mobile home and downing several trees, and at least three occurred in Alabama, causing isolated building and tree damage.
  Hurricane Juan was one of the latest tropical cyclones in the year to affect Texas. The heavy rainfall from the storm caused flooding in the southeastern portion of the state, primarily in low-lying areas and along bayous. The flooding forced several roads to close, but there was minimal housing damage. Tides reached about 4 ft (1.2 m) above normal near Galveston, causing coastal flooding and closing a portion of Texas State Highway 87, but little beach erosion. Due to Juan's structure being closer to a subtropical cyclone than a typical hurricane, it produced strong winds well away from its center, with gusts of 58 mph (93 km/h) reported along the Texas coast. The winds were strong enough to k
caption: Satellite image of Juan before making landfall
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