Do you like to study the history of hurricanes? Maybe compare the different levels of impact of hurricanes with the same name?
Just how do those storms get named anyway?
The hurricanes and tropical storms you hear about each Atlantic hurricane season get their names from six lists originated and recycled every six years by the World Meteorological Organization.
A name is retired and replaced when a storm with that name causes extreme property damage and loss of life. Barry is the second name on the list for 2025.
Hurricane Barry making landfall in Louisiana on July 13, 2019.
Barry has been used to name a tropical storm or a hurricane every time its list has rotated through since 1983. It was a hurricane in 1983, a tropical storm every six years through 2013, and a hurricane again in 2019.
Whether or not Barry will become a hurricane this year connects directly to its wind speed.
Phases of Tropical Cyclones
All named storms are a form of tropical cyclone — a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters and has a closed low-level circulation.
Phase 1: Tropical Depression
Early in a cyclone’s development, as a tropical depression, wind speeds are less than 39 mph.
Tropical depressions are not given names but are numbered and tracked in case they grow into tropical storms or hurricanes.
Phase 2: Tropical Storm
Should a sufficiently powerful weather system develop late in the season with a sustained wind speed of 39 mph, Tropical Storm Barry will make its debut.
Phase 3: Hurricane
If that speed reaches 74 mph, Hurricane Barry will enter the record books.
If you live in an area where such a storm system is expected, take all necessary precautions, keep up to date on reports of the storm’s path, and don’t underestimate the potential impact to your community.
When Was Hurricane Barry?
Barry reached hurricane status in 1983 and 2019, both times only growing to a Category 1 storm. But the relative impact of the two storms was radically different.
Where Did Hurricane Barry Hit?
In 1983, Hurricane Barry made landfall on Florida’s Atlantic coast as a tropical storm. It only achieved hurricane status after crossing the state and entering the Gulf of Mexico.
In 2019, Hurricane Barry made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 1 storm and caused $600 million in damage.
Of the tropical storms named Barry, two were significant.
In 2001, Tropical Storm Barry caused six deaths in Cuba and three in Florida, with $30 million in damage.
In 2013, Tropical Storm Barry brought heavy rains to parts of Central America and Mexico, killing five people and causing more than $255 million in damage.
What Category Was Hurricane Barry?
In 1983 and 2019, Hurricane Barry never grew beyond Category 1. The highest winds in 1983 were 80 mph, and in 2019 the storm only produced 75 mph winds.
But those slower winds remained over Louisiana longer and caused more destruction.
What Time Will Hurricane Barry Make Landfall?
There is no correlation between similarly named hurricanes in history, as you can see from the different statistics for Hurricane Barry in 1983 and 2019.
Researching, “What time did Hurricane Barry make landfall?” will not help you prepare for a potential Hurricane Barry in 2025.
With any current storm predicted to reach your region, stay up to date on weather forecasts and be aware of that specific storm’s estimated landfall.
With any severe storm, don’t make the mistake of waiting until the last minute to reach a safe area.
This article will be updated should more details about Barry become available in 2025.
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How Many People Died in Hurricane Barry?
Hurricane Barry only reached full strength over the Gulf of Mexico in 1983 and caused no fatalities while crossing Florida or entering Mexico.
In 2019, it was a different story, with three fatalities and massive damage.
What Was the Path of Hurricane Barry?
In 1983, in a process common to many hurricanes, Hurricane Barry’s origins connected with a tropical wave moving off the western coast of Africa. Ten days later, Tropical Storm Barry was named near the Bahamas after the system crossed the Atlantic. Barry crossed Florida, entered the Gulf of Mexico where it achieved hurricane status, and then dissipated over Mexico.
In 2019, Barry’s formation was unique, starting as a complex of thunderstorms over Kansas and moving across Tennessee and Georgia before looping back over the Florida Panhandle to enter the Gulf of Mexico. There, it grew into a hurricane before making landfall in Louisiana.
Convoy of Hope & Hurricanes
Convoy of Hope, a faith-based nonprofit serving the poor in dozens of program countries around the world, responded to its first disaster in 1998 when flooding in Del Rio, Texas, followed that year’s Tropical Storm Charley.
Hurricane response continues to be an annual priority for Convoy.
Convoy’s 2024 response to Hurricane Helene.
Convoy’s 2024 Major Responses
In the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, Hurricane Beryl broke two records — becoming the earliest Category 4 storm on June 30 and the earliest Category 5 on July 1.
Convoy quickly began meeting the needs of communities in Beryl’s path. Beryl’s first effects were felt in the Caribbean, where Convoy served more than 43,000 meals and distributed family food kits, hygiene kits, water filters, solar lamps, and generators.
To view Convoy’s response to Hurricane Ian, watch the video above.
On September 26, Category 4 Hurricane Helene became the strongest recorded hurricane to strike Florida’s Big Bend region.
It was the deadliest hurricane since 2005’s Katrina, with more than 230 fatalities.
By November, Convoy had distributed more than 4 million pounds of resources in 85 communities across Florida and five other impacted states.
Hurricane Milton was the final major storm of the 2024 season and hit Florida with heavy rain and flooding even as the state continued to recover from Helene.
Convoy continued its regional response to include 27 communities recovering from Milton. Nearly 1 million pounds of resources were distributed.
Convoy of Hope Disaster Services responds to natural disasters around the world, offering help and hope to people facing some of the most challenging circumstances in their lives.
Convoy of Hope is a nonprofit, faith-based organization with a driving passion to feed the world through children’s feeding initiatives, community outreach, and disaster response.
