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. Chantal is the third name on the list for 2025.
Tropical Storm Chantal east of the Yucatán Peninsula on August 20, 2001.
Chantal has been used to name a hurricane or a tropical storm every time its list has rotated through since 1983. It was a hurricane in 1983 and 1989, and it was a tropical storm every six years through 2019.
Whether or not Chantal 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 Chantal will make its debut.
Phase 3: Hurricane
If that speed reaches 74 mph, Hurricane Chantal 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 Chantal?
Chantal reached hurricane status in 1983 and 1989, both times only growing to a Category 1 storm. In 1983, Hurricane Chantal never reached land, but in 1989 Chantal hit Texas as a Category 1 and caused 13 deaths.
Of the years in which Chantal remained a tropical storm, 2001 stands out as the one lethal weather system, killing two people in Trinidad. In 1995, 2013, and 2019, Chantal dissipated before making landfall. In 2007, Tropical Storm Chantal was short-lived but still caused moderate flooding in Newfoundland.
Where Did Hurricane Chantal Hit?
In 1989, Hurricane Chantal was one of three tropical cyclones to make landfall in Texas. Chantal’s death toll rose to 13. Of those, 10 fatalities occurred on an oil rig construction ship off the coast of Louisiana.
In Texas, the storm’s strong winds and heavy rainfall damaged about 3,000 homes.
Of the tropical storms named Chantal, two had an impact on land.
In 2001, Chantal caused loss of life on the island of Trinidad and brought about $5 million in damage to the South American nation of Belize. Newfoundland experienced moderate flooding from Chantal in 2007.
What Category Was Hurricane Chantal?
In 1983 and 1989, Hurricane Chantal remained at Category 1 with peak winds of 75 and 80 mph, respectively.
In 1983, those winds remained over the Atlantic Ocean. In 1989, Texas took the brunt of that storm system.
What Time Will Hurricane Chantal Make Landfall?
There is no correlation between similarly named hurricanes in history, as you can see from the different statistics for Hurricane Chantal in 1983 and 1989.
Researching, “What time did Hurricane Chantal make landfall?” will not help you prepare for a potential Hurricane Chantal 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 Chantal become available in 2025.
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How Many People Died in Hurricane Chantal?
Thirteen deaths resulted from Hurricane Chantal in 1989, all due to drowning. Of those, 10 were lost when the AVCO 5, a 72-foot-long lift boat, tipped over in coastal water.
What Was the Path of Hurricane Chantal?
In 1983, Hurricane Chantal formed off the coast of Bermuda before moving northeast across the Atlantic. In 1989, Chantal formed north of the Yucatan Peninsula, crossed the Gulf of Mexico, and made landfall in Texas before dissipating further inland.
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.
