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. Imelda is the ninth name on the list for 2025.
Historically, only one tropical cyclone in the Atlantic Ocean has been named Imelda. That occurred in the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, the first time Imelda was on the list after replacing Ingrid.
In 2013, Hurricane Ingrid rapidly followed Hurricane Manuel to bring deadly winds, rain, and flooding to Mexico. Ingrid killed 32 people and caused $1.5 billion in damage.
Making its second appearance on the annual list of storm names, Imelda’s potential formation in 2025 as a tropical storm or hurricane 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 Imelda will make its debut.
Phase 3: Hurricane
If that speed reaches 74 mph, Hurricane Imelda 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 Imelda?
The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from June 1 through November 30, with some tropical cyclone activity before and after those dates. Most activity occurs between mid-August and mid-October.
Because Imelda’s one appearance in 2019 did not reach hurricane status, you won’t find any historic listings for Hurricane Imelda.
Where Did Hurricane Imelda Hit?
Although Imelda did not reach hurricane strength in 2019, it impacted Texas with massive rainfall and flooding as a named tropical storm.
Tropical Storm Imelda was the fourth-wettest storm on record in Texas and brought record-breaking floods to the southeast portion of the state. Seven people lost their lives.
Imelda’s story serves as a solid reminder that when you hear of a tropical storm warning, you must take it seriously.
While hurricanes are more powerful storm systems in terms of wind speed, tropical storms have the potential to release enormous amounts of moisture and create devastating floods.
As well, the 70 mph winds of a severe tropical storm can do just about as much damage as a hurricane.
What Category Was Hurricane Imelda?
Tropical Storm Imelda never reached a hurricane category in 2019. When you hear reports of a hurricane’s category, you are hearing a description of wind speed on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.
A Category 1 hurricane has wind speeds between 74 and 95 mph. That bumps to 96 to 110 mph with a Category 2, 111 to 129 mph with a Category 3, and 130 to 156 mph with a Category 4.
Category 5 is achieved when sustained winds reach 157 mph, and there is no upper limit. Categories 3 through 5 are considered major hurricanes.
What Time Will Hurricane Imelda Make Landfall?
There is no correlation between similarly named hurricanes in history, as the records of the previous Imelda storms show.
Researching, “What time did Hurricane Imelda make landfall?” will not help you prepare for a potential Hurricane Imelda 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 Imelda become available in 2025.
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How Many People Died in Hurricane Imelda?
Although Imelda remained a tropical storm in 2019, it still took the lives of seven people.
Remember, if a tropical storm is predicted to reach your area, you should take all necessary precautions, including evacuation if that is advised by authorities.
What Was the Path of Hurricane Imelda?
Although Imelda never became a hurricane in 2019, its path was one of severe flooding and some $5 billion in damage.
The weather system began over the Eastern United States, moved southwest toward the Gulf of Mexico, and achieved tropical storm strength as it developed over the Gulf and made landfall in Texas.
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.
