With the approach of each new Atlantic hurricane season, the World Meteorological Organization releases a list of names to be used for potential storms that year.
The list is one of six that rotate every six years.
When a storm causes extreme property damage and loss of life, its name is retired and a new name beginning with that letter fills that slot.
Some names, however, are so far down the list that they have almost no history.
As the 19th name on the list for 2024, Tony has made only one appearance as an actual storm since that name came into use in 1982.
In 2012, Tony finally connected with an Atlantic cyclone as Tropical Storm Tony formed from a weather system that began moving away from the west coast of Africa on October 11.
Interestingly, that same system birthed Hurricane Sandy, the second-costliest hurricane in U.S. history (behind Katrina), wreaking $50 billion in damage and killing 147 people, 72 of them in the United States.
As a Category 3 hurricane, Sandy’s highest winds clocked at 115 mph. It was also the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, spanning some 1,150 miles in diameter. It ravaged the Caribbean before moving up the eastern U.S. seaboard and impacting 24 states.
Tony, on the other hand, achieved maximum wind speeds of 50 mph and remained at sea.
In the six other seasons that Tony was listed (1982, 1988, 1994, 2000, 2006, and 2018), Tony and varying numbers of other storm names remained unused.
Phases of Tropical Cyclones
All named storms from each year’s list 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 Tony will make its debut.
Phase 3: Hurricane
If that speed reaches 74 mph, Hurricane Tony 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 Tony?
As of yet, there has not been a Hurricane Tony. There may not be one this year either, since hurricane seasons sometimes fall several notches below 19 storms. In 1982, for example, only five names were used the entire season.
Where Did Hurricane Tony Hit?
No actual Hurricane Tony has made landfall.
But if you look at an aggregate chart of the paths of other named storms, you can get an idea of the general range of such landfalls.
What Category Was Hurricane Tony?
With no Hurricane Tony on record, there is no category to report. But what does it mean when a category is applied?
Again, the answer is based on wind speed.
- • A Category 1 hurricane has sustained wind speeds of at least 74 mph 10 meters above the ground surface when averaged over a 1-minute period.
- • A Category 1 designation holds up through 95 mph.
- • By the time you reach Category 5, those wind speeds are 157 mph or greater. There’s no top limit.
This evaluation system is called the Saffir-Simpson scale.
What Time Will Hurricane Tony Make Landfall?
If you research, “What time did Hurricane Tony make landfall?” you won’t find any data because there has yet to be a Hurricane Tony.
More importantly, there is no correlation between the landfall of a historic hurricane and when a current storm system might reach land.
No data from the past will help you prepare if Tony becomes a significant storm in 2024.
It’s wise to stay up to date on weather forecasts and be aware of a specific storm’s estimated landfall if a current storm is predicted to reach your region.
Thanks to satellite and radar imagery, those predictions can be very accurate, giving you plenty of time to prepare. 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 Tony become available in 2024.
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How Many People Died in Hurricane Tony?
There is no Hurricane Tony on record, and Tony’s one use was with a tropical storm that dissipated at sea and caused no loss of life.
However, it’s important to remember that numbers of named tropical storms that never achieved hurricane status have created massive rainfall and flooding that have been deadly.
What Was the Path of Hurricane Tony?
Should Tony develop into a hurricane this year, you’ll find a lot of daily information on its current path.
In many cases, the beginning of such a path is in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa.
As that system moves west across the Atlantic, often in the general direction of the Caribbean, it can strengthen and organize into a tropical storm and then a hurricane.
Convoy of Hope & Hurricanes
Convoy of Hope is a faith-based nonprofit organization serving the poor and hungry in dozens of program countries around the world.
Because natural disasters have such a deep and negative impact on communities, Convoy views disaster response as integral to its larger mission.
Food, water, and other key resources quickly become scarce following hurricanes and other disasters.
In 2024, Convoy is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
For 26 of those years, Convoy has been serving communities impacted by storms, beginning in 1998 with a response to flooding in Del Rio, Texas, that followed that year’s Tropical Storm Charley.
Hurricanes continue to be an annual priority for the organization.
How Convoy of Hope Responds to Disasters
Step 1
The Disaster Services team at Convoy’s World Distribution Center follows weather updates closely throughout hurricane season.
Step 2
Days ahead of a predicted landfall, careful planning pulls together the resources intended for distribution in affected communities.
Step 3
Volunteers and team members pack food, water, cleaning supplies, and more before a convoy of trucks heads toward the disaster zone.
Step 4
After a hurricane has passed and a community’s needs become clear, one or more distribution points can begin operation.
Step 5
With the help of local churches and other organizations, volunteers and Convoy team members offload pallets of supplies from semi-trucks and strategically position them across a large parking lot.
Step 6
Soon, residents are driving by gratefully accepting groceries, bottled water, bags of ice, cleaning supplies, and other resources.
A Case Study: Hurricane Idalia
When Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida on August 30, 2023, it brought sustained winds of 115 mph.
These winds created a larger storm surge and higher wind gusts than that part of the Gulf had seen in 125 years.
Some areas — like the island city of Cedar Key — experienced a 9-foot storm surge.
Convoy’s team had been following reports on Idalia closely. Personnel were on the ground in Perry, Florida, by the next day assessing damage and meeting local officials and partners to identify the best ways to meet needs.
To view Convoy’s response to Hurricane Idalia, watch the video above.
Within a week, Convoy had distributed more than 287,000 pounds of relief supplies to tens of thousands of people across the region.
Convoy of Hope Disaster Services responds to natural disasters around the world — earthquakes, floods, wildfires, hurricanes, and drought — offering help and hope to people facing some of the most challenging circumstances in their lives.
The nonprofit, faith-based organization pursues a driving passion to feed the world through children’s feeding initiatives, community outreach, and disaster response.
