&sq=crain_ford&lang=en&file=File:Dean_1983-09-29_1401Z.png) Tropical Storm Dean at peak intensity near the Delmarva Peninsula on September 29 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | September 26, 1983 |
| Dissipated | September 30, 1983 |
| Tropical storm | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 65 mph (100 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 999 mbar (hPa); 29.50 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | None |
| Areas affected | Mid-Atlantic, New England, North Carolina, Virginia |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1983 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Tropical Storm Dean caused minor flooding along portions of the East Coast of the United States in September 1983. The seventh and final tropical cyclone of the very inactive 1983 Atlantic hurricane season, Dean developed from a frontal low to the northeast of the Bahamas on September 26. Initially subtropical, it gained characteristics of a tropical cyclone while tracking slowly north-northeastward. By September 27, the system was reclassified as Tropical Storm Dean. While tracking northward on September 28, Dean peaked with winds of 65 mph (100 km/h), shortly before curving west-northwestward and slowly leveling-off in intensity. Eventually, Dean made landfall in Virginia on the Delmarva Peninsula on September 29 as a weakening tropical storm. Dean rapidly weakened over land and was no longer classifiable as a tropical cyclone by early on October 1.
Offshore Virginia, swells generated by the storm stranded a tugboat and injured two people. Waves along the coast also caused beach erosion, especially in Virginia and North Carolina. Inland, effects were minor and generally limited to mostly light rainfall. More than 100 campers on the Outer Banks of North Carolina were forced to evacuate due to flooding on North Carolina Highway 12. Although near-hurricane-force wind gusts pelted coastal areas of Virginia and North Carolina, wind damage from the storm was minimal. The remnants of the storm brought rainfall to portions of New England, especially to Connecticut, where precipitation from the storm peaked at 4.62 in (117 mm). Damage from the storm was unknown, but presumed to be minimal.