Tropical Storm Barry

Southern United States, June 1–2, 2007 

As though inspired by its 2001 predecessor, the fourth North Atlantic tropical system dubbed Barry originated in the eastern Gulf of Mexico (near latitude 24 degrees North and longitude 85 degrees west) on June 1, 2007. A poorly organized early season system with maximum sustained winds of 52 MPH (83 km/h), Barry tracked to the northeast and made landfall near Florida’s Tampa–St. Petersburg during the daylight hours of June 2. Its minimum central barometric pressure of 29.44 inches (997 mb) at landfall produced precipitation counts in excess of six inches (152 mm) across much of northern Florida. After being downgraded to a tropical depression immediately upon landfall,

Barry’s low-pressure center moved across northern Florida and trailed northward along the eastern U.S. seaboard, dropping tremendous quantities of moisture in South and North Carolina, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. In New York City and across southern New England, a now-extratropical Barry delivered gale-force gusts and some three to four inches (76–102 mm) of precipitation, causing some localized flooding. Although more than seven inches (179 mm) of rainfall was recorded in Cuba, and another eight inches (203 mm) over Georgia, no direct deaths were reported in Barry’s wake. Indeed, Barry’s early season rains fortuitously broke a drought condition over northern Florida and helped firefighters battle an extensive wildfire in central Georgia. The name Barry has been retained on the North Atlantic lists and is scheduled to reappear during the 2013 hurricane season.