text: hurricane juan ( 1985 ) hurricane juan was a large and erratic tropical cyclone that looped twice near the louisiana coast , causing widespread flooding . it was the tenth named storm of the 1985 atlantic hurricane season , forming in the central gulf of mexico in late october . juan moved northward after its formation , and was subtropical in nature with its large size . on october 27 , the storm became a hurricane , reaching maximum sustained winds of 85 mph ( 140 km / h ) . due to the influence of an upper - level low , juan looped just off southern louisiana before making landfall near morgan city on october 29 . weakening to tropical storm status over land , juan turned back to the southeast over open waters , crossing the mississippi river delta . after turning to the northeast , the storm made its final landfall just west of pensacola , florida , late on october 31 . juan continued quickly to the north and was absorbed by an approaching cold front , although its moisture contributed to a deadly flood event in the mid - atlantic states . juan was the last of three hurricanes to move over louisiana during the season , after danny in august and elena in early september . it formed rapidly in the northern gulf of mexico , allowing little time for thorough preparations or the evacuation of offshore oil rigs . as a result , nine people died in maritime accidents off louisiana . onshore , the hurricane dropped torrential rain totaling 17 . 78 in ( 452 mm ) in galliano , louisiana . the combination of the rainfall and a high storm surge flooded 50 , 000 houses and many communities in southern louisiana , causing extensive agriculture losses . damage in louisiana alone approached $ 1 billion ( 1985 usd ) . elsewhere , flooding in texas forced the closure of roadways , while heavy rains damaged crops and houses in southern mississippi . the outer rainbands of juan spawned 15 tornadoes along the florida panhandle , causing over $ 1 million in damage . overall , juan directly inflicted about $ 1 . 5 billion in damage , making it among the costliest united states hurricanes , and there were 12 deaths . this excludes the effects from the subsequent flooding in the mid - atlantic . meteorological history the interaction between a tropical wave and a upper - level low moving southeastward from texas spawned a broad trough over the central gulf of mexico on october 24 . that day , there was a marked increase in convection , or thunderstorms . at the same time , the pressure gradient between the trough and a high pressure area over the southeastern united states produced winds of near gale force across the northern gulf of mexico . early on october 26 , a tropical depression developed about 380 mi ( 610 km ) south - southwest of new orleans . within 12 hours , the depression intensified into tropical storm juan , based on satellite imagery and reports from the hurricane hunters . initially , the structure was akin to that of a subtropical cyclone , with light winds near the center . juan moved erratically at first , eventually tracking more steadily to the north - northeast on october 27 . after turning to the northwest late on october 27 , juan intensified into a hurricane , with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph ( 120 km / h ) , based on reports from the hurricane hunters . under the effects of a larger upper - level low , juan slowed on october 28 while approaching the louisiana coastline . at 1200 utc that day , the hurricane attained peak winds of 85 mph ( 140 km / h ) . after executing a loop just offshore southern louisiana , juan turned back to the east , making landfall at peak intensity near morgan city at 1100 utc on october 29 . subsequently , juan turned sharply to the northwest , executing another loop over southern louisiana near lafayette . late on october 29 , the hurricane weakened to tropical storm status , emerging into vermilion bay early the next day with winds of 65 mph ( 100 km / h ) . juan turned to the east , moving along the southern louisiana coast and re - organizing slightly . on october 31 , the storm moved across the mississippi delta near burrwood , louisiana , and accelerated to the northeast , influenced by an approaching upper - level trough . at 1200 utc that day , juan attained a secondary peak of 70 mph ( 110 km / h ) . in the subsequent six hours , the storm weakened slightly , making its final landfall just west of pensacola , florida with winds of 65 mph ( 100 km / h ) late on october 31 . after striking florida , juan turned to the north and weakened over land . after moving through alabama , the storm became extratropical over tennessee on november 1 . although the atlantic hurricane best track ceased tracking the circulation at 1800 utc that day , juan continued generally northward through the ohio valley , and the center eventually crossed into canada . the energy from juan helped spawn an occluded low in the tennessee valley , which produced more rainfall throughout the region . an approaching cold front absorbed the remnants of juan on november 3 . preparations before juan made landfall , about 100 people evacuated around port arthur , texas . in louisiana , about 6 , 550 people evacuated , including only 700 of the 1 , 900 residents on grand isle ; many of those who stayed behind there were trapped after the onslaught of the storm surge . about 6 , 000 people evacuated in mississippi due to the threat for flooding . many schools were closed along the coast in louisiana and mississippi , and two beaches were closed both sides of the brownsville , texas shipping channel . on october 28 , governor edwin edwards declared a state of emergency for 13 louisiana parishes , while officials issued flash flood watches for 42 of louisiana 's 64 parishes . governor george wallace also declared a state of emergency for alabama , and shelters were opened along the coast . due to the erratic motion and large size of juan , tropical cyclone warnings and watches were issued for large portions of the northern gulf coast . around the time of landfall , hurricane warnings were issued from port arthur , texas to mobile , alabama , with gale warnings farther to the east to apalachicola , florida and extending to the west to port o 'connor , texas . the storm 's quick development left people generally unprepared . national hurricane center forecaster neil frank likened juan to " a spinning top [ that ] will spin around unpredictably and do whatever it wants . " impact while on its erratic path off the northern gulf coast , juan killed 12 people , nine of whom offshore due to overturned oil rigs or boats . the hurricane directly caused about $ 1 . 5 billion in damage , making it the fourth costliest united states hurricane at the time without adjusting for inflation ; it was behind only hurricane frederic of 1979 , hurricane agnes of 1972 , and hurricane alicia of 1983 . the damage total included losses to the oil industry , wrecked crops , and overall flooding damage , mostly in louisiana . according to the federal emergency management agency ( fema ) , juan injured 1 , 357 people , mostly to a minor extent . juan struck less than two months after hurricane elena hit the northern gulf coast , resulting in further damage to already ravaged areas . for about five days , juan and its precursor produced gale force winds along the northern gulf of mexico . the strongest winds in relation to juan were on offshore oil rigs , with one rig recording peak sustained winds of 92 mph ( 148 km / h ) and gusts to 110 mph ( 176 km / h ) . juan also produced high waves waves that damaged several rigs , of which two were overturned . one of the rigs collapsed and fell onto an adjacent rig about 35 mi ( 56 km ) south of , louisiana amid hurricane - force winds and high seas . the collapsed rigs , built in 1956 and 1961 , were designed to withstand 45 ft ( 14 m ) waves that would accompany a 25 year storm at the time , though juan produced waves approaching 70 ft ( 21 m ) . the combination of the waves and strong winds in advance of the storm prevented early evacuation of the oil rigs . a boat of evacuees overturned in the midst of the storm , killing one and hospitalizing two others ; the remaining workers were rescued by the united states coast guard , and overall the agency rescued at least 160 people . while conducting a search and rescue mission , a boat named miss agnes capsized about 60 mi ( 97 km ) south of grand isle , louisiana ; two members of the crew went missing and were presumed killed , and two other occupants were rescued . a rig capsized near the mouth of the mississippi river , killing three . a rescue helicopter off the coast of louisiana caused three severe injuries when the rescue basket blew onto the evacuated oil rig amid strong winds . because it looped twice near the coastline , hurricane juan brought extensive rainfall from eastern texas to the western florida panhandle . in texas , the highest precipitation total was 12 . 84 in ( 326 mm ) at a station southwest of alto . the highest rainfall related to juan in the united states was 17 . 78 in ( 452 mm ) , recorded in galliano , louisiana . farther east , there were more reports of high rainfall , measured at 10 . 52 in ( 267 mm ) and 12 . 23 in ( 311 mm ) in biloxi , mississippi and fairhope , alabama , respectively . in florida , the highest rainfall was 11 . 71 in ( 297 mm ) near pensacola . as well as the heavy rainfall , juan produced heightened tides along the gulf coast , peaking at 8 . 2 ft ( 2 . 5 m ) in bayou bienvenue in louisiana . tides peaked at around 3 . 3 ft ( 1 m ) in the other coastal states , although offshore winds caused below - normal tides in western louisiana and texas after juan exited the area . the storm also spawned a few tornadoes , most of them weak . two were in mississippi , each damaging a mobile home and downing several trees , and at least three occurred in alabama , causing isolated building and tree damage . hurricane juan was one of the latest tropical cyclones in the year to affect texas . the heavy rainfall from the storm caused flooding in the southeastern portion of the state , primarily in low - lying areas and along bayous . the flooding forced several roads to close , but there was minimal housing damage . tides reached about 4 ft ( 1 . 2 m ) above normal near galveston , causing coastal flooding and closing a portion of texas state highway 87 , but little beach erosion . due to juan 's structure being closer to a subtropical cyclone than a typical hurricane , it produced strong winds well away from its center , with gusts of 58 mph ( 93 km / h ) reported along the texas coast . the winds were strong enough to knock down trees and power lines , causing power outages . one person drowned in a boating accident off the texas coast . in mississippi , heavy rain from juan flooded about 340 homes and businesses , mainly in the southern portion of the state . high winds and waves damaged ports in pass christian and long beach . several boats were damaged along the coast , and the seafood industry suffered losses . beach erosion damaged coastal roads , leaving debris and marsh grass behind when the storm passed . the total storm cost in the state was estimated at $ 776 , 000 . in neighboring alabama , juan only produced wind gusts of 40 mph ( 64 km / h ) , which caused little damage , but the storm 's rainfall contributed to mobile recording its wettest october on record . the rains caused flooding along streets and low - lying areas , but property generally escaped unscathed . the flooding did cause locally heavy crop damage ; some farmers lost 50 % of their soybean crop , and the pecan crop was damaged after earlier being affected by hurricane elena . damage in the state was minor , estimated at over $ 65 , 000 . farther east in florida , high waves caused flooding , beach erosion , and the loss of seawalls previously damaged by elena . the rough surf washed away a house on captiva island . the outskirts of juan also spawned 15 tornadoes along the florida panhandle , causing $ 1 million in damage . the tornadoes injured six people , destroyed 19 buildings , and damaged about 40 others . one of the tornadoes struck okaloosa island and fort walton beach , killing a dog and damaging two hotels along u.s. route 98 . louisiana due to the cyclone 's slow movement over louisiana , it dropped over 10 in ( 250 mm ) of rainfall across much of the southern portion of the state . the intense rainfall increased levels along rivers in southwestern louisiana . high waves and a storm surge of 5 to 8 ft ( 1 . 5 to 2 . 4 m ) flooded low - lying and coastal areas of southeastern louisiana . the hurricane 's erratic path prevented farmers from harvesting crops for three days . the combination of flooding from rainfall and storm surge covered widespread areas of crop fields , mostly affecting soybean and sugar . other crops in the state had previously been harvested . about 200 cattle drowned in terrebonne parish , and thousands were stranded . crop damage was estimated at over $ 304 million , including $ 100 million to the soybean industry , with overall damage near $ 1 billion across the state . as well as its impact on crops , juan severely affected the shrimp industry by washing many shrimp offshore and killing others . the storm left about $ 2 . 9 million in damage to oil facilities in the state , including the cost of damaged pipelines . overall , juan flooded about 50 , 000 houses in louisiana , causing $ 250 million in property damage . near port fourchon in lafourche parish , the storm surge damaged portions of louisiana highways 1 and and flooded about 1 , 200 homes , some to their roofs . two levees in the parish were washed out and one was overtopped , inundating 100 houses near lockport . in terrebonne parish , the powerful storm surge swept away parked cars , knocked a home off its foundation , and damaged a 300 ft ( 91 m ) portion of a levee . in the parish , 800 homes were flooded , and 15 , 000 people were left homeless . the storm surge also washed out a 6 , 000 ft ( 1 , 800 m ) portion of the levee protecting grand isle , and damaged another 14 , 000 ft ( 4 , 300 m ) . the levee , built in 1984 , sustained $ 500 , 000 in damages , which flooded the island with 4 ft ( 1 . 2 m ) of ocean water . most of the island lost power , and the city hall and high school , set up as shelters , utilized generators during the storm . in jefferson parish , which contains grand isle , the storm surge entered 2 , 233 homes and inundated about 3 , 100 cars . in violet , a man drowned when he fell from his boat into a flooded canal , and another fisherman drowned in atchafalaya bay . the surge flooded a 3 mi ( 4 . 8 km ) section of louisiana route 23 in plaquemines parish , entering several homes , as well as a portion of route 22 . between livingston and ascension parishes , about 800 homes were flooded , and another 53 homes were flooded in tangipahoa parish . waters from lake pontchartrain swept over airline highway and portions of a 4 ft ( 1 . 2 m ) high levee , flooding 250 nearby homes . the storm surge washed out three bridges and flooded 800 homes in st. tammany paris , while high waters killed a man in slidell . one man was electrocuted and killed in when stepping on a downed wire . while approaching its final landfall as a weak tropical storm , juan created a storm surge of 6 . 5 ft ( 2 . 0 m ) along the chandeleur islands to its west , resulting in extensive beach erosion . the island chain is an important buffer to parts of mainland louisiana against storms , but is frequently physically manipulated by intense hurricanes . hurricanes danny and elena also impacted the islands in 1985 . large portions of the louisiana coastline lost 40 to 100 ft ( 12 to 30 m ) of beach due to the storm , with several new temporary inlets created along barrier islands . inland and mid - atlantic in the states inland from the gulf coast , juan produced lighter rainfall than where its track moved across , but there were totals as high as 6 . 65 in ( 169 mm ) in arkansas . rains directly from juan extended into the southeastern united states , reaching 11 . 17 in ( 284 mm ) on grandfather mountain in north carolina , and through the mid - atlantic with totals as high as 2 . 82 in ( 72 mm ) in , pennsylvania . through the midwestern united states , juan dropped over 4 in ( 100 mm ) of rainfall in portions of kentucky , michigan , and wisconsin . the rains from juan and the low it spawned in the mid - atlantic moistened grounds across the region . the hurricane 's track helped bring a plume of moisture into the mid - atlantic , which set the stage for a major flooding event when a low pressure area stalled on november 5 west of washington , d.c. major flooding occurred in virginia and west virginia , causing $ 1 . 4 billion in damage and 62 deaths . aftermath on october 29 , louisiana governor edwin edwards requested that the state 's congressional delegation ask president ronald reagan for a disaster declaration . president reagan responded and issued a disaster declaration on november 1 , which included the parishes of ascension , jefferson , lafourche , livingston , plaquemines , saint bernard , saint charles , saint john the baptist , saint tammany , tangipahoa , and terrebonne , as well as the lower ninth ward of new orleans . the louisiana department of transportation and development estimated that highways in the state would require $ 3 million in repairs from damage wrought by the hurricane . oil companies lost two to three days of production due to being closed by the hurricane . the louisiana national guard assisted farmers by dropping hay to stranded cattle over a two - week period . the american red cross ran out of funds while responding to the effects of juan and the mid - atlantic flooding , following the previous responses to hurricanes elena and gloria , as well as flooding in puerto rico ; this prompted an emergency fundraising appeal . the agency had provided about $ 8 million worth of assistance to families in southern louisiana . along the apalachicola bay , the series of hurricane strikes severely damaged the local oyster industry , leaving hundreds of oystermen out of work . the high waves caused by juan prompted the united states minerals management service to recommend increased inspections on older rigs and improve evacuation plans . hurricane juan was one in a series of hurricanes that struck louisiana coast over many years that contributed to the loss of the coastal wetlands .