text: tropical storm gilda ( 1973 ) tropical storm gilda in 1973 was the first documented tropical cyclone on record to transition into a subtropical cyclone . it formed on october 16 in the western caribbean sea from a tropical wave , and strengthened to reach peak winds of 70 mph ( 110 km / h ) before striking cuba . it later moved slowly through the bahamas before weakening to tropical depression status . on october 24 , with the assistance of a cold front off the coast of the eastern united states , gilda transformed into a subtropical storm , becoming very large and strong . the storm later accelerated northeastward and became extratropical , ultimately dissipating near greenland . the storm first brought heavy rainfall to jamaica , causing six deaths and some damage from mudslides . while crossing cuba and later the bahamas , the storm caused little impact , limited to some crop damage . as a subtropical storm , gilda brought gusty winds and high waves to much of the east coast of the united states , causing minor beach erosion and coastal property damage . storm history a tropical wave moved off the west coast of africa on october 3 . it tracked westward , reaching the caribbean sea on october 10 . by october 13 , a large area of convection persisted from hispaniola southwestward through panama , and over the next few days the convection organized and concentrated in the northwestern caribbean sea . an anticyclone became established near jamaica on october 15 , which created a favorable upper - level environment for the system by reducing wind shear . around the same time , a low - level trough emerged from the intertropical convergence zone , heading north off the coast of nicaragua . early on october 16 , the system developed into a broad tropical depression about halfway between central america and jamaica . the initial motion of the depression was uncertain , as steering currents could have resulted in a motion either to the west or to the north - northeast . with the possibility of the western track , the storm was remarked as being the first serious hurricane threat for southern florida since hurricane gladys in 1968 . however , after formation the depression moved slowly north - northeastward . the thunderstorm activity gradually became better organized while rainbands increased around the circulation . by 0000 utc on october 18 , the depression attained tropical storm status about 100 mi ( 160 km ) northwest of the cayman islands , after which it was named gilda by the national hurricane center ( nhc ) . the storm quickly strengthened as it moved toward southern cuba , reaching peak winds of 70 mph ( 110 km / h ) about 18 hours after reaching tropical storm status . shortly thereafter , gilda made landfall near the border of the present day cuban provinces of sancti spíritus and ciego de ávila . tropical storm gilda weakened slightly over cuba , crossing the island in less than twelve hours before emerging into the atlantic ocean early on october 19 . at the time , the anticyclone over jamaica which previously assisted the cyclone instead remained over the caribbean , which increased shear over the storm . this caused the convection to gradually separate from the low - level circulation . early on october 20 , gilda passed just southeast of andros island in the bahamas , around the same time that the hurricane hunters recorded an atmospheric pressure of 994 mbar ; this was the lowest recorded pressure in association with gilda while it was a tropical cyclone . it gradually weakened due to the wind shear , resulting in the low - level steering currents becoming dominant . after moving through the exuma island chain , the storm passed near or over eleuthera , and late on october 21 gilda became nearly stationary about 60 mi ( 95 km / h ) east of harbour island . late on october 22 , after moving only about 6 mi ( 10 km ) in a 24 ‑ hour period , gilda weakened to a tropical depression . now a tropical depression , gilda remained nearly stationary for another 24 hours before accelerating northeastward , under the influence of an upper - level trough exiting the east coast of the united states . cold air from the trough interacted with gilda , providing a baroclinic environment for intensifying , and on october 24 the storm transitioned into a subtropical storm about halfway between hispaniola and north carolina . this made gilda the first tropical storm on record to transition into a subtropical cyclone . operationally , tropical storm advisories were still issued on gilda while it was subtropical , due to the need to maintain consistency and the possibility it could again become tropical . the circulation of the storm became very large , at one point stretching from new england to the bahamas , and eastward beyond bermuda , or a diameter of more than 1300 mi ( 2100 km ) . on october 25 , gilda passed about halfway between bermuda and cape hatteras , when it reached peak winds of 70 mph ( 110 km / h ) . subsequently it turned northeastward , and on october 27 attained a minimum pressure of 984 mbar , the lowest of its duration while tropical or subtropical . later that day , gilda became an extratropical cyclone southeast of the canadian maritimes as it moved over colder waters . after passing just southeast of newfoundland , the storm continued northeastward , becoming nearly stationary off the coast of greenland before dissipating on october 30 . preparations , impact , and records tropical storm gilda first affected jamaica , bringing heavy rainfall in a three - day period . the highest amount measured in a 24 ‑ hour period within jamaica was 411 millimetres ( 16 . 2 in ) , which triggered many landslides across eastern sections of the island . the rains produced landslides , particularly in saint andrew parish where six houses were destroyed . elsewhere on the island , the mudslides caused further property damage and left some roads unpassable . six people were killed throughout the country . the storm did not have significant impact in cuba . a station in the mountains of what was then known as oriente province recorded winds of 60 mph ( 95 km / h ) . the city of morón , located along the northern coast of cuba , recorded 6 . 13 inches ( 155 mm ) of rainfall in the 6 hour period prior to the storm passing the area . damage was minor , limited to some crop damage in the eastern portion of the island , as well as power outages . the threat of the storm forced several thousand people to leave their homes . in the bahamas , officials closed schools , and many businesses closed early on the day the storm moved through the country . the storm 's stationary motion caused several days of high tides and heavy rains . tropical storm force wind gusts were reported on andros island , and gusts peaked at 75 mph ( 120 km / h ) on golden cay . gilda 's passage left crop damage on several islands , although monetary losses in the country were minor . when gilda was forecast to move near southeastern florida , gale warnings were issued from north key largo to fort lauderdale . rough seas affected the florida coastline for about 72 hours , causing moderate coastal property damage and beach erosion . after becoming a large subtropical cyclone , gale warnings were issued at various times from cape hatteras , north carolina to the mouth of the merrimack river in massachusetts . high surf and minor beach erosion were reported along the coastline , and gale force winds were observed from north carolina to new jersey . over the western atlantic ocean , the storm produced strong winds and rough seas . one ship reported a wave height of 28 ft ( 8 . 5 m ) , though no significant marine losses were reported . around the time of it becoming extratropical , sable island off the coast of nova scotia recorded a wind gust of 74 mph ( 119 km / h ) . tropical storm gilda was notable as being the first observed tropical cyclone to transition into a subtropical cyclone ; several subtropical cyclones have undergone tropical cyclogenesis , but never the opposite . since gilda , a few other storms accomplished the feat . in 1980 , a tropical depression dissipated , reformed as a subtropical depression , and later became hurricane georges over the open atlantic ocean . the next year , tropical storm jose became subtropical near the end of its duration , and in 1984 , hurricane klaus became a subtropical storm over the western atlantic ocean . in 2001 , tropical storm allison , after causing devastating flooding in texas , became a subtropical storm over the gulf of mexico and moved across much of the southeastern united states . in 2011 , tropical storm lee transitioned into a subtropical storm while approaching louisiana .