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Tropical Storm Frances (1998) » Synopsis
Tropical Storm Frances
Synopsis
On Monday September 7 (Labor Day) a tropical disturbance in the western Gulf of Mexico was increasing the pressure gradient
along the Texas coast. A weak cold front had pushed south to near the Red River by Tuesday evening. At 4pm Tuesday the
disturbance was upgraded to a Tropical Depression located about 250 miles south of Galveston. On Wednesday morning the
cold front had sagged down to a Lufkin to Dallas line with a 1022mb high pressure centered over the Ohio Valley. At 4 PM the
depression was upgraded to a Tropical Storm and given the name Frances. Winds along the upper Texas coast were from the
ENE 20 to 30 mph with gusts nearing 40 mph. The poorly organized Tropical Storm center of circulation was still located about 250
miles south of Galveston with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. On Thursday the storm remained disorganized and was located
about 190 miles south of Galveston. On Thursday afternoon the storm had deepened and maximum sustained winds had increased to
near 60 mph. The surface ridge of high pressure had now shifted to the southeast and was centered over Tennessee. This increased
the pressure gradient and the winds along the upper Texas coast. Early Friday morning Frances neared the Texas coast near Port
O'Connor. Winds along the upper Texas coast continued at 30 to 40 mph sustained winds with gusts near 50 mph at times. Frances
moved inland just southwest of Victoria and remained nearly stationary throughout the day on Friday. On Friday evening
Frances began moving to the north northeast. At 7 PM Frances was downgraded to a Tropical Depression as it moved to the
northeast of Victoria. At 10 PM the remnants of Frances were located about 65 miles west of Houston and it was longer being
tracked by the National Hurricane Center.
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