Tropical Storm Claudette became the first Atlantic system of 2021 to make landfall in the U.S. when it hit New Orleans on the morning of Saturday, June 19. Claudette brought with her heavy rains and strong winds, as well as several tornados. According to CNN, some areas of the Gulf experienced more than a foot of rain, which also reported a tornado injured three people and damaged several homes in Escambia County in Alabama. Also, in Alabama, Claudette caused flash flooding that destroyed dozens of homes and killed at least 13. On Saturday, a 15-vehicle crash killed 10, including nine children, the Associated Press reported. The crash occurred about 35 miles south of Montgomery. Butler County Coronor Wayne Garlock told The AP that the vehicles likely hydroplaned on wet roads. In a separate incident, a woman died in Fort Payne, Ala., after her car veered off the road, and a man and young child also were killed near Tuscaloosa, Ala., when a tree fell on their home during the storm. After passing through parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle, Claudette weakened into a tropical depression as it traveled through Georgia and the Carolinas on Sunday, June 20, before powering back into a tropical storm off the Carolinas' coast on Monday, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. As of Monday afternoon, tropical storm warnings were lifted for the Mid-Atlantic states as Claudette was moved away from the U.S. and into the Atlantic ocean, said the National Hurricane Center. |

Claudette's unusual characteristics

According to AccuWeather, Claudette is the first tropical storm to land over Louisiana. "Nearly all tropical storms form over the ocean, where warm waters and ample moisture help to generate the cyclones. Claudette began its journey as a tropical disturbance in the southern Gulf of Mexico and was designated a potential tropical cyclone as it moved closer to the Louisiana coastline. However, Claudette did not obtain a well-defined circulation until it moved over land, something that is extremely unusual, " the weather forecasting company said. AccuWeather also said Claudette formed earlier than when the third-named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season has historically developed. Related: |

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