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A History of all the Cindys in the Atlantic Basin Since 1959

At a Glance

There have been nine hurricane or tropical storm Cindys since 1959.
Cindys have occurred everywhere in the Atlantic Basin from Texas to Africa.
The strongest Cindy had sustained winds of 140 mph, but was located in the open Atlantic.

The name Cindy was used this week for a tropical storm for the ninth time since 1959, and continues to be one of the most frequently used names in the Atlantic Basin.

The name has been used for tropical storms and hurricanes from the east coast of Africa to the upper Texas coast.

Cindy has had a large spectrum of intensities over the last six decades. The strongest Cindy packed winds of 140 mph while the weakest Cindy had winds of 40 mph.

The history of storms and hurricanes named Cindy since 1959. Their strongest category (Category 1, Tropical Storm, ect) and their year are noted.

More than 10 people have been killed by storms named Cindy since 1959.

(MORE: 12 Retired Names That Won't Show Up on 2017's Atlantic Hurricane List)

Notable Storms

1999: The Strongest Cindy

The strongest Cindy came in the last use of the name in the 20th century. This Cindy was a classic Cape Verde hurricane that formed from a tropical wave off the coast of Africa.

The cyclone moved northwestward in the open Atlantic Ocean through the end of August while gradually strengthening. At its peak, Hurricane Cindy attained maximum sustained winds of 140 mph more than 700 miles north-northeast of the Lesser Antilles, making it a Category 4 hurricane.

This Cindy dissipated in the far north Atlantic without harming anyone.

Microwave satellite imagery of Hurricane Cindy (1999) near its peak intensity.
(TRMM/National Hurricane Center)

1993: The Deadliest Cindy

The deadliest Cindy crossed through the Caribbean Sea as a tropical storm. Cindy caused two deaths in Martinique and two deaths in the Dominican Republic.

Martinique received a foot of rainfall, which caused flooding across the volcanic island. The Dominican Republic received 4-10 inches of rain. Heavy rainfall was also reported in Haiti and Puerto Rico.

GOES-7 satellite image of Tropical Storm Cindy near the Greater Antilles on August 16, 1993.
(National Climatic Data Center/NOAA)

(MORE: Tropical Storms That Have Overachieved)

1963: The Strongest U.S. Landfall

The second Cindy to be named made landfall near between Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas, on Sep. 17 with winds of 80 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane. This Cindy nearly stalled over southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana without weakening much.

Storm total rainfall amounted to 15-25 inches across that region before the system finally moved to the southwest. This enormous amount of rainfall produced flooding in about 4,000 homes near the Texas-Louisiana border.

(MORE: Where Every Hurricane Has Hit the U.S. Since 1985)

When Cindys Typically Occur

The history of Cindys by date for all nine uses of the name and their strongest category. Note that 2017 Cindy is still active.

Most Cindys have occurred in July or August. The long-term average day for the formation of the third named storm is Aug. 13, according to the National Hurricane Center.

A bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison occurs before the satellite era began in the 1970s. Storms were named based on when they were sighted by radar, ships passing through or by unlucky observing stations on land rather than with satellite imagery because that was unavailable.

This left large gaps in the open Atlantic where storms may have been missed before 1970.

(MORE: When Hurricane Season Typically Ramps Up)

This means that the third storm of the season (or the "C" storm) may have actually been the fourth or fifth, but we didn't see storms in the open Atlantic.

Names for Atlantic and east Pacific tropical storms and hurricanes are now rotated every six years. Assuming that Cindy is not retired at the end of the season, the name will be on the list again in 2023.