Published: September 21,2015
This got us thinking: how frequently are there White House residents and tropical systems with the same name at the same time? We did the research and found more than a dozen instances, which is especially surprising because tropical systems were given only female names prior to 1979. That's why you won't see as many presidents on this list as First Ladies or Daughters.
Here's a complete rundown of all tropical systems that had the same name of the sitting president or member of his immediate family who were living in the White House at the time the storm hit. One notable exclusion was George W. Bush's daughter, Barbara, who never lived in the White House, as she was a college student during her father's presidency.
First Daughter Malia Obama
(ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images)
Tropical Storm Malia was named on the morning of Monday, Sept. 21, 2015. It is expected to impact the far western islands of Hawaii, but not much else in terms of land.
President Barack Obama
(Aude Guerrucci - Pool/Getty Images)
Barry” in his younger years:
Tropical Storm Barry formed near Honduras on June 17, 2013 and hit Belize as an unnamed tropical depression. The storm then became Tropical Storm Barry over the Bay of Campeche and made landfall in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. The storm's flooding killed five people in Mexico and Central America. Barry dissipated on June 20, 2013.
First Lady Laura Bush
(STEPHEN JAFFE/AFP/Getty Images)
Tropical Storm Laura (Atlantic Basin, Sept. 29 through Oct. 1, 2008) formed as a subtropical storm, then became tropical. It stayed over open waters of the north-central Atlantic, southeast of Newfoundland. This storm did not impact the United States.
President George W. Bush
(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Cyclone George (Feb. 26 through March 10, 2007) was one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded in the Australian tropical cyclone basin. With a minimum pressure of 902 millibars and peak winds of 125 mph, George raked west across the Northern Territory of Australia before emerging over water, where it rapidly intensified. It then slammed south into northern Western Australia at peak intensity, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. George killed three and injured many others.
First Lady Hillary Clinton
(Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
Forgiving a slight spelling difference, there was:
- Hurricane Hilary (Eastern Pacific, Aug. 17-27, 1993) peaked as a Category 3 off Mexico and made landfall in Baja California as a tropical storm. It then made a second landfall in the state of Sonora, Mexico, as a tropical depression. Hilary also caused heavy rainfall and flash floods in Arizona and California before contributing to flooding rainfall in Iowa.
- Hurricane Hilary (Eastern Pacific, Sept. 17-21, 1999) peaked as a Category 1 off Mexico. The storm tried to reach Baja California but fizzled out before it could make landfall.
President William "Bill" Clinton
(DENIS POROY/AFP/Getty Images)
Different variations of our 42nd president's name showed up in the tropics more than once during his time in office.
- Tropical Cyclone William (South Pacific, Dec. 30, 1994 through Jan. 3, 1995) peaked at 70 mph (tropical storm equivalent). It caused damage and two injuries in French Polynesia.
- Hurricane Bill (Atlantic, July 11-13, 1997) passed west and north of Bermuda as a tropical storm before briefly becoming a Category 1 hurricane. Bill stayed over the North Atlantic for its entire brief lifetime.
First Lady Barbara Bush
(BOB DAEMMRICH/AFP/Getty Images)
Hurricane Barbara (Eastern Pacific, June 15-21, 1989) stayed well offshore, peaking as a Category 1 hurricane. There was also a Hurricane Barbara in the Eastern Pacific in 1983 while she was Second Lady. It reached Category 4 strength but never approached shore.
First Lady Nancy Reagan
(Image via Ronald Reagan Presidential Library)
When you live in the White House for two presidential terms, there's a chance your name will come up twice in the six-year cycle of tropical cyclone names, as it did for Nancy Reagan.
- Typhoon Nancy (Western Pacific, Oct. 10-20, 1982) struck the northern Philippines as Category 3 equivalent, killing 96. It then made another landfall in Vietnam as Category 1 equivalent storm.
- Typhoon Nancy (Western Pacific, June 21-25, 1986) hit Taiwan as a Category 2 equivalent while moving north; its center passed between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Flooding rainfall left 12 dead or missing in South Korea.
First Daughter Amy Carter
(Wikimedia Commons)
Tropical Storm Amy (Western Pacific, Aug. 20-23, 1977) formed near Taiwan as a depression, but reached western Japan as tropical storm.
First Lady Betty Ford
(White House photo)
Betty was named in two different basins during the Gerald Ford Administration.
- Cyclone Betty (South Pacific, March 30 through April 12, 1975) passed near Fiji and Vanuatu.
- Typhoon Betty (Western Pacific, Sept. 17-24, 1975) struck Taiwan as Category 2 equivalent storm. It also made landfall over China.
First Lady Patricia Nixon
(Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Hurricane Patricia (Eastern Pacific, Oct. 4-11, 1970) stayed well offshore of Mexico before drifting out to sea. The storm peaked as a Category 2 storm with winds of 95 mph.
First Lady Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson
(White House photo)
Tropical Storm Claudia (Eastern Pacific, Aug. 7-10, 1965) formed just off western Mexico; there were no impacts to land. Tropical Storm Claudia (Eastern Pacific, Sept. 20-24, 1962) formed while she was Second Lady. It struck Baja California and went on to cause destructive flooding of the Santa Cruz River and tributaries in southeastern Arizona.
First Lady Mamie Eisenhower
(STAFF/AFP/Getty Images)
Typhoons Mamie were named in 1953, 1957, 1960, and all three took similar tracks, recurving south and east of Japan.
First Lady Elizabeth "Bess" Truman
(Library of Congress)
Typhoon Bess (Western Pacific, Nov. 9-16, 1952) curved around Taiwan (south, west, then north) as a Category 3 equivalent storm. It had peak wind speeds of 115 mph.
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