1946 Atlantic hurricane season
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 Season summary map |
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| First storm formed: | June 13, 1946 |
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| Last storm dissipated: | Nov. 3, 1946 |
| Strongest storm: | #5 - 115 knots (135 mph) |
| Total storms: | 6 |
| Major storms (Cat. 3+): | 1 |
| Total damage: | $5.2+ million (1946 USD) |
| Total fatalities: | 5 |
| Atlantic hurricane seasons 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948 |
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The 1946 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1946, and lasted until November 30, 1946. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin.
The 1946 season was fairly quiet, with 6 storms forming, of which 3 became hurricanes. There was only one major hurricane, a hurricane that came up from the Western Caribbean and made landfall near Tampa as a Category 2. Damage was relatively minimal and confined to a small area where the eyewall passed over.
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[edit] Storms
[edit] Tropical Storm One
A minimal tropical storm, first detected on June 13, moved across the northern Gulf of Mexico and hit near the Texas/Louisiana border on the 16th, causing no damage.
[edit] Hurricane Two
A small tropical storm over the Western Atlantic made landfall on southern North Carolina on July 6th. It turned northeastward, became a hurricane, and became extratropical on the 8th. Some property damage occurred, but no deaths were reported.
[edit] Tropical Storm Three
On August 25th, a tropical storm formed in the Bay of Campeche. It moved quickly westward, hitting near Tampico, Mexico the next day and dissipating.
[edit] Hurricane Four
The precursor to Hurricane Four was an area of low pressure. It became a tropical storm on September 12th over the Bahamas, and a hurricane the next day while moving northeastward. The hurricane became extratropical on the 15th south of Nova Scotia.
When the radar image was taken, it was only the third time in history that a hurricane passed close enough to a radar site to reveal its structure. [1]
[edit] Hurricane Five
A tropical storm formed in the western Caribbean Sea on October 5. It moved northeastward, reaching hurricane strength the next day and hitting western Cuba as a Category 2 on October 7. It rapidly intensified over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico to a 135 mph (215 km/h) Category 4 hurricane, but weakened to a 75 mph (120 km/h) Category 1 hurricane shortly before making landfall near Sarasota on October 8. After moving inland, it became extratropical over North Carolina on October 9 and continued southeastward into the western Atlantic. The hurricane caused a total of $5.2 million in damage (1946 dollars), mostly from damage to the citrus crop. In addition, 5 lives were lost in Cuba.
[edit] Tropical Storm Six
A tropical wave developed into a tropical storm north of Hispaniola on October 31st. It moved west-northwestward, hitting southeastern Florida on the 1st. Moderate damage was associated from this tropical storm as heavy flooding disrupted fall planting.
