1962 Atlantic hurricane season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Season summary map |
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| First storm formed: | August 26, 1962 |
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| Last storm dissipated: | October 22, 1962 |
| Strongest storm: | Ella - 950 mbar (28.05 inHg), 115 mph (185 km/h) |
| Total storms: | 5 |
| Major storms (Cat. 3+): | 1 |
| Total damage: | $10 million (1962 USD) $61.6 million (2005 USD) |
| Total fatalities: | 4 |
| Atlantic hurricane seasons 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 |
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The 1962 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1962, and lasted until November 30, 1962. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin.
The season was very quiet, with only five named storms, three of them hurricanes; only $10 million (1962 US dollars) in damages and 4 deaths were caused by tropical cyclones the entire season.
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[edit] Storms
[edit] Hurricane Alma
Hurricane Alma developed from a westward-moving tropical wave on August 26 near the southeast coast of Florida. It became a tropical storm the next day while east of Georgia, and headed northeastward. Alma brushed the Outer Banks on the 28th while becoming a hurricane. After reaching a peak intensity of 95 mph, Alma turned east-southeastward due to a ridge of high pressure to the north, where cool, dry air was entrained in the circulation. Alma became extratropical on the 30th, and, after executing a small loop, headed northeastward where it dissipated on September 2. Hurricane Alma was a minimal storm that caused less than a million dollars in damage as it travelled north up the east coast of the United States.
[edit] Tropical Storm Becky
An unusual storm of the season was Tropical Storm Becky. Becky formed just off the west coast of Africa on August 27, becoming a tropical storm the following day. Unlike most storms that form in that area, Becky headed almost due north. Becky came within several hundred miles of making landfall in western Europe, but lost its tropical characteristics due to interaction with a cold front.
[edit] Tropical Storm Celia
On September 12, an easterly wave developed into a tropical depression in the central Tropical Atlantic. Later that day, it became a tropical storm, followed by a peak of 70 mph on the 13th. Unfavorable conditions soon approached Celia, and the storm weakened to a tropical depression on the 15th. Over the next 4 days, it moved northward, followed by a loop to the south. Celia restrengthened to a 45 mph storm on the 19th, but it again weakened on the 20th. Celia became extratropical on the 21st.
[edit] Hurricane Daisy
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| Daisy satellite picture and track map | |
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A tropical wave became a tropical depression on September 29, east of the Lesser Antilles. It moved west-northwestward, remaining a tropical depression for 3 days. On October 2 it became a tropical storm, and on the 3rd, a hurricane. Daisy's intensity fluctuated from the 5th to the 7th, ranging from 90 to 110 mph winds. The hurricane weakened to 75 mph prior to its Nova Scotia landfall on the 8th, becoming extratropical that night. Hurricane Daisy killed two and caused $10 million (1962 USD) in damage to New England and Nova Scotia.
[edit] Hurricane Ella
An area of cloudiness near the Bahamas developed into a tropical depression on October 14. It became a tropical storm the next day, but remained poorly organized. On the 17th, Ella reached hurricane strength, but it wasn't until the 19th did it become well organized. Ella reached her peak of 115 mph on the 19th, which was followed by a period of steady weakening due to cooler air. Hurricane Ella became extratropical on the 22nd, after killing two in South Carolina when their boat went missing, but caused only minimal damage when it grazed the coast of Newfoundland.
[edit] 1962 storm names
The following names were used for named storms (tropical storms and hurricanes) that formed in the North Atlantic in 1962. Names that were not assigned are marked in gray.
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[edit] Retirement
- See also: List of retired Atlantic hurricanes
No names were retired after the 1962 season.
