1941 Atlantic hurricane season
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 Season summary map |
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| First storm formed: | Sept. 11, 1941 |
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| Last storm dissipated: | Oct. 22, 1941 |
| Strongest storm: | #4, 5 - 105 knots (120 mph) |
| Total storms: | 6 |
| Major storms (Cat. 3+): | 2 |
| Total damage: | $7.7+ million (1941 USD) |
| Total fatalities: | 63 |
| Atlantic hurricane seasons 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943 |
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The 1941 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1941, and lasted until November 30, 1941. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin.
The 1941 season was a relatively inactive one, with only 6 storms, of which 2 became a hurricane and 2 became a major hurricane. The season was short, lasting from mid-September until late October.
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[edit] Storms
[edit] Tropical Storm One
The first tropical storm formed in the northern Gulf of Mexico at a late date of September 11, the third latest start in history. It moved slowly west-northwestward and hit the Texas coast between Galveston and Port Arthur on the 15th. The storm dissipated the next day without causing any damage.
[edit] Hurricane Two
Hurricane Two developed in the eastern Gulf of Mexico on September 16, just as the previous storm was dissipating. It moved westward, reaching hurricane strength while looping clockwise back to the west. It turned northwestward, and hit Texas near Matagorda just below hurricane strength on the 24th. It continued northward, and became extratropical later that day. The hurricane caused heavy flooding in Texas, amounting to $7 million in damage (1941 dollars) and 4 deaths.
[edit] Hurricane Three
On September 18, a tropical disturbance east of Florida developed sufficient organization to be designated a tropical cyclone. It dissipated on September 26, after causing no damage because of well-executed small craft warnings.
[edit] Hurricane Four
- Main article: Central America Hurricane of 1941
A tropical storm formed near Barbados on September 23, likely from a tropical wave. It headed westward across the Caribbean Sea, becoming a hurricane on the 25th. The hurricane reached a peak intensity of 120 mph winds before hitting near the Honduras/Nicaragua border on the 27th. The hurricane weakened over land, and hit Belize on the 28th as a minimal hurricane. It briefly emerged into the Bay of Campeche, and dissipated over Mexico on the 30th, after causing 50 deaths (47 of which were at sea) and heavy crop damage in Central America.
[edit] Hurricane Five
Tropical Storm Five was first observed north of the Lesser Antilles on October 3. It became a hurricane the next day, and steadily strengthened to a peak of 120 mph winds on the 6th. It made landfall on southern Florida shortly thereafter, and moved across the sparsely populated Everglades. Hurricane Five reached the Gulf of Mexico and continued to weaken to a minimal hurricane at the time of its Florida Panhandle landfall on the 7th. It turned to the northeast, and re-emerged into the Atlantic near Charleston, South Carolina as a tropical storm. The storm turned southeast, looped eastward, and became extratropical on the 13th. The hurricane caused $675,000 in damage (1941 dollars), as well as eight fatalities.
[edit] Tropical Storm Six
A tropical storm moved across the Bahamas on October 15. It crossed the Florida Keys on the 19th, turned to the northeast, and hit Cedar Key, Florida on the 20th. It looped southwestward, where it dissipated on the 22nd near Tampa, Florida after causing heavy rains and the death of a 6-week old infant.
