1959 Atlantic hurricane season
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 Season summary map |
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| First storm formed: | May 28, 1959 |
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| Last storm dissipated: | October 21, 1959 |
| Strongest storm: | Gracie - 929 mbar (28.05 inHg), 140 mph (220 km/h) |
| Total storms: | 11 |
| Major storms (Cat. 3+): | 2 |
| Total damage: | $23.2+ million (1959 USD) $148.2 million (2005 USD) |
| Total fatalities: | 57 |
| Atlantic hurricane seasons 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961 |
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The 1959 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1959, and lasted until November 30, 1959. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The season began on May 28 slightly before the official bounds, however, and had an unusual number of early-forming storms.
The most notable storm of 1959 was Hurricane Gracie, which caused ten deaths when it made landfall near Beaufort, South Carolina as well as millions in damage; another eleven were killed by a tornado generated as Gracie weakened. Another notable storm was the Escuminac Hurricane, or Hurricane #3, which hit Escuminac, New Brunswick on June 19 as a hurricane, sinking 22 boats and killing 35 men.
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[edit] Storms
[edit] Tropical Storm Arlene
A tropical wave moving through the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico developed into a tropical depression on May 28. Conditions were generally favorable, despite being outside of the official season, and it strengthened into a tropical storm the next day. Arlene reached her peak of 60 mph before unfavorable conditions weakened it to a minimal tropical storm at its Louisiana landfall on the 30th. It moved northeastward and dissipated on June 2 after causing $500,000 in damage (1959 US dollars) and one death.
[edit] Tropical Storm Beulah
The precursor to Tropical Storm Beulah was a cold front that stalled in the Bay of Campeche on June 15. It drifted northwestward, becoming a tropical storm the next day. As it neared the Mexican coastline, a building ridge of high pressure to its north pushed Beulah southward, where upper level winds caused it to dissipate on the 18th.
[edit] Escuminac Hurricane
- Main article: 1959 Escuminac Hurricane
On June 18, a rapidly northeastward moving tropical wave near a cold front developed into a tropical depression. It crossed Florida, bringing heavy rain and severe weather across the state. Later that day, it became a tropical storm, and it became a hurricane the next day as it raced into the north Atlantic. It became extratropical late on the 19th, and hit near Escuminac, New Brunswick on the night of the 19th-20th, where it caused massive damage to the fishing community.
The hurricane caused 33 deaths and considerable damage as an extratropical cyclone. It also caused $1,656,000 (1959 USD) in damage in Florida, most of which came from a single tornado in Miami.
[edit] Hurricane Cindy
A trough of low pressure from a frontal boundary developed into a tropical depression on July 5 off the coast of Florida. It moved northeastward, where it became a tropical storm on the 7th. A small hurricane, Cindy drifted to the west, and hit north of Charleston, South Carolina on the 9th as a minimal hurricane. It turned northeast, and weakened to a tropical depression. As it sped over the Chesapeake Bay, the instability of the atmosphere allowed Cindy to restrengthen to a tropical storm. It continued northeastward, and became extratropical on the 11th, after causing 1 death and $75,000 in damage.
[edit] Hurricane Debra
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| Debra radar image and track map | |
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The development of Hurricane Debra can be attributed to a cold core upper level low. It developed thunderstorm activity over the Bahamas, and as it drifted westward, it steadily organized into a tropical depression on July 23. It continued slowly westward, and became a tropical storm later that day. Debra turned northward due to the subtropical ridge, and hit between Freeport, Texas and Galveston, Texas on the 25th as a minimal hurricane. It weakened over Texas, and dissipated over western Oklahoma. Debra caused a total of $7 million (1959 dollars) in damage, but no fatalities.
[edit] Tropical Storm Edith
Tropical Storm Edith developed from a tropical wave on August 17, east of the Lesser Antilles. It became a tropical storm the next day, and reached a peak of 60 mph winds as it moved through the islands. Its rapid movement contributed to its demise, however, and upper level winds weakened it until dissipation on the 19th while south of the Dominican Republic.
[edit] Hurricane Flora
The combination of a trough of low pressure and a tropical wave developed into a tropical depression on September 9 in the tropical Atlantic. It turned northeastward and became a tropical storm on the 10th and a hurricane on the 11th. As Flora accelerated over the northern Atlantic, it lost its tropical characteristics on the 12th, remaining a powerful extratropical cyclone over the next 2 days.
[edit] Hurricane Gracie
- Main article: Hurricane Gracie
Hurricane Gracie had an unusual track, constantly switching directions as it headed towards South Carolina. It hit the state as a 120 mph major hurricane on September 29th, and caused tornadoes across the Southeast United States. Gracie caused a total of 22 casualties and $14,000,000 (1959 dollars) in damage, much of which came from tornadoes.
[edit] Hurricane Hannah
An upper level trough over the central Atlantic developed into a tropical depression on September 27. It rapidly strengthened the next day, reaching hurricane strength on the night of the 28th. It reached a peak of 130 mph on October 1, but was only a threat to shipping. After turning to the east, it remained a hurricane until the 8th, where it became extratropical south of Iceland.
[edit] Tropical Storm Irene
A dissipating cold front that left behind a trough of low pressure in the northern Gulf of Mexico formed into a tropical depression on October 6. It became a tropical storm the next day, and hit near Pensacola, Florida on the 8th as a 60 mph tropical storm. Irene dissipated that day over Georgia, causing minor damage.
[edit] Hurricane Judith
A disturbance moved along the Intertropical Convergence Zone through the Caribbean Sea, producing squally weather. A low formed south of Jamaica on October 15. Soon after merging with another low moving eastward from the southern Gulf of Mexico, the combined system developed into a tropical storm in the southeast Gulf of Mexico on October 17. [1] Judith moved over Florida the next day after reaching hurricane strength, and moved rapidly out to sea, reaching a peak of 80 mph, but steadily weakened until dissipating on the 21st east of Bermuda.
[edit] Records
The season set records for the earliest formation of its fourth and fifth storms. Hurricane Cindy was named on July 7, and Hurricane Debra first reached tropical storm strength on July 23, following the development of Tropical Storm Arlene, Tropical Storm Beulah and Hurricane #3. Both of these records were broken in the 2005 season when Dennis formed on July 5 and Emily formed on July 11.
[edit] 1959 storm names
The following names were used for named storms (tropical storms and hurricanes) that formed in the North Atlantic in 1959.
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[edit] Retirement
- See also: List of retired Atlantic hurricanes
Gracie would later be retired.
