1966 Atlantic hurricane season
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| First storm formed: | June 4, 1966 |
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| Last storm dissipated: | November 11, 1966 |
| Strongest storm: | Inez - 929 mbar (27.43 inHg), 150 mph (240 km/h) |
| Total storms: | 11 |
| Major storms (Cat. 3+): | 3 |
| Total damage: | $410 million (1966 USD) $2.4 billion (2005 USD) |
| Total fatalities: | 1094 |
| Atlantic hurricane seasons 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 |
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The 1966 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1966, and lasted until November 30, 1966. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The 1966 season was relatively active with eleven tropical storms, two more than an average normal season. It was also unusually active early in the season, with five named storms forming before the end of July.
Notable storms of 1966 include Hurricane Alma, which caused death and destruction in Honduras, Cuba, and Florida; and Hurricane Inez, which killed 1,000 people in its trek across the Greater Antilles, Bahamas, Florida, and Mexico. An unusual storm was Hurricane Faith, which followed an extremely long track from Africa, into the Caribbean, and all the way into the Arctic. It holds the record for having the longest hurricane track in recorded history.
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[edit] Storms
[edit] Hurricane Alma
- Main article: Hurricane Alma (1966)
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| Alma satellite image and storm path | |
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Hurricane Alma, which formed on June 4 over Central America, hit Cuba as a Category 2 hurricane. It moved northward and became a major hurricane before weakening and crossing Florida. Alma became extratropical over the northern Atlantic on June 13 after briefly restrengthening to a hurricane near North Carolina. Hurricane Alma killed 90, most in Honduras, and caused $210 million (1966 dollars) in damage, almost all in Cuba.
[edit] Hurricane Becky
A tropical depression formed 300 miles southeast of Bermuda on July 1. It moved quickly northeastward where it became a tropical storm and a hurricane on the 2nd. Becky turned to the northwest due to an upper low, and became extratropical on the 3rd near Nova Scotia. No damage was reported.
[edit] Hurricane Celia
The precursor to Hurricane Celia was an easterly wave moving across the tropical Atlantic. It became a tropical depression on July 13, and a tropical storm the next day. After moving northwestward, Celia turned more westward towards the Bahamas, where it met hostile conditions and dissipated on the 15th. The remnant cloud mass turned northeastward, and on the 20th, it regained enough organization to be called a tropical storm again. Celia rapidly intensified to a hurricane that day, but the following day the storm became extratropical near Nova Scotia.
[edit] Hurricane Dorothy
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| Dorothy satellite image and storm path | |
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An upper tropospheric cold low over the north-central Atlantic led to the development of a surface low on July 22. That night it became a tropical depression, followed by becoming a tropical storm on the 23rd. Dorothy was likely subtropical when it first developed, but on the 24th, it became more tropical, reaching hurricane strength and attaining a well organized satellite presentation, but without a true eyewall. Dorothy continued northward towards cooler waters, weakening to tropical storm strength on the 29th and becoming extratropical on the 30th.
[edit] Tropical Storm Ella
On July 22, a tropical depression formed in the tropical Atlantic, originating from an African tropical wave. It headed west-northwestward, reaching tropical storm strength on the 24th. Conditions never became very favorable, with the large circulation of Dorothy to the north impeding some development. Ella dissipated on the 28th east of the Bahamas.
[edit] Hurricane Faith
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| Faith satellite image and storm path | |
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- Main article: Hurricane Faith (1966)
Hurricane Faith was a long-lived storm, maintaining hurricane strength for thirteen days as it travelled the Atlantic. It has the longest recorded track of any hurricane, more than 7,500 miles. Faith started as a typical Cape Verde-type hurricane in mid-August. After approaching the Lesser Antilles, Faith started turning northward, and eventually its track curved enough to bring it away from North America. Faith continued on as a tropical system, and was declared extratropical only hours before striking the Faroe Islands. The low that was Faith continued over the Scandinavian Peninsula, and was tracked as far as Franz Josef Land.
[edit] Tropical Storm Greta
Tropical Storm Greta developed from a tropical wave on September 1 in the tropical Atlantic. It moved west-northwestward, encountering favorable conditions. The depression became Tropical Storm Greta on the 4th, the same day it reached its peak of 60 mph. It wasn't able to strengthen further, due to the lack of low level inflow, and Greta dissipated on the 7th in the southwestern Atlantic.
[edit] Tropical Storm Hallie
The combination of a stationary cold front and a large cloud mass led to the formation of a tropical depression in the Bay of Campeche on September 20. As it separated from the cold front, it strengthened to a tropical storm on the 21st. Hallie reached her peak of 50 mph that day, but cool air weakened the storm prior to hitting the Mexican coast. Hallie dissipated on the 22nd.
[edit] Hurricane Inez
- Main article: Hurricane Inez
The deadliest storm of the season was Hurricane Inez. Inez killed an estimated 1,000 and caused over $200 million (1966 dollars) in damage. It tracked up the Greater Antilles, into the Bahamas, across the Florida Keys, approached the Yucatán Peninsula, and after three weeks finally made landfall near Tampico. Inez was the first single storm on record to strike the islands of the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Florida, and Mexico.
[edit] Tropical Storm Judith
A tropical wave following Hurricane Inez organized to become a tropical depression on September 27. It moved west-northwestward, becoming a tropical storm the next day. Judith didn't strengthen past its peak of 50 mph as it moved through the islands due to outflow from Inez. Judith dissipated on the 30th.
[edit] Hurricane Lois
A small cloud vortex over the central Atlantic obtained enough convective organization to become a tropical depression on November 4. It meandered, first to the west, then to the east-southeast. On the 6th, the depression became a tropical storm, followed by a hurricane on the 8th. Lois moved quickly northeastward, becoming extratropical on the 11th north of the Azores.
[edit] Other Storms
[edit] Tropical Depression Two
A tropical depression formed in the exact same manner of Hurricane Alma over western Caribbean Sea, only weeks later on June 30. It moved northeastward, crossing Cuba and later Florida. It caused $50,000 in damage
[edit] Tropical Depression Seven
A tropical low moving through the Caribbean became well-organized enough to be called a tropical depression on July 24. It hit the coast of Louisiana on the 26th, causing heavy rain but little damage.
[edit] Cyclone Kendra
A cyclone in the extreme eastern Atlantic was given the name Kendra in October and operationally classified as a tropical storm, but post-analysis found the system was not a tropical storm. This makes Kendra one of two systems in the Atlantic basin to be named and not considered a tropical cyclone; the other system was Mike of 1950. [1]
[edit] 1966 storm names
The following names were used for named storms (tropical storms and hurricanes) that formed in the North Atlantic in 1966. Names that were not assigned are marked in gray.
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[edit] Retirement
- See also: List of retired Atlantic hurricanes
The name Inez was later retired.
