Hurricane Ione
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| Category 3 hurricane (SSHS) | ||
|---|---|---|
 Storm track of Hurricane Ione |
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| Formed | September 10, 1955 | |
| Dissipated | September 21, 1955 | |
| Highest winds |
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| Lowest pressure | 938 mbar (hPa; 27.71 inHg) | |
| Fatalities | 7 direct | |
| Damage | $600 million (1955 USD) $5 billion (2006 USD) |
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| Areas affected |
North Carolina, Virginia | |
| Part of the 1955 Atlantic hurricane season |
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Hurricane Ione was a strong Category 3 hurricane that affected North Carolina in September 1955. It came on the heels of Hurricanes Connie and Diane, and compounded problems already caused by the two earlier hurricanes.
Contents |
[edit] Storm history
A tropical wave moved through Cape Verde on September 6. It became a tropical depression on September 10, and a tropical storm later that day. Ione remained weak for the next 3 days, but it steadily strengthened as it moved north of the Lesser Antilles, reaching hurricane strength on the 15th. Conditions were favorable for additional development, and Ione reached her peak of 120 mph winds on the 18th while north of the Bahamas. Its radius of maximum winds was typical for a hurricane; 22 miles/35 km away from the center. [1]
Dry and cooler air was gradually entrained in Ione's circulation, and the hurricane weakened to a minimal hurricane at the time of its Wilmington, North Carolina landfall on September 19, the third hurricane to hit the state in 6 weeks and fourth in 11 months. The storm weakened to a tropical storm over land, but restrengthened to a Category 2 hurricane over the northwestern Atlantic. Ione continued northeastward, and became extratropical on the 21st. The extratropical storm crossed over Newfoundland, and was last seen on September 24 over the North Atlantic.
[edit] Impact
In Swan Quarter, North Carolina, September 18 started out a gloomy day. Winds did not significantly increase until between 2 and 3 p.m. By 9:30 p.m., strong winds buffeted the area from the east-northeast. Electricity went out around 10:50 p.m. Water invaded area homes for the first time since Barbara of the 1953 Atlantic hurricane season. Tides increased until 8:45 am on September 19 before slowly ebbing and rising again between 2:00-2:30 p.m. The Lake Causeway was partially washed out towards New Holland. The Diamond Shoals lightship was reported to have broken loose during the hurricane. Tides did not fully recede at Swan Quarter until 3 a.m. on September 20, with winds finally dying down after 7 a.m. the same day. [2] Cherry Point recorded a maximum sustained wind of 75 mph, with gusts to 107 mph. Prolonged easterly winds forced the tide to increase to levels 3-10 feet above normal, which resulted in one of the largest innundations in North Carolina history. [3] The storm surge from Ione was recorded at 3.6 feet/1.1 meters at Morehead City, North Carolina, while a storm tide of 5.3 feet was measured at Wrightsville Beach. [4]
The HMTS Monarch, which had departed from Newfoundland, was laying telephone cable across the Atlantic ocean when Ione crossed its path. The ship weathered the storm, and managed to reach Scotland to complete its mission by September 26. [5]
Ione caused $600 million (2005 USD) in damage, much of it from crop damage in North Carolina. The rest came from flooding in an area already devastated by Hurricanes Connie and Diane six weeks earlier. Along the Trent river near Trent and the New River near Gum Branch, the river stage reached heights not seen again until Hurricane Floyd of the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. [6] Ione caused only seven deaths, a low number attributed to well-executed warnings and effectiveness of relief groups such as the Red Cross.
[edit] Retirement
- See also: List of retired Atlantic hurricanes
The name Ione was retired and will never be used for an Atlantic hurricane again; this was before the formal lists were created, so it was not replaced with any particular name. Because of this, this is the only time the name Ione was used for the Atlantic Basin since hurricane naming began in 1950.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://edge.tamu.edu/hurr.ppt
- ^ http://www.rootsweb.com/~nchyde/HURICANE.HTM
- ^ http://www.townofwrightsvillebeach.com/planning%20board%20pdfs/Hazard%20Mitigation%20Plan.pdf#search=%22hurricane%20ione%201955%20effects%22
- ^ http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/085/mwr-085-04-0113.pdf#search=%22hurricane%20ione%201955%20effects%22
- ^ http://www.netvalley.com/archives/mirrors/telegraph__radio_timeline-3.htm
- ^ http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/wri004093/flooding.html
