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The 1939 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 16, 1939, and lasted until October 31, 1939.[1] These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin.
The 1939 season was very inactive, with only 5 tropical storms forming, 2 of which became hurricanes, and one became a major hurricane. The most notable storm was a major hurricane passing just to the east of Bermuda on October 16th, bringing heavy winds and rain to the island.
[edit] Storms
[edit] Tropical Storm One
The first tropical storm of the season developed in the extreme western Caribbean Sea on June 12. It moved north-northeastward, causing rough seas and squally conditions as passed over the eastern portion of the Yucatán Peninsula. The storm moved steadily northward, slowly strengthening to a peak of 50 mph on the 14th with a minimum central pressure of 1000 mbar. Higher pressures to its north caused to execute a counter-clockwise loop in the northern Gulf of Mexico. A trough of low pressure turned it back to the north, and made landfall near Mobile, Alabama as a minimal tropical storm on the 16th. The storm turned to the northwest, and dissipated on the 17th over Mississippi. One boy drowned from the storm on the Florida Panhandle.
[edit] Hurricane Two
On August 7, a tropical storm formed north of the Leeward Islands, likely from a tropical wave. It tracked to the west-northwest, slowly strengthening as it moved through the Bahamas to a hurricane on August 11. The hurricane struck central Florida as an 80 mph hurricane late on the 11th, and crossed the state in around 15 hours. After weakening to a tropical storm, it quickly re-strengthened, and hit near Apalachicola, Florida as an 80 mph hurricane on the 13th. The storm quickly weakened over the land, and drifted through Alabama as a weak tropical depression. The storm turned to the northeast, and remained a tropical depression until it dissipated over New York on August 20.
Damage was minor, amounting to uprooted trees, broken windows, moderate crop damage, and downed power lines. Heavy flooding was seen across its path, especially from its renmants, amounting to a maximum of 14 inches in Tuckerton, New Jersey. There were two deaths attributed to the storm. One man drowned at Cedar Key when his rowboat overturned, and one person was killed from a tornado in North Carolina.
[edit] Tropical Storm Three
An area of disturbed weather over Central America organized into a tropical storm in the Bay of Campeche on September 23. It moved generally north-northeastward, strengthening to a peak of 45 mph tropical storm over the Gulf of Mexico. The storm made landfall on south-central Louisiana on the 26th, and dissipated later that day. Its effects were minimal, with light winds and precipitation.
[edit] Hurricane Four
A tropical wave developed into a tropical storm north of the Leeward Islands on October 12 and moved to the northwest. It quickly strengthened, and after turning to the northeast it reached hurricane status on October 15. The hurricane continued to rapidly intensify, reaching peak winds of 135 mph as it passed east of Bermuda on the 16th. It weakened as it accelerated to the northeast, and became extratropical near Newfoundland on the 18th. The hurricane caused considerable damage to trees, boats, and houses, though caused no reported casualties.
[edit] Hurricane Five
On October 29, the 5th and final tropical storm developed in the western Caribbean Sea, and moved to the northwest. It turned sharply eastward, and under favorable conditions, it strengthened into a hurricane on the 31st near the Cayman Islands. After peaking at 90 mph, it weakened as it drifted eastward, and passed between Jamaica and Cuba. A northeast turn brought it over Cuba on November 4, and after crossing the Bahamas it became extratropical to the southwest of Bermuda on the 6th.
In Jamaica, the hurricane brought torrential rainfall and high waves, causing many families to leave coastal areas. Heavy flooding and mudslides caused one fatality and heavy damage. In Cuba, the hurricane brought strong winds and torrential rainfall, causing one casualty and severe crop damage.
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