1955 Atlantic hurricane season

The 1955 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 15, 1955, and lasted until November 15, 1955.^[1] These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The 1955 season was active, with twelve tropical storms forming.

Three hurricanes hit North Carolina in 1955: Connie, Diane and Ione. Hurricane Connie swamped the Outer Banks and Hurricane Diane caused millions of dollars in damages. Hurricane Janet was one of the most intense storms ever recorded in the Atlantic basin; it struck Belize as a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, killing hundreds and causing catastrophic damage.

Storms

Hurricane Alice (1954)

On January 1, there was already a tropical cyclone located in the central Atlantic Ocean, having developed on December 30 of the previous year. Operationally it was first observed as a hurricane on January 1, which resulted in it being named Alice. The hurricane passed through the Leeward Islands on January 2. Alice reached peak winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) before encountering cold air and turning to the southeast. It dissipated on January 6 over the southeastern Caribbean Sea.^[2] Alice produced heavy rainfall and moderately strong winds across several islands along its path. Saba and Anguilla were affected the most, with total damage amounting to $623,500 (1955 USD).^[2][3] Operationally, lack of definitive data prevented the U.S. Weather Bureau from declaring the system a hurricane until January 2. It received the name Alice in early 1955, though re-analysis of the data supported extending its track to the previous year, resulting in two tropical cyclones of the same name in one season. It was one of only two storms to span two calendar years, along with Tropical Storm Zeta in 2005 and 2006.^[2][4][5]

Tropical Storm Brenda

Tropical Storm Brenda formed on July 31 in the northern Gulf of Mexico. It moved northwestward, and hit near New Orleans on August 1 as a 70 mph (110 km/h) tropical storm. Brenda dissipated on August 3 as it moved westward over Texas, after causing two deaths in Mobile, Alabama, but little damage.

Hurricane Connie

Hurricane Connie was the first of three hurricanes that hit North Carolina in 1955. It hit as a Category Three hurricane, having weakened from a Category 4 hurricane, and caused massive flooding in the northeast. As noted in the Best Track database from the National Hurricane Center. [1]

Hurricane Diane

Hurricane Diane was the second of three hurricanes that hit North Carolina this season. It hit as a minimal hurricane, and added significant flooding to the northeast; an area that received heavy rain from Hurricane Connie only five days before.

Hurricane Edith

A tropical wave developed into a tropical depression on August 21 in the Tropical Atlantic. It moved northwestward and strengthened; first to a tropical storm on August 23, then a hurricane on August 25, and Edith reached a peak of 100 mph (155 km/h) winds on August 28. The hurricane curved out to sea without affecting land, and became extratropical on August 31 south of Newfoundland. The extratropical low looped back to the west and dissipated on September 3.

Tropical Storm Five

A tropical storm formed just west of Jamaica on August 23, likely from a tropical wave. It moved northwestward, crossed the western tip of Cuba, and hit southeastern Louisiana near New Orleans on August 27. The storm dissipated three days later over Missouri, and caused little damage.

Hurricane Flora

The precursor to Hurricane Flora was a tropical wave that moved through the Cape Verde islands on August 30 and developed on September 2. Flora moved on a smooth curving track, reaching a peak intensity of 105 mph (165 km/h) winds as it reached the westernmost point. As Flora moved northeastward, it weakened, becoming extratropical on September 9.

Hurricane Gladys

A tropical depression formed in the Bay of Campeche on September 4. It moved northwestward, becoming a tropical storm and later a hurricane on September 5. Gladys turned southward, and hit the Mexican coast north of Tampico on the 6th, dissipating later that day. The storm caused some damage and deaths, though exact numbers are unknown.

On September 5, an offshoot of Hurricane Gladys with cyclonic turning formed in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. It hit Texas on September 6, and caused about $500,000 in damage. It is possible this was a separate tropical storm from Gladys.

Hurricane Hilda

Hurricane Hilda developed from a tropical wave on September 10 over the northern Lesser Antilles. It moved northwestward, and gradually strengthening to a 95 mph hurricane before hitting eastern Cuba on September 14. Hilda weakened to a tropical storm while moving across the island, but quickly re-strengthened to a 115 mph hurricane while over the Caribbean Sea before hitting the sparsely populated eastern Yucatan peninsula between Chetumal and Cozumel. After weakening over land, Hilda rapidly intensified to a 130 mph Category 3 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, and hit Tampico, Mexico as a weakened Category 2 hurricane on September 19, dissipating the next day over Mexico.

Hilda killed 300 people and caused $120 million in damage (1955 dollars), mostly from flooding. Despite its destruction, Hilda was not retired, though the name was later retired in the Hurricane Hilda of 1964.

Hurricane Ione

Hurricane Ione was the final of three hurricanes to hit North Carolina this season. Ione was the least damaging of the three, as it only affected North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, whereas Connie and Diane caused damage throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. 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 three days, but it steadily strengthened as it moved north of the Lesser Antilles, reaching hurricane strength on September 15. Conditions were favorable for additional development, and Ione reached its peak of 120 mph (195 km/h) winds on September 18 while north of the Bahamas.

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 six 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 September 21. The extratropical storm crossed over Newfoundland, and was last seen on September 24 over the North Atlantic.

Hurricane Janet

Janet formed as a small tropical storm on September 21 east of the Lesser Antilles. It moved west and became a Category 3 hurricane while crossing the Windward Islands, but weakened to a minimal hurricane as it moved into the Caribbean Sea. Conditions for tropical development improved, and Janet strengthened steadily to a Category 5 hurricane, peaking at 175 mph (280 km/h) winds; the pressure reading of 914 mbar (hPa) taken well before peak strength remains one of the lowest central pressures ever measured in an Atlantic hurricane. The hurricane struck the Yucatán Peninsula in British Honduras (now Belize), weakening to a Category 2 storm as it emerged into the Bay of Campeche. A second landfall was made at that intensity in Veracruz, Mexico, and the hurricane dissipated soon after.

Janet caused extensive destruction throughout its path, amounting to 680 deaths and nearly $50 million ($340 million in 2005 USD) in damage. It was the only Atlantic hurricane to cause the loss of a Hurricane Hunter aircraft.

Tropical Storm Eleven

A tropical wave developed into a tropical storm on October 10, having moved northward from Cape Verde. It moved westward, then recurved to the northeast where it reached its peak of 65 mph winds. It became extratropical over the cool northeast Atlantic waters on October 14, and was absorbed by a larger extratropical storm later that day.

Hurricane Katie

The origins of Hurricane Katie are believed to have been from a disturbance in the Intertropical Convergence Zone north of Panama. Developing on October 14, the system maintained a general northeast track for its duration.^[3] This was due to the presence of a powerful low pressure area along the United States east coast.^[6] Its status as a tropical cyclone was confirmed on October 16 by a ship to the south of Hispaniola. Later that day, Hurricane Hunters observed a rapidly intensifying hurricane, encountering winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) and a pressure of 984 mbar (29.1 inHg). Early on October 17, Katie moved ashore near the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic in a sparsely-populated area. While crossing the high mountains of Hispaniola, the hurricane became very disorganized and rapidly weakened to a tropical storm. As it accelerated northeastward across the Atlantic Ocean, Katie briefly re-intensified to near-hurricane intensity, although it failed to strengthen further due to interaction with a cold front. After passing just east of Bermuda on October 19, Katie became extratropical and was last observed the following day.^[3]

When Katie struck Hispaniola, it left heavy damage in Pedernales, Dominican Republic and Anse-à-Pitres, Haiti, estimated at over $200,000.^[3] In the former town, 68 houses were damaged, and about half of the homes were wrecked in the latter.^[7] There were seven deaths.^[3]

Storm names

The following names were used for named storms (tropical storms and hurricanes) that formed in the North Atlantic in 1955. Storms were named Brenda, Connie, Diane, Edith, Flora, Gladys, Hilda, Ione, Janet and Katie for the first time in 1955.

Retirement

Connie, Diane, Ione, and Janet would later be retired. The 1955 season was tied with the 1995 season, 2004 season and one name for the 2005 season for the most storm names retired after a single season until the 2005 season, when five names were retired.

See also

• List of Atlantic hurricanes
• List of Atlantic hurricane seasons

References

External links

• Monthly Weather Review
• The short film Big Picture: Operation Noah is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]