1961 Atlantic hurricane season

The 1961 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 15, 1961, and lasted until November 15, 1961.^[1][2] These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The season had seven major hurricanes, the second highest number on record, despite having only eight total hurricanes. It is also one of only four seasons to have two or more hurricanes reach Category 5 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, the others being the 1960, 2005, and the 2007 season.

The most notable hurricanes of the season were the two Category 5 hurricanes. Hurricane Carla struck Texas, killing 49 and causing $325 million (1961 USD, $2.39 billion 2012 USD) in damage. Hurricane Hattie devastated Belize, killing 200; Belize City was largely destroyed, leading to the eventual (1970) relocation of the national capital to Belmopan.

Storms

Hurricane Anna

The Intertropical Convergence Zone developed a tropical storm on July 20 over the southern Leeward Islands. An upper level anticyclone allowed continued development, and Anna became a hurricane that night while moving westward across the Caribbean Sea. The hurricane continued to intensify, and reached its peak of 115 mph (185 km/h) the next day. It maintained that intensity until July 23, when land interaction with Honduras weakened it to a Category 2. There, Anna caused heavy flooding as it continued westward. It reached the coast of Belize on July 24 as a minimal hurricane, and dissipated shortly thereafter. Anna caused a total of $300,000 in damage (1961 USD, $2.2 million 2012 USD) and one death in Honduras.

Hurricane Betsy

A westward moving tropical wave became Tropical Storm Betsy on September 2 in the Tropical Atlantic. It moved northwestward with favorable conditions aloft, and steadily strengthened until its peak of 140 mph (220 km/h) on September 5. A trough off the east coast of the United States pushed Betsy northeastward, where it maintained hurricane strength until September 11, west-southwest of Ireland. Betsy became extratropical on September 12, and dissipated that day. It was one of three active hurricanes from September 7 to September 11, a rare event in the Atlantic.

Hurricane Carla

Hurricane Carla caused 46 deaths (31 of them in Texas) and $325 million (1961 USD, $2.39 billion 2012 USD) in damage when it made landfall near Port Lavaca, Texas. Carla was one of the most intense hurricanes to make landfall in the United States, with a central pressure of 931 mbar (27.5 inHg) and estimated wind speeds of 150 mph (240 km/h). Although the scale did not exist in 1961, Carla is now considered to be a Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale while over open waters.

Hurricane Debbie

The precursor to Hurricane Debbie was observed by a weather station in Cape Verde as well as a ship in that area.^[3] It was classified as Tropical Storm Debbie late on September 7 about 550 miles (885 km) from the island of Sal. Upon classification, the maximum sustained winds were already near hurricane force.^[4] Tropical Storm Debbie quickly strengthened into a hurricane, although there was initially no further strengthening.^[5] Operationally it was not upgraded until September 11,^[6] at which time Debbie turned to the north and quickly intensified into a category 3 hurricane. It attained peak winds of 120 mph (195 km/h), which it maintained for nearly 24 hours.^[5] It weakened as it turned to the east-northeast, and it accelerated toward the Azores. On September 15, Debbie passed through the island group, and that day it became extratropical, according to the National Hurricane Center's Preliminary Report.^[3] It remained classified as tropical until its dissipation in the best track, however.^[5] The storm turned to the northeast, moving over western Ireland before dissipating on September 16. The remnants crossed the coast of Norway and later entered Russia.^[3]

Hurricane Debbie caused about 11 fatalities in Ireland. It was estimated that Hurricane Debbie and its remnants also injured at least 50 people. A few locations reported winds in excess of 100 mph (161 km/h), including at Ballykelly, Tiree and Snaefell. Strong winds were also reported from Bay of Biscay to location in northern Norway. Its remnants were also responsible for flooding in Ireland, Scotland and Wales.^[7]

Hurricane Esther

Hurricane Esther was a long-lasting hurricane and powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane that reached a peak intensity at Category 4 status. Esther threatened New England twice before hitting Maine as a tropical storm in late September. Esther was responsible for $6 million (1961 USD, $44 million 2012 USD) in damage, but no direct deaths were reported. However, Esther did cause seven indirect deaths when a Navy P5M aircraft crashed 120 miles (190 km) off the coast of Bermuda.

Unnamed Tropical Storm

A tropical depression formed over the Bahamas on September 12. It moved northward, and became a tropical storm just after hitting near Wilmington, North Carolina on September 14. It remained weak as it raced through the East Coast states, dissipating on September 15 in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is notably one of the fastest moving tropical cyclones in history.

Hurricane Frances

A westward moving tropical wave organized into a tropical depression on September 30, east of the northern Lesser Antilles. It crossed the islands the next day as a tropical storm, and turned northward as a disorganized system. The lack of divergence at high levels disallowed further strengthening until later. Frances hit the eastern tip of Dominican Republic on October 3, and continued north and northeastward. It was able to finally organize on October 4, and Frances steadily strengthened to a 125 mph (205 km/h) major hurricane. It turned to the northwest and posed a threat to Maine, but it turned abrubtly right. Moving over cooler waters, Frances gradually lost intensity, and became extratropical on October 9 near Nova Scotia.

Tropical Storm Gerda

The precursor to Tropical Storm Gerda was a tropical wave that developed on October 16 in the Caribbean Sea. The tropical depression moved slowly northward, moving over Jamaica that night and Cuba the next day. Upper-level shear kept the depression disorganized, but when it reached the Atlantic, the shear relaxed somewhat, allowing the depression to become a tropical storm on October 19. Shortly after reaching a peak of 70 mph (110 km/h) on October 20 while racing to the northeast, Gerda became extratropical, retaining its circulation for two more days until dissipating. Gerda caused five deaths in Jamaica and seven in Cuba.

Hurricane Hattie

Hurricane Hattie, which formed in the Caribbean Sea on October 27, hit Central America as a strong Category 4. The storm caused enormous damage in Central America, with an estimated death toll of 265, almost all in Belize. Advance warning of the storm is credited with reducing the number of fatalities, as the storm was reportedly worse than a similar hurricane that killed 2,500 people in 1931. Hattie destroyed an estimated 40% of all buildings in Belize, and damaged half of those that remained; Belize City was damaged so heavily that the national government was relocated inland to Belmopan. Like Carla, Hattie was also classified posthumously as a Category 5 storm. Hattie held Category 5 intensity on the dates of October 30 and October 31, making it the latest Category 5 storm on record in the Atlantic basin.

Hurricane Jenny

An area of disturbed weather, in connection with the development of a cut-off low in the upper troposphere over Puerto Rico, became a tropical depression over the northeastern Lesser Antilles on November 1. After moving northeastward, the tropical depression moved eastward in response to an upper level trough. Subtropical in nature, it was able to withstand the shear, and, after looping back to the west, became a tropical storm on November 6. Later that day, Jenny became a hurricane, but as it turned northeastward, shear and cooler waters weakened it. Jenny became extratropical on November 8.

As a tropical depression, Jenny produced moderate rainfall in Puerto Rico, peaking at 4.97 in (126 mm).^[8]

Tropical Storm Inga

Tropical Storm Inga formed on November 5, the only time a tropical storm formed in the Gulf in the month of November. Inga's center moved westward, followed by a new center forming to the southeast. It drifted over the Bay of Campeche for the next few days, and after reaching a peak of 70 mph (110 km/h), dissipated on November 8.

Season effects

This is a table of the storms in 1961 and their landfall(s), if any. Deaths in parentheses are additional and indirect (an example of an indirect death would be a traffic accident), but are still storm-related. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical or a wave or low.

Storm names

The following names were used for named storms (tropical storms and hurricanes) that formed in the North Atlantic in 1961. Storms were named Frances, Hattie, Inga and Jenny for the first time in 1961. Names that were not assigned are marked in gray.

Retirement

The names Carla and Hattie were later retired.^[9]

See also

• List of Atlantic hurricanes
• List of Atlantic hurricane seasons

References

External links

• Monthly Weather Review