1965 Atlantic hurricane season
1965 Atlantic hurricane season
|
| Season summary map |
| First storm formed |
June 11, 1965 |
| Last storm dissipated |
October 19, 1965 |
| Strongest storm |
Betsy – 941 mbar (hPa) (27.8 inHg), 155 mph (250 km/h) (1-minute sustained) |
| Total depressions |
6 |
| Total storms |
6 |
| Hurricanes |
4 |
| Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+) |
1 |
| Total fatalities |
76 |
| Total damage |
$1.45 billion (1965 USD) |
Atlantic hurricane seasons
1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967 |
The 1965 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1965, and lasted until November 30, 1965.[1] These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin.
As a whole the 1965 season was inactive, with only six tropical storms forming. The most notable storm of the season was Hurricane Betsy. Betsy was one of the worst storms on record in the United States, killing 76 and causing $1.42 billion in damage (the first storm ever to reach the US$1 billion mark, equivalent to $8.5 billion in 2005 USD) in south Florida and Louisiana.
Storms
Tropical Storm One
| Tropical storm (SSHS) |
|
|
| Duration |
June 11 – June 15 |
| Intensity |
50 mph (85 km/h) (1-min), Unknown |
In early June, an area of low pressure associated with the Intertropical Convergence Zone was pulled northward across Central America and Mexico by a cut off low over the Gulf of Mexico. Tracking northward into the Gulf, the low struggled to develop amidst wind shear. By June 13, aircraft reconnaissance found gale-force winds associated with the system; however, the storm was poorly organized and lacked a defined circulation center. Turning northeastward and accelerating in response to an approaching trough on June 14, the system attained winds of 50 mph (85 km/h). The following day, the system made landfall along the Florida Panhandle between Valparaiso and Panama City. Once over land, the storm interacted with a frontal system and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone before losing its identity on June 18 off the Mid-Atlantic coast.[2]
Hurricane Anna
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHS) |
|
|
| Duration |
August 21 – August 26 |
| Intensity |
90 mph (150 km/h) (1-min), Unknown |
A tropical wave moving across the Atlantic became a tropical storm on August 21 in the central Atlantic. Anna moved northeastward and became a hurricane on August 23. After reaching a peak of 90 mph (150 km/h), Anna weakened due to cool waters and upper level shear, becoming extratropical on August 25, while just off the coast of Ireland.
Hurricane Betsy
| Category 4 hurricane (SSHS) |
|
|
| Duration |
August 27 – September 13 |
| Intensity |
155 mph (250 km/h) (1-min), 941 mbar (hPa) |
Hurricane Betsy moved across the Atlantic, executing two loops before moving across south Florida and hitting Louisiana on September 9, 1965 as a Category 4 hurricane. The eye passed to the southwest of New Orleans, though the eyewall covered much of southeast Louisiana for an eight-hour period. Betsy caused $10–$12 billion (2005 USD) in damage, as well as 76 deaths. It was the first storm to cause $1 billion US in damage (unadjusted for inflation), thus earning it the nickname "Billion Dollar Betsy".
Hurricane Carol
| Category 2 hurricane (SSHS) |
|
|
| Duration |
September 16 – October 1 |
| Intensity |
100 mph (155 km/h) (1-min), 974 mbar (hPa) |
Hurricane Carol developed on September 16 in the eastern Atlantic from a tropical wave that moved off the coast of Africa. The tropical depression moved quickly westward, becoming a tropical storm on September 17. The fast motion impeded development for the next few days, but as it slowed down, it was able to become a hurricane on September 20. Carol continued northward for the next three days, when it stalled west-southwest of the Azores for five days, maintaining hurricane force winds throughout. After looping, Carol turned to the northeast, reaching a peak of 100 mph (160 km/h) before weakening. It passed north of the Azores, turned to the southeast, and became extratropical west of Spain on October 1.
Tropical Storm Debbie
| Tropical storm (SSHS) |
|
|
| Duration |
September 24 – September 30 |
| Intensity |
50 mph (85 km/h) (1-min), 1001 mbar (hPa) |
A northwestward-moving tropical disturbance through the Caribbean Sea developed into a tropical depression on September 24 north of Honduras. It crossed over Yucatan two days later. The depression did not organize much until it reached the Gulf of Mexico, where it became a tropical storm on September 28. Drier and cooler air was around Debbie, causing a minimal tropical storm to pass by Louisiana. It dissipated on the September 30 before hitting land, but it brought heavy rain to the Mobile, Alabama area, establishing a new 24 rainfall record when 16.85 in (428 mm) fell.[3] The cyclone caused $25 million in damage.
Hurricane Elena
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHS) |
|
|
| Duration |
October 12 – October 19 |
| Intensity |
80 mph (130 km/h) (1-min), 977 mbar (hPa) |
A very weak circulation caused by a tropical wave moved across the tropical Atlantic. It became a tropical depression on October 12, though it had little, if any, convection near the center. It slowed as it moved to the northwest, becoming a tropical storm on October 14. Elena continued to organize, and reached hurricane force strength on the October 16 while recurving out to sea. The hurricane reached a peak of 80 mph (130 km/h) before becoming extratropical over the northern Atlantic on the October 19.
Storm names
The following names were used for named storms (tropical storms and hurricanes) that formed in the North Atlantic in 1965. A storm was named Elena for the first time in 1965. Names that were not assigned are marked in gray.
|
|
- Holly (unused)
- Inga (unused)
- Jenny (unused)
- Kara (unused)
- Laurie (unused)
- Martha (unused)
- Netty (unused)
|
- Orva (unused)
- Peggy (unused)
- Rhoda (unused)
- Sadie (unused)
- Tanya (unused)
- Virgy (unused)
- Wenda (unused)
|
Retirement
The name Betsy was later retired. The name Carol was also later retired after the modern naming system was instituted; however, it was not because of the 1965 storm but because of Hurricane Carol in 1954. They were replaced with Blanche and Camille.
See also
References
External links
|
Tropical cyclones of the 1965 Atlantic hurricane season
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Book · Category · Portal · WikiProject · Commons |
