1947 Atlantic hurricane season

The 1947 Atlantic hurricane season was the first Atlantic hurricane season to have tropical storms labeled by the United States Air Force. The season officially began on June 16, 1947, and ended on November 1, 1947. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. However, the first tropical cyclone developed on June 13, while the final system was absorbed by a cold front on December 1. There were 10 tropical storms; 5 of them attained hurricane status, while two became major hurricanes, which are Category 3 or higher on the modern day Saffir–Simpson scale. Operationally, the third tropical storm was considered two separate tropical cyclones, resulting in the storm receiving two names. The eighth tropical storm went undetected and was not listed in HURDAT until 2014.

Nearly all tropical storms impacted land during the season, some of which caused many fatalities and left destruction. The second storm caused severe flooding and mudslides in Mexico, leaving at least 48 dead and 43 others missing. In September, the strongest and costliest hurricane of the season, the Fort Lauderdale hurricane, left severe damage in Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi due to strong winds, heavy rainfall, and abnormally high tides. There were 51 fatalities and about $160.2 million (1947 USD) in damage. The ninth storm, also known as the Cape Sable hurricane, caused additional flooding in South Florida and left wind damage in Georgia and South Carolina. The storm left about $20 million in damage. Overall, the systems of the season caused about $184.2 million in damage and at least 101 fatalities.

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Season summary

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The Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 16, 1947. However, tropical cyclogenesis began with the development of a tropical depression on June 13. The United States death toll of 53 was low compared to 20 years earlier in spite of the Fort Lauderdale (George) and Cape Sable (King) hurricanes crossing urban areas. The Weather Bureau attributed this to adequate warnings from the hurricane warning office and mass evacuations. A then-record total of 159 bulletins were issued from Weather Bureau offices. ACE is, broadly speaking, a measure of the power of the hurricane multiplied by the length of time it existed, so storms that last a long time, as well as particularly strong hurricanes, have high ACEs. It is only calculated for full advisories on tropical systems at or exceeding , which is tropical storm strength.

Systems

Tropical Storm One (Baker)

A low-pressure area in the Bay of Campeche developed into a tropical depression at 06:00 UTC on July 31. Moving north-northwestward, the depression deepened into a tropical storm six hours later. The storm, identified as "Baker" by the United States Air Force, The American Red Cross recommended that residents of Port Aransas evacuate as a precaution, but mainly only tourists in the area fled. Most of the damage was done to cotton crops, due to heavy rainfall, with up to observed at Raymondville. However, the precipitation was more beneficial than damaging. The storm caused just over $2 million in damage. Winds unroofed several homes and resulted in the closure of many businesses. Signs atop buildings fell, while some equipment used by the Servicio Meteorológico Nacional was destroyed. Thirty-six deaths occurred in the city. In Chontla, 24 homes were destroyed. Flooding and mudslides in San Luis Potosí resulted in another 12 deaths. Overall, the hurricane caused at least 48 fatalities and left 43 other people missing.

Hurricane Three (Dog–Easy)

A tropical wave developed into a tropical depression just northeast of Havana, Cuba, late on August 18. In Galveston County, but outside the city, crop damage reached about $32,500, while property damage totaled about $150,000. Farther north, 35 to 40 people at a prison near Houston escaped in the midst of the storm, though 10 of them were recaptured by the following day. Overall, the total damage was estimated at $757,000, with $500,000 of that amount incurred to buildings and improvements, while the remainder was to crops. Several hours later, the depression strengthened into a tropical storm, which was named George by the United States Air Force in real time. After moving generally westward for several days, the storm failed to intensify significantly and turned northwestward on September 10. By the following day, George finally became a Category 1 hurricane. The storm intensified further over the next few days and later peaked as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of . Early on September 16, George weakened to a Category 3 and curved westward while approaching the northern Bahamas. At 19:00 UTC, the hurricane struck the Abaco Islands with winds of . In the Bahamas, the storm produced a large storm surge and strong winds, damaging or destroying many homes and docks on the western end of Grand Bahama.

Thereafter, George continued westward and re-intensified into a Category 4 at 12:00 UTC on September 17, just three and a half hours before the storm made landfall near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with winds of . In Florida, advance warnings and stringent building codes were credited with minimizing structural damage and reducing loss of life to 17 people, but nevertheless widespread flooding and coastal damage resulted from heavy rainfall and high tides. Many vegetable plantings, citrus groves, and cattle were submerged or drowned as the storm exacerbated already high water levels and briefly threatened to breach the dikes surrounding Lake Okeechobee. However, the dikes held firm, and evacuations were otherwise credited with minimizing the potential death toll. On the west coast of the state, the storm caused further flooding, extensive damage south of the Tampa Bay area, and the loss of the Cuban fishing vessel Antonio Cerdado offshore Fort Myers, resulting in seven deaths.

On September 18, the hurricane entered the Gulf of Mexico and threatened the Florida panhandle. Later, George made landfall southeast of New Orleans, on September 19 as a strong Category 2 with winds of . George weakened to a tropical storm later that day, and then to a tropical depression on September 20. The cyclone was absorbed by a cold front over Missouri on the following day. New Orleans alone suffered about $100 million in damage. The widespread flooding spurred flood-protection legislation and the creation of an enlarged levee system to safeguard the flood-prone area. Some coastal flooding also occurred in Mississippi. The state suffered slightly more than $28.4 million in damage.

Tropical Storm Seven (Item)

An extratropical low pressure area transitioned into a tropical storm offshore North Florida on October 7, after acquiring a more symmetrical structure and the strongest winds moving closer to the center. However, the system had characteristics of a subtropical cyclone, including a moderate temperature gradient still existing at the center and an upper-level trough remaining associated with the storm. The United States Air Force referred to this system as "Item". At 00:30 UTC on October 7, a ship observed winds of and a barometric pressure of . The former was used to estimate the storm's maximum sustained wind speed of , while the latter was the lowest barometric pressure in association with the cyclone. after previously experiencing above normal tides for more than a week. The storm spawned a tornado in Jacksonville that was on the ground for about . The twister crossed a wartime housing project, a trailer park, and a business section of town. Twenty-eight trailers were flipped over or smashed against each other, while the dwellings in the housing project were deroofed. The walls and interiors of some stores in a four block area were damaged. Trees and automobiles also suffered damage. Overall, the tornado left $100,000 in damage, 40 people homeless,

An airport in south Florida recorded peak winds of . The hurricane dropped of rain across central and southern part of the state, including in Hialeah where the storm produced in a one-hour period and over in a 75-minute period. The flooding rains left many neighborhoods in up to six feet of water due to a previously wet summer, and left over 2,000 Miami-Dade County residents homeless. The flooding also closed Route 1 from Miami to Fort Lauderdale, as well as a highway to Everglades City. The hurricane spawned a tornado in both Coral Gables and Miami, one of which destroyed three warehouses. Following the passage of the hurricane, Hialeah mayor Henry Milander declared a state of emergency and restricted access to the city. In Miami, many residents had to use boats and rafts to survey the damage and look for survivors, due to the flooding. Winds in Georgia peaked at in Savannah. Elsewhere in the state, the storm caused $500,000 in damage, mainly due to a tornado that touched down near Hinesville. Tides above normal were reported from Georgia to South Carolina. The high tides in Charleston, South Carolina, caused minor beach erosion and isolated street flooding, and one person was killed there by a falling tree. In North Carolina, the high tides caused minor flooding. Overall, the hurricane caused about $20 million in damage.

Around 12:00 UTC on October 20, the hurricane passed close to Bermuda. The island reported sustained winds of and gusts up to . Winds downed many tree limbs and damaged crops, especially bananas and tomatoes. Winds also toppled electrical and telephone wires, leaving Hamilton without those services for several days. though little damage occurred to structures with Bermuda's standard building codes. Further, these names are not listed in HURDAT. The following table shows which names were or were not used:

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Able (extratropical)
Baker
Charlie
Dog
Easy
Fox
George

How
Item
Jig (probably extratropical)
King
Love

Season effects

This is a table of all of the tropical cyclones that formed in the 1947 Atlantic hurricane season. It includes their name, duration, peak classification and intensities, areas affected, damage, and death totals. Deaths in parentheses are additional and indirect (an example of an indirect death would be a traffic accident), but were still related to that storm. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical, a wave, or a low, and all of the damage figures are in 1947 USD.