<!-- "none" is a legitimate description when the title is already adequate; see WP:SDNONE -->

The 1952 Atlantic hurricane season was the last Atlantic hurricane season in which tropical cyclones were named using the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet. It was a near normal Atlantic hurricane season, although it was the least active since 1946. however, a pre-season unnamed storm formed on Groundhog Day, becoming the only storm on record in the month of February. The other six tropical cyclones were named using the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet, the first of which formed on August&nbsp;18. The final storm of the season dissipated on October&nbsp;28, two and a half weeks before the season officially ended on November&nbsp;15.

Four of the tropical cyclones made landfall during the season, the first being the February tropical storm that crossed southern Florida. The first hurricane, named Able, struck South Carolina with winds of , causing heavy damage near the coast and widespread power outages. It moved up most of the East Coast of the United States, leaving 3&nbsp;deaths and widespread damage. As a developing tropical cyclone, Hurricane Charlie caused damaging flooding and landslides in southwest Puerto Rico. The final and strongest of the season, Hurricane Fox, struck Cuba with winds of ; it killed 600&nbsp;people and left heavy damage, particularly to the sugar crop, reaching $10&nbsp;million (1952&nbsp;USD, $ &nbsp;USD).

Timeline

<div style="text-align: center;"><timeline>

ImageSize = width:800 height:250

PlotArea = top:10 bottom:80 right:20 left:20

Legend = columns:3 left:30 top:58 columnwidth:270

AlignBars = early

DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy

Period = from:02/02/1952 till:01/01/1953

TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal

ScaleMinor = grid:black unit:month increment:1 start:02/02/1952

Colors =

id:canvas value:gray(0.88)

id:GP value:red

id:TD value:rgb(0.43,0.76,0.92) legend:Tropical_Depression_=_≤38_mph_(≤62_km/h)

id:TS value:rgb(0.3,1,1) legend:Tropical_Storm_=_39–73_mph_(63–117_km/h)

id:C1 value:rgb(1,1,0.85) legend:Category_1_=_74–95_mph_(118–153_km/h)

id:C2 value:rgb(1,0.85,0.55) legend:Category_2_=_96–110_mph_(154–177_km/h)

id:C3 value:rgb(1,0.62,0.35) legend:Category_3_=_111–129_mph_(178–208_km/h)

id:C4 value:rgb(1,0.45,0.54) legend:Category_4_=_130–156_mph_(209–251_km/h)

id:C5 value:rgb(0.55,0.46,0.90) legend:Category_5_=_≥157_mph_(≥252_km/h)

Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas

BarData =

barset:Hurricane

bar:Month

PlotData=

barset:Hurricane width:10 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till

from:03/02/1952 till:04/02/1952 color:TS text:"One (TS)"

from:18/08/1952 till:03/09/1952 color:C2 text:"Able (C2)"

from:27/08/1952 till:28/08/1952 color:TS text:"Three (TS)"

from:31/08/1952 till:08/09/1952 color:C2 text:"Baker (C2)"

from:08/09/1952 till:11/09/1952 color:TS text:"Five (TS)"

from:24/09/1952 till:28/09/1952 color:C3 text:"Charlie (C3)"

from:24/09/1952 till:30/09/1952 color:TS text:"Dog (TS)"

from:25/09/1952 till:30/09/1952 color:TS text:"Eight (TS)"

from:06/10/1952 till:11/10/1952 color:C2 text:"Easy (C2)"

from:20/10/1952 till:27/10/1952 color:C4 text:"Fox (C4)"

from:26/11/1952 till:30/11/1952 color:TS text:"Eleven (TS)"

bar:Month width:5 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas

from:02/02/1952 till:01/03/1952 text:February

from:01/03/1952 till:01/04/1952 text:March

from:01/04/1952 till:01/05/1952 text:April

from:01/05/1952 till:01/06/1952 text:May

from:01/06/1952 till:01/07/1952 text:June

from:01/07/1952 till:01/08/1952 text:July

from:01/08/1952 till:01/09/1952 text:August

from:01/09/1952 till:01/10/1952 text:September

from:01/10/1952 till:01/11/1952 text:October

from:01/11/1952 till:01/12/1952 text:November

from:01/12/1952 till:01/01/1953 text:December

TextData =

pos:(570,30)

text:"(From the"

pos:(617,30)

text:"Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale)"

</timeline>

</div>

Systems

Tropical Storm One

On February&nbsp;2, a non-tropical disturbance was first observed in the western Caribbean Sea. It moved quickly north-northwestward, passing near Cancún along the Yucatan Peninsula. Afterward the system curved northeastward and brushed the northwest coast of Cuba. Early on February&nbsp;3, the storm passed near Key West before hitting Florida near Cape Sable, Florida. It quickly crossed the state, passing near Miami before emerging into the western Atlantic Ocean. After leaving Florida, the storm continued rapidly northeastward and transitioned into a tropical cyclone. It is the only tropical or subtropical storm on record during February. Late on February&nbsp;3, it reached its peak strength with maximum sustained winds of . On February&nbsp;4, it transitioned into an extratropical cyclone off the coast of North Carolina.

The Miami National Weather Service office recorded a wind gust of , as well as sustained tropical storm force winds for about four hours; the station also recorded a barometric pressure of 1004&nbsp;mbar (29.66&nbsp;inHg). Residents and tourists in southern Florida were unprepared for the unusual off-season storm. The winds damaged windows and power lines. The storm dropped of precipitation along its path. The combination of unseasonable rainfall and winds resulted in crop damage in Miami-Dade County. after the engine was damaged when water entered the fuel line. The storm later brushed New England, bringing rain, fog, warmer temperatures, and gusty winds. The combination resulted in downed power poles and tree limbs, leaving 10,000&nbsp;houses without electricity. The town was heavily damaged, and was briefly isolated after winds downed power and telephone lines. Across South Carolina, the hurricane caused two indirect deaths, as well as moderate damage totaling $2.2&nbsp;million (1952&nbsp;USD, $ &nbsp;USD). Two tornadoes were also reported in the region, and damage in the Washington, D.C. area reached $500,000 (1952&nbsp;USD, $ &nbsp;USD). Further northeast, the storm continued to produce heavy rainfall, causing flooding, as well as one indirect death in Pennsylvania. After moving through New England, Able dissipated on September&nbsp;2 near Portland, Maine.

Hurricane Baker

The third tropical cyclone of the season developed on August&nbsp;31 a short distance east of the northern Lesser Antilles. Its presence was reported by a ship the next day that encountered rough seas and gale-force winds. As a result, the Weather Bureau sent the Hurricane Hunters to investigate the system, which reported a strengthening hurricane moving northwestward. passing about halfway between Bermuda and North Carolina. The hurricane slowly weakened as it moved through the north Atlantic Ocean, just missing Newfoundland while maintaining winds of . Wind gusts on Avalon Peninsula reached , and heavy fishing damage was reported in Lower Island Cove. After affecting the island, Baker transitioned into an extratropical storm, which lasted another day before dissipating south of Greenland.

Tropical Storm Five

A dissipating cold front stalled across the northeastern Atlantic Ocean on September&nbsp;7, northeast of the Azores. That day, a closed circulation developed and quickly became independent of the front. Based on a uniform thermal structure, as well as ship reports in the region of gale-force winds near the center, it is estimated that the system became a tropical storm early on September&nbsp;8. Forming at a latitude of 42.0°N, this system is notable for being the 2nd-northernmost forming tropical cyclone in the Atlantic hurricane database, dating back to 1851.

The system moved west-southwestward, atypical for cyclones in that region during September. On September&nbsp;9, the storm turned to the southeast, reaching estimated peak winds of , based on ship observations. Moving slowly through the northern Azores, the storm produced winds of along Terceira Island. It slowly weakened, and by late on September&nbsp;10 the system degraded into a tropical depression. By the next day, the system was interacting with an approaching cold front, indicating that the depression had transitioned into an extratropical cyclone. Around 20:00&nbsp;UTC, the storm moved ashore the southwestern tip of Portugal with gale-force winds. The storm turned to the northeast through the Iberian Peninsula, dissipating on September&nbsp;14 over southwestern France. In Puerto Rico, the rains caused landslides that affected seven towns, notably Ponce, the island's second-largest city. The floods left more than 1,000&nbsp;people homeless, 300 of whom took refuge in a Red Cross shelter. Overall, the flooding on the island killed four people and left moderate damage of around $1&nbsp;million (1952&nbsp;USD, $ &nbsp;USD). However, the hurricane turned to the north and northeast on September&nbsp;26, during which the Hurricane Hunters recorded peak winds of . It briefly threatened Bermuda, prompting the United States Air Force to evacuate its fleet of airplanes from Kindley Air Force Base. Charlie ultimately northwest of Bermuda, and later began weakening. On September&nbsp;29 it turned eastward, and later that day transitioned into an extratropical cyclone. The remnants lasted two more days before dissipating southeast of Newfoundland. The rains flooded low-lying areas and caused rivers to exceed their banks. and left behind heavy damage totaling $10&nbsp;million (1952&nbsp;USD, $ &nbsp;USD). Fox was among the strongest hurricanes to strike the country.

After crossing Cuba, Fox emerged into the Atlantic Ocean with winds of , crossing central Andros and turning eastward though the Bahamas. On New Providence, the hurricane dropped of rainfall,

{| width=80%

|

  • Able
  • Baker
  • Charlie
  • Dog
  • Easy
  • Fox

|

|

|

|}

See also

  • 1952 Pacific hurricane season
  • 1952 Pacific typhoon season
  • Australian region cyclone seasons: 1951–52 1952–53
  • South Pacific cyclone seasons: 1951–52 1952–53
  • South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons: 1951–52 1952–53

References

  • Monthly Weather Review