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The 1957 Atlantic hurricane season featured one of the longest-travelling tropical cyclones in the Atlantic basin, Hurricane Carrie. Nevertheless, the season was generally inactive, with eight tropical storms – two of which went unnamed – and three hurricanes, two of which intensified further to attain major hurricane intensity. The season officially began on June 15 and ended on November 15, though the year's first tropical cyclone developed prior to the start of the season on June 8. The final storm dissipated on October 27, well before the official end of the season. The strongest hurricane of the year was Carrie, which reached the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale on two separate occasions in the open Atlantic; Carrie later caused the sinking of the German ship Pamir southwest of the Azores, resulting in 80 deaths.
In total, the season resulted in at least 513 fatalities and $152.5 million in damages. Hurricane Audrey was the season's most destructive and deadly storm, causing 416 deaths and about $150 million in damages. Audrey made landfall just east of Sabine Pass, Texas, in the U.S. state of Louisiana as a strong Category 3 hurricane in late June. Three other tropical storms in the year made landfalls along the Gulf Coast of the United States, bringing heavy rains that resulted in widespread flooding across much of the Southeastern United States. The highest rainfall total measured associated with a tropical cyclone was in Quarantine, Louisiana, during Tropical Storm Esther. However, an unofficial reading of was measured in an unknown location in the Florida Panhandle during Tropical Storm One. It was a below-average season in which eight tropical cyclones formed, of which three became hurricanes. By contrast, only one tropical storm formed in October, below the average of two in the month. This tropical storm dissipated on October 27, 16 days before the official end of the hurricane season on November 15.
The season's activity was reflective with an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 84, which is categorized as being "near normal." However, this was under the 1950–2000 average of 96.1. ACE is, broadly speaking, a measure of the power of hurricanes 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 cyclones with winds exceeding 39 mph (63 km/h), which is tropical storm strength.
Systems
Unnamed June tropical storm
An area of disturbed weather accompanied by low barometric pressure was first identified near the Yucatán Peninsula on June 7. Reports from the following day in the region reported pressures that were indicative of a developing tropical cyclone, and at 06:00 UTC, the disturbance attained tropical storm strength, the first of the season. Though hurricane reconnaissance flights could not locate a well-defined center, ship observations showed that the tropical storm was moving quickly to the northeast. However, the system gradually strengthened as it crossed the Florida peninsula, reentering the North Atlantic later that day. In Perry, Florida, 100–200 families were evacuated due to the floodwater. Field crops, including tobacco and watermelon, were damaged, with flood damage estimated at $30,000. The storm also spawned ten tornadoes, with nine in northeastern Florida and one on Georgia's Jekyll Island. All of these tornadoes were relatively weak and caused minor damage, totaling to $12,000. At the coast, the tropical storm's strong winds generated waves high, which caused moderate damage. The cabin cruiser Kinnebar capsized in the Gulf of Mexico due to the waves, and five of the seven crew on board drowned; these were the only deaths associated with the system. Coastal damages due to storm surge amounted to $10,000, and overall the storm caused $52,000 in damages across the southeastern United States. A nearby trough aided the intensification of the system, and it developed into a tropical depression on June 24, while remaining generally stationary in the Bay of Campeche. Situated in an area of favorable upper-air divergence and warm waters, Heavy rainfall also caused flooding, peaking at west of Basile, Louisiana. Rainfall was concentrated particularly in the Atchafalaya Basin. In Texas, effects of the storm were much less severe, but the storm still caused $8 million in damages, primarily as a result of strong winds. Further inland, the weakening hurricane spawned tornadoes and caused additional flooding in conjunction with a frontal boundary. In total, the storm caused $152 million in damages and at least 416 deaths. Early on August 10, Bertha came ashore near Cameron, Louisiana. at the same intensity. After landfall, the storm moved northward due to a strong high-pressure system and weakened over land, though the two people on board at the time were evacuated by helicopter. At the coast, the maximum storm surge height measured was at the Schooner Bayou Control Structure. Across Arkansas, the heavy rains triggered flash floods after numerous rivers exceeded flood stage. The flash floods caused property damage in cities adjacent to rivers. Though damage estimates were difficult to accurately obtain, four Arkansas counties reported combined losses of $925,000, though hurricane reconnaissance flights in the area were postponed due to damage sustained by one of the aircraft. As it was transitioning into an extratropical cyclone southwest of the Azores, the German ship Pamir encountered the storm and capsized on September 21, resulting in the deaths of 80 crew members on board. The hurricane's long duration and path in open water also helped it attain a number of Atlantic hurricane records.
Tropical Storm Debbie
On September 5, a weak easterly wave moved into the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean Sea due to the influence of an upper-level trough. The tropical storm only caused minor damage, but was indirectly responsible for four deaths.
Unnamed October tropical storm
On October 22, an area of thunderstorm activity developed north of the Lesser Antilles, and barometric pressures fell throughout the region. The following day, a cut-off low developed and strengthened along the edge of a trough extending from Bermuda. This was a completely new set of names, thus every name used this season was used for the first (and only, in the case of Audrey) time.
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- Audrey
- Bertha
- Carrie
- Debbie
- Esther
- Frieda
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Retirement
Due to the extensive damage and high fatalities, the name Audrey was retired by the U.S. Weather Bureau after the 1957 season. The name will never be used to name another Atlantic hurricane.
See also
- 1957 Pacific hurricane season
- 1957 Pacific typhoon season
- Australian region cyclone seasons: 1956–57 1957–58
- South Pacific cyclone seasons: 1956–57 1957–58
- South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons: 1956–57 1957–58