1962 Atlantic hurricane season

The 1962 Atlantic hurricane season was the least active since 1946, with only seven named storms. The season officially began on June 15, while the first tropical storm developed on June 30. No further activity occurred until late August, when Hurricane Alma brushed the Outer Banks before becoming extratropical southeast of New England, destroying hundreds of boats and producing beneficial rainfall. Around that time, Tropical Storm Becky developed unusually far east in the Atlantic Ocean, becoming the easternmost storm on record to recurve to the northeast. Celia followed in the September, forming east of the Lesser Antilles and executing a loop near Bermuda before dissipating. Hurricane Daisy was the costliest of the season, leaving about $1.1 million in damage in New England (1962 USD). The storm dropped the highest rainfall total on record in Maine, and its precipitation caused 22 traffic fatalities. Ella, the strongest storm of the season, remained offshore of the eastern United States but caused two deaths. The final system, an unnamed hurricane, formed on November 28 and meandered erratically off the Southeastern United States before becoming extratropical on December 4.

In addition to the seven named storms, there were two non-developing tropical depressions. The first struck Texas in August, causing street flooding and killing three. The second formed off the west coast of Florida and flooded widespread areas after 1 in 100 year rainfall. The floods affected 5,000 houses and caused millions in damage. The season officially ended on November 15.

Season activity

The hurricane season officially began on June 15, 1962. The National Hurricane Center began operations with no new equipment, and the warning agency instead opted to improve with the existing equipment. The agency had access to a system of radars that extended from Brownsville, Texas, to Eastport, Maine, which was set up in 1961. Although satellite imagery technology was available, the system was not fully active to provide daily images of Atlantic hurricanes. The season officially ended on November 15.

During the season, four hurricanes developed from seven named storms. This was below the average of 10 storms per season, Four of the five storms developed from the Intertropical Convergence Zone. The decreased activity is partially due to the westerlies extending further south than usual, as well as a persistent ridge. In addition, temperatures in the eastern United States were cooler than usual.

The only region of the United States threatened by hurricanes was New England, although no stations recorded hurricane-force winds in the country. Overall damage was the lowest in several years.

While in its formative stages, the storm dropped torrential rainfall in coastal portions of North Carolina, causing locally heavy crop damage. Cedar Island reported of rainfall in an 18-hour period; at the time, it was the second-highest single-day rainfall total. There, the storm tide was above normal, which resulted in some erosion. Damage in the state amounted to $35,000. Tides reached above normal, which resulted in minor coastal flooding. However, Alma produced strong waves that destroyed over 100 boats. Damage from the storm was estimated at less than $1 million, though its rains were beneficial to drought-stricken areas of New England. although there were no deaths. After moving by the region, Alma turned to the southeast due to a high-pressure system to its north. It became extratropical on August 30.

Tropical Storm Becky

A tropical disturbance emerged from Africa in late August and developed into a weak tropical depression on August 27. For about 30 hours, the system affected the Cape Verde islands with rainfall, during which it moved slowly to the west and west-northwest. Late on August 28, it was estimated that the depression intensified into a tropical storm. The next day, satellite imagery observed a well-developed tropical cyclone in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean. In addition, a ship reported winds of force 9 on the Beaufort scale, suggesting winds of . On that basis, the Weather Bureau initiated advisories on Tropical Storm Becky, despite the agency only issuing advisories for storms west of 35° W. Around that time, the storm moved over an area of anomalously warm water temperatures, which allowed for its intensification. On August 30, Becky turned to the north and northeast due to an approaching trough, becoming the easternmost cyclone since 1886 that a storm began a motion to the north. A hurricane hunters flight on August 31 indicated that Becky became extratropical about south of Santa Maria Island in the Azores. The storm's remnants continued to the northeast, dissipating on September 1 about west of Spain. this was the state's highest tropical cyclone rainfall total between 1950 and 2011. Across the region, the rains caused widespread flood damage. In Maine, wind gusts reaching destroyed hundreds of small boats, along with high waves from the storm. In New England, Daisy left five injuries, one direct death, and about $1.1 million in damage. In Nova Scotia, winds gusted to , which destroyed three boats and left two towns without power service. Rough seas killed six people in the province.

Hurricane Ella

In the middle of October, an area of disturbed weather persisted across the Turks and Caicos Islands, associated with an upper-level low. On October 14, a tropical depression developed and moved northward. A day after forming, it intensified into Tropical Storm Ella as it began a track to the northwest, located east of a weakening upper-level trough. On October 17, Ella strengthened further into a hurricane as an anticyclone was gradually developing. An approaching trough turned the hurricane to the east-northeast on October 19, and later that day Ella attained its peak intensity of ; that made it the strongest hurricane of the season. It gradually weakened over cooler waters while accelerating to the northeast, and its eye grew to an unusually large diameter of . Ella became extratropical on October 22 over the northern Atlantic as it interacted with an approaching cold front. Shortly thereafter its remnants moved over Newfoundland before dissipating on October 23. Early in its duration, Hurricane Ella briefly threatened to strike the North Carolina coastline. Although it remained offshore, the hurricane produced significant beach erosion along the coast. There were two associated deaths from a missing motor boat that left Charleston, South Carolina. There was no damage in Canada from its remnants.

Hurricane Ten

On November 25, a cold front was stalled over the western Atlantic Ocean. A day later, an extratropical storm producing hurricane-force winds developed about south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The storm remained nearly stationary for several days near the coast, drifting westward and later to the south. On November 27, the storm's wind structure became more symmetric, with an inner core developing inside the larger extratropical low. Based on ship reports near the center, the system transitioned into a hurricane early on November 28; due to its interaction with the extratropical storm, the system was potentially a subtropical cyclone, although the lack of satellite imagery prevented such a classification. By later on November 28, the hurricane weakened to a tropical storm, affected by wind shear. By that point, the storm had turned to the east, followed by a turn to the northwest and later west-southwest on the next day. Late on November 30, satellite imagery indicated an eye-like feature in the center of the storm. A day later, the storm re-intensified into a hurricane, reaching its peak intensity of 90 mph (150 km/h). On December 2, the hurricane turned back to the southwest as it made its closest approach to the Outer Banks. Stronger wind shear caused the hurricane to weaken to a tropical storm again on December 3, as an approaching cold front steered the storm northeastward. Two days later, the storm transitioned back into an extratropical storm to the east of the Outer Banks, briefly regaining hurricane intensity on December 5. A day later, a larger extratropical storm over the northeastern United States absorbed the former hurricane. On August 29 as the depression moved ashore, heavy rainfall caused street flooding in Cameron, Louisiana. Two tornadoes were reported in the town, one of which produced winds of . and there were three deaths.

thumb|upright=.55|Tropical depression total rainfall map, September 20–23

An upper-level low spawned a tropical depression off the west coast of Florida on September 20. The depression moved very slowly to the north-northwest, which produced heavy rainfall from Naples to Tampa, Florida. The highest total was in Sarasota, although precipitation of over extended into Georgia and extreme southern South Carolina. A developing cyclone off the Carolinas caused the dissipation of the depression on September 23. The rains resulted in of floodwaters across western Florida, and both the Manatee River and the Phillippi Creek experienced record crests. The flooding entered over 5,000 houses, which forced the evacuation of more than 100 families. The floods also caused schools to close in three counties. In addition, floodwaters affected thousands of acres of farmlands in six counties, and some did not dry out for several weeks. A storm was named Celia for the first time this season.

{| width=90%

Alma
Becky
Celia
Daisy
Ella

Season effects

This is a table of all of the storms that formed in the 1962 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 1962 USD.

</div>

References

External links

Monthly Weather Review