1963 Atlantic hurricane season

The 1963 Atlantic hurricane season was a catastrophic yet average season in terms of tropical cyclone formation, with a total of ten nameable storms. The season officially began on June 15, 1963, and lasted until November 15, 1963. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The first system, an unnamed tropical storm, developed over the Bahamas on June 1.

In late July, Hurricane Arlene, developed between Cape Verde and the Lesser Antilles. The storm later impacted Bermuda, where strong winds resulted in about $300,000 (1963 USD) in damage. During the month of September, Tropical Storm Cindy caused wind damage and flooding in Texas, leaving three deaths and approximately $12.5 million in damage. Hurricane Edith passed through the Lesser Antilles and the eastern Greater Antilles, causing 10 deaths and about $43 million in damage, most of which occurred on Martinique.

The most significant and deadliest system of the season was Hurricane Flora, which peaked as a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. Drifting slowly and executing a cyclonic loop, Flora dropped very heavy rainfall in the Greater Antilles, including over in Cuba. Extreme flooding ensued, leaving behind at least 7,193 fatalities and about $773.4 million in damage. In October, Hurricane Ginny moved erratically offshore the Southeastern United States, though eventually, the extratropical remnants struck Nova Scotia. Ginny caused at least three deaths and $400,000 in damage in the United States alone. The final cyclone, Tropical Storm Helena, caused five deaths and over $500,000 in damage on Guadeloupe. Overall, the storms in this season caused at least 7,214 deaths and about $833.8 million in damage.

Season summary

thumb|right|Rainfall totals in the Greater Antilles from [[Hurricane Flora]]

The 1963 hurricane season officially began on June 15 and ended on November 15. It was an average season with ten tropical storms, slightly above the 1950–2000 average of 9.6 named storms. Seven of these reached hurricane status, which is above the 1950–2000 average of 5.9. 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 the threshold for tropical storm strength.

Systems

Unnamed tropical storm

Toward the end of May, a tropical disturbance moved northward from Panama toward the western Caribbean Sea. On May 31, a trough moved across eastern Cuba.

The disturbance dropped heavy rainfall across Cuba, reaching in Santiago de Cuba.

Hurricane Arlene

A tropical wave developed into a tropical depression at 18:00 UTC on July 31 while located about halfway between the Lesser Antilles and Cape Verde. and maximum winds reached . The hurricane began to weaken hours later, On August 8, after Arlene regenerated, residents in Bermuda were advised to not venture offshore on any vessel and rush all hurricane preparations to completion. In Bermuda, Arlene produced winds up to and a pressure of 974.5 mbar (hPa; ) was recorded during its passage. Tree limbs and power lines were downed across the island, a few small boats sank in rough seas and flooding was reported in some areas. Rainfall on Bermuda reached , and the hurricane produced an estimated storm surge. Damages across the island amounted to $300,000. A man drowned offshore Cameron while evacuating from an oil rig. The storm brought flooding to the southeastern Texas, particularly in and around Port Arthur. Two people drowned in the Port Acres area. Water entered 4,000 homes across Jefferson, Newton, and Orange counties. Overall, Cindy caused about $12.5 million in damage, of which $11.7 million stemmed from property damage. The depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Edith early the next day. Several hours later, Edith intensified into a hurricane. Around 00:00 UTC on September 25, the cyclone became a Category 2 hurricane just north of Barbados and peaked with winds of 100 mph (155 km/h). Seven hours later, Edith struck Saint Lucia at the same intensity. The storm traversed the eastern Caribbean Sea and weakened to a tropical storm early on September 26. Edith then turned northwestward and briefly became a hurricane again, but weakened to a tropical storm before making landfall near La Romana, Dominican Republic, at 10:00 UTC the next day. Interaction with land and an upper-level trough caused Edith to weaken considerably before it emerged into the Atlantic on September 28. Throughout the island, about 6,000 homes were demolished and 13,000 other were severely impacted. Winds up to caused significant damage on Dominica and strong winds on Saint Lucia ruined about half of the island's banana crop. Overall, Edith caused 10 deaths, all on Martinique, and approximately $46.6 million in damage. while strong winds caused severe effects to coconut, banana, and cocoa plantations, with 50% of the coconut trees destroyed and 11% severely damaged. About 2,750 houses were destroyed, while 3,500 others were impacted. The hurricane killed 24 people and resulted in $30.1 million damage. Six additional drowning fatalities occurred in Grenada. The slow movement of the storm resulted in record rainfall totals for the Greater Antilles. In Dominican Republic, over of land was flooded. Bridges and roads were significantly damaged, with many roads left unpassable for several months. The hurricane caused about $60 million in damage and over 400 deaths. In most areas, crops were entirely destroyed. Nearly all crops in southeastern Cuba were affected by strong winds and flooding. Many citizens were left stranded at the tops of their houses. Several entire houses were swept away by the flooding, and many roads and bridges were destroyed, resulting in major disruptions to communications. Throughout the country, the hurricane destroyed as many as 30,000 dwellings. Flora left at least 1,750 fatalities and $500 million in damage in Cuba. The depression intensified into Tropical Storm Ginny early on October 19. The next day, Ginny attained hurricane status, and approached North Carolina before looping to the southwest due to a ridge over New England. By October 22, Ginny crossed the Gulf Stream and intensified, developing an eye. Ginny turned sharply northward and later northeastward, paralleling the coast of the Southeastern United States. For eight days, the storm was within of the United States coastline. Moving farther offshore, Ginny gradually intensified and peaked with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 km/h) late on October 28. Later that day, Ginny made landfall in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, shortly before becoming extratropical. Its remnants dissipated on October 30 over the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

Early in its existence, Ginny dropped heavy rainfall across the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. In Florida and Georgia, Ginny produced above normal tides that caused minor damage and beach erosion. and in North Carolina, high tides caused minor flooding and destroyed one house. In Massachusetts, wind gusts reached in Nantucket, Ginny was the latest hurricane on record to affect Maine during a calendar year. During its passage, the storm brought an influx of cold air that produced up to of snow in northern Maine, killing two people. Offshore, many boats were damaged or ripped from their moorings; one person died from a heart attack while trying to rescue his boat.

Tropical Storm Helena

A tropical wave accompanied by a large area of convection moved westward in late October. On the Guadeloupe, the storm left 500 people homeless, killed 5 people, and seriously injured 14 others. Several boats were heavily damaged or sank. Damage was estimated at $500,000.

Other system

A tropical wave or trough of low-pressure developed into a tropical depression over the Bay of Campeche on September 23. The depression remained nearly stationary due to a frontal boundary over the northern Gulf of Mexico. On September 26, the depression struck the west coast of the Yucatán Peninsula and re-emerged into the Bay of Campeche on the following day. Ships near the area reported barometric pressures of less than but not gale-force winds. It is unknown if the depression remained a tropical cyclone beyond September 27, though it may have become a subtropical cyclone on September 28. The remnants of the depression became extratropical and moved rapidly northeastward, crossing Florida on September 29 and then dissipating offshore the Northeastern United States by October 1.

Season effects

This is a table of all of the storms that formed in the 1963 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 1963 USD.

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References

External links

Monthly Weather Review