1965 Atlantic hurricane season

The 1965 Atlantic hurricane season was the first to use the modern-day bounds for an Atlantic hurricane season, which are June 1 to November 30. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. It was a slightly below average season, with 10 tropical cyclones developing and reaching tropical storm intensity. Four of the storms strengthened into hurricanes. One system reached major hurricane intensity – Category 3 or higher on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale. The first system, an unnamed tropical storm, developed during the month of June in the southern Gulf of Mexico. The storm moved northward across Central America, but caused no known impact in the region. It struck the Florida Panhandle and caused minor impact across much of the Southern United States. Tropical cyclogenesis halted for over two months, until Anna formed on August 21. The storm remained well away from land in the far North Atlantic Ocean and caused no impact.

Hurricane Betsy was the strongest and most devastating storm of the season. Extensive damage from Betsy was reported in the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana, particularly the New Orleans area. It was the first hurricane in the history of the United States to result in at least $1 billion (1965 USD) in losses. Hurricane Carol meandered in the eastern Atlantic for over two weeks from mid-September to very early October. Impact on land from Carol was minimal. In late September, Tropical Storm Debbie developed in the northwestern Caribbean and moved slowly across the region, before later reaching the Gulf of Mexico. The storm dissipated just offshore of Louisiana, which resulted in only minor impact along the Gulf Coast of the United States. The final tropical cyclone, Hurricane Elena, formed on October 12. Elena remained at sea for nearly a week and caused no damage on land. Collectively, the storms of the 1965 Atlantic hurricane season caused 76 fatalities and $1.68 billion in damage, almost entirely due to Hurricane Betsy.

Season summary

thumb|A close-up view of [[Hurricane Betsy's path through the Bahamas to the Florida Keys landfall|240x240px]]

This was the first Atlantic hurricane season to start on June 1 and end on November 30, which is the modern-day season bounds. A total of 13 tropical depressions formed. which was just slightly below the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 1950–2005 average of 11. Four of those tropical storms attained hurricane status, The storm began curving northeastward, and by early on June 15, it peaked with winds of .

At 1100 UTC on June 15, the storm made landfall near Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, at the same intensity. Inland, the storm continued northeastward and became extratropical over South Carolina at 0000 UTC on June 16. Tides along the coast of the Florida Panhandle were above normal. The storm brought sustained winds of 50 to 60 mph (85 to 105 km/h) with gusts up to at Alligator Point. Winds blew the roof off of two beach cottages on St. George Island, while tides sank or washed ashore several small boats. Two tornadoes were spawned in Florida, with one damaging houses and a mobile home in Live Oak. The storm also brought rainfall to several other states.

Hurricane Betsy

A tropical disturbance developed into a tropical depression on August 27, while well east of the Windward Islands. Betsy entered into the Gulf of Mexico later on September 8 and re-strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane on September 10, reaching a secondary peak with winds of . However, further intensification was halted after Betsy made landfall in Grand Isle, Louisiana, around 0400 UTC. In Louisiana, strong winds and rough seas caused extensive damage. Storm surge inundated the levees in New Orleans, flooding much of the city. Throughout the state, more than 22,000 homes were either damaged or destroyed, and 168,000 people were left without electricity. The storm caused more than 17,000 injuries and resulted in 58 deaths.

Early September tropical storm

A cold front moved eastward from North America into the western Atlantic Ocean on August 28. An extratropical low developed on August 31 over the north Atlantic, which degenerated into a trough three days later. On September 4, another extratropical storm developed, located about 800 mi (1,285 km) south of Newfoundland. The system attained gale-force winds a day later, and turned westward on September 6, steered by a building ridge to the north. On September 7, the storm transitioned into a tropical storm, after its wind field became more symmetrical. Later that day, the storm attain winds of , recorded by nearby ships. The storm turned to the east and northeast, crossing over its former path. On September 10, the tropical storm again transitioned into an extratropical storm, which later passed southeast of Newfoundland. The storm moved across the northern Atlantic Ocean, dissipating on September 13 southwest of Ireland. Carol then slowed and began turning north-northward. Later on September 20, a Navy reconnaissance flight confirmed a circulation and also measured hurricane-force winds. Thus, Carol was upgraded to a hurricane at 1800 UTC on September 20. After turning northeastward, Carol re-intensified into a hurricane on September 25. While passing northwest of the Azores, a weather station on Corvo Island reported a sustained wind speed of and a gust up to . The storm curved east-southeastward, weakened, and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone while located north of the Azores on September 30. The remnants of Carol turned southeastward and then southward before dissipating near the Canary Islands on October 3.

Tropical Storm Debbie

A low-pressure area developed into a weak tropical depression on September 24 off the north coast of Honduras in the western Caribbean Sea. It was initially disorganized, without a well-developed circulation. Without intensifying further, the depression crossed the northeastern Yucatán Peninsula on September 26. The next day, the depression turned toward the north in the central Gulf of Mexico before beginning a northeast motion. As Debbie approached the northern Gulf Coast, it failed to intensify, despite warm sea surface temperatures, abundant moisture, and an anticyclone aloft. In addition, the storm never developed good outflow, partially due to stable air related to Tropical Storm Hazel in the eastern Pacific Ocean. After maintaining peak winds for about 12 hours, Debbie weakened due to cooler, drier air,

The precursor to Debbie produced heavy rainfall across the western Caribbean Sea. Swan Island off the north coast of Honduras reported in a 24-hour period. Along the gulf coast of the United States, the threat of the storm prompted the evacuation of oil platforms, as well as thousands of residents in low-lying areas of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. In New Orleans, storm tides reached . High tides inundated roads and highways in southeastern Louisiana. Despite being a weak storm, Debbie dropped heavy rainfall along the coast, causing the worst traffic jam on record in the city. Hundreds of cars were flooded, and more than 200 people had to leave their inundated homes. Damage in the city was estimated at $25 million, which was the only significant damage from the storm.

Late September tropical storm

On September 25, a cold front emerged into the western Atlantic Ocean and stalled. An extratropical storm developed along the front on September 29 to the southeast of the Carolinas. The storm moved quickly east-northeastward and quickly intensified to near hurricane intensity. On September 30, the storm passed north of Bermuda, producing winds of there. On October 1, the system reversed its track, weakened slightly, and became more symmetric. By October 2, the strongest winds were located near the circulation center, based on nearby ship reports. Based on the observations, the Atlantic hurricane reanalysis project estimated that the system transitioned into a tropical storm on this day, although the storm could have been a subtropical cyclone. Around that time, maximum sustained winds were estimated at . The storm moved to the north and northeast ahead of a cold front. On October 3, the front absorbed the storm. The Bahia Mar marina in Fort Lauderdale recorded of precipitation, while at least of rain fell in a roughly triangular-shaped area bounded by Loxahatchee, West Palm Beach, and Hollywood. Floodwaters inundated and damaged many roads throughout southeast Florida. An estimated 75% of crops in eastern Palm Beach County were lost, equivalent to approximately $4.5 million in damage. After the system became a tropical storm and approached the coast of Florida, storm gale warnings were issued from Cape Kennedy, Florida, to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Wind gusts close to were recorded near Jacksonville. The storm caused several power outages in the Jacksonville area but left little damage.

A tropical wave approached the Leeward Islands on August 6. Two days later, a ship just east of the islands reported winds of about away from the center of the tropical wave, indicating the presence of a closed circulation, and thus, a tropical depression formed. The depression emerged into the eastern Caribbean and then quickly dissipated. This was the same list used for the 1961 season, except for Carol, Elena, and Holly, which replaced Carla, Esther and Hattie, respectively. A storm was named Elena for the first time in 1965.

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Anna
Betsy
Carol
Debbie
Elena

Retirement

The name Betsy was retired following the season due to the storm's extent and severity of impacts. Also, the name Carol, used after a 10-year hiatus from the naming list on account of Hurricane Carol in 1954, was permanently retired in the spring of 1969. They were replaced with Blanche and Camille for use in the 1969 season.

Season effects

This is a table of all of the storms that formed in the 1965 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 1965 USD.

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References

External links

Monthly Weather Review