1968 Atlantic hurricane season

The 1968 Atlantic hurricane season was a below average hurricane season during which only nine nameable storms developed. The season officially began on June 1 and lasted until November 30, dates which conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. Of the named storms, five strengthened into hurricanes; none however intensified into a major hurricane. Only four other seasons since the start of the satellite era—1972, 1986, 1994, and 2013—did not feature a major hurricane. The first system, Hurricane Abby, developed in the northwestern Caribbean on June 1. Abby moved northward and struck Cuba, bringing heavy rainfall and flooding to western portions of the island. Making landfall in Florida on June 4, Abby caused flooding and spawned four tornadoes, but left behind little damage. Overall, the hurricane resulted in six deaths and about $450,000 (1968 USD) in damage. In late June, Tropical Storm Candy brought minor flooding and spawned several tornadoes across portions of the Southern United States. Overall damage from the cyclone reached approximately $2.7 million. 1968 featured two simultaneously active tropical storms during the month of June, a phenomenon that would not occur again until 2023.

Despite three named storms in June, cyclone activity slowed throughout the subsequent month, with only one tropical depression. During late August and early September, Tropical Depression Eleven brought flooding to the Jacksonville area of Florida. Hurricane Gladys, the final and also the strongest named storm of the season, developed in the southwestern Caribbean Sea on October 13. Peaking as a Category 2 on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale, the system resulted in flooding across western Cuba, particularly in Havana, where the storm caused six deaths and about $12 million in damage. Rough seas, gusty winds, tornadoes, and heavy rainfall resulted in generally minor impact in Florida, with three fatalities and damage totaling $6.7 million. Gladys also provided relief for one of North Carolina's worst droughts. Several other storms left negligible impact on land. Overall, the storms of the season collectively caused approximately $21.9 million in damage and killed 17 people.

Season summary

The Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, compared to the 1966–2009 average of 11.3 named storms. Five of these reached hurricane strength, 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 tropical storm strength.

Systems

Hurricane Abby

The interaction of a mid-tropospheric trough and a cold front spawned a tropical depression on June 1. The initial circulation was not embedded within the convection, but as it moved slowly north-northeastward, it was able to strengthen and become better organized, reaching tropical storm strength on June 2. It crossed the western tip of Cuba, and upon reaching the southeast Gulf of Mexico, Abby gradually strengthened. It attained winds of 65 mph (100 km/h) prior to landfall near Punta Gorda, Florida, on June 4. Abby moved across the state and then reached the western Atlantic, where it briefly attained hurricane status late on June 5. On June 6, it weakened and made another landfall near Fernandina Beach with winds of 65 mph (100 km/h). Abby weakened to a tropical depression as it moved over Georgia, and over the next six days, it drifted over The Carolinas, finally dissipating on June 13 east of Virginia.

As Abby crossed Cuba, moderate rainfall and relatively high winds were reported. However, the rain was almost entirely beneficial, as Florida was suffering from a severe drought. Despite winds gusts up to , no significant wind damage was reported. Abby spawned several tornadoes in Florida, though losses rarely exceeded $5,000. Overall, the storm caused approximately $450,000 in damage and led to six indirect fatalities. reaching as far north as New Hampshire. Overall, Candy caused $2.7 million in damage and no fatalities.

Unnamed tropical storm

An upper-level trough and attendant frontal boundary moved into the western Atlantic on September 8. The next day, an area of low pressure formed on the tail-end of this front and began to organize as it moved westward. Surface observations suggested the formation of a tropical depression by 00:00 UTC on September 10. The newly formed system curved north-northeast in advance of another trough and intensified into a tropical storm while passing offshore the Carolinas. On September 11, it attained peak winds of 65 mph (100 km/h), a strength it maintained while making landfall in Long Island, New York, around 10:00 UTC that day. A few hours later, the storm transitioned into an extratropical cyclone as it became intertwined with a front. It crossed Newfoundland into the North Atlantic, interacting with another non-tropical low before dissipating on September 17. Tropical storm-force winds overspread Long Island and Connecticut, including a peak measurement of 58 mph (93 km/h) at Falkner Island. While passing west of the Florida Keys, the hurricane produced strong winds that briefly cut communications to the Dry Tortugas, but damage was minor. Near where Gladys made landfall, winds gusted to and tides reached 6.5 ft (2.0 m) above normal. There was heavy beach erosion and flooding along the coast,

Other systems

thumb|upright=.55|Rainfall totals associated with the August tropical depression

A total of four tropical/subtropical cyclones remained below tropical/subtropical storm strength during the 1968 season.

On August 26, a tropical depression developed in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Drifting northeastward, the depression was situated offshore Central Florida on August 28, shortly before it trekked southward and made three landfalls in Florida near Clearwater, Holmes Beach, and Venice. By early on August 29, the depression began moving northeast to north-northeastward across the state. Late on August 31, the system emerged into the Atlantic Ocean near Atlantic Beach and dissipated shortly thereafter. Due to the depression's slow movement across Florida, Further south in Daytona Beach, a tornado destroyed a motel and several homes. A storm was named Candy for the first time in 1968. Also, the name Edna was used this season after a 14 year retirement from the naming list on account of Hurricane Edna in 1954; the name was later permanently retired, as the 1954 hurricane was still an active subject of research.

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Abby
Brenda
Candy
Dolly
Edna
Frances
Gladys

Season effects

This is a table of all of the storms that formed in the 1968 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 1968 USD.

Notes

References

External links

Monthly Weather Review