Hurricane Ginny was a strong and erratic tropical cyclone that paralleled the East Coast of the United States before making landfall in Nova Scotia, in Maritime Canada, in October 1963. The eighth tropical storm, as well as the seventh and final hurricane of the 1963 Atlantic hurricane season, Ginny developed on October 16 over the Bahamas, although it was not initially a fully tropical cyclone. As it moved to the North and later northwest, Ginny intensified to hurricane status as it became more tropical. For eight days, it was located within of the United States coastline. After approaching North Carolina, Ginny looped to the southwest and approached within of the Florida coastline. It turned to the North, to the East, and later to the northeast, strengthening late in its duration to peak Category 2 winds of 110 mph (175 km/h). The system made landfall in Nova Scotia at near-peak intensity on October 29, then became an extratropical cyclone shortly afterwards. It was the strongest tropical cyclone on record to make landfall in Canada while maintaining tropical characteristics. <!--Hurricane Fiona in 2022 made landfall in Canada at a stronger intensity, but lost tropical characteristics prior to landfall.-->
Although it remained close to the United States coastline, its impact was minor. Beach erosion and light rainfall was reported along much of the coastline, although the precipitation was beneficial in ending droughts in South Carolina and New England. High waves destroyed one house in North Carolina. Damage was heaviest in New England, where several buildings were damaged and thousands were left without power. The passage of Ginny resulted in a snow storm across eastern New England, particularly in northern Maine, where it killed two people. In Atlantic Canada, the extratropical storm produced high wind and waves, causing damage to boats and resulting in power outages.
Meteorological history
thumb|Hurricane Ginny as seen on radar on October 24, 1963 off the coast of [[Florida.]]
The origins of Hurricane Ginny were from a trough that extended from the Bahamas to Bermuda in the middle of October. although initially it was not tropical in nature due to the widespread presence of cold air. The system initially moved generally northward, attaining gale–force winds on October 19 as it turned to the northwest. For several days, Ginny maintained a hybrid-type structure, and although it attained winds of on October 20, it was not a true hurricane. By early on October 22, Hurricane Hunters indicated that Ginny completed the transition into a fully tropical cyclone, observing an eye 20 mi (32 km) in diameter. It gradually intensified, reaching peak winds of 110 mph (175 km/h) on October 29. Later that day, Ginny made landfall near Yarmouth, Nova Scotia while only weakening slightly with sustained winds of 105 mph (165 km/h), making it the strongest tropical cyclone known to have made landfall in Canada. Ginny became extratropical shortly thereafter, and its remnants dissipated on October 30 in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.
Impact
thumb|180 px|Ginny's [[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation across the United States]]
Early in its duration, the precursor to Ginny dropped high amounts of rainfall. Monción in the Dominican Republic reported , and Green Turtle Cay in the Bahamas reported .
Despite Ginny's proximity to the United States for over a week, a hurricane warning was only issued from Charleston, South Carolina, and Cape Fear, North Carolina, as well as Cape Hatteras. This represented about one-sixth of the entire coastline that was threatened by the storm. In Jacksonville, Florida, Ginny produced winds of . Tides in Daytona Beach were above normal, which caused beach erosion and minor property damage. Further north, minor damage and beach erosion was likewise reported in Georgia. which alleviated the state's worst drought conditions on record. The rainfall peaked at in Isle of Pines. These were the highest winds related to the hurricane, Tides along the coast were above normal, In Virginia, the hurricane caused minor flooding and minimal beach erosion. During Ginny's first approach through the region, it produced gale-force winds along the Virginia coast, although it did not do so during its second approach.
Later, a gale warning was issued for New England due to Ginny's threat, Rainfall in eastern New England surpassed , Along Cape Cod and in Maine, high winds from the storm downed several trees, some of which fell onto power lines. Several small buildings in the state were destroyed, and the post office in Calais, Maine lost its roof. Ginny was the latest hurricane on record to affect Maine. During its passage, Ginny brought an influx of cold air over New England that produced the first snowfall of the season across Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire. In most locations, the snow quickly melted, although higher totals occurred in northern Maine, the highest being on Mount Katahdin. The snow killed a mountain climber and a park ranger.
See also
- List of New England hurricanes
- List of hurricanes in Canada