- Hurricane Connie
Infobox Hurricane
Name=Hurricane Connie
Type=hurricane
Year=1955
Basin=Atl
Image location=Hurricane Connie Radar.gif
Formed=August 3 ,1955
Dissipated=August 15 ,1955
1-min winds=125
Pressure=936
Da
Inflated=0
Fatalities=20 direct
Areas=North Carolina ,Virginia ,Maryland ,Pennsylvania ,New Jersey ,New York ,New England
Hurricane season=1955 Atlantic hurricane season Hurricane Connie was the first in a series of
hurricanes to strikeNorth Carolina during the1955 Atlantic hurricane season . Connie struck as aCategory 2 , causing major flooding and inflicting extensive damage to theOuter Banks and inland to Raleigh.Meteorological history
The precursor to Hurricane Connie was a tropical wave that moved across the Tropical Atlantic. A surface circulation was reported by ships on
August 3 , and a tropical depression was born. It became a tropical storm later that day, but much of the convection was located to the north of the circulation due to the rapid west-northwest movement of the storm. As it slowed down, another circulation reformed to the northeast, and Connie rapidly strengthened on the 5th to a 135 mph Category 4 hurricane.The hurricane passed to the north of the
Lesser Antilles onAugust 6 as it reached its peak intensity of 145 mph winds, causing rain and heavy surf. Connie retained this intensity for the next 4 days, but with high pressure to its north, it moved slowly towards theNorth Carolina coast. Upwelling, cool air above it, and dry air to the north weakened Connie greatly, causing a minimal hurricane landfall on the 12th nearMorehead City, North Carolina .Connie remained a tropical storm well inland until
Pennsylvania , where it quickly declined until dissipation onAugust 15 over theGreat Lakes .Impact
Although Connie moved northeast of
Puerto Rico and theU.S. Virgin Islands , moderate to heavy rains fell across those island groups. Once it struck theUnited States , Connie caused extensive flooding in theMid-Atlantic states andNew England . WhenHurricane Diane struck five days later, the rainfall from Connie contributed to Diane'sflood -related destruction and loss of life. Rivers and streams throughoutConnecticut rapidly overflowed their banks on19 August 1955 . DowntownWinsted, Connecticut was half destroyed when the Mad River flooded. In [http://1955flood.myphotoalbum.com Waterbury, Connecticut] , the Naugatuck River carried away entire tenements. Eighty-seven people died inConnecticut , twenty nine of them in Waterbury. Damage is uncertain, but is estimated at $3.3 billion (2005 USD). Damage between Connie and Diane combined is between $700 million and $800 million (1955 USD).Retirement
The name Connie was retired and will not be used for an
Atlantic hurricane again.Media
See also
*
List of Atlantic hurricanes
*List of retired Atlantic hurricane names
* List of wettest tropical cyclones in MassachusettsExternal links
* [http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/connie1955.html HPC Rainfall Page on Connie]
* [http://www.usatoday.com/weather/huricane/wconnie.htm Report at USA TODAY]
* [http://www.courant.com/flood Flood of '55 from THE HARTFORD COURANT]
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