- 1960 Atlantic hurricane season
Infobox hurricane season
first storm formed=June 22 ,1960
last storm dissipated=September 27 ,1960
strongest storm=Donna - 932mbar (27.52inHg ), 160mph (260km/h )
total storms=7
major storms=2
total daUSD )
$2.6 billion (2005 USD)
total fatalities=385
basin=Atlantic hurricane
five seasons=1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962 The 1960 Atlantic hurricane season officially began onJune 15 ,1960 , [United Press International . [http://www.thehurricanearchive.com/Viewer.aspx?] Retrieved on
2008-06-06 .] and lasted untilNovember 15 ,1960 . [United Press International . [http://www.thehurricanearchive.com/Viewer.aspx?] Retrieved on
2008-06-06 .] These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when mosttropical cyclone s form in theAtlantic basin . The season had below-average activity, with only seven total storms.The most notable storm of the season was
Hurricane Donna , which reached Category 5 status on theSaffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale and was the longest-lasting major hurricane in the history of theAtlantic basin . It was the worst storm to strike Florida in ten years, causing six direct deaths, and causing $387 million in damage ($2.4 billion in 2000 dollars).Also, Ethel reached Category 5 strength very briefly before falling apart prior to landfall in
Mississippi . This marks the first of only four seasons that two or more Category 5 hurricanes were officially recorded (the others being the 1961, 2005 and 2007 seasons); it remains the only season with two "consecutive" Category 5 hurricanes.torms
Tropical Storm One
Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=Atl
Track=1960 Atlantic tropical storm 1 track.png
Formed=June 22
Dissipated=June 29
1-min winds=40
Pressure=1002The southern portion of a strong westerly trough developed into a tropical depression in theBay of Campeche onJune 22 . It moved northwestward, strengthening into a tropical storm the next day and hitting convert|30|mi|km south ofCorpus Christi, Texas as a convert|45|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on storm. The storm looped over southernTexas , dumping heavy rain over the area. It moved slowly northward, and eventually dissipated overIllinois on the 29th. Though weak, the storm caused $3.6 million in damage (1960 dollars) and 15 deaths.Hurricane Abby
Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=Atl
Track=Abby 1960 track.png
Formed=July 10
Dissipated=July 16
1-min winds=85The tropical depression that became Hurricane Abby developed east of theLesser Antilles onJuly 10 , likely from a tropical wave. As it crossed the islands, it rapidly strengthened into a hurricane that night. Abby remained disorganized while crossing theCaribbean Sea , and weakened back to a tropical storm on the 13th. It became better organized while approaching the coast of British Honduras, now known asBelize , and reached a peak of convert|85|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on before hitting the country on the 15th. Abby dissipated the next day overMexico , after causing around $600,000 (1960 USD) in damage, and killing six inSt. Lucia . Abby's remnants crossed over into the Pacific and later become Hurricane Celeste.Tropical Storm Brenda
Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=Atl
Track=Brenda 1960 track.png
Formed=July 28
Dissipated=August 1
1-min winds=50A weak circulation in the eastern Gulf of Mexico developed into a tropical depression onJuly 28 . It moved rapidly northeastward, becoming a tropical storm the next day while over southeastern Georgia. Brenda reached her peak of convert|60|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on on the 30th while paralleling the eastern seaboard. It moved northward throughNew England , where it became extratropical on the 31st. Brenda caused an estimated $5 million (1960 dollars) in damage to westernFlorida . Brenda also destroyed many trees.Hurricane Cleo
Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=Atl
Track=Cleo 1960 track.png
Formed=August 17
Dissipated=August 21
1-min winds=80The precursor to Hurricane Cleo was a trough of low pressure that developed into a tropical cyclone onAugust 17 . Cleo, a small storm, became a hurricane on the 18th as it moved northeastward. After reaching a peak of convert|90|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on, cooler waters and upper-level winds weakened it steadily until its dissipation on the 21st.Hurricane Donna
Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=Atl
Track=Donna 1960 track.png
Formed=August 29
Dissipated=September 14
1-min winds=140
Pressure=932Hurricane Donna was the most destructive hurricane of the season. After reaching Category 5 strength in the open ocean in early September, it passed north of theGreater Antilles as aCategory 4 . Donna hit theFlorida Keys ,Fort Myers, Florida , theOuter Banks , and finallyLong Island ,New York , onSeptember 12 . Donna caused $400 million in damage (1950 dollars, $3.3 billion in 2005 dollars), and caused 364 deaths, of which 148 were directly caused by the storm.Hurricane Ethel
Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=Atl
Track=Ethel 1960 track.png
Formed=September 14
Dissipated=September 17
1-min winds=140
Pressure=981Hurricane Ethel formed in the Gulf of Mexico onSeptember 14 and intensified rapidly, reaching Category 5 strength that evening just south of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The storm weakened to a tropical storm the next morning after brushing lowerPlaquemines Parish, Louisiana with hurricane-force winds. Ethel made landfall as a tropical storm on theMississippi Gulf Coast, causing just $1 million US ($6 million adjusted for inflation) in damage.Tropical Storm Florence
Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=Atl
Track=Florence 1960 track.png
Formed=September 17
Dissipated=September 27
1-min winds=40A large area of shower activity north ofPuerto Rico developed into a tropical depression onSeptember 17 . It became a tropical storm the next day, but unfavorable conditions weakened Florence back to a depression. It looped overCuba on the 22nd, and moved northeastwards overFlorida . A ridge of high pressure forced Florence back westward where, after moving across the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, it dissipated over Mississippi on the 27th.torm names
The following names were used for named storms (tropical storms and hurricanes) that formed in the North Atlantic in 1960. Names that were not assigned are marked in tcname unused.
Retirement
The name Donna was later retired.
See also
*
List of Atlantic hurricanes
*List of Atlantic hurricane seasons References
External links
* [http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/general/lib/lib1/nhclib/mwreviews/1960.pdf Monthly Weather Review]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.