1963 Atlantic hurricane season
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The 1963 Atlantic hurricane season featured one of the deadliest
tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
s on record in the
Atlantic basin The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe and ...
:
Hurricane Flora Hurricane Flora is among the deadliest Atlantic hurricanes in recorded history, with a death total of at least 7,193. The seventh tropical storm and sixth hurricane of the 1963 Atlantic hurricane season, Flora developed from a disturbance in th ...
. The season officially began on June 15, and lasted until November 15. 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 in terms of tropical storms, with a total of ten nameable storms. The first system, an unnamed tropical storm, developed over the
Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
on June 1. In late July,
Hurricane Arlene The name Arlene has been used for eleven tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean, making Arlene the most frequently used storm name in the basin. * Tropical Storm Arlene (1959), a tropical storm which brought flooding to Louisiana, killing one pers ...
, developed between
Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...
and the
Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc betwe ...
. The storm later impacted
Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...
, where strong winds resulted in about $300,000 (1963  USD) in damage. Other storms such as hurricanes Beulah and Debra, as well as an unnamed tropical storm, did not impact land. During the month of September, Tropical Storm Cindy caused wind damage and flooding in
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, leaving three deaths and approximately $12.5 million in damage. Hurricane Edith passed through the Lesser Antilles and the eastern Greater Antilles, causing 10 deaths and about $43 million in damage, most of which occurred on
Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...
. The most significant storm of the season was
Hurricane Flora Hurricane Flora is among the deadliest Atlantic hurricanes in recorded history, with a death total of at least 7,193. The seventh tropical storm and sixth hurricane of the 1963 Atlantic hurricane season, Flora developed from a disturbance in th ...
, which peaked as a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. Drifting slowly and executing a cyclonic loop, Flora dropped very heavy rainfall in the
Greater Antilles The Greater Antilles ( es, Grandes Antillas or Antillas Mayores; french: Grandes Antilles; ht, Gwo Zantiy; jam, Grieta hAntiliiz) is a grouping of the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and ...
, including over in
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
. Extreme flooding ensued, leaving behind at least 7,193 fatalities and about $773.4 million in damage. Flora is thus listed among the deadliest Atlantic hurricanes on record. In October,
Hurricane Ginny Hurricane Ginny was the strongest recorded tropical cyclone to make landfall in Canada, as well as the latest hurricane on a calendar year to affect the U.S. state of Maine. The eighth tropical storm, as well as the seventh and final hurricane o ...
moved erratically offshore the
Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...
, though eventually, the extratropical remnants struck
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...
. Ginny caused at least three deaths and $400,000 in damage in the United States alone. The final cyclone, Tropical Storm Helena, caused five deaths and over $500,000 in damage on
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...
. Overall, the storms in this season caused at least 7,214 deaths and about $833.8 million in damage.


Season summary

ImageSize = width:800 height:200 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:80 right:20 left:20 Legend = columns:3 left:30 top:58 columnwidth:270 AlignBars = early DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/06/1963 till:07/11/1963 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMinor = grid:black unit:month increment:1 start:01/06/1963 Colors = id:canvas value:gray(0.88) id:GP value:red id:TD value:rgb(0.38,0.73,1) legend:Tropical_Depression_=_≤38_mph_(≤62_km/h) id:TS value:rgb(0,0.98,0.96) legend:Tropical_Storm_=_39–73_mph_(63–117_km/h) id:C1 value:rgb(1,1,0.80) legend:Category_1_=_74–95_mph_(118–153_km/h) id:C2 value:rgb(1,0.91,0.46) legend:Category_2_=_96–110_mph_(154–177_km/h) id:C3 value:rgb(1,0.76,0.25) legend:Category_3_=_111–129_mph_(178–208_km/h) id:C4 value:rgb(1,0.56,0.13) legend:Category_4_=_130–156_mph_(209–251_km/h) id:C5 value:rgb(1,0.38,0.38) legend:Category_5_=_≥157_mph_(≥252_km/h) Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas BarData = barset:Hurricane bar:Month PlotData= barset:Hurricane width:11 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till from:01/06/1963 till:04/06/1963 color:TS text:"One (TS)" from:31/07/1963 till:11/08/1963 color:C3 text: Arlene (C3) from:20/08/1963 till:27/08/1963 color:C3 text:"Beulah" (C3) from:09/09/1963 till:14/09/1963 color:C1 text:"Four (C1)" from:16/09/1963 till:20/09/1963 color:TS text: Cindy (TS) from:19/09/1963 till:24/09/1963 color:C1 text:"Debra" (C1) barset:break from:23/09/1963 till:27/09/1963 color:TD text:"Unnumbered (TD)" from:23/09/1963 till:29/09/1963 color:C2 text: Edith (C2) from:26/09/1963 till:11/10/1963 color:C4 text: Flora (C4) from:16/10/1963 till:29/10/1963 color:C2 text: Ginny (C2) from:25/10/1963 till:30/10/1963 color:TS text:"Helena" (TS) bar:Month width:5 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas from:01/06/1963 till:01/07/1963 text:June from:01/07/1963 till:01/08/1963 text:July from:01/08/1963 till:01/09/1963 text:August from:01/09/1963 till:01/10/1963 text:September from:01/10/1963 till:01/11/1963 text:October TextData = pos:(570,30) text:"(From the" pos:(617,30) text:" Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale)"
The 1963 hurricane season officially began on June 15 and ended on November 15. It was an average season with ten tropical storms, slightly above the 1950–2000 average of 9.6 named storms. Seven of these reached hurricane status, which is above the 1950–2000 average of 5.9. Furthermore, three storms reached major hurricane status, which is Category 3 or higher on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. Early in the season, activity was suppressed by an abnormally intense trough offshore the
East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...
as well as strong westerly winds. Later, tropical cyclone formation occurred more often after a portion of the trough weaken and easterly flow increased across much of the Atlantic. The tropical cyclones of the 1963 Atlantic hurricane season collectively caused at least 7,214 deaths and $833.8 million in damage. Tropical cyclogenesis began early, an unnamed tropical storm developing on June 1. However, activity ceased for nearly two months, before Arlene formed on July 31. Another system formed in August, Hurricane Beulah. September was much more active, with
Cindy Cindy may refer to: People *Cindy (given name), a list of people named Cindy, Cindi, Cyndi or Cyndy *Tugiyati Cindy (born 1985), Indonesian footballer Music * ''Cindy'' (musical), an off-Broadway production in 1964 and 1965 * "Cindy" (folk song ...
, Debra, an unnumbered tropical depression. Edith, and
Flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...
all developing in that month. Flora was the most intense tropical cyclone of the season, peaking as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 150 mph (240 km/h) and a minimum
barometric pressure Atmospheric pressure, also known as barometric pressure (after the barometer), is the pressure within the atmosphere of Earth. The standard atmosphere (symbol: atm) is a unit of pressure defined as , which is equivalent to 1013.25 millibars, 7 ...
of . There were two other system in October, Hurricane Ginny and Tropical Storm Helena; the latter dissipated on October 30. The season's activity was reflected with an above average
accumulated cyclone energy Accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) is a metric used by various agencies to express the energy released by a tropical cyclone during its lifetime. It is calculating by summing the square of a tropical cyclone's maximum sustained winds, measured ever ...
(ACE) rating of 113. 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 the threshold for tropical storm strength.


Systems


Tropical Storm One

Toward the end of May, a tropical disturbance moved northward from Panama toward the western Caribbean Sea. On May 31, a
trough Trough may refer to: In science * Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench * Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure * Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave * Trough level (medicine), the l ...
moved across eastern Cuba. On June 1, a tropical depression developed over the western Bahamas. Initially, the depression could have been a subtropical cyclone, due to an upper-level low located over the circulation. The depression moved to the northeast and later to the north, strengthening into a tropical storm on June 2. A day later, the storm attained peak winds of 60 mph (95 km/h); on the same day, the storm made landfall just west of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. By June 4, the storm weakened to a tropical depression as it continued northwestward through Virginia, Maryland, and finally Pennsylvania, where the depression degenerated into a trough. The disturbance dropped heavy rainfall across Cuba, reaching in Santiago de Cuba. The storm produced gusty winds along the eastern United States coast, from North Carolina through Maryland. Winds reached 40 mph (65 km/h) in Ocean City, Maryland and 39 mph (64 km/h) in
Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
. The latter city recorded of rainfall in a 24-hour period, setting a daily rainfall record for the location. Heavy rainfall reached as far north as
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...


Hurricane Arlene

A tropical wave developed into a tropical depression at 18:00 UTC on July 31 while located about halfway between the
Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc betwe ...
and
Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...
. It headed west, becoming Tropical Storm Arlene on August 2. Shortly thereafter, Arlene turned to the northeast and bypassed the
Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc betwe ...
. Around 00:00 UTC on August 5, Arlene weakened back to a tropical depression. Based on ship data and
reconnaissance aircraft A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially, a spy plane) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using photography), signals intelligence, as ...
flights being unable to locate a circulation, Arlene degenerated into a trough about 24 hours later. Observations from ships indicated that the system became a tropical depression again early on August 7. Several hours later, Arlene became a tropical storm again. While curving to the northeast on August 8, the cyclone intensified into a hurricane. Arlene intensified further on August 9 and was a strong Category 2 hurricane by the time it struck
Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...
with winds of 110 mph (175 km/h) at 15:30 UTC. Shortly thereafter, the system became a Category 3 hurricane and peaked with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h). Arlene weakened and lost tropical characteristics as it continued northeastward, becoming extratropical early on August 11 about southeast of Cape Race,
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
. The extratropical remnants turned east-southeastward and persisted for a few days, until dissipating just north of
Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...
on August 14. Several hurricane warnings and watches were issued for the Leeward Islands; however, no damage was reported on any of the islands. The storm had its greatest impact on Bermuda, where high winds and near-record rainfall of downed trees, power lines, and caused flooding. Damages across the island amounted to $300,000.


Hurricane Beulah

A
tropical wave A tropical wave (also called easterly wave, tropical easterly wave, and African easterly wave), in and around the Atlantic Ocean, is a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which ...
emerged into the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa on August 11. The system organized into a tropical depression early on August 20 about northeast of
Cayenne Cayenne (; ; gcr, Kayenn) is the capital city of French Guiana, an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic Oc ...
,
French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...
. On August 21, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Beulah while moving to the northwest. Later that day, the first
reconnaissance aircraft A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially, a spy plane) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using photography), signals intelligence, as ...
flight into the storm observed winds of . Based on another reconnaissance flight on August 22 observing a barometric pressure of , Beulah intensified into a hurricane around 18:00 UTC. The storm intensified into a Category 3 hurricane by early on August 24, at which time Beulah attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of . Radar imagery depicted an elliptical eye with a diameter of . Early on August 25, Beulah weakened significantly due to unfavorable conditions caused by an anticyclone to its south, falling to Category 1 intensity. After leveling off to sustained winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) several hours later, Beulah maintained this intensity for the next few days. Early on August 26, the hurricane turned northeastward under the influence of an upper-level trough offshore the
East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...
. At 00:00 UTC on August 28, the hurricane transitioned into an extratropical cyclone about east-southeast of Cape Race,
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
. The extratropical low eventually turned eastward towards western Europe. The remnants then moved erratically, striking
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
twice, and
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
before entering the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
. On September 8, the remnants finally dissipated north of
Jan Mayen Jan Mayen () is a Norwegian volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean with no permanent population. It is long (southwest-northeast) and in area, partly covered by glaciers (an area of around the Beerenberg volcano). It has two parts: larger nort ...
.


Hurricane Four

As early as September 8, ships north of
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
reported a weak circulation. Drifting northward, the system developed tropical depression by 12:00 UTC on September 9, while situated about northeast of
Turks and Caicos Islands The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and n ...
. The cyclone was
subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...
in nature, fueled by both latent heat and
instability In numerous fields of study, the component of instability within a system is generally characterized by some of the outputs or internal states growing without bounds. Not all systems that are not stable are unstable; systems can also be mar ...
from contrasting cool and warm air masses. While passing Bermuda later on September 10, sustained wind speeds of and decrease in barometric pressure were observed. The system moved east-northeastward and strengthened into a tropical storm late on September 10. The cyclone intensified further and reached hurricane status early on September 12, peaking with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of . Around that time, the ''Freiburg'' observed winds of . Thereafter, the system weakened to a tropical storm about 24 hours later and accelerated to the northeast ahead of a cold front. Around 12:00 UTC on September 14, the storm was absorbed by a large extratropical cyclone while located about north-northwest of Corvo Island in the
Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
.


Tropical Storm Cindy

In mid-September, a trough of low pressure was situated in the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...
. The system developed into Tropical Storm Cindy at 12:00 UTC on September 16, while located about south of Cameron, Louisiana. Cindy strengthened while moving north-northwestward. Around that time, the storm attained its peak intensity with maximum winds of 65 mph (130 km/h) and a minimum pressure of . Around 14:00 UTC on September 17, Cindy made landfall near High Island, Texas, at that intensity. After landfall, Cindy weakened to a tropical depression within about 22 hours. Turning southwest, the depression dissipated near Alice, Texas, at 00:00 UTC on September 20. In southwestern Louisiana, over of rain fell in some areas. Rice crops were flooded, causing about $360,000 in damage. However, the precipitation was described as more beneficial than detrimental. Along the coast, tides inundated roads leading to Cameron and Holly Beach. A man drowned offshore Cameron while evacuating from an oil rig. The storm brought flooding to the southeastern Texas, particularly in and around Port Arthur. Two people drowned in the Port Acres area. Water entered 4,000 homes across
Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...
,
Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...
, and Orange counties. In
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
, flooding in Guthrie prompted 300 residents to flee their homes; water intruded into 25 businesses and 35 homes. Overall, Cindy caused about $12.5 million in damage, of which $11.7 million stemmed from property damage.


Hurricane Debra

On September 19, a westward moving tropical wave became a tropical depression about east of the southwesternmost islands of Cape Verde. The depression moved northwestward and strengthened into Tropical Storm Debra early the next day. Despite the system's intensity at the time, a reconnaissance aircraft flight observed a radar
eye Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...
on September 20. On the next day, Debra curved northward and intensified into a hurricane around 18:00 UTC. The cyclone peaked with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of . Debra soon began weakening and fell to tropical storm status late on September 22. The system continued weakening and dissipated late on September 24, while located about halfway between Bermuda and Flores Island in the Azores.


September tropical depression

A tropical wave or trough of low-pressure developed into a tropical depression over the
Bay of Campeche The Bay of Campeche ( es, Bahía de Campeche), or Campeche Sound, is a bight (geography), bight in the southern area of the Gulf of Mexico, forming the north side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. It is surrounded on three sides by the Mexico, Mexic ...
on September 23. The depression remained nearly stationary due to a frontal boundary over the northern Gulf of Mexico. On September 26, the depression struck the west coast of the Yucatán Peninsula and re-emerged into the Bay of Campeche on the following day. Ships near the area reported barometric pressures of less than but not gale-force winds. It is unknown if the depression remained a tropical cyclone beyond September 27, though it may have become a subtropical cyclone on September 28. The remnants of the depression became extratropical and moved rapidly northeastward, crossing Florida on September 29 and then dissipating offshore the
Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...
by October 1.


Hurricane Edith

An
Intertropical Convergence Zone The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ ), known by sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its monotonous windless weather, is the area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. It encircles Earth near the thermal e ...
(ITCZ) disturbance developed into a tropical depression while east of the
Windward Islands french: Îles du Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Windward Islands. Clockwise: Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean SeaNorth ...
on September 23. The depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Edith early the next day. Several hours later, Edith intensified into a hurricane. Around 00:00 UTC on September 25, the cyclone became a Category 2 hurricane just north of
Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
and peaked with winds of 100 mph (155 km/h). Seven hours later, Edith struck
Saint Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian ...
at the same intensity. The storm traversed the eastern
Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
and weakened to a tropical storm early on September 26. Edith then turned northwestward and briefly became a hurricane again, but weakened to a tropical storm before making landfall near La Romana, Dominican Republic, at 10:00 UTC the next day. Interaction with land and an upper-level trough caused Edith to weaken considerably before it emerged into the Atlantic on September 28. Several hours later, Edith struck Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands as a tropical storm. The storm weakened to a tropical depression and became extratropical just east of the
Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
on September 29. The extratropical low was soon absorbed by an extratropical system developing offshore the
East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...
. In Martinique, a wind gust of was observed at Le Lamentin Airport; tides about above normal and heavy rainfall impacted the island. Throughout the island, about 6,000 homes were demolished and 13,000 other were severely impacted. Agriculture suffered significantly, with bananas and other food crops destroyed, while sugar cane experienced significant damage. Winds up to caused significant damage on
Dominica Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...
and strong winds on Saint Lucia ruined about half of the island's banana crop. In Puerto Rico, the storm brought heavy rainfall to the southwest corner of the island and abnormally high tides to the south coast. Several beach front properties were badly damaged, particularly in the Salinas municipality. Overall, Edith caused 10 deaths, all on Martinique, and approximately $46.6 million in damage.


Hurricane Flora

A tropical wave developed into a tropical depression well east of the Lesser Antilles at 12:00 UTC on September 28. About 24 hours later, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Flora. The cyclone intensified into a Category 1 hurricane early on September 29 and became a Category 2 hurricane before striking
Tobago Tobago () is an List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, island and Regions and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago, ward within the Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger island of Trini ...
several hours later. Flora continued west-northwestward into the Caribbean and intensified into a Category 3 hurricane early on October 2 and became a Category 4 about 24 hours later. At 18:00 UTC on October 3, Flora peaked with winds of 150 mph (240 km/h). Early the next day, the hurricane made landfall in southwestern
Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
at the same intensity. Flora re-emerged into the Caribbean several hours later as a Category 3 hurricane. Late on October 4, the cyclone made landfall near
San Antonio del Sur San Antonio del Sur is a municipality and town in the Guantánamo Province of Cuba. It is located on the southern coast of Cuba, bordering the Windward Passage to the south. Demographics In 2004, the municipality of San Antonio del Sur had a pop ...
, Cuba, with winds of 120 mph (195 km/h). A
ridge A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...
to the north caused Flora to stall and move erratically over eastern Cuba for four days. Flora weakened slowly over land, falling to a Category 1 hurricane on October 5, but re-strengthened into a Category 2 after briefly emerging into the
Gulf of Guacanayabo The Gulf of Guacanayabo () is a bay along the southern coast of Cuba, bordered by Granma and Las Tunas provinces. Overview The largest port on the bay is Manzanillo, and the gulf is bordered to the north-west by the Jardines de la Reina arch ...
. Flora weakened to a tropical storm late on October 7, about 24 hours before emerging into the Atlantic. However, Flora quickly re-strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane and pass through the southeastern
Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
early on October 9. Thereafter, Flora continued northeastward and gradually weakened, falling to Category 1 intensity on October 11. Flora gradually lost convection and became extratropical on October 12 while located 270 mi (430 km) east-southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland. The extratropical remnants continued north-northeastward until a larger extratropical cyclone absorbed it offshore
Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
on October 17. In
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
, abnormally high tides capsized six ships in
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...
harbor, while strong winds caused severe effects to coconut, banana, and cocoa plantations, with 50% of the coconut trees destroyed and 11% severely damaged. About 2,750 houses were destroyed, while 3,500 others were impacted. The hurricane killed 24 people and resulted in $30.1 million damage. Six additional drowning fatalities occurred in
Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...
. The slow movement of the storm resulted in record rainfall totals for the
Greater Antilles The Greater Antilles ( es, Grandes Antillas or Antillas Mayores; french: Grandes Antilles; ht, Gwo Zantiy; jam, Grieta hAntiliiz) is a grouping of the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and ...
. In
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
, over of land was flooded. Bridges and roads were significantly damaged, with many roads left unpassable for several months. The hurricane caused about $60 million in damage and over 400 deaths. In
Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
, flash floods washed out large sections of several towns, while mudslides buried some entire cities. In most areas, crops were entirely destroyed. Additionally, the combination of rough waves and strong winds destroyed three entire communities. About 3,500 people were confirmed dead and damaged ranged $125 million and $180 million. In Cuba, the storm dropped of rainfall at Santiago de Cuba. Nearly all crops in southeastern Cuba were affected by strong winds and flooding. Many citizens were left stranded at the tops of their houses. Several entire houses were swept away by the flooding, and many roads and bridges were destroyed, resulting in major disruptions to communications. Throughout the country, the hurricane destroyed as many as 30,000 dwellings. Flora left at least 1,750 fatalities and $500 million in damage in Cuba. In
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
, the storm produced up to of precipitation at Spring Hill. Flora was attributed to 11 deaths and about $11.9 million in damage on the island. In the Bahamas, the storm left damage to crops, property, and roads that exceeded $1.5 million in damage, while one person drowned. Overall, Hurricane Flora caused at least 7,193 deaths and over $783.4 million in damage.


Hurricane Ginny

Late on October 17, a tropical depression formed near Turks and Caicos from the interaction of a trough and a tropical wave, although the system was not very tropical due to cold air. The depression intensified into Tropical Storm Ginny early on October 19. The next day, Ginny attained hurricane status, and approached North Carolina before looping to the southwest due to a
ridge A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...
over New England. By October 22, Ginny crossed the
Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Current, North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida a ...
and intensified, developing an eye. Ahead of an advancing trough, Ginny turned sharply northward and later northeastward, paralleling the coast of the Southeastern United States. For eight days, the storm was within of the United States coastline. Moving farther offshore, Ginny gradually intensified and peaked with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 km/h) late on October 28. Later that day, Ginny made landfall in
Yarmouth County Yarmouth County is a rural county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It has both traditional Anglo- Scottish and Acadian French culture as well as significant inland wilderness areas, including over 365 lakes and several major rivers. It c ...
,
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...
, shortly before becoming extratropical. Its remnants dissipated on October 30 over the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Early in its existence, Ginny dropped heavy rainfall across the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. In Florida and Georgia, Ginny produced above normal tides that caused minor damage and
beach erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward ...
. Rainfall was beneficial in South Carolina, and in North Carolina, high tides caused minor flooding and destroyed one house. In Massachusetts, wind gusts reached in
Nantucket Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachuse ...
, and 1,000 homes lost power in
Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...
. Ginny was the latest hurricane on record to affect Maine during a calendar year. During its passage, the storm brought an influx of cold air that produced up to of snow in northern Maine, killing two people. Offshore, many boats were damaged or ripped from their moorings; one person died from a heart attack while trying to rescue his boat. Damage from Ginny in the United States was estimated at $400,000. In Canada, high winds downed trees and caused power outages, leaving the entirety of
Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...
without power.


Tropical Storm Helena

A tropical wave accompanied by a large area of convection moved westward in late October. On October 25, the wave spawned a tropical depression, based on ship and reconnaissance flights reports of southwest winds and heavy rainfall. Although poorly defined, the system gradually intensified and became Tropical Storm Helena. Late on October 26, Helena entered the Caribbean after passing between
Dominica Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...
and
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...
. The storm reached peak winds of 50 mph (85 km/h) on October 27. Its slow, erratic movement and failure to intensify further was due to a weak trough across the region. Early on October 28, Helena struck
Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...
at the same intensity. Around this time, the storm developed an intense
rainband A rainband is a cloud and precipitation structure associated with an area of rainfall which is significantly elongated. Rainbands can be stratiform or convective, and are generated by differences in temperature. When noted on weather radar ima ...
that produced winds of , as measured by reconnaissance aircraft between Dominica and Guadeloupe. However, Helena re-emerged into the Atlantic and weakened to a tropical depression on October 29 and dissipated on the following day. The threat of Helena prompted the San Juan Weather Bureau to issue a hurricane watch and later gale warnings for portions of the Lesser Antilles. On the Guadeloupe, the storm left 500 people homeless, killed 5 people, and seriously injured 14 others. Several boats were heavily damaged or sank. Damage was estimated at $500,000.


Storm names

The following names were used for named storms (tropical storms and hurricanes) that formed in the North Atlantic in 1963. Storms were named Ginny and Helena for the first time in 1963. The name Flora was later retired. Names that were not assigned are marked in .


Season effects

The following table lists all of the storms that have formed in the 1963 Atlantic hurricane season. It includes their duration, names, landfall(s) (in parentheses), damages, 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 1963 USD.


See also

*
1963 Pacific hurricane season The 1963 Pacific hurricane season was a below-average season, with 8 storms and 4 hurricanes forming. The season ran through the summer and fall of 1963. The strongest of these storms were Glenda and Mona, which both had winds. The first storm, ...
*
1963 Pacific typhoon season The 1963 Pacific typhoon season has no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1963, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between June and December. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when ...
*
1963 North Indian Ocean cyclone season The 1963 North Indian Ocean cyclone season had no bounds, but cyclones tend to form between April and December, with peaks in May and November. The season has no official bounds but cyclones tend to form between April and December. These dates con ...
*
List of Atlantic hurricanes Lists of Atlantic hurricanes, or tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean, are organized by the properties of the hurricane or by the location most affected. By property * List of Atlantic hurricane seasons *List of Atlantic hurricane records *Li ...
*
Atlantic hurricane season The Atlantic hurricane season is the period in a year from June through November when tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic Ocean, referred to in North American countries as hurricanes, tropical storms, or tropical depressions. In addition ...


References


External links


Monthly Weather Review
{{DEFAULTSORT:1963 Atlantic Hurricane Season Articles which contain graphical timelines