Hurricane Flossy (1956)
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| Category 1 hurricane (SSHS) | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Formed | September 21, 1956 | |
| Dissipated | September 30, 1956 | |
| Highest winds |
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| Lowest pressure | 980 mbar (hPa; 28.95 inHg) | |
| Fatalities | 16 | |
| Damage | $24.9 million (1956 USD) $185 million (2006 USD) |
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| Areas affected |
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia | |
| Part of the 1956 Atlantic hurricane season |
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Hurricane Flossy originated from a tropical disturbance in the eastern Pacific Ocean and moved across Central America into the Gulf of Mexico where it became a tropical cyclone that would strike the central Gulf coast of the United States as a category 1 hurricane. The death toll was 16, and total damages reached US$24.9 million (1956 dollars).[1]
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[edit] Storm history
A tropical disturbance moved northward, crossing Guatemala from the eastern Pacific ocean into the northwest Caribbean Sea between September 20 and September 21. It became a tropical cyclone soon after emerging into the Caribbean, and moved across the Yucatan Peninsula as a tropical depression before becoming a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico on September 22 and a hurricane on September 23. It turned sharply east-northeast across the Mouth of the Mississippi river on September 24 as a minor hurricane.[2] The storm continued east-northeast and made landfall in Florida east of Pensacola. The system evolved into an extratropical cyclone soon after passing out of the Sunshine State and continued moving east to northeast hugging the Atlantic Seaboard to near the Virginia Capes before moving slowly through the shipping lanes between Canada and Bermuda, blocked by a high pressure system in southeast Canada.[3]
[edit] Impact
[edit] Gulf of Mexico
This was the first hurricane to cause significant disruption to oil refining in the Gulf of Mexico.[4] Several hundred active wells went out of service, and drilling came to a halt for a few days during and after the cyclone's passage. One of Humble company's tenders saw three-quarters of its mooring chains compromised, which swung it around into an adjacent oil platform, causing US$200,000 in damage (1956 dollars).[5] The cost to downtime in production was greater than the damage Flossy created to the oil rigs.[6] There was no loss of life.[7]
[edit] United States
Total damages to Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, the Carolinas, and Virginia was US$24,874,000 (1956 dollars).[2]
[edit] Louisiana
A total of 16.70 inches (420 mm of rainfall fell at Golden Meadow, Louisiana. Burrwood, Louisiana's pressure fell to 29.03 inHg (983.1 hPa or mb). Hundreds lost their homes in the storm. The storm surge was significant enough to submerge Grand Isle, Louisiana. At Ostrica Lock, the storm tide reached 13 feet (4 m). Extensive coastal erosion was caused by the cyclone across the Mississippi Delta. In New Orleans, about 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) were flooded as portions of the seawall were overtopped. Cattle drowned across the region, and crops such as citrus, sugar cane, and pecan were heavily damaged.[8]
[edit] Mississippi
Winds as high as 66 mph (106 km/h) struck coastal Mississippi. (Sullivan)
[edit] Alabama
A total of 16.3 in (414 mm) of rain fell at Gulf Shores. In Montgomery, Alabama, the tent used to house the Eastern Hills Baptist Church was destroyed.[9]
[edit] Florida
The lowest pressure reported was 28.93 inches/979.8 hPa or mb at Pensacola Naval Air Station.[3] The storm tide at Laguna Beach, Florida, reached 7.4 feet (2.25 meters) above mean sea level. The approach of the hurricane led to the evacuation of 15 aircraft to Ardmore Air Force Base, in Oklahoma.[10]
[edit] Southeast United States
Rains brought by Flossy helped relieve drought conditions and were considered beneficial.[3]
[edit] Virginia
Winds as high as 45 mph (72 km/h) were recorded in Washington, D.C.. The gas screw vessel Mary Anne was lost at the Hampton Roads Naval Base.[11] High tides caused by the then-extratropical cyclone led to water 2.5 ft (0.8 m) deep in sections of Norfolk.[3] The Back River lighthouse collapsed during the storm, after 127 years of service.[12]
[edit] Delaware
Severe flooding occurred along the state's coastline, including interior bays. This occurred despite efforts to curb the storm surge with 500 tons (454 tonnes) of broken rock.[13]
[edit] Effects
Due to the impact of Flossy on oil refining in the Gulf of Mexico, the American Petroleum Institute formed a committee called Fundamental Research on Weather Forecasting. Their goal was to use mathematical models and historic data to better predict hurricane formation and path. Studies went on into 1962, but no reliable forecast mechanism was found.[6]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] World Wide Web
- ^ W. F. Stokes, Jr. Remembering Hurricane Flossie. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
- ^ a b Canadian Hurricane Center. Storms of 1956. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
- ^ a b c d Gordon E. Dunn, Walter R. Davis, and Paul L. Moore. Hurricane Season of 1956. Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
- ^ History of the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry in Southern Louisiana Interim Report: Volume I: Papers on the Evolving Offshore Industry. page 17. Retrieved on 2007-02-06.
- ^ U. S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service. History of the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry in Southern Louisiana Interim Report: Volume I: Papers on the Evolving Offshore Industry. Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
- ^ a b Benfield Corporate Risk. A 65 Year history of hurricanes and some of their resultant impacts on the offshore industry. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
- ^ Dr. J. C. Jones and D. O'Shea. Gulf Coast hurricanes and their impact on offshore oil production. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
- ^ David Roth. Louisiana Hurricane History: Late 20th Century. Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
- ^ Alicia Morris Atcheson. Eastern Hills Baptist Celebrates 50 Years. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
- ^ BrightNet Oklahoma. Ardmore Air Force Base: 1953-59. Retrieved on 2006-02-02.
- ^ David Roth and Hugh Cobb.Virginia Hurricane History: Late Twentieth Century. Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
- ^ U. S. Coast Guard. Virginia Light Stations. Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
- ^ The City of Lewes, Delaware. LEWES FLOOD FACTS AND THE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM. Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
[edit] Printed media
- Charles S. Sullivan. Hurricanes of the Mississippi Gulf Coast: 1717 to Present. Gulf Publishing Company: Biloxi, 1984.
- Dunn, Gordon E., Davis, Walter R., and Paul L. Moore (December 1956). Hurricane Season of 1956 (PDF). Monthly Weather Review. Retrieved on February 6, 2007.
