Hurricane Cleo
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| Category 4 hurricane (SSHS) | ||
|---|---|---|
 Radar image of Cleo making landfall near Miami |
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| Formed | August 20, 1964 | |
| Dissipated | September 5, 1964 | |
| Highest winds |
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| Lowest pressure | 950 mbar (hPa; 28.06 inHg) | |
| Fatalities | 217 direct | |
| Damage | $1.2 billion (2005 USD) $1 billion (2006 USD) |
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| Areas affected |
Lesser Antilles, Guadaloupe, Hispaniola, Cuba, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia | |
| Part of the 1964 Atlantic hurricane season |
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Hurricane Cleo was the third named storm, first hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 1964 Atlantic hurricane season. The powerful hurricane travelled through the Caribbean Sea and later hit Florida. Cleo was one of the longest-lived storms of the season.
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[edit] Storm history
A tropical wave that exited the coast of Africa on August 15 moved westward, not organizing into a tropical depression until around 800 nm east of Barbados on August 20 as reported by a Navy reconnaissance plane. It continued west-northwestward, quickly strengthening to a hurricane the next day with a minimum central pressure of 993mb. Early in the afternoon of the 22nd, Hurricane Cleo crossed Guadeloupe as a 115 mph Category 3. The hurricane continued to strengthen as it moved through the Caribbean Sea and reached its peak intensity of 155 mph on the 23rd while south of the Dominican Republic. It maintained that intensity for a day, bringing heavy rain and winds to Hispaniola. As Cleo passed south of Haiti on the 24th, it veered northward momentarily, enough to move on to the Southwest Peninsula of Haiti. The circulation of the hurricane was greatly disrupted by the mountainous terrain of the island, quickly weakening the hurricane.
Cleo weakened to a Category 1 before hitting southern Cuba on the 26th. It crossed the island quickly. Shortly after emerging from the north coast of Cuba, Cleo restrengthened to a hurricane, having weakened to a tropical storm while over Cuba. Cleo managed to intensify to a 100 mph Category 2 hurricane before hitting the Miami, Florida area on August 27th. It weakened to a tropical storm while over Florida on the 28th. The center moved offshore between Jacksonville and St. Augustine, Florida, but it moved back onshore near Savannah, Georgia on the 29th without any increase in intensity.
Cleo continued to weaken as it moved through the Carolinas, drifting through as a tropical depression. After bringing heavy rain through the area, Cleo exited into the Atlantic Ocean near Norfolk, Virginia, and quickly intensified to a tropical storm again on the 1st. The following day, Cleo became a hurricane again, but it remained well offshore to cause any damage. Cleo finally dissipated on the 5th northeast of Newfoundland.
[edit] Impact
| Location | Fatalities |
|---|---|
| Guadaloupe | 14 |
| Dominican Republic | 7 |
| Haiti | 192 |
| Cuba | 1 |
| Virginia | 3 |
| Total | 217 |
[edit] Guadeloupe
Official reports from Guadeloupe indicated 14 dead, 40 injured, 1,000 homes destroyed and extensive damage to the island's infrastructure.
[edit] Cuba
Damage in Cuba was minimal because the hurricane moved through so quickly.
[edit] Florida
Cleo also caused the Fort Lauderdale News, one of South Florida's biggest newspapers, to miss publishing, the only time that happened in its history.
[edit] Retirement
- See also: List of retired Atlantic hurricanes
Cleo killed 217 people on its path of destruction. Cleo caused a total of $198 million in damage (1964 US dollars).
The name Cleo was retired and will never be used for an Atlantic hurricane again; this name was replaced by Candy in 1968.
