1945 Florida–Outer Banks hurricane

Category 2 Atlantic hurricane in 1945 Hurricane One Hurricane One analysis 24 Jun 1945.jpg Surface weather analysis of the hurricane nearing landfall in Florida on June 24 June 20, 1945 June 20, 1945 June 27, 1945 June 4, 1945 July 4, 1945 85 100 (estimated) 989 < (lowest directly measured) 1945 1 81000 > Florida Georgia Carolinas Mid-Atlantic New England Atlantic Canada 1945 Atlantic hurricane season The 1945 Florida–Outer Banks hurricane was a moderate Atlantic hurricane that tracked along the East Coast of the United States from Florida to the Carolinas in the first month of the annual season. The first tropical storm and hurricane of the year, it developed on June 20 in the western Caribbean off Mexico. For the next few days, it moved generally northward into the Gulf of Mexico. Reaching hurricane intensity on June 23, it then turned northeast toward the Florida peninsula, briefly peaked with winds of 100 mph (155 km/h), and rapidly weakened thereafter. It made landfall in the Big Bend on June 24 as a minimal hurricane, weakening to a tropical storm inland. Mostly minor wind damage, along with a few tornadoes, was reported in Florida, but the storm produced heavy—though largely beneficial—rains that eased one of the state's worst recorded droughts, while causing flash floods that wrecked bridges. Upon entering the Atlantic Ocean, the storm regained hurricane status, paralleling the East Coast. On June 26, it struck North Carolina's Outer Banks as a marginal hurricane, producing minor damage but heavy rainfall. Continuing northeast, the cyclone delivered gale-force winds to New York and southern New England, causing traffic accidents, including a fatality, and mild wind damage. Heavy rains drenched the area, and high waves offshore caused passengers aboard ships on Long Island Sound to need rescue. Peak winds on land reached 66 mi/h km/h on, forcing ships to remain in port, while authorities sought to escort ships at sea into safe harbor. Overall, the impact of the storm was slight, though air temperatures fell almost 20 F the day after the storm. Inclusive of tornadoes, losses from the storm surpassed $81,000. Meteorological history AL01 1945 path.png left new The genesis of the storm was from a tropical disturbance detected between Swan Island and the Honduran coast on June 19; however, nearby surface data did not confirm a well-organized circulation until the following day,Sumner 1 when the United States Air Force dispatched aircraft to surveil the system. Based on gale reports from the plane, the Atlantic hurricane database (HURDAT) initiated a tropical storm about 120 mi (195 km) southeast of Cozumel, an island in the northwestern Caribbean off Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. The storm tracked northward toward the Yucatán Channel, marked by slight squalls and sustained winds of up to 45 mph (75 km/h), an intensity derived from pressure–wind relationships based on peripheral air pressures from Cozumel. It strengthened but slightly until it reached the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on June 22, at which point it underwent a phase of rapid intensification, reaching hurricane status a day later and peaking with winds of 100 mph (155 km/h)—equal to Category 2 on the modern Saffir–Simpson scale—as judged by the Atlantic hurricane reanalysis project, based on a blend of observations with values ranging up to 100 kn mi/h km/h 3 on by reconnaissance pilots; visually evaluated, these were determined to be gusts or doubtful,Chris Landsea Craig Anderson William Bredemeyer Noel Charles Michael Chenoweth 3 Christopher Landsea https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/metadata_master.html#1945_1 Documentation of Atlantic Tropical Cyclones Changes in HURDAT: 1945 Storm 1 - Revised in 2013 Re-Analysis Project Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Hurricane Research Division Miami, Florida mdy due to systemic errors, often biased high, in wind estimates under extreme states.Early aircraft reports, whenever skies allowed, deduced near-surface (i.e., within 10 m ft on above sea levelSimiu Vickery Kareem 1043) wind speed from the condition of the sea, as seen by aviators, using the Beaufort scale as a baseline and defining higher values if proper.Landsea Strahan-Sakoskie Hagen 4445Landsea Strahan-Sakoskie Hagen 4444–5, 4447–8 During peak intensity the trajectory of the storm sharply veered east-northeastward, toward the western Florida peninsula. Continuing north of due east, the hurricane quickly weakened, sped landward, and struck near Pine Island in Hernando County, Florida, at 08:00 UTC on June 24. Passing inland, it threaded the towns of Brooksville and Dunnellon, north of the Tampa Bay area.Sumner 1 In-situ observations were scarce due to low population densities, but winds around the eye at landfall were estimated to be near 80 mph (130 km/h), ranking the storm a Category 1 cyclone in Florida. The storm bent northeast as it crossed North Florida, reaching the Atlantic coast between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach as a moderate tropical storm. Moving offshore parallel to the Southeast, it rapidly regained force and restrengthened into a low-end hurricane early on June 25. The following morning, it made a second landfall near Harkers Island, North Carolina, with winds of 75 mph (120 km/h), though these velocities only buffeted ships at sea. Brushing Cape Hatteras, the storm generated a pressure of 989 mb inHg on there, the lowest measured in its lifespan. Enclosed by hurricane winds, its eye transited the Outer Banks and reemerged over water at Oregon Inlet, near Wanchese. On June 27 the storm transformed into a nontropical system and shed hurricane-force winds, while angling east-northeast for a day. On June 28–29 it passed south of Nova Scotia, a province in the Canadian Maritimes, and just north of Miquelon-Langlade, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, before moving onshore a day later near Seal Cove, Newfoundland, with winds of 40 mph (65 km/h). Afterward, the system headed northeast and east-northeast for four more days, ending near Iceland on July 4. Warnings and preparations thumb|right|Weather map showing the storm off Savannah on June 25 As early as June 19, the United States Weather Bureau began sending reconnaissance missions to monitor the developing storm in the Caribbean. The regular reports sent by the airplanes provided valuable data about the intensity of the small cyclone.Hurricane Due to Hit Above Tampa Today June 24, 1945 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-news/187373943/ The Miami News 50 191 1-A P. 6-A1-A Expecting strong winds in the island chain, on June 21 the Bureau released storm warnings for the Florida Keys; the agency also notified Cuba of the storm.Hurricane Season Now Gets Attention June 21, 1945 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tampa-times/187374129/ The Tampa Daily Times Final Home 53 116 1 Newspapers.com P. 1, Part 2 P. 5, Part 1 P. 5, Part 21 On June 23, the Weather Bureau office in New Orleans advised residents from Mobile, Alabama, to Cedar Key, Florida, to prepare for gales. Areas from Tampa, Florida, to Grand Isle, Louisiana, were placed under a storm warning, with the center of the storm expected to strike land next morning between Mobile and Panama City, Florida;Mild Storm Passes Northward in Gulf St. Petersburg, Florida June 23, 1945 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-doLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FlUDAAAAIBAJ&dq=gulf&pg=4232%2C6483503 24 December 2025 The Evening Independent Home 38 198 1 Google News Archive P. 2 the predicted impact zone was later shifted eastward, to a point between Tampa and Cross City, Florida. Hurricane warnings were issued for the coastline between Tampa and Carrabelle, with storm warnings from Punta Gorda to Titusville.Tropical Storm Gains Speed; Due to Strike Florida Today June 23, 1945 June 24, 1945 Miami Corpus Christi, Texas Associated Press https://www.newspapers.com/article/corpus-christi-caller-times/187374540/ 24 December 2025 Corpus Christi Caller-Times 16 34 1 Newspapers.com As the hurricane moved closer to Florida's Big Bend, storm warnings were extended up the Eastern Seaboard to Savannah, Georgia;1-A storm warnings eventually reached Norfolk, Virginia, with hurricane warnings up to Cape Hatteras.Hurricane Threatens Carolinas; Tides Mount, Storm Grows In Intensity June 25, 1945 Associated Press https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-news/187375405/ 24 December 2025 The Miami News 50 192 1 Newspapers.com Part 2 The city of Tallahassee prepared to receive evacuees, and evacuations were ordered for coastal communities in the Big Bend. The Florida Highway Patrol warned local residents to leave the area, and soldiers were transported out of Camp Gordon Johnston. Military planes at bases in the warned areas were secured or flown to safer spots, including as many as 400 Florida aircraft that were rerouted to Alabama.1-A Once the storm left Florida, additional evacuations commenced between Georgetown, South Carolina, and Cape Hatteras,Storm Sweeps Eastern Coast June 25, 1945 Miami Dubuque, Iowa International News Service https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YSdiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OXYNAAAAIBAJ&dq=gulf&pg=6420%2C3150368 24 December 2025 The Telegraph-Herald 110 149 Google News Archive including the North Carolina communities of Wilmington, Morehead City, and nearby resort towns.New York City Prepares for Strong Winds Today as Storm Sweeps North June 26, 1945 Associated Press https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KL8wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wE4DAAAAIBAJ&dq=storm&pg=4601%2C1063828 24 December 2015 St. Petersburg Times 61 337 1 Google News Archive Large-scale evacuations targeting low-lying areas such as barrier islands involved 5,000 people from the Wilmington area alone and were credited with reducing loss of life.USWB 110 Meanwhile, storm warnings were extended northward to Norfolk, Virginia, and eventually Atlantic City, New Jersey; small watercraft in the Northeastern United States were advised to stay in port. Impact thumb|left|Weather maps showing the hurricane off North Carolina on June 26 In Florida the areal scope of the storm was limited, little more than 100 mi km on across, and its eye width was calculated at 25 mi km on.1-A Modest winds were reported as the storm bisected Florida, with stations across the peninsula measuring 45 to 55 mi/h km/h on;Sumner 1 an isolated gust to 68 mi/h km/h on occurred in St. Petersburg.Storm Does Some Damage; County Cheers Rainfall https://www.newspapers.com/article/tampa-bay-times/187375397/ St. Petersburg Times 61 336 9 Newspapers.com The winds defoliated citrus trees and downed utility lines near the point of landfall, momentarily cutting communication.Storm Centered off Brunswick; Full Hurricane https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10762641/the_palm_beach_post/ The Palm Beach Post 37 114 June 25, 1945 May 4, 2017 West Palm Beach, Florida 1 Newspapers.com Fallen wires ignited three small fires in St. Petersburg. In Pinellas County the storm felled fewer poles and wires than a storm the previous year, but disrupted telephone service more widely, perhaps due to a lingering drought. Heavy rains in the path of the storm lowered the wind resistance of vegetation by saturating soils and thereby detaching root balls,Heavy Storm Saved Citrus, Growers Say June 25, 1945 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daytona-beach-news-journal/187375835/ Daytona Beach Evening News 19 175 1 Newspapers.com P. 8 while a trail of broken tree branches, leaf litter, and leaky roofs from wind-driven rain reached across the state.City Escapes Fury of Storm June 25, 1945 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-st-augustine-record/187375778/ St. Augustine Record 51 308 8 Newspapers.com Part 2 Part 3 Winds damaged citrus trees, mostly slightly, as far inland as Orlando, tossing or scarring fruit and flowers,Rains Repay Growers for 1944 Storm https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tampa-tribune/187375870/ Tampa Tribune 51 176 5 Newspapers.com but their overall effects were minimal.The Storm Proved Boon https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-port-richey-press/187376604/ New Port Richey Press 28 26 1 Newspapers.com Throughout its path, the hurricane generated prolific rains,Attaway 157 mostly southeast of its track. Totals statewide maximized at Lake Alfred, where a rain gauge amassed 13.6 in mm on;Schoner Molansky much of the deluge fell over citrus farms, with over 6 in mm on soaking groves in Orange County. In St. Petersburg one-day rains ahead of the storm amounted to 6.08 in mm on, the heaviest since the October 1944 storm, while the Weather Bureau office in Tampa collected 10.42 in mm on, establishing a then-daily record there;Sumner 1 the site registered 11 + 1/2 in mm on in two days. Other copious totals were 10.43 in mm on at Lakeland and 11.4 in mm on recorded within a 24-hour period at West Palm Beach.Tropical Storm Past Sarasota, Heavy Rainfall June 23, 1945 June 24, 1945 Miami Sarasota, Florida Associated Press https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mNciAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oGQEAAAAIBAJ&dq=gulf&pg=6779%2C4972443 24 December 2025 Sarasota Herald-Tribune 20 225 1 Google News ArchiveAttaway 157 The rains benefited the citrus industry, partly requiting aftereffects from the 1944 cyclone and relieving a yearlong drought, one of Florida's worst to date.Sumner 1 The swift downpour engendered flash floods, eroding roads, engulfing lowlands, and destroying bridges. Hillsborough County alone lost 47 bridges, and rivers such as the Alafia rose up to 12 ft m on in a five-hour period, flooding wide tracts. Damage in the Miami area totaled $75,000.USWB 110 The hurricane also produced two tornadoes in Florida, one near LaBelle and another near Melbourne,Bennett with a loss of $6,000. The LaBelle tornado cut a 440 yd m on path, dislodging a house and leveling orange trees, while the Melbourne event downed a transformer and railing on a causeway in its 1 mi km on path.USWB 109 thumb|right|Charts showing total rainfall from the storm over Florida and the Carolinas Along the Georgia coast, the hurricane produced only fringe impacts, including strong winds and heavy rain. Wind gusts to 70 mi/h km/h on were reported from Tybee Island, and portions of coastal North Carolina received up to 8.24 in mm on of rain;Heavy Tropic Storm Lashes Up U.S. Coast Wilmington, North Carolina Montreal June 26, 1945 June 27, 1945 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=W34tAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ApkFAAAAIBAJ&dq=storm&pg=4278%2C4334277 174 153 11 August 2013 The Montreal Gazette Associated Press Google News Archive however, only minor impacts occurred north to Virginia,Storm Is Moving Up Atlantic Coast https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wLxWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=x0ENAAAAIBAJ&dq=storm&pg=3152%2C4272011 11 August 2013 1 St. Joseph News-Press June 26, 1945 Associated Press St. Joseph, Missouri Google News Archive though telephone service shorted near Georgetown and rainfall damaged sewerage in Wilmington.Hurricane Skirts Carolina Coast https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10762752/tallahassee_democrat/ Tallahassee Democrat 31 125 June 25, 1945 3 January 2025 Tallahassee, Florida 1 Newspapers.comStorm Heads for Manteo; Damage Light https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10763372/asheville_citizentimes/ Asheville Citizen-Times June 26, 1945 3 January 2025 Asheville, North Carolina 1 Newspapers.com In New York and New England, the rainbands of the hurricane produced gales and high surf; peak winds of up to 50 mi/h km/h on whipped Long Island Sound, generating large waves that capsized some boats and caused people to need rescue.Darien Soldier Saved on Sound https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=j1cpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=A24FAAAAIBAJ&dq=storm&pg=5382%2C4369380 11 August 2013 1 The Norwalk Hour June 27, 1945 Norwalk, Connecticut Google News Archive P. 12 Offshore, even higher velocities—up to 66 mi/h km/h on—battered a weather station on Nantucket, while hurricane-force winds swept Coast Guard vessels in the nearshore waters; the Coast Guard nonetheless sought to escort troubled ships into port. Heavy rainfall fell across coastal New England, peaking at 4.59 in mm 2 on on Nantucket. The heavy rains and gales lowered visibility, causing a fatal vehicle–pedestrian collision at Warwick, Rhode Island. The storm disabled at least 10,000 telephone lines, 7,000 of them in the Cape Cod region. Besides causing power outages, the stormy conditions damaged buildings and crops; in the Boston area, high winds knocked down trees and chimneys. A strong temperature gradient existed between the cyclone and the Northeast U.S.: in New York City, the daily high on June 26 was almost 20 F lower than the day prior.Tropical Storm Skirts New York https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Kb8wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wE4DAAAAIBAJ&dq=storm&pg=3902%2C1150165 11 August 2013 61 338 1 St. Petersburg Times June 27, 1945 Associated Press Google News Archive Canada received little damage.http://www.ec.gc.ca/hurricane/default.asp?lang=En&n=9E185BFD-1 1945-1 Storm Impact Summaries 17 November 2009 Environment Canada https://web.archive.org/web/20130313113116/http://www.ec.gc.ca/hurricane/default.asp?lang=En&n=9E185BFD-1 13 March 2013 23 December 2025 See also List of Florida hurricanes List of North Carolina hurricanes Hurricane Gladys (1968) – Took a similar path up the East Coast Notes References Citations 2 Sources Attaway John A. 1999 Hurricanes and Florida Agriculture The 1940s, When Floridahurricane Became One Word Lakeland Florida Science Source https://archive.org/details/hurricanesflorid0000atta registration 978-0-944961-05-6 156–7 Internet Archive Attaway W. J. Bennett June 1945 General Summary Florida section Climatological Data 49 6 United States Weather Bureau Washington, D.C. Jacksonville, Florida 31 https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/IPS/cd/cd.html Bennett Landsea Christopher W. Strahan-Sakoskie Donna Hagen Andrew Christopher Landsea A Reanalysis of the 1944–53 Atlantic Hurricane Seasons—The First Decade of Aircraft Reconnaissance Journal of Climate July 2012 25 13 4441–4460 10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00419.1 https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/Landsea/1944-1953_Published_Paper.pdf American Meteorological Society Boston 2012JCli...25.4441H free Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory Landsea Strahan-Sakoskie Hagen Sumner H. C. North Atlantic Hurricanes and Tropical Disturbances of 1945 Monthly Weather Review January 1946 74 1 1–5 10.1175/1520-0493(1946)074<0001:MACDFJ>2.0.CO;2 http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/074/mwr-074-01-0001.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20170225124647/http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/074/mwr-074-01-0001.pdf 25 February 2017 10 August 2013 U.S. Weather Bureau Washington, D.C. 1946MWRv...74....1. free Sumner R. W. Schoner S. Molansky July 1956 Storm of June 20–27, 1945 Storms in the south Atlantic coastal region 177 National Hurricane Research Project 3, Rainfall Associated with Hurricanes United States Weather Bureau Washington, D.C. https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/1956NHRPreportNo3.pdf Schoner Molansky Weather Prediction Center Severe Local Storms, June 1945 Monthly Weather Review June 1945 73 6 109–110 10.1175/1520-0493(1945)073<0109:SLSJ>2.0.CO;2 http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/073/mwr-073-06-0109.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20170303093516/https://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/073/mwr-073-06-0109.pdf 3 March 2017 10 August 2013 United States Weather Bureau 1945MWRv...73..109. free USWB Simiu Emil Vickery Peter Kareem Ahsan July 2007 https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=860600 Relation Between Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale Wind Speeds and Peak 3-s Gust Speeds Over Open Terrain Technical Notes Journal of Structural Engineering 133 7 1043–5 Reston, Virginia 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9445(2007)133:7(1043) subscription Simiu Vickery Kareem Outer 1945 Outer 1945 Outer 1945 Outer Outer Banks Hurricane, 1945 Category:1945 natural disasters in the United States Outer Banks hurricane Outer Banks hurricane Outer Banks hurricane Outer Banks hurricane