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Hurricane Flossy (1956)

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Hurricane Flossy
hurricane
FormedSeptember 21, 1956
DissipatedSeptember 30, 1956

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).[2]

Storm History

Flossie Track

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-northwest across the Mouth of the Mississippi river on September 24 as a minor hurricane.[3] 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 through the shipping lanes between Canada and Bermuda.[4]

Impact

Gulf of Mexico

This was the first hurricane to cause significant disruption to oil refining in the Gulf of Mexico. 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 Flossie created to the oil rigs.[6] There was no loss of life.[7]

United States

Total damages to Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, the Carolinas, and Virginia was US$24,874,000 (1956 dollars).[3]

Louisiana

A total of 16.70 inches/420 mm of rainfall fell at Golden Meadow, Louisiana. Burrwood, Louisiana's pressure fell to 29.03 inches/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. Extensive coastal erosion was caused by the cyclone across the Mississippi Delta. In New Orleans, about 2.5 square miles 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]

Mississippi

Winds as high as 66 mph struck coastal Mississippi. (Sullivan)

Alabama

Over 16 inches of rain fell at Gulf Shores. In Montgomery, Alabama, the tent used to house the Eastern Hills Baptist Church was destroyed.[9]

Florida

The lowest pressure reported was 28.93 inches/979.8 hPa or mb at Pensacola Naval Air Station.[4] 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]

Southeast United States

Rains brought by Flossy helped relieve drought conditions and were considered beneficial.[4]

Virginia

Winds as high as 45 mph 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 feet deep in sections of Norfolk.[4] The Back River lighthouse collapsed during the storm, after 127 years of service.[12]

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]

See also

References

World Wide Web

  1. ^ National Hurricane Center. Atlantic Tracks File 1851-2006. Retrieved on 2006-02-01.
  2. ^ W. F. Stokes, Jr. Remembering Hurricane Flossie. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
  3. ^ a b Canadian Hurricane Center. Storms of 1956. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
  4. ^ a b c d Gordon E. Dunn, Walter R. Davis, and Paul L. Moore. Hurricane Season of 1956. Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Dr. J. C. Jones and D. O'Shea. Gulf Coast hurricanes and their impact on offshore oil production. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
  8. ^ David Roth. Louisiana Hurricane History: Late 20th Century. Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
  9. ^ Alicia Morris Atcheson. Eastern Hills Baptist Celebrates 50 Years. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
  10. ^ BrightNet Oklahoma. Ardmore Air Force Base: 1953-59. Retrieved on 2006-02-02.
  11. ^ David Roth and Hugh Cobb.Virginia Hurricane History: Late Twentieth Century. Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
  12. ^ U. S. Coast Guard. Virginia Light Stations. Retrieved on 2007-02-02.

Printed Media

  1. Charles S. Sullivan. Hurricanes of the Mississippi Gulf Coast: 1717 to Present. Gulf Publishing Company: Biloxi, 1984.
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