1963 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1963 Atlantic hurricane season started on June 1, 1963, and ended in November 30, 1963.
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| Season summary map | |
| First storm formed | July 31, 1963 |
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| Last storm dissipated | October 29, 1963 |
| Strongest storm | Flora – 940 mbar (hPa) (27.77 inHg), 145 mph (230 km/h) (1-minute sustained) |
| Total depressions | 9 |
| Total storms | 9 |
| Hurricanes | 7 |
| Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+) | 2 |
| Total fatalities | 7,225 |
| Total damage | $830.1 million (1963 USD) |
| Atlantic hurricane seasons 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965 | |
The most famous hurricane of the season was Hurricane Flora. It was one of the most deadly. It killed 7,200 people in Haiti and Cuba.
Storms
Hurricane Arlene
A group of clouds in the central Atlantic became a tropical storm on July 31. It went to the west and it became a hurricane on August 2. The hurricane quickly became a category 2 hurricane with 100 mph (160 km/h) winds. Arlene got to Bermuda on August 9. Afterwards it got wind speeds of 100 mph (160 km/h) again that night. It got weaker until it left the tropics on August 11. No one died from it.
Hurricane Beulah
Before Hurricane Beulah there was a tropical wave moving in the tropical Atlantic. It was put together enough to be called a tropical depression on August 20, and it became strong enough to be called a tropical storm the next day. Beulah moved to the northwest, becoming a hurricane on the 22nd and a big hurricane on the 24th. The hurricane moved to the north.
Tropical Storm Three
A weak storm north of Puerto Rico moved northeast. It became a tropical depression on September 10. It became a tropical storm on the 11th. This small storm had 60 mph (100 km/h) winds on the 12th. That was the fastest the winds would become.
Hurricane Cindy
Over the Gulf of Mexico Cindy turned into a tropical storm on September 16. Cindy turned into a hurricane the next day. It did not become any stronger before it got to High Island, Texas. Cindy brought a lot of rain to southeast Texas as it moved to the southwest over the state. The hurricane weakened on the 20th, after causing $12.5 million (1963 dollars) in damage. It killed three people.
Hurricane Debra
On September 19, a tropical wave became a tropical depression in the Atlantic Ocean. It turned into a tropical storm on the 21st. It did not hit the islands as it moved north. Debra became a hurricane later on the 21st.
Hurricane Edith
The Intertropical Convergence Zone developed a tropical depression on September 23, east of the Lesser Antilles. It moved west and it became a hurricane on the 24th. It went through the Windward Islands on the 25th as a hurricane with 95 mph (140 km/h) winds. Upper-level winds made it stay as a minimal hurricane before it got to Dominican Republic on the 27th. The island killed the hurricane. Edith was gone by the 29th. Edith killed ten people in Martinique, injured 50 people across the Caribbean, and caused $47 million in damage. It was unlucky that Hurricane Flora came just days later.
Hurricane Flora
Hurricane Flora was the deadliest hurricane of the season. It killed over 7,000 people and created hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.
Hurricane Ginny
Ginny was strange. It is one of the most recent hurricanes to make landfall near New England. It made 18 inches (50 cm) of snow over Maine. The hurricane killed 7 people and created $300,000 in damage (1963 dollars).
Tropical Storm Helena
Tropical Storm Helena formed on October 25. It reached its maximum of 50 mph (80 km/h) before it hit the Lesser Antilles. Helena's strength changed a lot for the next 3 days. Though it was weak, Helena was able to kill 5 people and create $500,000 in damage.
1963 storm names
The following names were used for tropical storms and hurricanes that formed in Atlantic in 1963. Names that were not used are marked in gray.
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Retirement
The name Flora was never used again.
1963 Atlantic Hurricane Season Media
Rainfall totals in the Greater Antilles from Hurricane Flora
