Hurricane Camille
Hurricane Camille was the third named storm and second hurricane of the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season. Camille was the second of three Category 5 hurricanes to make landfall in the United States during the 20th century, which it did in Mississippi on the night of August 17, resulting in catastrophic damage.
| Category 5 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
 Hurricane Camille in the Gulf of Mexico on August 16 | |
| Formed | August 14, 1969 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | August 22, 1969 |
| Highest winds | 1-minute sustained: 175 mph (280 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 900 mbar (hPa); 26.58 inHg |
| Damage | $1.42 billion (1969 USD) |
| Areas affected | Cuba, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Southern United States, East-Central United States |
| Part of the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season | |
The storm formed on August 14 and rapidly deepened. It scraped the western edge of Cuba at Category 2 strength. Camille strengthened further over the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall with a pressure of 900 mbar (hPa), estimated sustained winds of 175 mph (280 km/h),[1] and a peak storm surge of 24 feet (7.3 m). The hurricane flattened nearly everything along the coast of the U.S. state of Mississippi, and caused additional flooding and deaths inland while crossing the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. In total, Camille killed 259 people and caused $1.42 billion (1969 USD, $9.14 billion 2005 USD)[2] in damages.
Hurricane Camille Media
Radar loop of Hurricane Camille before making landfall in Mississippi late on August 17
National Hurricane Center Track Forecasts for Camille from western Cuba onward. The system's actual track is marked by the line farthest to the west.
Two large ships – the Alamo Victory and the Hulda, beached in Gulfport, Mississippi
Road damage along U.S. Highway 90
Map of rainfall associated with Hurricane Camille in the United States
Flooding damage at Howardsville, Virginia; the bridge formerly carried Virginia Route 626 over the Rockfish River.
The aftermath of Hurricane Camille.
Ruins of a gas station in Biloxi, Mississippi
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References
- ↑ Kieper, Margaret E.. A Reanalysis of Hurricane Camille. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 97 (3) (March 2016). p. 367-384. doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-14-00137.1. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
- ↑ The Inflation Calculator. Retrieved 2006-06-18.
Other websites
- Harrison County Library's Camille PageArchived 2012-03-18 at the Wayback Machine
- Thirty Years After Hurricane Camille: Lessons Learned, Lessons Lost Archived 2005-04-04 at the Wayback Machine, Roger A. Pielke, Jr., Chantal Simonpietri, and Jennifer Oxelson, July 12, 1999.
- "Roar Of The Heavens: Surving Hurricane Camille," Stefan Bechtel (Citadel Press, 2006) ISBN 0-8065-2706-4
- Track of Camille's eye at landfall Archived 2003-04-28 at the Wayback Machine
- Storm surge profile Archived 2003-01-28 at the Wayback Machine
- Post-Storm Report on Camille Archived 2006-04-24 at the Wayback Machine
- The story of Harbour Oaks Inn Archived 2005-12-13 at the Wayback Machine
- Radar image of Camille Archived 2006-07-01 at the Wayback Machine
