Hurricane Audrey
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| Category 4 hurricane (SSHS) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Radar image of Hurricane Audrey prior to landfall | ||
| Formed | June 25, 1957 | |
| Dissipated | June 29, 1957 | |
| Highest winds |
| |
| Lowest pressure | ≤946 mbar (hPa) | |
| Damage | $1 billion (2005 dollars) | |
| Fatalities | 390 - 550 direct | |
| Areas affected | Eastern Texas, Louisiana, parts of the South Central United States | |
| Part of the 1957 Atlantic hurricane season | ||
Hurricane Audrey was the first named storm, first hurricane and first major hurricane of the 1957 Atlantic hurricane season. Audrey was the only storm to reach Category 4 status in June. A powerful hurricane, Audrey caused catastrophic damage across eastern Texas and western Louisiana. The storm then affected the South Central United States as a powerful extratropical storm. In its wake, Audrey left $1 billion (2005 USD) in damage and 390-550 fatalities. At the time period, the devastation from Hurricane Audrey was the worst for the United States since the Great New England Hurricane of 1938. <ref name="mwr">Monthly Weather Review MWR Report on AudreyURL Accessed:June 21, 2006</ref>
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[edit] Storm history
A tropical wave moved across the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea where it became a tropical depression on June 25. The depression stalled in the Gulf of Mexico where it showed signs of rapid intensification. At 1800 UTC, the tropical depression became Hurricane Audrey. The center of the storm was centered 380 miles (612 km) southeast of Brownsville, Texas. By June 26, the storm was already at category 2 strength as it moved northeastward at 5 mph. Later, the storm forward speed increased to 15 mph as Audrey continued its north-northeasterly track. <ref name="mwr">MWR Report on Audrey</ref> Hurricane Audrey then reached its peak intensity of 145 mph (230 km/h) and an estimated pressure of (at most) 946 millibars before making landfall near the Texas/Louisiana border on June 27. <ref>Unisys Best Track Data for Hurricane AudreyURL Accessed: June 21, 2006</ref> After making landfall, Audrey quickly weakened to a tropical storm as it moved over inland Louisiana. Audrey then transversed to a powerful extratropical storm as it crossed over Tennessee. The extratropical remnants of Audrey then merged with another low over the Ohio Valley. The extratropical storm reached a low barometric pressure of 974 millibars as it moved across southeastern Canada and was unidentifiable by June 29. <ref name="mwr">MWR Report on Audrey</ref>
[edit] Records and Strength
Audrey remains the earliest storm of any Atlantic hurricane season to reach Category 4 intensity in the recorded history of the basin. Audrey attained Category 4 strength on June 27. At the time, Audrey was the strongest storm to form prior to August. It held this record for nearly fifty years before Hurricane Dennis broke it in 2005 (which was itself broken only nine days later by Hurricane Emily). It remains the strongest storm ever to form in June.
The strength of Hurricane Audrey was disputed during its storm history. Several calculations suggested that the pressure in the storm dropped to 938 millibars while other calculations put it at 940 millibars. In addition the peak wind speed of Audrey varied from 140 mph to 150 mph (225-241 km/h). An oil rig offshore recorded a reading of 925 millibars and a wind speed of 180 mph (290 km/h). This is disputed however. <ref name="mwr">MWR Report on Audrey</ref>
[edit] Impact
Hurricane Audrey left $1 billion dollars (2005 USD, $147 million in 1957 USD<ref>http://www.westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi</ref>) in damage and 390-550 fatalities, most in eastern Texas and western Louisiana. Audrey is ranked as the sixth deadliest hurricane to hit the United States mainland since accurate record-keeping began in 1900. No future hurricane caused as many fatalities in the United States until Katrina in 2005.
[edit] Texas and Louisiana
Before Audrey made landfall, several weather stations in eastern Texas reported winds up to 75 mph (121 km/h) before communications were lost. Later a weather station in Orange, Texas reported sustained wind speed of 100 mph (161 km/h). A storm tide of 7ft was also reported. The eye of Audrey made landfall south of Sabine Lake, traversed the lake and then passed over Bridge City, Texas. In Port Arthur, Texas, a barometric pressure of 966 millibars was recorded while Beaumont, Texas recorded a 971 millibar pressure reading. <ref name="mwr">MWR Report on AudreyURL Accessed:June 21, 2006</ref> Because eastern Texas was in the weaker side of the storm, there was only moderate damage. In Port Arthur, there was damage to trees and power lines and parts of Highway 87 was damaged. Offshore, nine people drowned when their boat sank during the storm. <ref>National Weather Service Texas Hurricane HistoryNOAA;URL Accessed: June 21, 2006</ref> In Cameron, Louisiana, waves as high as 10 feet were reported offshore. In Lake Charles, a storm tide of 7 feet was recorded while tides up to 12 feet were reported in other locations. A 958 barometric pressure reading was recorded in Hackberry while the town of Sulphur recorded sustained winds of 105 mph (169 km/h). Damage in Louisiana was catastrophic. 60-80 percent of the homes and businesses from Cameron to Grand Cheniere were either destroyed or severely damaged. The storm surge damage extended for 25 miles (40 km). Two tornadoes were reported as the storm made landfall, one was near New Orleans, the other near Arnaudville. <ref>National Weather Service Louisiana Hurricane HistoryURL Accessed: June 21, 2006</ref> In all, there were 300+ people killed in Louisiana while 40,000 others were left homeless by the storm. <ref name="mwr">MWR Report on Audrey</ref> <ref>Hurricane City.comURL accessed:June 21,2006</ref>
[edit] Rest of the United States and Canada
While moving inland, Audrey spawned numerous tornadoes that killed 2 people and injured 14 others in Mississippi and Alabama, the tornadoes left $600,000 dollars (1957 USD) in damage. In the Ohio Valley, the storm dropped a huge amounts of rain that caused significant flooding which left 10 fatalities. In Pennsylvania, the storm produced 65 mph (105 km/h) sustained winds while winds of 95-100 mph (153-161 km/h) were reported in New York. In Canada, winds up to 80 mph were reported and there were three fatalities. <ref name="mwr">MWR Report on Audrey</ref>
[edit] Comparisons to Hurricane Rita
Comparisons between Hurricane Rita of the 2005 season and Audrey are inevitable because of their similar strengths and nearly identical landfall locations with the eye again passing over Bridge City, Texas. Rita was stronger when it made landfall (minimum pressure at landfall was 937mb compared with the 945mb associated with Audrey). However, Rita's winds were less powerful, as Rita was a Category 3 hurricane at landfall with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph. Contrary to Audrey's storm surge, Rita's was much higher when it made landfall in 2005. <ref>COMPARISON OF HURRICANE AUDREY (1957) AND HURRICANE RITA (2005) URL Accessed: June 21,2006</ref>
[edit] Naming
The name Audrey was soon retired and will never be used again to name a hurricane.<ref>Weather Underground.comRetired Hurricane NamesURL Accessed:June 21, 2006</ref> Because of this, it was the first and only use of the name Audrey for the Atlantic Basin.<ref>Hurricanes and Tropical Storms ChronologicallyURL Accessed:June 21,2006</ref>
[edit] See also
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[edit] References
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