Hurricane Flossy (1956)

Infobox Hurricane | name=Hurricane Flossy
Type=hurricane
Year=1956
Basin=Atl
Formed=September 21, 1956
Dissipated=September 30, 1956
Image location=19560924.gif
1-min winds=80
Pressure=980
Da

Inflated=0
Fatalities=16
Areas=Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia
Hurricane season=1956 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Flossy originated from a tropical disturbance in the eastern Pacific Ocean and moved across Central America into the Gulf of Mexico as a tropical depression on September 21, which became a tropical storm on September 22 and a hurricane on September 23. The hurricane peaked with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 km/h) before it struck the central Gulf coast of the United States as a Category 1 hurricane on September 24, and evolved into an extratropical cyclone on September 25. [National Hurricane Center. [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/tracks1851to2006_atl.txt Atlantic Hurricane Database.] Retrieved on 2008-02-27.] It was the first hurricane to affect oil refining in the Gulf of Mexico. The tropical cyclone led to flooding in New Orleans, and broke a drought across the eastern United States. The death toll was 16, and total damages reached US$24.9 million (1956 dollars). [W. F. Stokes, Jr. [http://www.spillwayreview.com/essayflossie.html Remembering Hurricane Flossie.] Retrieved on 2007-02-01.]

Meteorological history

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 Yucatán 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-northeast across the Mouth of the Mississippi river on September 24 as a minor hurricane.Canadian Hurricane Center. [http://www.atl.ec.gc.ca/weather/hurricane/storm56.html Storms of 1956.] Retrieved on 2007-02-01.] 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 slowly through the shipping lanes between Canada and Bermuda, blocked by a high pressure system in southeast Canada.Gordon E. Dunn, Walter R. Davis, and Paul L. Moore. [http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/general/lib/lib1/nhclib/mwreviews/1956.pdf Hurricane Season of 1956.] Retrieved on 2007-02-02.]

Preparations

By the morning of September 22, hurricane watches were posted for the upper Texas and Louisiana coasts. [The Corpus Christi Times. [http://thehurricanearchive.com/Viewer.aspx?
] Retrieved on 2008-02-02.] By the morning of September 24, hurricane warnings were in effect from Grand Isle, Louisiana to Fort Walton Beach, Florida while storm warnings were in effect from Morgan City, Louisiana to St. Marks, Florida. [Associated Press. [http://thehurricanearchive.com/Viewer.aspx?
] Retrieved on 2008-02-02.] The approach of the hurricane led to the evacuation of 15 aircraft from Florida to Ardmore Air Force Base, in Oklahoma. [BrightNet Oklahoma. [http://www.brightok.net/~gsimmons/mem53-59.htm Ardmore Air Force Base: 1953-59.] Retrieved on 2006-02-02.]

Impact

Gulf of Mexico

This was the first hurricane to cause significant disruption to oil refining in the Gulf of Mexico. [cite web|url=http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/regulate/environ/studies/2004/2004-049.pdf
title=History of the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry in Southern Louisiana Interim Report: Volume I: Papers on the Evolving Offshore Industry page 17. Retrieved on 2007-02-06.] 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). [U. S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service. [http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/regulate/environ/studies/2004/2004-049.pdf 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.] The cost to downtime in production was greater than the damage Flossy created to the oil rigs.Benfield Corporate Risk. [http://www.benfieldcorporaterisk.com/NR/rdonlyres/CD405DCE-D45F-4603-AE86-B8C916C7B324/0/Article__65yr_history.pdf A 65 Year history of hurricanes and some of their resultant impacts on the offshore industry.] Retrieved on 2007-02-01.] There was no loss of life. [Dr. J. C. Jones and D. O'Shea. [http://www.pin-pub.com/pdf/pin/2006/04/pin200604_062.pdf Gulf Coast hurricanes and their impact on offshore oil production.] Retrieved on 2007-02-01.]

United States

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

Louisiana

Wind-blown sand from the beach spread over area highways due to the hurricane.D. A. Richter and E. A. DiLoreto. [http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/084/mwr-084-09-0343.pdf The Transformation of Hurricane Flossy into an Extratropical Cyclone, September 25-29, 1956.] Retrieved on 2008-02-03.] A total of convert|16.70|in|mm of rainfall fell at Golden Meadow, Louisiana. Burrwood, Louisiana's pressure fell to 29.03 inHg (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 convert|13|ft|m. Extensive coastal erosion was caused by the cyclone across the Mississippi Delta. In New Orleans, Louisiana, about 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) 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. [David M. Roth. [http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lch/research/lalate20hur.php Louisiana Hurricane History: Late 20th Century.] Retrieved on 2007-02-02.]

Eastern Gulf coast

Winds as high as convert|66|mph|km/h kn struck coastal Mississippi. [Charles S. Sullivan. Hurricanes of the Mississippi Gulf Coast: 1717 to Present. Gulf Publishing Company: Biloxi, 1984.] A total of convert|16.30|in|mm of rain fell at Gulf Shores. In Montgomery, Alabama, the tent used to house the Eastern Hills Baptist Church was destroyed. [Alicia Morris Atcheson. [http://www.al.com/living/alabamabaptist/index.ssf?/base/living/1166461240164680.xml&coll=8 Eastern Hills Baptist Celebrates 50 Years.] Retrieved on 2007-02-01.] Across northern Florida, southern Alabama, and Georgia, Flossy was considered drought-breaking. [Associated Press. [http://thehurricanearchive.com/Viewer.aspx?
] Retrieved on 2008-02-02.] In southwest Georgia, high winds from Flossy damages the corn and cotton crops.D. A. Richter and E. A. DiLoreto. [http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/084/mwr-084-09-0343.pdf The Transformation of Hurricane Flossy into an Extratropical Cyclone, September 25-29, 1956.] Retrieved on 2008-02-03.] The lowest pressure reported was 28.93 inches/979.8 hPa or mb at Pensacola Naval Air Station. The storm tide at Laguna Beach, Florida, reached convert|7.4|ft|m above mean sea level.

Eastern United States

Rains brought by Flossy helped relieve drought conditions across the Carolinas,D. A. Richter and E. A. DiLoreto. [http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/084/mwr-084-09-0343.pdf The Transformation of Hurricane Flossy into an Extratropical Cyclone, September 25-29, 1956.] Retrieved on 2008-02-03.] and were considered beneficial. Winds as high as convert|45|mph|km/h kn were recorded in Washington, D.C.. The gas screw vessel Mary Anne was lost at the Hampton Roads Naval Base. [David M. Roth and Hugh Cobb. [http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/research/roth/valate20hur.htm Virginia Hurricane History: Late Twentieth Century.] Retrieved on 2007-02-02.] High tides caused by the then-extratropical cyclone led to water convert|2.5|ft|m deep in sections of Norfolk. The Back River Light collapsed during the storm, 127 years after it was built. [U. S. Coast Guard. [http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/WEBLIGHTHOUSES/LHVA.html Virginia Light Stations.] Retrieved on 2007-02-02.] Severe flooding occurred along the state's coastline, including interior bays. This occurred despite efforts to curb the storm surge with 500 tons (454 tonnes) of broken rock. [The City of Lewes, Delaware. [http://www.ci.lewes.de.us/index.cfm?fuseaction=predisaster.lewesfloodfacts LEWES FLOOD FACTS AND THE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM.] Retrieved on 2007-02-02.]

Aftermath

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.

ee also

*List of Atlantic hurricanes
*List of wettest tropical cyclones in Louisiana

References

External links

* [http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/dwm/data_rescue_daily_weather_maps.html U. S. Daily Weather Map Series]