Hurricane Donna
| Category 5 hurricane ( SSHWS ) | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Emergence | August 29, 1960 | |
| resolution | September 13, 1960 | |
|
Peak wind speed |
|
|
| Lowest air pressure | 932 mbar ( hPa ; 27.5 inHg ) | |
| dead | 364 direct | |
| Property damage | $ 3.3 billion (1960) | |
|
Affected areas |
Leeward Islands , Puerto Rico , Haiti , Dominican Republic , Cuba , Bahamas , all states on the east coast of the United States from Florida to Maine , Atlantic Provinces of Canada | |
| Season overview: 1960 Atlantic hurricane season |
||
Hurricane Donna was a tropical cyclone of Category 5 in 1960, which in many parts of the Caribbean and the East Coast of the United States wreaking widespread damage.
Storm course
Donna holds the record for the hurricane that held the longest "strong tropical cyclone" status (level 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale ). For over 9 days, from September 2nd to September 11th, Donna achieved average wind speeds of over 180 km / h. From the time Donna formed as a tropical depression over the Cape Verde Islands until it finally dissolved, Donna lasted for over 17 days. On the way across the Atlantic, the cyclone intensified up to category 5.
After Donna had crossed northern Puerto Rico and Hispaniola , it moved across the Bahamas towards the east coast of the USA. Donna reached the mainland for the first time in Marathon in the Florida Keys . Here wind speeds of 280 to 320 km / h and an air pressure of 930 hPa were measured. The storm continued to move across the Gulf of Mexico and then headed north. The second time Donna reached mainland was between Naples and Fort Myers , Florida. Here Donna still had a level 4 strength.
After crossing the Florida peninsula, the storm continued north across the Atlantic and then reached the mainland for a third and final time via Long Island , New York .
In 2004, Hurricane Charlie followed a path similar to Donna. Both cyclones are referred to as particularly slow storms.
Effects
Hurricane Donna was a very devastating storm and the number of affected regions was not reached again until Hurricane Wilma in 2005 . A total of 364 people were killed by the cyclone, 148 of them directly.
Lesser and Greater Antilles
Only minor damage occurred in the Virgin Islands . Even so, seven people died here. In Puerto Rico, the downpours caused severe floods and spring tides, in which 107 people (85 of them in the city of Humacao alone ) were killed.
| rank | hurricane | season | Air pressure (in mbar ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Labor day | 1935 | 892 |
| 2 | Camille | 1969 | 900 |
| 3 | Irma | 2017 | 914 |
| 4th | Katrina | 2005 | 920 |
| 5 | Andrew | 1992 | 922 |
| 6th | Indianola | 1886 | 925 |
| 7th | Florida Keys | 1919 | 927 |
| 8th | Okeechobee | 1928 | 929 |
| 9 | Miami | 1926 | 930 |
| 10 | donna | 1960 | 932 |
| Source: HURDAT, Hurricane Research Division | |||
Bahamas
No deaths were recorded in the Bahamas, although the destruction was very great.
United States
In Florida, Donna caused the greatest damage in that the storm destroyed many homes and ships. In addition, large parts of the harvest were destroyed. This included 35% of the grapefruit harvest, 10% of the oranges and mandarins harvests. The avocado crop was almost completely destroyed. The day after arriving in Florida, President Dwight D. Eisenhower declared a national emergency in the region from the Florida Keys to central Florida.
Great damage was also done in North Carolina and New York. Donna was one of the few cyclones recorded with strong winds on the entire east coast of the USA. A total of 50 Americans were killed by Donna and the total damage in the US reached over $ 3 billion.
The name "Donna" has been removed from the list of names for cyclones and will never be used again for any other hurricane. In 1964 he was replaced by "Dora".
See also
Web links
- ^ National Hurricane Center: Atlantic hurricane best track (Hurdat) ( English ) Hurricane Research Division. Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Office of Oceanic & Atmospheric Research. April 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ↑ National Hurricane Center: Continental United States Hurricanes (Detailed Description) ( English ) United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Oceanic & Atmospheric Research. February 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2016.