1961 Atlantic hurricane season
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The 1961 Atlantic hurricane season was an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. It officially started June 1, 1961, and lasted until November 30, 1961.
Notable storms of 1961 include Hurricane Carla, which killed 46 caused $408 million ($2.5 billion in 2000 dollars) when it made landfall near Port Lavaca, Texas. Carla was one of the most intense hurricanes to make landfall in the United States, with a central pressure of 27.49" and estimated wind speeds of 150 mi/h. Although the scale did not exist in 1961, Carla is now considered to be a Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.
Later in the season, Hurricane Hattie caused enormous damage in Central America, with an estimated death toll of 200, almost all in Belize. Advance warning of the storm is credited with reducing the number of fatalities, as the storm was reportedly worse than the hurricane that struck there in 1931, killing 2000 people. Hattie destroyed an estimated 40% of all buildings in Belize, and damaged half of those that remained.
1961 Hurricane names
The following names were used for named storms (tropical storms and hurricanes) that formed in the North Atlantic in 1961.
- Anna
- Betsy
- Carla
- Debbie
- Esther
- Frances
- Gerda
- Hattie
- Inga
- Jenny
- Kara (unused)
- Laurie (unused)
- Martha (unused)
- Netty (unused)
- Orva (unused)
- Peggy (unused)
- Rhoda (unused)
- Sadie (unused)
- Tanya (unused)
- Virgy (unused)
- Wenda (unused)
See also
External link
- Detailed information on all storms from 1961 (ftp://ftp.nhc.noaa.gov/pub/storm_archives/atlantic/prelimat/atl1961/)