1958 Atlantic hurricane season

1958 Atlantic hurricane season
Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formed	May 25, 1958
Last system dissipated	October 17, 1958
Strongest storm
Name	Helene
• Maximum winds	150 mph (240 km/h)
• Lowest pressure	930 mbar (hPa; 27.46 inHg)
Seasonal statistics
Total depressions	12
Total storms	12
Hurricanes	7
Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+)	3
Total fatalities	52 overall
Total damage	$11.65 million (1958 USD)
Atlantic hurricane seasons 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960

Tropical storm (SSHWS)
Duration	May 25 – May 27
Peak intensity	60 mph (95 km/h) (1-min)  999 mbar (hPa)

Tropical storm (SSHWS)
Duration	June 14 – June 16
Peak intensity	65 mph (100 km/h) (1-min)  997 mbar (hPa)

Tropical storm (SSHWS)
Duration	August 8 – August 17
Peak intensity	70 mph (110 km/h) (1-min)  982 mbar (hPa)

Category 4 hurricane (SSHWS)
Duration	August 11 – August 20
Peak intensity	140 mph (220 km/h) (1-min)  947 mbar (hPa)

Category 4 hurricane (SSHWS)
Duration	August 24 – August 29
Peak intensity	130 mph (215 km/h) (1-min)  948 mbar (hPa)

Category 2 hurricane (SSHWS)
Duration	August 30 – September 6
Peak intensity	110 mph (175 km/h) (1-min)  983 mbar (hPa)

Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS)
Duration	September 4 – September 11
Peak intensity	85 mph (140 km/h) (1-min)  1000 mbar (hPa)

Tropical storm (SSHWS)
Duration	September 14 – September 22
Peak intensity	60 mph (95 km/h) (1-min)  1001 mbar (hPa)

Category 4 hurricane (SSHWS)
Duration	September 21 – September 29
Peak intensity	150 mph (240 km/h) (1-min)  930 mbar (hPa)

The 1958 Atlantic hurricane season included every tropical cyclone either affecting or threatening land. There were ten named storms as well as one pre-season tropical depression. Seven of the storms became hurricanes, including five that were major hurricanes, or the equivalent of a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The strongest storm was Hurricane Helene, which became a strong Category 4 hurricane with 150 mph (240 km/h) winds and an barometric pressure of 930 mbar (27.46 inHg) while just offshore the southeastern United States.

In May, a subtropical depression formed in the Caribbean and dropped heavy rainfall near Miami, Florida. The first named storm of the season was Alma, which killed three people and caused flooding in Texas. Hurricane Daisy in August was a major hurricane that paralleled the eastern coast of the United States, although due to its small size it did not cause much damage. Hurricane Ella affected much of the northern Caribbean and Texas, most significantly the Dominican Republic where 30 people died. Ella also killed six people in Cuba, where it made landfall as a major hurricane. A few weeks later, Tropical Storm Gerda also struck the Dominican Republic and killed three people. The costliest storm of the season was Helene, which caused $11.2 million in damage (1958 USD), mostly in North Carolina. Although it passed within 10 mi (16 km) of the state, its effects were mostly limited to the coast, and the hurricane killed one person. The last storm of the season, Janice, killed eight people in Jamaica when its precursor dropped 20 in (510 mm) of rainfall, and one person was killed in the Bahamas.

The ten tropical storms during the season is comparable to the 20 year average of ten. In contrast to the previous season when most storms were in the Gulf of Mexico, most storms in 1958 occurred over the western Atlantic Ocean. The first storm, Alma, formed in the middle of June. Subsequently, a trough persisted along the eastern United States, which suppressed tropical cyclone formation. Conditions remained unfavorable in July due to a large ridge suppressing the westerlies. In August, a persistent trough caused three storms – Becky, Cleo, and Daisy – to recurve and remain over the ocean. Most storms formed from the middle of August through the middle of October, when polar air reached as far south as Florida due to a shift in the ridge.

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Wikipedia