Hurricane Abby (1960)

Hurricane Abby

Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS/NWS)
Hurricane Abby approaching landfall in Belize
Formed	July 10, 1960
Dissipated	July 16, 1960
Highest winds	1-minute sustained: 80 mph (130 km/h)
Lowest pressure	995 mbar (hPa); 29.38 inHg
Fatalities	6 total
Damage	$640,000 (1960 USD)
Areas affected	Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, Leeward Antilles, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, Mexico
Part of the 1960 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Abby was the only tropical cyclone in the Caribbean Sea during the 1960 Atlantic hurricane season. The second tropical cyclone and first named storm season, Abby developed on July 10 from a tropical wave in the vicinity of the Lesser Antilles. Abby rapidly intensified into a hurricane after being a tropical storm for less than six hours. It briefly peaked as a category 2 hurricane before weakening back. Abby rapidly weakened to a minimal tropical storm a few days thereafter. The storm re-strengthened into a hurricane as it began to parallel the coast of Honduras. Hurricane Abby made landfall in British Honduras (present-day Belize) on July 15. Abby dissipated over Mexico later the next day. The remnants of Abby ultimately became Hurricane Celeste in the Pacific Ocean. Despite passing through or near several countries, Hurricane Abby had a relatively light impact on land, resulting in just $640,500 (1960 USD, $5.22 million 2017 USD) in damage and six fatalities.

The origins of Hurricane Abby were possibly from a tropical wave that moved in the vicinity of the Lesser Antilles in early July 1960. Ships and a few weather stations on July 9 reported the existence of a tropical cyclone. On July 9, it had operationally been classified as a tropical storm upon formation, though a later analysis revealed that it was only a tropical depression. The depression passed near Barbados early on July 10 before rapidly intensifying into a hurricane. Hurricane Abby accelerated toward the west and made landfall in St. Lucia as a minimal category 1 hurricane. Abby emerged into the Caribbean Sea a few hours later. As it headed generally westward, it also gradually strengthened. By July 11, Hurricane Abby had attained peak intensity as an 80 mph (129 km/h) category 1 hurricane.

The intensity of Abby began to gradually level off, though it re-intensified slightly in the Caribbean, before eventually weakening further. Abby was downgraded to a tropical storm on the morning of July 13; it was center roughly 222 mi (357 km) south of Kingston, Jamaica at the time. Just six hours thereafter, Abby had maximum sustained winds of only 45 mph (75 km/h). Abby re-intensified at a relatively quick pace, as it was near hurricane status again when it passed just to the north of Honduras on July 14.