Hurricane Abby (1968)
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Abby as a hurricane on June 6, 1968.
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| Formed | June 1, 1968 |
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| Dissipated | June 13, 1968 |
| Highest winds |
1-minute sustained: 75 mph (120 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 992 mbar (hPa); 29.29 inHg |
| Fatalities | 6 indirect |
| Damage | $450,000 (1968 USD) |
| Areas affected | Cuba, Florida, Georgia, Carolinas |
| Part of the 1968 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Abby made landfall in Cuba, Florida, and North Carolina in June 1968. The first tropical cyclone, first named storm, and first hurricane on the season, Abby developed over the northwestern Caribbean Sea on June 1, as a result of the interaction between a mid-tropospheric trough and a cold front. Moving generally north-northeastward, the depression slowly strengthened while approaching the western tip of Cuba, becoming Tropical Storm Abby late on June 2. Shortly thereafter, Abby made landfall in Pinar del Río Province. The storm dropped heavy rainfall in western Cuba, with up to 12 inches (300 mm) on Isla de la Juventud. However, no flooding was reported. After reaching the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on June 3, Abby strengthened further and became a Category 1 hurricane on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. However, early on June 4, Abby weakened to a tropical storm. Around midday on June 4, the system made landfall near Punta Gorda, Florida as a strong tropical storm.
Initially, Abby weakened slightly after moving inland, but then maintained intensity while tracking slowly eastward across Florida. By midday on June 5, the system emerged into the Atlantic Ocean, but made another landfall near Atlantic Beach late on June 6. The storm weakened slowly weakened and fell to tropical depression intensity over eastern Georgia about 24 hours later. Abby then moved in a parabolic path across The Carolinas, eventually re-emerging into the Atlantic from South Carolina early on June 11. By late on the following day, Abby made another landfall near Swansboro, North Carolina. The storm moved offshore again on June 13, before finally dissipating near the Delmarva Peninsula.
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