Hurricane Anna (1961)
| Category 3 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Anna near peak intensity on July 21
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| Formed | July 20, 1961 |
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| Dissipated | July 24, 1961 |
| Highest winds |
1-minute sustained: 115 mph (185 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 976 mbar (hPa); 28.82 inHg |
| Fatalities | 1 direct |
| Damage | $300,000 (1961 USD) |
| Areas affected | Windward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Leeward Antilles, Colombia, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, Mexico |
| Part of the 1961 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Anna impacted Central America and the Windward Islands in July 1961. The first tropical cyclone and first hurricane of the hurricane season, Anna developed on July 20 from an easterly wave located in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) over the Windward Islands. Initially a tropical storm, it moved westward across the Caribbean Sea. Favorable environmental conditions allowed Anna to reach hurricane intensity late on July 20. Early on the following day, the storm strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. Intensification continued, and later on July 21, Anna became a major hurricane, upon reaching Category 3 intensity. After attaining peak intensity on July 22, the hurricane slightly weakened while brushing the northern coast of Honduras. Further weakening occurred; when Anna made landfall in landfall in Belize (then known as British Honduras) on July 24, winds decreased to 80 mph (130 km/h). Anna rapidly weakened over land and dissipated later that day.
As a developing tropical cyclone over the Leeward Islands, Anna produced strong winds over Grenada, though damage was limited to some crops, trees, and telephone poles. Other islands experienced gusty winds, but no damage. Passing just north of Venezuela, the hurricane produced strong winds over the country, peaking as high as 70 mph (115 km/h). Strong winds caused widespread damage in northern Honduras. Throughout the country, at least 36 homes were destroyed and 228 were damaged. Severe damage in the Gracias a Dios Department left hundreds of people homeless. Additionally, high winds toppled approximately 5,000 coconut trees. Overall, Anna caused a fatality and $300,000 in damage (1961 USD), primarily in Central America.
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