Hurricane Hilda
| Category 4 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Hilda at peak intensity on October 1
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| Formed | September 28, 1964 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | October 5, 1964 |
| (Extratropical after October 4) | |
| Highest winds |
1-minute sustained: 150 mph (240 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 941 mbar (hPa); 27.79 inHg |
| Fatalities | 38 |
| Damage | $126 million (1964 USD) |
| Areas affected | |
| Part of the 1964 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Hilda was the most intense tropical cyclone of the 1964 Atlantic hurricane season and ravaged areas of the United States Gulf Coast, particularly Louisiana. In addition to causing impacts inland, the hurricane greatly disrupted offshore oil production, and at its time was the costliest tropical cyclone for Louisiana's offshore oil production. Due in part to flights made by the National Hurricane Research Laboratory, Hilda became one of the most well-documented storms meteorologically in the Atlantic. Lasting for seven days as a tropical cyclone, Hilda caused US$126 million in damage and 38 deaths.
Hilda developed over the southern shores of Cuba on September 28 as a tropical depression, tracking westward in an area of favorable conditions and reaching tropical storm intensity the next day. Once situated in the Gulf of Mexico, Hilda strengthened into a hurricane and began a slow trawl northward, rapidly intensifying to its peak intensity with winds of 150 mph (240 km/h) on October 1, making it a Category 4 hurricane equivalent. Slight weakening occurred as Hilda made landfall on the southern Louisiana coast on October 3. After reaching land, the hurricane took a sharp turn eastward and rapidly weakened as a result of land interaction and the presence of cool, dry air. The weakened remnants of Hilda merged with a cold front a day after landfall and dissipated on October 5.
Originating near Cuba, the cyclone intensified while moving through the Gulf of Mexico, and became a Category 4 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico before striking Louisiana in early October. In combination with a frontal zone located across the Southeast United States, the hurricane spread heavy rains through the South through the Carolinas into the Mid-Atlantic States. Hilda led to significant damage to oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as $126 million (1964 USD) in damage, and 38 deaths.
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Wikipedia