Hurricane Esther
Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Formed | September 10, 1961 |
Dissipated | September 27, 1961 |
Category 5 major hurricane | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Highest winds | 160 mph (260 km/h) |
Lowest pressure | 919 mbar (hPa); 27.14 inHg |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 7 indirect |
Damage | $6 million (1961 USD) |
Areas affected | East Coast of the United States, New England |
IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1961 Atlantic hurricane season |
Hurricane Esther was the first large
Esther then executed a large cyclonic loop, until curving northward on September 25. Early on the following day, Esther struck
Meteorological history
On September 10, the
After becoming a hurricane, Esther turned more to the west-northwest, influenced by the strengthening
Around the time of attaining peak winds, Esther began moving more to the northwest toward the
As a weakened tropical storm, Esther turned to the southeast and gradually executed a large loop. On September 24, it turned back to the west and subsequently turned back to the north,
Preparations
While Esther was becoming a powerful hurricane over the open Atlantic, the San Juan Weather Bureau office issued a
In Norfolk, Virginia, between 10,000 and 15,000 people were evacuated to emergency shelters on September 19, but were able to return home the next day as Esther passed far to the east. Preparations for Esther were described by the National Weather Service's Norfolk bureau as "the most thorough ever seen here" at the time.[7] Naval ships and aircraft carriers based in the city headed for open waters to endure the storm, while over 200 military airplanes were flown inland away from the coast.[8]
The National Weather Service, in anticipation of a possible landfall in the Carolinas, issued a
As Esther began to parallel the coastline, a hurricane warning was issued for coastal areas from Long Island to Provincetown, Massachusetts on September 20, and were extended to Eastport, Maine early on September 21.[10] All hurricane watches were discontinued on September 21 as Esther moved away from the New England coast, and all hurricane warnings were downgraded to gale warnings later that day as Esther passed near Nantucket and weakened to a tropical storm, and all warnings were discontinued on September 22 after the storm moved away from the coast.[11] After Esther completed its anticyclonic loop over the northwestern Atlantic, a gale warning was again issued from Provincetown, Massachusetts to Eastport, Maine on September 25, and was discontinued the next day after Esther made its second landfall in Maine.[12] Personnel on two offshore surveillance stations called the Texas Towers were evacuated; a third tower had collapsed during a storm in January 1961, prompting higher safety standards.[8]
Impact and aftermath
A powerful hurricane, Esther produced high waves and strong swells across much of the western Atlantic, including along the north coast of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Bahamas.[3]
North Carolina and Virginia
In
Mid-Atlantic
Esther mainly produced heavy rainfall and gale-force wind gusts along the coasts of Maryland and Delaware. These areas also experienced storm surges of 6–7 ft (1.8–2.1 m) above normal. Wind gusts to 45 mph (72 km/h) were observed at Ocean City, Maryland, and storm surge flooding caused damage to the city's sea wall and boardwalk. Minor to moderate damage was reported along the New Jersey coast. A wind gust of 69 mph (111 km/h) was observed in Atlantic City.[1] Winds downed trees and power lines and damaged apple crops. Storm surge resulted in minor beach erosion and wrecked some boats. Damage totaled less than $1 million.[15]
In New York, sustained winds of 40 mph (64 km/h) and gusts up to 60 mph (97 km/h) in Putnam and Rockland counties downed numerous trees, caused power outages, and damaged crops. Farther south on Long Island, the hardest hit areas were Nassau and eastern Suffolk counties. Wind gusts up to 108 mph (174 km/h) felled trees and power lines, leaving over 300,000 homes without electricity; minor structure damage was also reported.[15] Downed power lines and minor flooding due to rainfall amounts of up to 7 in (178 mm) also caused public transportation delays on Long Island.[1] Tides as high as 35 ft (10.7 m) damaged many pleasure boats. Minor flooding was reported in Queens and Brooklyn.[1] Damage likely exceeded $3 million, with nearly one-third of that amount incurred to crops and property each.[15]
New England
In Connecticut, sustained winds between 35 and 50 mph (56 and 80 km/h) and gusts between 45 and 65 mph (72 and 105 km/h) caused electrical and phone service outages, as well as generally minor property damage. There was also some loss to crops, especially apples and corn. Similar impact was reported farther east in Rhode Island, though winds were much stronger, with sustained winds of 74 mph (119 km/h) and a gust up to 83 mph (134 km/h) observed at Block Island. Tides ranging from 4 to 6 ft (1.2 to 1.8 m) above normal damaged small crafts and caused severe beach erosion, destroying a parking lot and washing out several roads. In south-central and northeastern Maine, precipitation totals between 2 and 4 in (51 and 102 mm) flooded basements, underpasses, and low-lying roads, resulting in traffic being delayed by detours.[15]
Strong winds were also observed in eastern Massachusetts, with the strongest wind gust being 70 mph (110 km/h) in Chatham.[15]
Despite gale and storm force wind gusts in eastern
While over open waters, Esther caused seven indirect deaths when a
The survivors told Coast Guard officials that during the storm, one of the engines of the plane failed, along with most of the electrical power; as a result, the crew was unable to drop the reserve tank or close the bomb bay doors automatically. Before the crew could close the bomb bay doors manually, the plane crashed in shark-infested waters and broke apart; three of the crewmen were able to get out of the downed plane, but the other seven were unable to escape. The three survivors were then attacked by sharks before being rescued.[17]
Project Stormfury
Hurricane Esther was also one of the first targets of a Navy experiment in modifying or weakening hurricanes by seeding them. On September 16, a Navy plane flew into the eye of Esther about 400 miles (644 km) northeast of Puerto Rico, and dropped canisters of silver iodide into the storm.[18][19] The hurricane appeared to weaken slightly in response to the seeding, reportedly by ten percent. This weakening was temporary, however, as the hurricane resumed strengthening shortly after.[2] The aircraft returned the next day to seed again, but the seeding canisters fell outside the eyewall with no effect on its structure, and the hurricane continued to strengthen. Despite this result, the experiment was deemed a success, and led to the establishment of Project Stormfury.[20]
See also
- Other storms of the same name
- List of New England hurricanes
- Hurricane Gloria (1985)
- Hurricane Earl (2010)
- Hurricane Jose (2017)
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Arthur I. Cooperman; Howard C. Sumner; James K. McGuire (1961). Hurricane Esther September 11–26 (A Preliminary Report) (PDF) (Report). United States Weather Bureau. p. 1. Retrieved 2014-08-29.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j National Hurricane Center; Hurricane Research Division (2014). Atlantic hurricane best track (HURDAT version 2) (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 2014-08-29.
- ^ . Retrieved 2014-08-29.
- ^ Max Mayfield (1998-11-16). Hurricane Karl Preliminary Report (Report). National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on 2013-06-02. Retrieved 2014-08-29.
- ^ "SP-168 Exploring Space with a Camera". NASA. Retrieved 2014-08-29.
- ^ Reanalysis of the 1960-1970 Atlantic Hurricane Seasons. 33rd Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology. 16 April 2018.
- ^ a b c "Preliminary Storm Report (Norfolk)". NWS. 1961. Retrieved 2006-06-09.
- ^ Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
- ^ "Hurricane Esther Tropical Cyclone Report (page 10)". NOAA. 1961. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
- ^ "Hurricane Esther Tropical Cyclone Report (page 17)". NOAA. 1961. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
- ^ "Hurricane Esther Tropical Cyclone Report (page 23)". NOAA. 1961. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
- ^ "Hurricane Esther Tropical Cyclone Report (page 25)". NOAA. 1961. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
- Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
- ^ Duke (1961-09-21). Preliminary Storm Report. United States Weather Bureau Office Wilmington, North Carolina (Report). Retrieved 2014-08-30.
- ^ a b c d e Luther H. Hodges. Storm Data And Unusual Weather Phenomena (PDF). United States Weather Bureau (Report). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2014-08-30.
- ^ "Paddle to Esther's island for quahogs and sunsets". Nantucket Chronicle. 2007-04-16. Retrieved 2016-05-26.
- ^ a b c Imhof, Patrick J. (2005-09-13). "Rescue at Sea" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-04. Retrieved 2006-05-10.
- ^ Posey, C. (March 1994). "Hurricanes --- Reaping the whirlwind". Omni. Vol. 16. General Media. pp. 34–47. Note: This replaces a prior citation to an expired Google Cache entry accessed 2006-07-04; some details for this citation were taken from the reference list for the online article An overview of hurricanes Archived 2008-07-10 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Williams, Jack (12 October 1999). "Project Stormfury attempted to weaken hurricanes in the 1960s and 70s". USA Today. Gannett (published 2006-04-18). Retrieved 2008-07-23.
- ^ Williams, Jack (2005-05-05). "Stormfury attempted to weaken hurricanes". USA Today. Retrieved 2006-05-10.
External links
- NHC Preliminary Storm Report
- BBC Weather: Can hurricanes be stopped?
- Hurricane Esther
- "Inside Hurricane Esther", photos by NOAA: [1], [2], [3]