Hurricane Gladys (1968)
Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Formed | October 13, 1968 |
Dissipated | October 21, 1968 |
Category 2 hurricane | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Highest winds | 100 mph (155 km/h) |
Lowest pressure | 965 mbar (hPa); 28.50 inHg |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 11 |
Damage | $18.7 million (1968 USD) |
Areas affected | Cuba, Southeastern United States (especially Florida), Nova Scotia |
IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1968 Atlantic hurricane season |
Hurricane Gladys was the first
In Cuba, the threat of the hurricane prompted widespread evacuations. Gladys caused
Meteorological history
The origins of Hurricane Gladys were from a
After becoming a tropical storm, Gladys intensified into a hurricane near the
Hurricane Gladys was active during the Apollo 7 spaceflight mission, and astronauts aboard took several pictures of the hurricane. Later, researchers were able to compare the photographs to airforce reconnaissance data, radar, and local weather networks, the first such hurricane to be observed with such varied data.[3]
Preparations
In advance of the storm, Cuban officials forced about 36,000 residents to evacuate from low-lying areas, along with 35,000 livestock.[4][5] All flights were canceled in and out of Havana during the storm's passage. Many classes were canceled in the region, and workers took steps to minimize damage to the tobacco crop.[6]
Shortly after Gladys became a tropical storm, the NHC issued gale warnings for the Florida Keys and later a hurricane watch for the southwest Florida coast from the Florida Keys to Clearwater. After Gladys entered the Gulf of Mexico, the NHC issued hurricane warnings for the Florida Keys to Cedar Key, with a watch to St. Marks. Later, hurricane warnings were issued from Charleston, South Carolina to Hatteras, North Carolina.[2] Before Gladys made landfall in Florida, all schools in Pinellas County were closed, and officials evacuated 60 jet fighters from MacDill Air Force Base to Mississippi. HMS Sirius, which was visiting St. Petersburg, rode out the storm in the open Gulf of Mexico. The American Red Cross opened shelters across western Florida for people to stay in during the storm,[7] and about 40,000 people evacuated their homes during the storm's passage.[5] Then-governor Claude R. Kirk Jr. ordered 100 Florida guardsmen to assist with storm work.[8] Shelters were set up in North Carolina, although few people evacuated.[5]
Impact
Before its first landfall in Cuba, Gladys produced wind gusts of 80 mph (130 km/h) at Nueva Gerona on the Isle of Youth. Rainfall on the island was estimated at 8.49 in (216 mm). On the Cuban mainland, a station in Havana reported gale-force winds for several hours. The hurricane dropped heavy rainfall, causing flash flooding that damaged factories and crops; the tobacco crop sustained heavy losses to the extent that the Monthly Weather Review described it as "virtually wiped out".[2] In Havana, floodwaters from the storm wrecked houses and other buildings, while in San Antonio de los Baños, residents required rescue from their flooded houses. After the storm, Cuban officials advised residents in Havana to boil their water to prevent the spread of disease, after water lines were damaged.[4] At least 36,000 people were left homeless as a result of the storm.[9] Throughout Cuba, Gladys caused $12 million in damage and six deaths.[10]
While Gladys was still moving northward offshore Florida, it produced winds of 64 mph (103 km/h) on the Dry Tortugas, with gusts to 86 mph (138 km/h).[2] Rainfall on the Dry Tortugas reached over 4 in (100 mm). Communications were briefly cut to the island during the storm.[4] Along the Florida Keys, the only other report of a hurricane-force wind gust was 87 mph (140 km/h) on Plantation Key.[2] Tides in the Florida Keys were about 0.6 ft (0.18 m) above normal, and damage was minor in the region.[11]
Farther north in Florida, hurricane-force winds were limited to a small area from Clearwater to Bayport, with peak gusts of 100 mph (160 km/h). Winds in eastern Florida were not as strong. Gladys produced moderate rainfall across the state,[2] peaking at 12.46 in (316 mm) at Cape Canaveral.[12] Rainfall was generally less than 6 in (150 mm), which limited flooding. The hurricane produced high tides near where it made landfall, reaching 6.5 ft (2.0 m) above normal; this caused heavy beach erosion and coastal flooding.[2] The town of Sunset Beach was almost entirely under water during the high storm tides. Elsewhere, the high waves wrecked boat houses, and portions of the seawall were washed out in Tierra Verde.[11] Gladys also spawned two tornadoes in the state, one each in Boca Raton and Palatka.[2] The one in Boca Raton damaged a warehouse, while a waterspout in Whitfield Estates damaged three homes.[13] According to locals, several other tornadoes touched down in Volusia and Putnam counties, based on the falling of trees and visible twisting trail of damage[14] Across Florida, Gladys downed many trees and power lines,[11] and the NHC office briefly lost power for two hours.[15] Gladys affected about 85% of the citrus crop to some degree, although crop damage was fairly minimal,[2] with about 10% lost in Pinellas and west Pasco counties.[11] There was widespread property damage due to the strong winds, particularly to mobile homes.[2] Strong winds in Pinellas County knocked over trailers and damaged billboards. In Ocala, most roads were blocked by fallen trees and power lines. Wind damage was minor in northeastern Florida, despite a wind gust of 74 mph (119 km/h) in Jacksonville. Two people died in the state due to storm-induced heart attacks, and another person died after driving into a flooded ditch. Damage in the state totaled $6.7 million, mostly to private property,[11] and due to the damage, portions of the state were later declared a federal disaster area.[16] The Small Business Administration authorized low-interest loans to homes and businesses damaged during the storm.[17]
Outside of Florida, Gladys produced rainfall through Delaware, with a maximum of 13.80 in (351 mm) in Marion, South Carolina.[18] In the state, the rains caused minor river flooding and left minor damage to the cotton crop, while high tides eroded beaches.[11] In North Carolina, wind gusts peaked at 90 mph (140 km/h) at Cape Lookout, while sustained winds reached 63 mph (101 km/h) at Nags Head before the anemometer blew away. The strongest winds were only along the immediate coastline due to the hurricane passing offshore. Gladys produced above-normal tides of 2 to 4 ft (0.61 to 1.22 m).[2] The storm knocked two houses off their foundations and severely damaged a business and a mobile home.[5] Rainfall in the state helped end break the worst drought since 1932, and the minimal storm damage was offset by the beneficial precipitation. In southeastern Virginia, the fringes of the storm produced wind gusts of 46 mph (74 km/h) and light rainfall in Norfolk.[2] Farther inland, rains from Gladys caused the Roanoke River to rise 9 ft (2.7 m) near Roanoke, just below flood stage.[11] Tides were about 2 ft (0.61 m) above normal in the state, low enough to prevent major coastal flooding.[13]
Later, the extratropical remnants of Gladys produced beneficial rainfall of 2 to 4 in (51 to 102 mm) over Atlantic Canada,
See also
- Hurricane Irene (1999) – a hurricane that took a similar track, causing moderate damage throughout its path
- Other storms with the same name
- List of Florida hurricanes (1950–1974)
References
- ^ a b c National Hurricane Center (2013-06-18). Atlantic hurricane best track (HURDAT version 2) (TXT) (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 2013-12-15.
- ^ . Retrieved 2013-12-15.
- .
- ^ a b c "Gladys Hits Keys; Tampa in Sights". Palm Beach Post. Associated Press. 1968-10-17. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
- ^ a b c d "Gladys Sweeps to Sea Leaving 4 Dead Behind". Beaver County Times. United Press International. 1968-10-21. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
- ^ "Hurricane Gladys Aims for Florida". Kentucky New Era. Associated Press. 1968-10-16. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
- ^ Donald Starr (1968-10-17). "All Schools in Pinellas Are Closed". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
- ^ "Hundreds Flee Gladys' Might in Florida". Milwaukee Sentinel. United Press International. 1968-10-19. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
- ^ "Hurricane Sets Off Tornadoes". The Hartford Courant. 1968-10-18.
- ^ Roger A. Pielke Jr.; et al. (August 2003). Hurricane Vulnerability in Latin America and The Caribbean: Normalized Damage and Loss Potentials (PDF). National Hazards Review (Report). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-11-19. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
- ^ a b c d e f g Climatological Data October 1968. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 1968. pp. 117, 97, 514, 516. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
- ^ David M. Roth. Tropical Cyclone Rainfall in Florida (Report). Weather Prediction Center. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
- ^ a b "Storm Data for October 1968" (PDF). 10 (10). National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help)[permanent dead link] - ^ Alma L. Hallman (1968-11-02). "Tornadoes 'Touched Down' In Ferneries". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
- ^ "Danger Seen in Hurricane Apathy". St. Petersburg Times. Associated Press. 1968-10-22. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
- ^ "Florida Hurricane Gladys (DR-252)". Federal Emergency Management Agency. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
- ^ "Suncoast Beaches Are Hardest Hit". St. Petersburg Times. Associated Press. 1968-10-23. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
- ^ David M. Roth. Hurricane Gladys - October 14-20, 1968 (Report). Weather Prediction Center. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
- ^ 1968-Gladys (Report). Environment Canada. 2010-09-14. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
- ^ "Nfld. Lashed by Dying Hurricane". The Sun. Canada Press. 1968-10-22. Retrieved 2013-12-16.