| 1966 Atlantic hurricane season | |
|---|---|
 Season summary map | |
| Seasonal boundaries | |
| First system formed | June 4, 1966 |
| Last system dissipated | November 26, 1966 |
| Strongest storm | |
| Name | Inez |
| • Maximum winds | 165 mph (270 km/h) (1-minute sustained) |
| • Lowest pressure | 927 mbar (hPa; 27.37 inHg) |
| Seasonal statistics | |
| Total depressions | 17 |
| Total storms | 15 |
| Hurricanes | 7 |
| Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+) | 3 |
| Total fatalities | 1,094 total |
| Total damage | $432.6 million (1966 USD) |
| Related articles | |
The 1966 Atlantic hurricane season saw the Weather Bureau office in Miami, Florida, be designated as the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and assume responsibility of tropical cyclone forecasting in the basin. The season officially began on June 1, and lasted until November 30. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. It was an above-average season in terms of tropical storms, with a total of 15. The first system, Hurricane Alma, developed over eastern Nicaragua on June 4 and became a rare major hurricane in the month of June. Alma brought severe flooding to Honduras and later to Cuba, but caused relatively minor impact in the Southeastern United States. Alma resulted in 90 deaths and about $210 million (1966 USD)[nb 1] in damage.
The unnamed June tropical storm and Becky, Celia, Dorothy, and Ella all resulted in little to no impact on land. The next system, Hurricane Faith, developed near Cape Verde on August 21. It tracked westward across the Atlantic Ocean until north of Hispaniola. After paralleling the East Coast of the United States, Faith moved northeastward across the open Atlantic and later became extratropical on September 4. Although it never made landfall, Faith and its remnants generated rough seas that resulted in four deaths, with one over the open Atlantic and the other four offshore Denmark. The two next tropical storms – Greta and Hallie – caused negligible impact.
The strongest tropical cyclone of the season was Hurricane Inez, a powerful Category 5 hurricane that devastated a large majority of the Caribbean, the Florida Keys, and parts of Mexico. Throughout its path, the storm caused about $222.5 million in damage and more than 1,000 deaths. Following Inez, the other cyclones reaching at least tropical storm intensity, Judith, Kendra, Lois, and two unnamed systems in November did not result in significant impacts on land. The final system, an unnamed tropical storm, degenerated into a trough over the western Atlantic on November 26.
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