| 1940 Atlantic hurricane season | |
|---|---|
 Season summary map | |
| Seasonal boundaries | |
| First system formed | May 19, 1940 |
| Last system dissipated | November 8, 1940 |
| Strongest storm | |
| Name | Four |
| • Maximum winds | 110 mph (175 km/h) (1-minute sustained) |
| • Lowest pressure | 961 mbar (hPa; 28.38 inHg) |
| Seasonal statistics | |
| Total depressions | 14 |
| Total storms | 9 |
| Hurricanes | 6 |
| Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+) | 0 |
| Total fatalities | 71 |
| Total damage | $29.329 million (1940 USD) |
| Related articles | |
The 1940 Atlantic hurricane season was a generally average period of tropical cyclogenesis in 1940.[nb 1] Though the season had no official bounds, most tropical cyclone activity occurred during August and September. Throughout the year, fourteen tropical cyclones formed, of which nine reached tropical storm intensity; six were hurricanes. None of the hurricanes reached major hurricane intensity. Tropical cyclones that did not approach populated areas or shipping lanes, especially if they were relatively weak and of short duration, may have remained undetected. Because technologies such as satellite monitoring were not available until the 1960s, historical data on tropical cyclones from this period are often not reliable. As a result of a reanalysis project which analyzed the season in 2012, an additional hurricane was added to HURDAT.[nb 2] The year's first tropical storm formed on May 19 off the northern coast of Hispaniola. At the time, this was a rare occurrence, as only four other tropical disturbances were known to have formed prior during this period;[2] since then, reanalysis of previous seasons has concluded that there were more than four tropical cyclones in May before 1940.[3] The season's final system was a tropical disturbance situated in the Greater Antilles, which dissipated on November 8.
All three hurricanes in August brought flooding rainfall to areas of the United States. The first became the wettest tropical cyclone recorded in Louisiana history. The second hurricane impacted regions of the Southeastern United States, producing record precipitation and killing at least 52 people. Despite not making landfall, the third hurricane in August interacted with a stationary front over the Mid-Atlantic states, resulting in localized flooding and thus making the tropical cyclone the wettest in New Jersey history. This hurricane would also be the strongest in the hurricane season, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (180 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 961 mbar (hPa; 28.39 inHg), making it a high-end Category 2 hurricane on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. Activity decreased in September, though a damaging hurricane swept through areas of the Canadian Maritimes, resulting in large crop and infrastructural losses. Two tropical cyclones of at least tropical storm strength were recorded in October, though neither resulted in fatalities. Collectively, storms in the hurricane season caused 71 fatalities and $29.329 million in damages.[nb 3] The 1940 South Carolina hurricane, which swept through areas of the Southeastern United States in August, was the most damaging and deadly of the tropical cyclones.
The season's activity was reflected with an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 68 units,[4] below the 1931–1943 average of 91.2.[5] ACE is a metric used to express the energy used by a tropical cyclone during its lifetime. Therefore, a storm with a longer duration will have high values of ACE. It is only calculated at six-hour increments in which specific tropical and subtropical systems are either at or above sustained wind speeds of 39 mph (63 km/h), which is the threshold for tropical storm intensity. Thus, tropical depressions are not included here.[4]
- ^ "Tropical Cyclone Climatology". National Hurricane Center. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
mwrwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Atlantic hurricane best track (HURDAT version 2)" (Database). United States National Hurricane Center. April 5, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b "Comparison of Original and Revised HURDAT". Hurricane Research Division. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. September 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ^ Landsea, Christopher W.; et al. (August 15, 2014). "A Reanalysis of the 1931–43 Atlantic Hurricane Database" (PDF). Journal of Climate. 27 (16). Miami, Florida: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: 6111. Bibcode:2014JCli...27.6093L. doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00503.1. S2CID 1785238. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
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