 Surface weather analysis of the system as a non-frontal low on February 3 while crossing the Florida Peninsula | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | February 3, 1952 |
| Extratropical | February 4, 1952 |
| Dissipated | February 5, 1952 |
| Tropical storm | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 70 mph (110 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 990 mbar (hPa); 29.23 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | None reported |
| Damage | Minimal |
| Areas affected | Yucatan Peninsula, Cuba, Florida, The Bahamas, East Coast of the United States |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1952 Atlantic hurricane season | |
The 1952 Groundhog Day Storm is one of two Atlantic tropical cyclones on record in February. First observed in the western Caribbean Sea on February 2 as a non-frontal low, it moved rapidly throughout its duration and struck southwestern Florida early the next day as a gale-force storm. In the state, the winds damaged some crops and power lines, but no serious damage was reported. The system became a tropical storm after emerging over the Atlantic Ocean before quickly transitioning into an extratropical cyclone on February 4. Strong winds and waves washed a freighter ashore, but no injuries were related to the event. Subsequently, the storm brushed eastern New England, causing minor power outages, before it moved inland near Maine. There were no reported fatalities related to the storm.