 Satellite image of Hurricane Carla on September 10. | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | September 3, 1961 |
| Extratropical | September 13, 1961 |
| Dissipated | September 17, 1961 |
| Category 4 major hurricane | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 145 mph (230 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 927 mbar (hPa); 27.37 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 43 direct |
| Damage | $326 million (1961 USD) |
| Areas affected | Yucatán Peninsula, Texas, Central United States, Great Lakes region, Canada, Greenland |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1961 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Carla was the most intense tropical cyclone landfall in Texas in the 20th century.[1] The third named storm of the 1961 Atlantic hurricane season, Carla developed from an area of squally weather in the southwestern Caribbean Sea on September 3.[1] As a tropical depression, it strengthened while heading northwest. The system was upgraded to a tropical storm on September 5 and reached hurricane intensity on September 6. On September 7, Carla entered the Gulf of Mexico, passing northeast of the Yucatán Peninsula. On the morning of September 11, Carla became a category 4 hurricane when winds reached 130 mph (282 km/h).[2] Carla made landfall at 2 p.m. on September 11 near Port O'Connor, Texas as a category 4 hurricane with a peak intensity of 145 mph (125 knots). Traveling inland, the storm was reduced to a tropical storm on September 12 and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on September 13, while centered over southern Oklahoma. Carla's remnants reached the Labrador Sea, Canada and dissipated on September 17, 1961.
While crossing the Yucatán Channel, the outer bands of Carla brought high winds and local flooding in western Cuba and the Yucatán Peninsula. In Texas, wind gusts as high as 170 mph (270 km/h) were observed in Port Lavaca. Tornadoes spawned in the state, including an F4 tornado near Galveston, Texas, resulting in 60 buildings destroyed, eight deaths and 200 injuries.
Throughout the state, Carla destroyed 1,915 homes, 568 farm buildings, and 415 other buildings. Additionally, 50,723 homes, 5,620 farm buildings, and 10,487 other buildings suffered damage. There were 34 fatalities and at least $300 million in losses in Texas. Several tornadoes also touched down in Louisiana, causing the destruction of 140 homes and 11 farms and other buildings, and major damage to 231 additional homes and 11 farm and other buildings. Minor to moderate damage was also reported to 748 homes and 75 farms and other buildings. Six deaths and $25 million in losses in Louisiana were attributed to Carla. Heavy rainfall occurred in several other states, especially in Kansas, where flash flooding severely damaged crops and drowned five people. Overall, Carla resulted in $325.74 million in losses and 43 fatalities.
- ^ a b US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Hurricane Carla - 50th Anniversary". www.weather.gov. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Hurricane Carla 1961". www.weather.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-06.