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. Remove this parameter; the article title is used as the name by default.Meteorological history | |
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Formed | September 3, 1971 |
Dissipated | September 13, 1971 |
Category 1 hurricane | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Highest winds | 90 mph (150 km/h) |
Lowest pressure | 979 mbar (hPa); 28.91 inHg |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 2 indirect |
Damage | $30.2 million (1971 USD) |
Areas affected | Louisiana, Texas, northern Mexico |
IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1971 Atlantic hurricane season |
Hurricane Fern was the sixth named storm and fourth hurricane of the 1971 Atlantic hurricane season. It formed from a tropical wave which interacted with a large trough of low pressure to form Fern, as well as Hurricane Ginger, Tropical Storm Heidi, and a system later designated as Tropical Depression Sixteen,[1] which moved into South Carolina. Fern crossed southeastern Louisiana as a tropical depression on September 4 before swinging back out over the Gulf of Mexico. Fern reached hurricane status on September 8, reaching a peak intensity of 90 mph (140 km/h) before making landfall near Freeport, Texas, two days later.
Fern's path was erratic, as it made three sharp turns during its duration, making it difficult for forecasters to track.[1] The second Atlantic tropical cyclone to make U.S. landfall that year, Fern produced heavy rainfall across Louisiana and Texas, causing flash flooding that left 2 indirect fatalities and damage totaling over $30 million (1971 USD$, 219 million 2024 USD).