Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Formed | September 20, 1959 |
Extratropical | September 30, 1959 |
Dissipated | October 2, 1959 |
Category 4 major hurricane | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Highest winds | 140 mph (220 km/h) |
Lowest pressure | 950 mbar (hPa); 28.05 inHg |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 22 direct |
Damage | $14 million (1959 USD) |
Areas affected | Bahamas, Georgia, The Carolinas, Virginia, Northeastern United States, Atlantic Canada |
IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1959 Atlantic hurricane season |
Hurricane Gracie was a major hurricane that formed in September 1959, the strongest during the 1959 Atlantic hurricane season and the most intense to strike the United States since Hurricane Hazel in 1954.[1] The system was first noted as an area of thunderstorms east of the Lesser Antilles which moved just north of the Greater Antilles, quickly intensifying into a hurricane on September 22. Gracie was a storm that was very difficult to forecast, with its movement unpredictable.[2] After five days of erratic motion, Gracie became a major hurricane which struck South Carolina, and weakened as it moved up the Appalachians, bringing much needed rain to a drought-plagued region. Much of the destruction related with Gracie was centered on Beaufort, South Carolina. Gracie became an extratropical cyclone on September 30 while moving through the Eastern United States.