 Radar image of Hurricane Gracie taken by the United States Navy | |
| 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.
- ^ National Hurricane Center. Preliminary Report on Hurricane Gracie: September 22-October 1, 1959. Archived February 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2008-01-07.
- ^ Allan Huffman Hurricane Gracie. Archived May 9, 2009, at archive.today Retrieved on 2008-01-07.