&sq=&lang=&file=File:Hurricane_Cindy_1963-09-17_weather_map.png) Weather map of Cindy on 17 September 1963 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 16 September 1963 |
| Dissipated | 20 September 1963 |
| Tropical storm | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 65 mph (100 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 996 mbar (hPa); 29.41 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 3 direct |
| Damage | $12.5 million (1963 USD) |
| Areas affected | Texas, Western Louisiana |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1963 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Tropical Storm Cindy was a strong tropical storm which impacted portions of the United States Gulf Coast in September 1963. The third named storm of the 1963 Atlantic hurricane season, Cindy developed within a trough as a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico on 16 September. The disturbance quickly intensified, with a distinct eye becoming visible on satellite imagery as it drifted north-northwestwards toward the Texas coastline. After peaking with 1-minute maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 km/h), it made landfall at High Island on the morning of 17 September at peak strength with an atmospheric pressure of 997 mbar (hPa; 29.44 inHg). Cindy remained nearly stationary for almost a day, dropping copious rainfall over the Texas coastal plain, before finally turning west-southwestward and dissipating west of Corpus Christi on 20 September.
Hurricane watches and warnings were issued prior to Cindy's landfall, hastening evacuations in coastal areas of Louisiana and Texas, with many refugees seeking safety in local shelters. Although tide and wind damage was minimal, extreme rainfall totaling upwards of 23.50 in (597 mm) resulted in severe flooding in many areas of the Texas coastal plain; 4,000 homes were inundated in Jefferson, Orange, and Newton counties, many of them after a levee ruptured in Port Acres. Dozens of residents were forced to flee in rising flood waters, and many streets and roadways became impassable as a result of Cindy's flooding. Strong winds shattered glass windows, and schools throughout southeastern Texas were closed due to the hurricane. Widespread crop damage was observed, with rice, cotton, and pecan harvests suffering the worst. Overall, damage amounted to $12.5 million (1963 USD), and three deaths were recorded.[nb 1]
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