Storms of 1955

Connie | Diane | Edith | Flora | Ione | Katie

Connie developed into a hurricane off the Cape Verde Islands on August 3, 1955. The storm moved west to west-northwest, gradually increasing in size and intensity. Connie passed 83 kilometres to the north of the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico. The following day, the hurricane moved northwestward some 270 to 740 kilometres east of the Bahamas. Connie drifted slowly toward the west-northwest and the west on August 9 and 10, then turned toward the north on the evening of August 10. Hurricane Connie set the stage for one of the most disastrous and costly floods of record in the northeastern United States. The hurricane’s slow movement on August 10 through August 12 resulted in heavy rainfall from North Carolina northward across the northeastern states to the interior of New England. The rains did not let up until the dying remnants of the hurricane had moved into the Great Lakes region. The rainfall amounted ranged upwards to 30 centimetres from the Chesapeake Bay area to extreme southern New York.

On August 10, the disturbance that would become Diane was located northeast of the Leeward Islands. During the evening of the August 11, the storm curved abruptly from a northwest course and began moving toward the northeast, at the same time Diane was undergoing rapid intensification. Once back on the west-northwestward course, Diane continued to have a fairly regular movement, reaching the North Carolina coast on the August 17. When the centre passed very close to Wilmington on the morning of August 17, the highest sustained wind reported was 80 kilometres per hour (43 knots) at Hatteras, with gusts of 120 kilometres per hour (65 knots) at Wilmington.

While there was some damage along the coast, from storm surge and wave action, it was not extensive. As Diane moved inland and continued northward, the estimated damages began to rise. Damages were calculated at $754,706,000 with the majority occurring in New England.

Hurricane Edith formed on August 24, in an easterly wave and moved on a smooth oblong curve passing well to the east of Bermuda on the 29^th. Edith remained at sea and did not affect Canada.

A weak circulation off the Cape Verde Islands on August 30, 1955 was the beginning of Hurricane Flora. Flora reached hurricane intensity on September 3, while located at approximately 21° North, 40° West. The hurricane moved along smooth track through the mid-Atlantic. Hurricane Flora remained at sea when it entered the Canadian Response Zone and had no affect on Canada.

Ione developed in an easterly wave that passed through the Cape Verde Islands on September 6, and the circulation was still quite weak on the 11^th. Ione, however, began to develop on this date and reached hurricane intensity on the night of the 14^th and 15^th. Ione then traveled a general northwesterly course toward the North Carolina coast. Ione was the third hurricane to pass through eastern North Carolina within a six-week period. After crossing the coastline, Ione re-curved to the northeast, passing out to sea south of Norfolk, Virginia. Total damage was estimated at $88,035,000 and there were seven deaths attributed to Ione.

Hurricane Katie caused much damage in Hispaniola near the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It crossed into Hispaniola on the evening of October 16, 1955. Damage was estimated at $200,000 and there were 7 fatalities.