what was the course of hurricane camille?

by Mellie Trantow 5 min read

The hurricane flattened nearly everything along the coast of the U.S. state of Mississippi, and caused additional flooding and deaths inland while crossing the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. In the U.S., Camille killed more than 259 people and caused $1.42 billion in damages (equivalent to $10.5 billion in 2021).

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What was the path of Hurricane Camille?

MississippiLouisianaAlabamaCubaEast Coast of the United StatesHurricane Camille/Affected areas

What was the winds on Hurricane Camille?

Pressure, wind, invention of Saffir-Simpson Scale Initial estimates were at 190 mph. However, after careful reanalysis of old radar and aircraft data along with damage reports, the publication, A reanalysis of Hurricane Camille, estimates Camille's winds were 175 mph at the time of landfall.

What ocean was Hurricane Camille?

the Atlantic OceanBefore it entered the Atlantic Ocean on August 20, Camille dumped 12–20 inches (300–500 mm) of rain in parts of West Virginia and Virginia, which experienced devastating floods and landslides. Before the hurricane made landfall, projections of the path of the storm varied.

What category was Hurricane Camille when it hit Louisiana?

Category 5 stormHurricane Camille struck coastal Mississippi in mid-August of 1969, marking the first designated Category 5 storm and one of Louisiana's most storied tropical weather events. Aftermath of Hurricane Camille.

What made Hurricane Camille so bad?

Camille produced the sixth lowest official sea level pressure ever recorded in the Atlantic basin, at 900 millibars (27 inHg). This was also its landfalling pressure; the only hurricane to hit the United States with a lower pressure at landfall was the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935.

What was the most intense hurricane in U.S. history?

1. Labor Day Hurricane (1935) With a pressure of 892 millibars at landfall in the Florida keys, the Category 5 Labor Day hurricane of 1935 is the most intense hurricane on record to hit the U.S.

When did Camille hit the Gulf Coast?

August 17, 1969Camille ranks as the 2nd most intense hurricane to strike the continental US with 900 mb pressure and landfall intensity of 150 knots.

Where did Hurricane Camille dissipate?

August 22, 1969Hurricane Camille / Dissipated

What was the biggest hurricane?

The 31 Deadliest Atlantic HurricanesRankName/Areas of Largest LossDates1.Great Hurricane (Martinique, Barbados, St. Eustatius)10-16 Oct. 17802.Great Galveston Hurricane8 Sept. 19003.Mitch (Honduras, Nicaragua)22 Oct. - 5 Nov. 19984.Fifi (Honduras)14-19 Sept. 197427 more rows

Has Category 5 hurricane ever hit United States?

Hurricane Camille, 1969 17 it made landfall as a Category 5 storm along the Mississippi coast. The NHC says the exact wind speed of Camille may never be known since it destroyed all the wind-recording instruments in the area where it made landfall.

How long did Hurricane Camille last?

August 14, 1969 – August 22, 1969Hurricane Camille / Date

How big was Hurricane Camille in square miles?

68 square milesThe area of total destruction in Harrison County, Mississippi was 68 square miles (176 km²). The total estimated cost of damage was $1.42 billion (1969 USD, $9.14 billion 2005 USD). This made Camille the second-most expensive hurricane in the United States, up to that point (behind Hurricane Betsy).

Why was Camille a hurricane?

Because the hurricane was expected to quickly dissipate over land , few were prepared for the flash flooding. Arriving in Virginia on the evening of August 19, Camille was no longer a hurricane, but it carried high amounts of moisture and contained sufficient strength and low pressure to pull in additional moisture.

How fast was Hurricane Camille?

At the same time, maximum wind speeds in the hurricane peaked at 175 mph (280 km/h) by 00:00 UTC on August 17.

How did Hurricane Camille affect Cuba?

As a developing tropical storm, Camille brought rain showers to Grand Cayman, although there were no reports of damage. Stations in Cuba on the outer fringes of the storm reported winds of 50 mph (80 km/h). East of where it moved ashore, the city of Guane recorded winds of 92 mph (148 km/h), although no wind reports were taken in the landfall location. The hurricane produced up to 10 inches (250 mm) near Guane, as well as on the Isle of Pines. On the Isle of Pines, the storm inflicted damage to about 100 houses. Throughout Pinar del Río Province, Camille caused heavy damage, primarily from river flooding; about 20,000 people were left homeless in the province. Strong winds downed trees and power lines, which caused power outages eastward through the capital city of Havana. Initially, the government reported no casualties from the storm. Subsequent research indicated the hurricane killed five people in the country during its passage, and damage was estimated at $5 million (1969 USD ).

What was the second most powerful hurricane in the US?

Hurricane Camille was the second most intense tropical cyclone on record to strike the United States, behind the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. The most intense storm of the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season, Camille originated as a tropical depression on August 14, south of Cuba, from a long-tracked tropical wave. Located in a favorable environment for strengthening, the storm quickly intensified into a Category 2 hurricane before striking the western part of Cuba on August 15. Emerging into the Gulf of Mexico, Camille underwent another period of rapid intensification and became a Category 5 hurricane the next day as it moved northward towards the Louisiana – Mississippi region. Despite weakening slightly on August 17, the hurricane quickly re-intensified back into a Category 5 hurricane before it made landfall a half-hour before midnight in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. At peak intensity, the hurricane had a minimum pressure of 900 mbar (26.58 inHg). This was the second-lowest pressure recorded for a U.S. landfall, and is one of just four hurricanes to make landfall in the U.S at Category 5 status. Only the 1935 Labor Day hurricane had a lower pressure at landfall. As Camille pushed inland, it quickly weakened and was a tropical depression by the time it was over the Ohio Valley. Once it emerged offshore, Camille was able to restrengthen to a strong tropical storm, before it became extratropical on August 22. Camille was subsequently absorbed by a frontal storm over the North Atlantic on the same day.

What was the pressure of Hurricane Hunters?

However, a subsequent Hurricane Hunters flight early on August 17 recorded a central pressure of 905 mbar ( hPa; 26.73 inHg ), at the time the lowest pressure recorded by reconnaissance aircraft.

What was the damage to Alabama in Hurricane Camille?

Alabama also experienced damage along U.S. Highway 90: 26,000 homes and over 1,000 businesses were wiped out completely across the state of Alabama. Camille's large circulation also resulted in a 3-to-5-foot (0.91 to 1.52 m) storm surge in Apalachicola, Florida. The highest rainfall report received within Alabama was 6.52 inches (166 mm) two miles northeast of Fairhope. Camille caused about $8 million (1969 dollars) of damage in Alabama. Places farther east across the western Florida panhandle saw lesser rains, as 4.16 inches (106 mm) was measured at Pensacola Naval Air Station.

How many people died in Hurricane Camille?

This made Camille tied (with Hurricane Betsy) as the most expensive hurricane in the United States, up to that point. The storm directly killed 143 people along Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. An additional 153 people perished as a result of catastrophic flooding in Nelson County, Virginia and other areas nearby.

When did Hurricane Camille hit?

Hurricane Camille started as a tropical storm on Aug. 14, 1969 , west of the Cayman Islands and rapidly gained strength as it moved toward Cuba. On August 16 the storm was a category 5 hurricane, the highest classification on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. Late on the night of August 17, the storm hit Bay Saint Louis in Mississippi.

What is a tropical storm?

Tropical cyclone, an intense circular storm that originates over warm tropical oceans and is characterized by low atmospheric pressure, high winds, and heavy rain. Drawing energy from the sea surface and maintaining its strength as long as it remains over warm water, a tropical cyclone….

How fast was the wind in the Gulf of Mexico?

Camille’s gusts were powerful enough to knock out all wind-recording instruments, leaving some experts estimating wind speed at more than 200 miles (320 km) per hour. Parts of the Gulf of Mexico coast experienced tides more than 24 feet (7 metres) high.

What was the impact of Hurricane Camille?

Most of the inland damage was a result of fallen trees and power lines, while damage on the immediate coast was caused by both wind and storm surge.

How much damage did Hurricane Camille cause?

All told, the damage caused by Camille totaled approximately $1.4 billion dollars (about $10 billion in 2020 adjusted for inflation). For 36 years, Hurricane Camille held the record as the most devastating hurricane to strike the Gulf Coast. Though not a Category 5 hurricane at the time of landfall, Hurricane Katrina became one ...

When did Hurricane Camille hit the Cayman Islands?

After forming off the west coast of the Cayman Islands on August 14, Hurricane Camille quickly gained strength as it moved northward. By the time it made landfall along the Mississippi Gulf Coast on August 17, Camille had evolved into a Category 5 storm.

When did Hurricane Michael hit the US?

In the fall of 2018, the late-season Hurricane Michael swept through the southeast with a landfall in the Florida panhandle. The fourth Category 5 to strike the contiguous United States occurred in 1969. After forming off the west coast of the Cayman Islands on August 14, Hurricane Camille quickly gained strength as it moved northward.

What crops were destroyed in the Mississippi flood?

Additionally, crops in Mississippi and Alabama took an enormous hit -- peach and pecan orchards were completely destroyed, and more than 20,000 acres of corn were flattened. The majority of the crop damage -- about 90% -- was due to the high winds while just 10% is attributed to the intense rainfall.

When did Hurricane Andrew hit Florida?

More than 50 years later, Hurricane Andrew, one of the costliest natural disasters in history, made landfall in South Florida and later Louisiana in August, 1992. In the fall of 2018, the late-season Hurricane Michael swept ...

Where did Hurricane Camille hit?

Hurricane Camille makes landfall in the United States in the Bay Saint Louis area of Mississippi. The storm packs wind speeds of about 170 miles per hour and a storm surge twenty-five feet high.

How much did Hurricane Camille cost Virginia?

Hurricane Camille cost Virginia 113 lives lost and $116 million in damages.

What happened to the Virginia coast in 1969?

Hurricane Camille arrived in Virginia on the night of August 19, 1969, one of only three category five storms ever to make landfall in the United States since record-keeping began. One of the worst natural disasters in Virginia’s history, the storm produced what meteorologists at the time guessed might be the most rainfall “theoretically possible.” As it swept through Virginia overnight, it seemed to catch authorities by surprise. Communication networks were not in place or were knocked out, leaving floods and landslides to trap residents as they slept. Hurricane Camille cost Virginia 113 lives lost and $116 million in damages. It also served as a lesson that inland flooding could be as great a danger as coastal flooding during a hurricane.

What was the name of the hurricane that merged with the FEMA?

Hurricane Camille, along with other massive disasters of the 1960s and 1970s, including Hurricanes Carla (1962), Betsy (1965), and Agnes (1972), led to U.S. president Jimmy Carter’s 1979 Executive Order 12127 that merged many separate disaster-related organizations into the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

How many people died in Hurricane Camille?

Moving up the mouth of the Mississippi, Hurricane Camille killed 143 people in the Gulf Coast region before heading north. Two days later, the storm had significantly diminished in strength, becoming a much weaker tropical depression. On the evening of August 19, Camille appeared to pose little threat to Virginians.

Where did the Camille storm hit?

By ten o’clock on the night of August 19, Camille stretched from West Virginia all the way to Fredericksburg, Virginia, and areas to the north and east of the center of the storm were experiencing very heavy rainfall. The rain landed on the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains, rapidly swelling creeks and exacerbating the effects of the storm.

How many people died in the Camille storm?

It left in its path communities devastated by floods and landslides. Virginia counted 113 deaths from the storm, thirty-nine missing and presumed dead, and damages adding up to $116 million.

How much rain did the Hurricane Camille cause?

The hurricane produced up to 255 mm (10 inches) of rain near Guane. Throughout Pinar del Río Province, Camille caused heavy damage, primarily from river flooding, and about 20,000 people were left homeless. Initially, the Cuban government reported no casualties from the storm, however subsequent research indicated the hurricane killed five people ...

Where was Hurricane Camille?

The tropical storm became a hurricane while located about 97 km (60 mi) south-southeast of Pinar del Rio, Cuba. By the afternoon of 15 August, just 12 hours after becoming a hurricane, Camille had intensified into a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 185 km/h (115 mph). Later that day, Hurricane Camille made landfall in far western Cuba somewhere ...

What was the highest storm surge in the Atlantic?

Hurricane Camille created the highest storm surge recorded at that time in the Atlantic Basin at 7.5 m (24.6 ft). This measurement was based upon high water marks inside the three surviving buildings (the V.F.W. Club, the Avalon Theatre, and one house) and debris lines in Pass Christian, MS.

How fast did Hurricane Camille wind?

The precise wind speed at landfall will never be known because all measuring instruments were destroyed during the hurricane’s impact (it is estimated that gusts reached 322 km/h [200 mph]). Electricity also went out as the storm approached. As Hurricane Camille came ashore, it caused a great amount of destruction.

What was the cause of the flooding on Highway 90?

U.S. Highway 90, which runs along the shore, flooded as the storm surge crested seawalls and was badly broken and covered in much debris. The barrier islands along the Gulf Coast were badly damaged. The storm surge inundated 70% of Dauphin Island, a 22.5 km (14 mi) long island along the Alabama coast.

How much damage did Hurricane Camille do to Mississippi?

Mississippi sustained the largest amounts of damage, with the total amounting to $950 million (1969 USD) and 50 deaths in the state.

What type of hurricane was most destructive to the barrier islands?

This type of destruction, called channel incision, is the most destructive hurricane impact on barrier islands.

What category was Hurricane Camille?

At a Glance. Camille was a Category 5 hurricane when it made landfall in Mississippi 50 years ago this weekend. It is one of the most powerful storms to hit the U.S. on record. Hurricane Camille made landfall 50 years ago this weekend as the second most intense hurricane to strike the continental U.S. on record.

How fast was Hurricane Camille?

However, in re-analysis by the National Hurricane Center, winds were estimated at 175 mph, down from the original estimate of 190 mph.

How far did the storm surge reach in Pass Christian, Mississippi?

Storm surge reached 24.6 feet in Pass Christian, Mississippi, and set a U.S. record that would be surpassed by that of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Because Camille was more compact, its devastating storm surge was focused on a narrower swath of coastline than that of Katrina.

How many people died in the flooding of Camille?

Just over 10 inches of rain fell in Mississippi and Camille also brought heavy rainfall and destructive flash flooding to parts of western Virginia, where 27 inches of rain was measured. One hundred forty-three people died from Camille's landfall and another 113 perished in Virginia from flash flooding from Camille's remnants.

When did Camille hit Puerto Rico?

In addition, Puerto Rico was hit in 1928 by the San Felipe hurricane, also a Category 5. The system that would become Camille became a tropical depression south of Cuba on Aug. 14, 1969. Conditions for strengthening were favorable and it quickly became a tropical storm. Camille made its first landfall in western Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane on ...

Which hurricane was stronger, Hurricane Andrew or Hurricane Michael?

Only the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane was stronger. Camille roared ashore on the night of Aug. 17, 1969, near Waveland, Mississippi, as a Category 5 hurricane. There are only three other Category 5 landfalls on record in the continental U.S., the other being the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and Hurricane Michael in 2018.

What was the aftermath of the Hurricane Camille?

In its aftermath, the storm was called the greatest catastrophe ever to strike the United States and perhaps the most significant economic weather event in the world's history. For many, Camille is a distant memory, an historical footnote from a time long gone. But Camille is also a harbinger of disasters to come.

Where did Hurricane Camille move?

Camille continued to move toward the mouth of the Mississippi River and by 9 a.m. hurricane warnings had been issued for the all the Mississippi coast as far west as New Orleans and Grand Isle ( USACE 1970 ).

What was the strongest hurricane in the twentieth century?

Introduction. Thirty years ago, Hurricane Camille struck the United States Gulf Coast with an unprecedented fury. Camille, a Saffir/Simpson Category 5 storm, was the strongest storm to directly strike the United States in the twentieth century. After wreaking havoc along the Gulf Coast, Camille's remnants deposited a tremendous amount ...

How much damage did Camille cause?

All told, Camille caused more than 200 deaths and billions of dollars in damage.

Where was the Camille storm?

Five days later, the pilot of a Navy reconnaissance plane observed a central pressure of 29.50 inches of mercury and surface winds of 55 mph ( USACE 1970 ). Forecasters classified Camille as a tropical storm located 60 miles west of Grand Cayman Island, 480 miles south of Miami ( Figure 1 ).

Where is Camille located?

Forecasters classified Camille as a tropical storm located 60 miles west of Grand Cayman Island, 480 miles south of Miami ( Figure 1 ). Early on Friday, August 15, Camille developed into a small but potent hurricane with a northwesterly track of about 9 mph.

Where was Hurricane 70?

At this time, officials issued hurricane warnings for the northwest Florida coast from Fort Walton Beach to St. Marks ( USACE 1970 ). Reconnaissance aircraft on late Saturday afternoon indicated the storm was slowing in its course and intensifying rapidly.

What category was Hurricane Camille?

reconnaisance aircraft found a category 4 hurricane on the 16th as it continued moving north-northwest. By evening, Camille reached category 5 intensity. Around midnight on the night of the 17th, Camille came ashore just east of. Bay St. Louis. Hurricane force winds in gusts spread northward past Jackson.

When was Hurricane Camille?

Hurricane Camille - August 16-21, 1969. Spawned by a tropical wave, a convective system organized 60 miles west of Grand Cayman Island. Developing. rapidly, it became a hurricane the following day (the 15th) as it brushed the western tip of Cuba. By that afternoon,

What was the name of the storm that merged with another frontal zone?

offshore into the Atlantic regaining tropical storm strength. By the 22nd, Camille merged with another frontal. zone and was declared extratropical. Its track below was supplied by the National Hurricane Center. The graphics below show the storm total rainfall for Camille. Data was provided by the National Climatic Data.

Which river had the worst flooding in over a century?

in Virginia combined with the approach of Camille led to the heaviest rains ever recorded in Virginia from a tropical. cyclone. The James river experienced its worst flooding in over a century.

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Overview

Hurricane Camille was the second most intense tropical cyclone on record to strike the United States, behind the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. The most intense storm of the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season, Camille originated as a tropical depression on August 14, south of Cuba, from a long-tracked tropical wave. Located in a favorable environment for strengthening, the storm quickly intens…

Meteorological history

Hurricane Camille originated from a tropical wave that moved off the western coast of Africa on August 5, 1969. It tracked quickly westward along the 15th parallel north; several days later, a tropical disturbance became clearly identifiable on satellite imagery on August 9. By that time, the thunderstorm activity in the disturbance concentrated into a circular area of convection. On t…

Preparations

Shortly after Camille formed, the National Hurricane Center advised residents on the Isle of Pines and in western Cuba to prepare for gale-force winds, heavy rains, and rising tides. The agency also recommended small boats to remain in harbor. The threat of the storm prompted officials to evacuate thousands along the western coast of Cuba and on the Isle of Pines; on the island, 10,000 cattl…

Impact

Making landfall in Waveland, Mississippi, as a Category 5 hurricane, Camille caused damage and destruction across much of the Gulf Coast of the United States. Because it moved quickly through the region, Hurricane Camille dropped only moderate precipitation in most areas. Areas in and around Pass Christian, its point of landfall, reported from 7 to 10 inches (180 to 250 mm). The area o…

Aftermath

The response after the storm involved many federal, state, and local agencies and volunteer organizations. The main organization for coordinating the federal response to the disaster was the Office of Emergency Preparedness, which provided $76 million (1969 USD, $403 million 2005 USD) to administer and coordinate disaster relief programs. Food and shelter were available the day af…

Comparisons to Hurricane Katrina

Although Hurricane Camille and Hurricane Katrina took different paths, they both reached the same section of the coast of Mississippi with similar destructive effects. Camille intensified more rapidly than Katrina, and unlike Katrina, Camille re-intensified a second time and maintained status as a Category 5 hurricane until landfall. Both hurricanes shared the common aspect of undergoing perio…

Naming issues

In the 1960s, Atlantic hurricane names consisted of women's names which were reused every fourth year. The practice of retiring hurricane names was meant to be temporary, with the guideline that a name be retired for ten years. When the name Carla was retired in 1961 it was replaced on the 1965 list with Carol, a name retired in 1954 when its namesake devastated New England. Since over a decade had passed, Carol was eligible for reuse. Carol entered the 1969 li…

In popular culture

• A Lady Called Camille (1971), created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shortly after the hurricane, shows preparation and recovery efforts organized largely by Wade Guice, the former Harrison County Civil Defense Director whose wife, Julia, served as Biloxi Civil Defense Director at the time. The couple are seen at their posts at the outset of the film. The film also contains brief footage of the ill-fated Richilieu Apartments after the hurricane, where a Civil Defense worker ha…