Hurricane history: The mid-May event of 1951

 

By Jane Feehan

A look back at a 1951 pre-season hurricane may be of interest during these times of "worst ever" and "first time" weather assessments.

A “lusty pre-season hurricane” materialized in the Bahamas mid-May 1951 that slammed the northern fringe of that island chain with 90 mph winds. The heaviest winds struck Walker Cay Club off the Abacos, about 160 miles northeast of Miami.

Little, if any, damage was reported but a rocket range construction crew was driven away from a site on Grand Bahama Island by 75 mph winds. The construction team was building an observation post for the guided missile long range proving ground base at Cape Canaveral.

The cyclone was unofficially referred to as “Able” using the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet. It moved northeast, skirting the North Carolina coast. No other hurricanes made landfall along the U.S. coastline that year. 

Hurricane damage 1926
Florida State Archive/Florida Memory
General Collection

Back then hurricane season started June 15 when the U.S. Weather Bureau began tracking tropical cyclones. 

The date for hurricane season to start was changed in 1965 to June 1.

Hurricanes were not officially named until 1953 when the National Hurricane Center began organizing and keeping lists of names. Today, lists of names for hurricanes are maintained and updated by a committee of the World Meteorological Organization.

For Florida hurricane history, see:

Most intense https://janeshistorynook.blogspot.com/2020/09/this-hurricane-remains-most-intense-to.html

1926 hurricane https://janeshistorynook.blogspot.com/2020/09/telling-truth-about-florida-after-1926.html

1926 hurricane at: http://janesbits.blogspot.com/2011/05/florida-history-hurricane-that-brought.html

1926 hurricane https://janeshistorynook.blogspot.com/2013/05/recovering-from-hurricane-before-fema.html

Hurricane snapshot: https://janeshistorynook.blogspot.com/2020/06/hurricane-history-snapshot-may-hold.html

_________

Sources:
Palm Beach Post, May 19, 1951
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/history_printer.shtml#new

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutnames.shtml


Tags: hurricane history, 1926 hurricane, Great hurricane of 1926