1956 Atlantic hurricane season

1956 Atlantic hurricane season
1956 Atlantic hurricane season
	Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formed	June 7, 1956
Last system dissipated	November 21, 1956
Strongest storm
Name	Betsy
• Maximum winds	120 mph (195 km/h); (1-minute sustained)
• Lowest pressure	954 mbar (hPa; 28.17 inHg)
Seasonal statistics
Total depressions	12
Total storms	12
Hurricanes	4
Major hurricanes; (Cat. 3+)	1
Total fatalities	76 overall
Total damage	$67.8 million (1956 USD)
Related articles
	1956 Pacific hurricane season; 1956 Pacific typhoon season; 1950s North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons;
	Atlantic hurricane seasons; 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958

The 1956 Atlantic hurricane season featured a decent number of tropical cyclones, although most tropical storms and hurricanes affected land. There were twelve tropical storms, a third of which became hurricanes. One of the hurricanes strengthened to the equivalent of a major hurricane, which is a Category 3 or greater on the Saffir–Simpson scale. The strongest hurricane of the season was Betsy, which was also the most damaging storm of the season: it destroyed 15,000 houses and left $40 million in damage in Puerto Rico.^{[nb 1]} Betsy was also the deadliest of the season, having killed 18 people in the French West Indies, two from a shipwreck in the Caribbean Sea, and 16 in Puerto Rico. Tropical Storm Dora struck Mexico in September and killed 27 people.

The season officially started on June 15, although an unnamed storm developed about a week prior over the western North Atlantic Ocean. A later storm that formed over the Gulf of Mexico on June 12 alleviated drought conditions in the south-central United States. Hurricane Anna developed in late July and hit Mexico. Tropical storms Carla and Ethel both formed near the Bahamas and moved northeastward until dissipating. The only hurricane that hit the contiguous United States was Hurricane Flossy. One of the final storms of the year, Greta, was an unusually large hurricane that produced high waves from Florida to the Lesser Antilles. It developed in the western Caribbean and moved across much of the southeastern United States, causing $24.8 million in damage and 15 deaths.
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[nb 1]