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The 1943 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 16, 1943, and lasted until October 31, 1943. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin.
The 1943 hurricane season was fairly quiet but was significant for one event: the Surprise Hurricane in July was the first tropical cyclone to be investigated by airplane. Two more flights were made during August into a stronger hurricane in the central Atlantic. These early flights paved the way for the Hurricane Hunters forecasters at the National Hurricane Center have come to rely.
[edit] Storms
[edit] Hurricane One
- Main article: 1943 Surprise Hurricane
In late July, the first intentional flight into a hurricane was flown into what became known as the Surprise Hurricane. It was conducted by an Army Air Corps (now the United States Air Force) aircraft. Valuable information was gathered about hurricanes and hurricane structure.
[edit] Tropical Storm Two
This storm formed near the Leeward Islands on August 13 and moved generally northwest for the next four days, shifting slightly more northward late on the 15th. Its winds peaked at 60 mph (97 km/h) and the storm recurved to the northeast on August 18 several hundred miles southeast of Cape Fear, dissipating in the north Atlantic a day later.
[edit] Hurricane Three
On August 19, a tropical storm was first observed east of the Lesser Antilles. It headed northwestward, strengthening to a hurricane on the 20th over the open Atlantic. The hurricane peaked at 140 mph (230 km/h) winds, Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale and passed 100 miles (160 km) west of Bermuda on the 25th. The storm was very large and despite the distance, Bermuda briefly reported hurricane force winds, but these winds caused little damage or injury. The hurricane turned northeastward, and became extratropical on the 26th over the North Atlantic.
[edit] Hurricane Four
The fourth storm of the season had an erratic track across the open Atlantic not far east of Bermuda in early September. It formed well southeast of Bermuda and wasn't discovered until it was almost a hurricane. The hurricane moved north-northwest, steadily strengthening until it was parallel to Bermuda on September 3. By that time, it was a Category 2 hurricane and was getting still stronger. The hurricane came under influence of a strong high pressure system that slowed it to a crawl. It began to slowly curve eastward and then back north and west, making a half circle that it took four days to complete. In that time it reached its peak intensity of 120 mph (190 km/h), a major hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. The hurricane was weakening now, but not much given the latitude. The storm didn't drop below Category 2 status until it was almost across 40N. It recurved to the northeast, finally weakening to a tropical storm shortly before clipping Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The storm sped up and ended its days over Newfoundland, having become extratropical.
[edit] Tropical Storm Five
Storm Five formed northeast of Grand Bahama Island on September 13 and headed due north for the next 24 hours, passing not more than a couple hundred miles off the US east coast, bring gale-force winds to the Outer Banks. No damage from these winds was reported, however. The storm curved northeastward and became extratropical 150 miles (240 km) southeast of Cape Cod.
[edit] Hurricane Six
A tropical storm developed in the western Gulf of Mexico on September 15. It moved to the northwest and became a hurricane early the next day. A ridge of high pressure to the north forced the hurricane southward, where it attained a peak of 95 mph (153 km/h) winds on the 17th. It rapidly weakened as it drifted northeastward, completing a tight loop, and hit southern Louisiana on the 20th as a minimal tropical storm. It dissipated shortly thereafter, after causing $195,000 (1943 dollars) in damage, mostly from flooding.
[edit] Tropical Storm Seven
A tropical wave formed into a tropical storm on September 28, south-southwest of Bermuda. It headed northwestward, reaching a peak of 60 mph (97 km/h) winds the next day. The storm made landfall near Ocean City, Maryland on the 1st, and dissipated later that day. Tropical Storm Seven was responsible for sinking one small boat and causing $20,000 in damage (1943 dollars).
[edit] Tropical Storm Eight
This storm was first discovered on October 1 several hundred miles southeast of Bermuda while at its peak intensity of 70 mph (110 km/h), near-hurricane force. The storm moved swiftly, forming a long curve. It passed right by Bermuda shortly before weakening from peak intensity, raking the island with 40 mph (64 km/h) sustained winds. It continued its parabolic recurve to the north and then northeast, picking up speed as it did so. It became extratropical a few hundred miles south-southeast of Cape Breton Island three days after discovery. No damage was reported in Bermuda.
[edit] Hurricane Nine
On October 11, a tropical storm was first detected over the Lesser Antilles. It moved westward, reaching hurricane strength the next day. The hurricane turned due northward and moved through the Mona Passage on the 15th. It wouldn't change direction much for the remainder of its lifetime. Early the next day, the hurricane reached a peak of 110 mph (180 km/h) winds, which it maintained before weakening dramatically early on the 17th. The hurricane became extratropical later that day, and moved inland near the Maine/New Brunswick border, dissipating over Canada.
[edit] Tropical Storm Ten
The final storm of the season was a weak system that formed in the western Caribbean Sea on October 20 and curved northwest and then west, paralleling the coast of Honduras but remaining well offshore. Winds in this storm never rose above 45 mph (72 km/h). It began to curve back southwest on the 22nd, clipping the coast of southern Belize and making landfall on the Guatemalan coast six hours later as a weak tropical storm. The storm dissipated over the center of the country.
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