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On This Day in 1957: Hurricane Audrey Pushes Toward U.S.
June 24, 2021 at 11:17 AM EDT
By WeatherBug's Intern Meteorologist, Christopher Smith
On this day 64 years ago, Hurricane Audrey continued to strengthen as it readied for a devastating blow to the northwestern Gulf Coast.
Audrey’s origin was in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico on June 24, 1957, when a tropical depression formed and began to push northward. By June 25, the tropical depression strengthened into a tropical storm and was given the name Audrey. Gaining strength, the storm also became a hurricane on June 25. A due north track continued through the western Gulf of Mexico, putting northeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana in its path.
Hurricane Audrey would approach the Gulf Coast near the Texas/Louisiana border on June 27, rapidly gaining strength upon its final approach. Audrey would end up making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, packing sustained winds between 130 and 156 mph.
The impacts delivered by Hurricane Audrey were horrific. Wind gusts in excess of 100 mph likely struck an area from Port Arthur, Texas, eastward to Lake Charles and Cameron, La., an area hit hard during the 2020 hurricane season by Hurricane Laura. Just east of Cameron, La., the storm surge was estimated to be as high as 10 to 14 feet, or as high as a one-story home.
At least 500 deaths were attributed to Hurricane Audrey. The price tag for the damage caused mounted to more than $150 million.
Hurricane Audrey is the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the U.S. during the month of June.
Sources: nhc.noaa.gov, weather.gov
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Story Image: Rainfall totals from Hurricane Audrey across the South (Wikimedia Commons/Weather Prediction Center).
Audrey’s origin was in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico on June 24, 1957, when a tropical depression formed and began to push northward. By June 25, the tropical depression strengthened into a tropical storm and was given the name Audrey. Gaining strength, the storm also became a hurricane on June 25. A due north track continued through the western Gulf of Mexico, putting northeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana in its path.
Hurricane Audrey would approach the Gulf Coast near the Texas/Louisiana border on June 27, rapidly gaining strength upon its final approach. Audrey would end up making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, packing sustained winds between 130 and 156 mph.
The impacts delivered by Hurricane Audrey were horrific. Wind gusts in excess of 100 mph likely struck an area from Port Arthur, Texas, eastward to Lake Charles and Cameron, La., an area hit hard during the 2020 hurricane season by Hurricane Laura. Just east of Cameron, La., the storm surge was estimated to be as high as 10 to 14 feet, or as high as a one-story home.
At least 500 deaths were attributed to Hurricane Audrey. The price tag for the damage caused mounted to more than $150 million.
Hurricane Audrey is the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the U.S. during the month of June.
Sources: nhc.noaa.gov, weather.gov
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Story Image: Rainfall totals from Hurricane Audrey across the South (Wikimedia Commons/Weather Prediction Center).