text: hurricane fox ( 1952 ) hurricane fox was the strongest and deadliest tropical cyclone of the below average 1952 atlantic hurricane season . the seventh tropical storm , sixth atlantic hurricane , and the third major hurricane of the season , fox was a small and intense caribbean storm that developed northwest of cartagena , colombia , in the southern caribbean sea . it moved steadily northwest , intensifying to a tropical storm on october 21 . the next day , it rapidly strengthened into a hurricane and turned north . the cyclone attained peak winds of 150 mph ( 240 km / h ) as it struck cayo guano del este off the coast of cienfuegos . fox made landfall on cuba at maximum intensity , producing peak gusts of 170 – 180 mph ( 275 – 290 km / h ) . it weakened over land , but it re - strengthened as it turned east over the bahamas . on october 26 , it weakened and took an erratic path , dissipating west - southwest of bermuda on october 28 . hurricane fox was the second most intense hurricane to strike cuba until hurricane michelle in the 2001 atlantic hurricane season . it was originally believed to have been the second category 4 hurricane in cuba prior to the atlantic hurricane reanalysis . at the time , the cyclone produced the fourth lowest pressure in a landfalling cuban hurricane ; only the 1917 , 1924 , and 1932 hurricanes were more intense . hurricane fox killed at least 40 people across the island , causing severe crop damages in rural areas . the hurricane also ruined 30 percent of the tomato crops on eleuthera in the bahamas . across the archipelago , fox produced wind gusts in excess of 110 mph ( 175 km / h ) . total damages reached $ 10 million in cuba . fox was the second hurricane to hit land during the season , after hurricane able struck south carolina . meteorological history on october 20 , a tropical depression formed in the caribbean sea , 170 miles ( 270 km ) northwest of cartagena , colombia . fox is believed to have developed from a low pressure area in the intertropical convergence zone , though it was not operationally detected until october 21 . the system steadily advanced northwest and it gradually intensified . on october 21 , a reconnaissance mission flew into the system , reporting sustained winds in excess of 40 mph ( 65 km / h ) . at the time , the system is estimated to have strengthened to tropical storm fox . the cyclone continued to deepen , and it reached the equivalent of a category 1 hurricane on the saffir - simpson hurricane scale , 120 miles ( 200 km ) southeast of the swan islands , honduras . the hurricane rapidly intensified and turned north on october 23 , strengthening to attain winds which correspond to a modern - day major hurricane , a storm of category 3 status or higher on the saffir - simpson hurricane scale . late on october 24 , the cyclone struck the small island of cayo guano del estes in the archipelago de los , south of cienfuegos . maximum sustained winds were near 150 mph ( 240 km / h ) , and the island 's weather station recorded a minimum pressure of 934 mbar ( 27 . 59 inhg ) . the cyclone crossed the mainland coast of cuba west of cienfuegos , and it weakened as it crossed the island . early on october 25 , hurricane fox entered the atlantic ocean . it crossed central andros and turned east across the bahamas . on october 26 , the hurricane briefly re - intensified as it crossed cat island . the center became ill - defined , and the cyclone quickly weakened . it turned north and then took an erratic northeast turn as it weakened to a tropical storm on october 27 . the system gained extratropical characteristics as it merged with a polar frontal boundary , and it dissipated west - southwest of bermuda on october 28 . preparations advisories , along with coordination between the national observatory at havana and u.s. weather bureau , were credited for the reduced deaths in cuba . weather observations were also readily available from cuban meteorological stations . on october 25 , the cyclone 's hurricane force winds were expected to remain off the florida east coast , although gale - force winds were anticipated from the florida keys to palm beach , florida . accordingly , storm warnings were issued from key west , florida to vero beach , florida . military aircraft were transported to safer locations , while watercraft were stored in harbors and rivers . hotels and resorts were boarded up on the barrier islands . the bahamas received warnings well in advance of the hurricane . the hurricane turned quickly to the east , which reduced the threat to bimini , cat cay , grand bahama , and the abaco islands . impact an aircraft flight into the storm experienced severe turbulence , and wind driven rain reportedly stripped paint from the plane 's surfaces . as a result of the storm , 70 people were injured in cuba . severe damage to properties and crops occurred in rural areas . in , 30 structures were destroyed , while a japanese freighter was washed ashore on the reefs near cayo breton . the crew survived , though another ship was disabled during the storm . the fringes of the storm produced heavy rainfall in cuba , flooding low areas and causing several rivers to overflow their banks . strong winds uprooted large trees in santa isabel , and winds of 100 mph ( 155 km / h ) were reported in the city of cienfuegos . in aguada de , 600 buildings were demolished , while 36 of 261 sugar mills across the island were damaged by hurricane fox . in all , hurricane fox killed 40 people in cuba and caused $ 10 million in damages . the cyclone produced peak winds of 50 mph ( 85 km / h ) in nassau , bahamas , causing no reported damage . crops were damaged by high winds and heavy precipitation on eleuthera . about 30 percent of the tomato crops were destroyed during the storm . a man who attempted to secretly seed and weaken the storm was missing and presumed dead after his plane disappeared off miami , florida . multiple searches by the coast guard were unsuccessful . in the early 1950s , atlantic tropical cyclones were named via the joint army / navy phonetic alphabet . hurricane fox of 1952 was the final atlantic tropical cyclone to be designated with this naming system , and a female list of tropical cyclone names was utilized in the 1953 atlantic hurricane season . after the stronger 1917 pinar del río hurricane , hurricane fox was cuba 's second most intense landfall until hurricane michelle struck the island in 2001 . originally , the 1917 hurricane was believed to have been a category 3 hurricane prior to the atlantic hurricane reanalysis , which made fox the second category 4 landfall after the 1932 cuba hurricane . at the time , fox was the fourth most intense hurricane to strike cuba in terms of atmospheric pressure ; only the 1917 , 1924 , and 1932 storms were stronger at one point in their life spans .