text: 1956 atlantic hurricane season the 1956 atlantic hurricane season featured a low number of tropical cyclones , although every tropical storm and hurricane 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 . 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 lone 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 . there were also several tropical depressions , as well as one subtropical cyclone , in the season . season summary the season officially began on june 15 , the date that the weather bureau office in miami , florida , under the direction of gordon dunn , began daily monitoring of all tropical disturbances and cyclones across the northern atlantic ocean . the agency had access to the hurricane hunters , a fleet of aircraft that obtain data by flying into storms . the weather bureau , in collaboration with other agencies , began a five – year project in 1956 to obtain and analyze data on the structure of hurricanes . the season officially ended on november 15 . there were a total of twelve tropical storms during the season , five of which were unnamed . of all the storms , four were hurricanes . compared to the average activity from the previous two decades , the season 's activity was below normal despite average sea surface temperatures and a normal number of tropical waves . instead , the inactivity was the result of the subtropical ridge being located further south than normal , which decreased the atmospheric instability across much of the basin . such a pattern was different from the more active 1954 and 1955 seasons . several tropical depressions formed that did not attain tropical storm status , many of which formed beneath an unfavorable upper - level trough . the season 's activity was reflected with a cumulative accumulated cyclone energy ( ace ) rating of 54 , which is categorized as being " below normal " . ace is , broadly speaking , a measure of the power of the hurricane multiplied by the length of time it existed , so storms that last a long time , as well as particularly strong hurricanes , have high aces . ace is only calculated for full advisories on tropical systems at or exceeding 34 knots ( 39 mph , 63 km / h ) or tropical storm strength . subtropical cyclones are excluded from the total . storms tropical storm one tropical storm two in early june , a trough extended from the gulf of mexico to the western atlantic ocean . on june 12 , the interaction between the trough and a tropical wave spawned a tropical depression in the bay of campeche . the newly developed tropical cyclone tracked northward , quickly intensifying into a tropical storm . it attained peak winds of 60 mph ( 95 km / h ) on june 13 , although it never developed a well - defined circulation . in addition , it had characteristics of both a tropical and extratropical cyclone , with cooler air aloft . late on june 13 , the storm made landfall near cocodrie , louisiana , and its lowest pressure of 1 , 001 millibars ( 29 . 56 inhg ) was measured over land , suggesting it did not weaken substantially after landfall . after moving inland , it dissipated on june 15 over arkansas . as the storm moved ashore , it did not develop rainbands , unlike other tropical cyclones . the heaviest rainfall occurred in a 100 mi ( 160 km ) region east of where it moved ashore . precipitation fell across the entire united states gulf coast , and the highest rainfall total was 8 . 89 in ( 226 mm ) in golden meadow , louisiana . the rains were beneficial to farmers , due to drought conditions persisting in the region . the storm produced higher than normal tides , peaking at 4 . 7 ft ( 1 . 4 m ) in biloxi , mississippi ; this was the highest since the 1947 fort lauderdale hurricane . the tides left damage to the freeport sulphur company , as well as to boats , beaches , and piers . three people died after their boat capsized , and there was another death after a driver skidded off the lake pontchartrain causeway . a barge in the lake became disabled due to the storm and caused light damage to the causeway . sustained winds during the storm 's passage peaked at 55 mph ( 89 km / h ) near grand isle , louisiana , and a boat reported a gust of 60 mph ( 97 km / h ) near pilottown , louisiana . damage was estimated at $ 50 , 000 . june tropical depression shortly after the previous storm dissipated , another tropical depression developed on june 17 from a trough , about 500 mi ( 800 km ) east of the southern florida coast . although it briefly produced wind gusts of 40 mph ( 64 km / h ) , it never intensified beyond tropical depression status , and it dissipated on june 18 . july tropical depression a weak circulation developed late on july 4 beneath a cold mid - level trough in the gulf of mexico . it moved north - northwestward , and hit near pensacola , florida on july 6 . it dissipated on july 9 . although it never intensified beyond tropical depression status , the system produced wind gusts of 47 mph ( 76 km / h ) in panama city , florida . as it moved ashore , the depression dropped heavy amounts of precipitation , with a total of 14 . 22 in ( 361 mm ) reported in whatley , alabama . the rains washed away or eroded several highways and bridges , and also resulted in some agricultural damage . a train line from mobile to birmingham , alabama , was washed out near . overall the damage was estimated at $ 503 , 000 , and there were no associated deaths . hurricane anna a westward - moving tropical wave traversed the lesser antilles on july 20 . it moved across the caribbean , and its thunderstorms increased on july 23 while passing south of cuba and beneath a high pressure area . there is evidence that it could have developed a circulation on july 24 before it struck the yucatán peninsula . it is confirmed to have developed into a tropical depression on july 25 in the bay of campeche . as it continued west - northwestward , it rapidly intensified into tropical storm anna , and before moving ashore in mexico near , veracruz , on july 26 it attained hurricane status . peak winds reached 85 mph ( 140 km / h ) , although anna rapidly dissipated on july 27 as it moved further inland . the high winds wrecked several homes in poor regions of tampico , tamaulipas , while rainfall of 2 . 5 in ( 64 mm ) resulted in flooding . the high winds severed telegraph lines from tampico to san luis potosí . the same area was affected by several hurricanes in the previous year . damage totaled around $ 50 , 000 , and there were no deaths . hurricane betsy a tropical wave moved off the coast of africa on august 4 . it developed into tropical storm betsy developed on august 9 to the east of the lesser antilles . it rapidly developed into a 105 mph ( 165 km / h ) hurricane before striking guadeloupe with a minimum central pressure of 979 mb ( 28 . 91 inhg ) . there , betsy heavily damaged 1 , 000 houses and left severe crop destruction , and led to 18 deaths . as betsy continued into the northeastern caribbean , it capsized a ship , killing its crew of two . on august 12 , a slightly weakened betsy struck southeastern puerto rico near maunabo with winds of 100 mph ( 155 km / h ) and quickly crossed the island . damage was heaviest where it moved ashore and in the territory 's central portion . 15 , 023 houses were destroyed by betsy , and multiple locations reported heavy crop damage , including camuy , which reported a complete loss of the corn crop . after exiting puerto rico , betsy strengthened steadily as it headed generally northwestward , becoming a major hurricane on august 13 while centered north of the turks and caicos islands . it attained peak winds of 120 mph ( 195 km / h ) the next day to the east of the bahamas . betsy later turned northeastward , attaining its lowest central pressure of 954 mbar ( 28 . 17 inhg ) on august 17 . it later became extratropical early on august 18 . the remnants dissipated two days later to the north of the azores . hurricane betsy was the first hurricane to be observed from the san juan radar , and also resulted in the first hurricane warning on the island that was released on television . the hurricane left $ 40 million in damage and 16 deaths , which prompted the declaration of a federal disaster area . locally the hurricane was known as the santa clara hurricane . august tropical depression a vigorous tropical wave spawned a tropical depression on august 28 near the cape verde islands . as it passed through the islands , the depression produced a minimum central pressure of 1 , 004 mbar ( 29 . 6 inhg ) on the island of sal . ships in the area reported winds as strong as 46 mph ( 74 km / h ) . the depression maintained a general westward track , eventually dissipating on september 6 to the northeast of the lesser antilles . tropical storm carla the origins of tropical storm carla were from a tropical wave that spawned a depression near the bahamas on september 7 . it moved generally to the north , intensifying to a tropical storm the following day . an upper - level low located to the northeast of carla produced hostile conditions that prevented significant strengthening , and carla had a structure which resembled a subtropical storm . an approaching cold front turned the storm to the northeast , and despite the unfavorable atmosphere , carla intensified , reaching peak winds of 60 mph ( 95 km / h ) late on september 9 . the interaction between the storm and a high pressure system over the great lakes yielded a strong pressure gradient that produced gale force winds over new england . after carla passed to the north of bermuda , it became extratropical on september 10 , according to hurdat — the official hurricane database — and the annual report in the monthly weather review . as a post - tropical cyclone , ex - carla strengthened to 70 mph ( 110 km / h ) before weakening and dissipating by september 16 . tropical storm dora on september 10 , a tropical depression developed over the bay of campeche . later that day , hurricane hunters observed winds of tropical storm force , indicating that the depression had become tropical storm dora , with winds of about 40 mph ( 65 km / h ) . dora moved generally westward due to a ridge to its north . a reconnaissance flight on september 11 estimated hurricane - force winds , but reanalysis assessed these as being unrepresentative of dora 's true strength . early on september 12 , dora peaked at 60 mph ( 95 km / h ) shortly before striking land near tuxpan with a minimum central pressure of 1 , 000 mb ( 29 . 53 inhg ) . it quickly dissipated early the next day , although the storm produced heavy rains across the region . the deluge caused a landslide as well as flooding , including along a river near san andrés tuxtla . in puebla , there were 13 deaths and 20 injuries after a bus crashed into a washed out portion of the highway from tuxpan to mexico city . overall , dora caused 27 deaths in the country , but minor damage . tropical storm ethel on september 11 , a tropical depression developed along the southern end of a quasi - stationary cold front over grand exuma island in the bahamas . it moved to the northeast and encountered cold air from the north . this resulted in significant instability that allowed in quick strengthening . a hurricane hunters flight on september 12 reported winds of 76 mph ( 122 km / h ) in the storm 's northeast quadrant ; as a result , the depression was upgraded to tropical storm ethel . the flight observed a well - developed eye 20 mi ( 32 km ) in diameter , although they only observed hurricane - force winds in one quadrant . reassessment , however , discounted the observations of hurricane - force winds from the aircraft as being unrepresentative of ethel 's strength , and analyzed that ethel peaked at 60 mph ( 95 km / h ) late on september 12 , with the lowest pressure reported being 999 mbar ( 29 . 50 inhg ) . shortly after reaching peak intensity , ethel began weakening and dissipated on september 14 to the southwest of bermuda . september tropical depression a vigorous tropical depression moved through the cape verde islands on september 13 , although the complete history of the cyclone is unknown . it dissipated before affecting the lesser antilles . hurricane flossy the origin of flossy is uncertain ; one possibility is it developed from a system in the eastern pacific , and the other is from a disturbance moving through the caribbean . a tropical depression formed on september 20 just east of the yucatán peninsula and headed northwest across the landmass . upon entering the gulf of mexico on september 22 , it quickly intensified into tropical storm flossy . continuing to intensify , the storm turned to the north and attained hurricane status on september 23 . bearing winds of 85 mph ( 140 km / h ) , flossy struck near venice , louisiana , on september 24 after turning to the northeast , crossing the mississippi river delta . the hurricane again moved into the gulf of mexico , continuing to the northeast and intensifying further until moving ashore near miramar beach , florida , on september 25 as a strong category 1 hurricane with winds of 90 mph ( 150 km / h ) and a minimum pressure of 974 mbar ( 28 . 76 inhg ) . later that day , flossy became extratropical over georgia after weakening into a tropical storm . the extratropical remnants moved through the southeast united states and emerged from north carolina into the western atlantic on september 27 . the storm was last observed on october 3 , near southernmost newfoundland . flossy was the only hurricane of the season to strike the united states . winds in louisiana reached 84 mph ( 135 km / h ) , although an oil rig offshore grand isle reported a gust of 95 mph ( 153 km / h ) . the storm dropped heavy rainfall along its path , peaking at 16 . 7 in ( 420 mm ) in golden meadow , louisiana . the rainfall and the hurricane 's accompanying storm surge caused widespread flooding and beach erosion in southeast louisiana . the flooding surmounted the eastern seawall in new orleans , submerging an area of 2 . 5 sq mi ( 6 . 5 km2 ) . across the region , the resulting flooding drowned cattle and caused heavy crop damage . hurricane flossy left about $ 27 . 8 million in damage ( 1956 usd ) , mostly from crop damage , as well as 15 deaths . the rainfall extended through the mid - atlantic states , which alleviated drought conditions . october south atlantic depression on october 9 , a tropical depression developed about 1 , 300 mi ( 2 , 100 km ) east of puerto rico . ships in the area reported winds as strong as 45 mph ( 72 km / h ) , although the system dissipated within 24 hours . october mid - atlantic depression on october 10 , another tropical depression formed further to the north of the previous storm . it possibly developed from the same tropical wave that spawned the previous depression , although they were not the same system . the depression maintained a general northward movement throughout its duration , dissipating on october 12 . tropical storm nine tropical storm ten a low pressure area formed along a dissipating cold front to the north of puerto rico . the system moved westward , developing some tropical characteristics by october 13 . the next day , the system became a tropical storm over the straits of florida . on october 15 , it crossed over south florida near homestead with winds of 60 mph ( 95 km / h ) . the storm was never fully tropical , as its winds and precipitation extended far away from the center . the storm intensified further over the florida peninsula , peaking at 65 mph ( 100 km / h ) early on october 16 . after affecting florida , the storm crossed the western atlantic and moved across the outer banks . the storm became extratropical on october 17 , and the next day it was absorbed by another extratropical storm . the storm produced significant rainfall in a 50 mi ( 80 km ) region of florida . the highest total in the state was 16 . 28 in ( 414 mm ) in kissimmee . there , the rains caused flash flooding that entered over 200 houses . the flooding flooded three state highways , and also left portions of okeechobee inaccessible after reporting the heaviest rainfall in eight years . large tomato fields were inundated , resulting in some crop damage . in portions of the state , the rains were beneficial due to previously dry conditions . the storm spawned a tornado in north miami that injured one person . damage throughout florida was estimated at $ 3 million , mostly in the kissimmee area . in addition , two surfers drowned during the storm . precipitation extended as far north as new jersey , and coastal areas experienced high tides and gusty winds . hurricane greta the intertropical convergence zone spawned a tropical depression on october 31 a short distance to south of easternmost cuba . the system tracked northward and crossed over eastern cuba , and the system initially had characteristics of an extratropical cyclone . it eventually acquired tropical features and intensified into tropical storm greta on november 1 . a high pressure area east of the mid - atlantic states caused the depression to turn to the south on november 2 and loop to the southeast . later that day the depression intensified into tropical storm greta to the northeast of the bahamas . it attained hurricane status on november 4 while maintaining a large size ( in fact , becoming one of the largest tropical cyclones known in the atlantic basin ) ; such strengthening is unusual in storms moving in a southeast trajectory . greta turned to the east and later northeast , reaching its peak of 100 mph ( 155 km / h ) late on november 4 due to the energy transfer between levels of the atmosphere . cooler waters caused subsequent weakening and gradual loss of tropical characteristics , and greta transitioned into an extratropical storm on november 6 , dissipating the next day . the extremely large size of greta , in conjunction with the high pressure system to its north , produced strong winds and high waves across a large area of the western atlantic . in puerto rico , waves of 20 ft ( 6 . 1 m ) left heavy damage and killed one person who did not heed an evacuation order . waves reached 25 ft ( 7 . 6 m ) in the french west indies , which destroyed 80 % of the structures at the port in basse - terre , guadeloupe . further west , high waves left heavy damage in and around the beaches of jacksonville , florida . overall damage was estimated at about $ 3 . 58 million . tropical storm twelve storm names the following names were used for named storms ( tropical storms and hurricanes ) that formed in the north atlantic in 1956 . storms were named anna , betsy , carla , dora , ethel , flossy and greta for the first time in 1956 .