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Hurricane Arlene was the first
tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
of the
1963 Atlantic hurricane season The 1963 Atlantic hurricane season was a slightly below average season in terms of tropical cyclone formation, with a total of ten nameable storms. Even so, it was also a notoriously deadly and destructive season. The season officially began o ...
and one of the wettest storms ever recorded in
Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...
. Originating from a tropical depression on July 31, Arlene quickly intensified into a
Category 2 hurricane Category, plural categories, may refer to: General uses *Classification, the general act of allocating things to classes/categories Philosophy *Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) *Category (Kant) *Categories (Peirce) *Category (Vais ...
on August 2. After attaining this intensity, the storm quickly weakened and turned west. By August 4, Arlene had degenerated into a tropical depression. The storm failed to re-organize until August 7, by which time it restrengthened into a tropical storm. The following day, Arlene re-attained hurricane-status before passing directly over
Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...
. Several hours after passing the island, it reached its peak intensity with winds of 115 mph (160 km/) and a
barometric pressure Atmospheric pressure, also known as air pressure or barometric pressure (after the barometer), is the pressure within the atmosphere of Earth. The standard atmosphere (symbol: atm) is a unit of pressure defined as , which is equivalent to 1,013.2 ...
of 969 mbar (hPa; ). By August 11, Arlene transitioned into an
extratropical cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...
before being absorbed by another cyclone later that day. Along its track, several hurricane warnings and watches were issued for the
Leeward Islands The Leeward Islands () are a group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico, they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. In Engl ...
; however, no damage was reported on any of the islands. The storm has its greatest impact in Bermuda where high winds and near-record rainfall downed trees, power lines and caused flooding. Damages across the island amounted to $300,000 (1963 USD; $2.1 million 2009 USD).


Meteorological history

Hurricane Arlene was first identified as a tropical depression on July 31 between the
Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea, forming part of the West Indies in Caribbean, Caribbean region of the Americas. They are distinguished from the larger islands of the Greater Antilles to the west. They form an arc w ...
and the
Cape Verde Islands Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...
by the TIROS VI satellite. The large cyclone, estimated at five
degrees Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...
in diameter, steadily tracked westward and eventually northwestward and intensified into a tropical storm on August 2. Later that day, a Navy reconnaissance aircraft reached the storm and found a clear
eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...
and a
barometric pressure Atmospheric pressure, also known as air pressure or barometric pressure (after the barometer), is the pressure within the atmosphere of Earth. The standard atmosphere (symbol: atm) is a unit of pressure defined as , which is equivalent to 1,013.2 ...
of 987 mbar (hPa; ), resulting in Arlene being classified a hurricane. This meant that the storm had
rapidly intensified Rapid intensification (RI) is any process wherein a tropical cyclone strengthens very dramatically in a short period of time. Tropical cyclone forecasting agencies utilize differing thresholds for designating rapid intensification events, th ...
from a tropical depression to a hurricane within the span of 18 hours. The intensification continued for another 6 hours, at which time the storm attained its initial peak strength with winds of , classifying Arlene as a
Category 2 hurricane Category, plural categories, may refer to: General uses *Classification, the general act of allocating things to classes/categories Philosophy *Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) *Category (Kant) *Categories (Peirce) *Category (Vais ...
. Early on August 3, Arlene began to weaken as it turned towards the west once more. The storm continued to slowly weaken before rapidly degenerating into a tropical depression on August 4. The quick decrease in intensity was the result of a sudden increase in vertical
wind shear Wind shear (; also written windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical ...
near the core of the cyclone. Later that day, the system passed near the northern
Leeward Islands The Leeward Islands () are a group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico, they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. In Engl ...
; however, the depression was poorly organized. The former hurricane steadily tracked northwestward and began to regenerate on August 7. As the storm began to reorganize, the forward motion had become virtually stationary but later began to increase as Arlene turned northeastward, beginning recurvature into the main belt of the
Westerlies The westerlies, anti-trades, or prevailing westerlies, are prevailing winds from the west toward the east in the middle latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees latitude. They originate from the high-pressure areas in the horse latitudes (about ...
. Ships in the vicinity of the depression reported that it had regained gale-force winds on August 8, resulting in advisories on Arlene being re-initiated around that time. Later that day, a Navy reconnaissance plane found hurricane-force winds around the center of the storm, resulting in Arlene being upgraded to a minimal hurricane a second time. During the day on August 9, Arlene passed directly over
Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...
with winds of . The storm continued to intensify after passing the island, with reconnaissance recorded a minimum pressure of 969 mbar (hPa; ) and maximum winds reached . The hurricane began to weaken hours later, with winds decreasing below by the afternoon of August 10. Shortly after, Arlene transitioned into an
extratropical cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...
, while maintaining hurricane-force winds, over the north Atlantic. The remnants were absorbed by a larger cyclone near
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
on August 11.


Preparations and impact

On August 3, the
National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...
in
San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...
issued hurricane warnings for the northern
Leeward Islands The Leeward Islands () are a group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico, they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. In Engl ...
and a hurricane watch for the
Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands () are an archipelago between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Caribbean Sea, geographically forming part of the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean, Caribbean islands or West Indie ...
. Later that day, the watch was expanded to include Puerto Rico. By August 4, the hurricane warnings were lowered to gale warnings and the watch was discontinued as Arlene weakened to a tropical storm. Later that day, all warnings were canceled since the storm had further weakened to a tropical depression. On August 8, after Arlene regenerated, residents in Bermuda were advised to not venture offshore on any vessel and rush all hurricane preparations to completion. In
Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...
, Arlene produced winds up to and a pressure of 974.5 mbar (hPa; ) was recorded during its passage. A maximum gust of was recorded at Kindley Air Force Base. Tree limbs and power lines were downed across the island, a few small boats sank in rough seas and flooding was reported in some areas. The hurricane produced one of the highest tropical cyclone-related rainfall totals on the island, peaking at , in addition to an estimated
storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...
. In all, damage in Bermuda amounted to $300,000 (1963 USD; $2.1 million 2009 USD).


See also

* Other storms with the same name * List of Category 3 Atlantic hurricanes *
List of Bermuda hurricanes The British Overseas Territory of Bermuda has a long history of encounters with Atlantic tropical cyclones, many of which inflicted significant damage and influenced the territory's development. A small archipelago comprising about 138 islands ...


References


External links


Monthly Weather Review for 1963Preliminary Report for Hurricane Arlene
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arlene (1963) 1963 Atlantic hurricane season Cape Verde hurricanes Category 3 Atlantic hurricanes Hurricanes in Bermuda