Hurricane Ione () was a strong, Category 4 hurricane that affected the U.S. state of

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

in September 1955, bringing high winds and significant rainfall. It came on the heels of Hurricanes Connie and Diane, and compounded problems already caused by the two earlier hurricanes. Spawned by a tropical wave which left the

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

n coast on September 6, the system became a tropical depression in the tropical North Atlantic, before turning northwest and developing into a hurricane. After turning back to the west east of the Bahamas, Ione turned northwest and northward, moving across eastern North Carolina before moving east-northeastward out to sea. Ione caused $600 million (2005 USD) in damage, much of it to crops across North Carolina. As a result of Ione's impacts seven people died.

Meteorological history

A tropical wave moved through

Cape Verde 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 ...

on September 6. On September 11, Ione developed into a tropical depression. Ione remained weak for the next few days, and then began to steadily intensify as it moved north of 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 ...

, reaching hurricane strength on September 15. Conditions were favorable for additional development, and Ione peaked with winds of on September 18 while north of the

Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...

. Drier and cooler air gradually became entrained in Ione's circulation, and the storm weakened into a Category 2 hurricane at the time of its

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

, landfall on September 19, which made Ione the third hurricane to hit the state in six weeks and fourth in 11 months. Ione was the first tropical cyclone to be observed on the Cape Hatteras radar during landfall and was one of the first observed to make small-scale oscillations within its track. The storm weakened to a tropical storm over land but restrengthened to a Category 2 hurricane over the northwestern Atlantic. Ione continued northeastward and became 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 ...

on September 21. The extratropical storm crossed over

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 ...

and was last seen on September 24 moving across the North Atlantic.

Preparations

Hurricane warnings were in effect from the Virginia Capes to Morehead, North Carolina and a Hurricane alert was issued northward to

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

. Dump trucks loaded with dirt were ready to make earthen dikes around the Riegel paper mill, due to the severe damage caused to it by hurricanes earlier that year which caused the 1955 Delaware River flood. Recent flooding, from

Hurricane Diane Hurricane Diane was the first Atlantic hurricane to cause more than an estimated $1 billion in damage (in 1955 dollars, which would be $11,764,962,686 today), including direct costs and the loss of business and personal revenue. It tropical ...

, along the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

kept residents along its banks alert should the storm strike, business owners were also ready to move their merchandise if the need arose.

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

officials prepared for the worst, with police officers filling gas tanks of their patrol cars and extra patrol men being called to duty in advance of the hurricane. Flights were canceled in New York, firemen stood at the ready in

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

, and the

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with cust ...

warned shipping companies of the impending storm. A boxing match between Rocky Marciano and Archie Moore was delayed, which allowed the promoters to sell an additional $150,000 (1955) in tickets, which is $ in present-day figures. When one of the first

tropical cyclone forecast model A tropical cyclone forecast model is a computer program that uses meteorology, meteorological data to weather forecasting, forecast aspects of the future state of tropical cyclones. There are three types of models: statistical, dynamical, or c ...

s was developed, Ione was chosen as one of the candidates to test out its reliability. The errors associated with Ione were significant, as the model did not forecast Ione to make landfall in North Carolina, forcing the storm eastward to the south of the state.

Impact

September 18 was a gloomy day in Swan Quarter, North Carolina and winds did not significantly increase until between 2 and 3 p.m. By 9:30 p.m., strong winds buffeted the area from the east-northeast and the electricity went out at around 10:50 p.m. Area homes flooded for the first time since Barbara of the

1953 Atlantic hurricane season The 1953 Atlantic hurricane season was an active season, with fourteen tropical storms, seven of which developed into hurricanes; three of the hurricanes attained major hurricane status (Category 3 or greater on the Saffir-Simpson scale). ...

and the tides increased until 8:45 a.m. on September 19 before rapidly rising between 2:00 and 2:30 p.m. The Lake Causeway was partially washed out towards New Holland. The Diamond Shoals lightship was reported to have broken loose during the hurricane. Tides did not fully recede at Swan Quarter until 3 a.m. on September 20, with winds finally dying down after 7 a.m. the same day. Cherry Point recorded a maximum sustained wind of , with gusts to . Prolonged easterly winds forced the tide to increase to levels to above normal, which resulted in one of the largest inundations in North Carolina history. The storm surge from Ione was recorded at at Morehead City, North Carolina, while a storm tide of was measured at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. It was reported that the storm lasted for nearly two days in North Carolina. HMTS ''Monarch'', which had departed from Newfoundland, was laying telephone cable across the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

ocean when Ione crossed its path. The ship weathered the storm, and managed to reach Scotland to complete its mission by September 26. Ione caused $600 million (2005 USD) in damage, much of it to crops across North Carolina. The rest came from flooding in an area already devastated by Hurricanes Connie and Diane six weeks earlier. Along the Trent River near Trent and the New River near Gum Branch, North Carolina, the river stage reached heights not seen again until

Hurricane Floyd Hurricane Floyd was a very powerful and large tropical cyclone which struck the Bahamas and the East Coast of the United States. It was the sixth list of named tropical cyclones, named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane in the 1 ...

of the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. Ione caused seven deaths in North Carolina, a low number attributed to well-executed warnings and effectiveness of relief groups such as the

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

. Ione made landfall in Newfoundland, Canada during the evening of September 21 as a tropical storm and as a result cause wind and rain damage. That day the storm became extratropical, yet still had negative effects on Canada. In Carbonear a boy broke his leg after being blown into a car and thousands of dollars in damage, as well as broken poles, uprooted trees, interrupted telephone service, damaged chimneys and power outages were reported in St. John's, Canada. There were also reports of roof damage and a trailer being torn for its foundation. Three flights were cancelled, schools were closed and the ferry service between Bell Island and Portugal Cove was disrupted. On September 23 there were reports of boats that had been lost and in Harbour Grace and Harbour Main. There was also a report of a garage being flipped with a car still in it. There were also reports of a street and two mines being flooded in

Corner Brook Corner Brook ( 2021 population: 19,316 CA 29,762) is a city located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Corner Brook is the fifth largest settlement in Newfoundland and Labrado ...

and it was reported that there was $2 million damage to the province. There was extensive damage to waterfront property on the southern coast of Newfoundland. On September 24 there were reports of fishermen losing gear, a house being blown off its foundation in Foxtrap, damage to the phone company, a washed out road in

Swift Current Swift Current is the sixth-largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is situated along the Trans-Canada Highway west of Moose Jaw, and east of Medicine Hat, Alberta. As of 2024, Swift Current has an estimated population of ...

and damage to the power company. On September 27 it was reported that buoys were destroyed in Harbour Grace, Fortune and Stag Harbour. There was also damage done to a freighter in Conception Bay.

Retirement

Due to the damage it caused, the name ''Ione'' was retired by the U.S. Weather Bureau after the 1955 season. The name will never again be used for a North Atlantic basin tropical cyclone.

References

External links