The 1968 Atlantic hurricane season was a below average hurricane season during which only nine nameable storms developed. The season officially began on June 1 and lasted until November 30, dates which conventionally delimit the period of each year when most

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 ...

s form in the Atlantic basin. Of the named storms, five strengthened into hurricanes; none however intensified into a major hurricane. Only four other seasons since the start of the

satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...

era—

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, and

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

—did not feature a major hurricane. The first system, Hurricane Abby, developed in the northwestern Caribbean on June 1. Abby moved northward and

struck Struck is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Adolf Struck Adolf Hermann Struck (1877–1911) was a German sightseer and writer. He is known for his Travel literature, travelogue ''Makedonische Fahrten'' and for surveying the ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, bringing heavy rainfall and flooding to western portions of the island. Making landfall in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

on June 4, Abby caused flooding and spawned four tornadoes, but left behind little damage. Overall, the hurricane resulted in six deaths and about $450,000 (1968

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...

) in damage. In late June, Tropical Storm Candy brought minor flooding and spawned several tornadoes across portions of the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

. Overall damage from the cyclone reached approximately $2.7 million. 1968 featured two simultaneously active tropical storms during the month of June, a phenomenon that would not occur again until

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

. Despite three named storms in June, cyclone activity slowed throughout the subsequent month, with only one tropical depression. During late August and early September, Tropical Depression Eleven brought flooding to the

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

area of Florida. Hurricane Gladys, the final and also the strongest named storm of the season, developed in the southwestern Caribbean Sea on October 13. Peaking as a Category 2 on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale, the system resulted in flooding across western Cuba, particularly in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. with Hurricane Abby developing that day. It was a below average season in which nine tropical or subtropical storms formed, compared to the 1966–2009 average of 11.3 named storms. Five of these reached hurricane strength, slightly below the 1966–2009 average of 6.2. There were no major hurricanes during the season. Despite an active beginning, this season had the fewest hurricane days since

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

. Four hurricanes and one tropical storm made landfall during the season, causing 17 deaths and about $21.8 million in damage. The last storm of the season, a subtropical depression, dissipated on November 25, five days before the official end of hurricane season on November 30.

Tropical cyclogenesis Tropical cyclogenesis is the development and strengthening of a tropical cyclone in the atmosphere. The mechanisms through which tropics, tropical cyclogenesis occur are distinctly different from those through which temperate cyclogenesis occu ...

began in June, with three named storms during that monthhurricanes

Abby Abby or Abbie is a given name, most often a shortened form of Abigail (name), Abigail and Albert (given name), Albert. Notable women * Abbie Betinis (born 1980), American composer * Abby Binay (born 1975), Filipino politician * Abbie Boudre ...

and Brenda and Tropical Storm Candytying several seasons for the most named storms in June. Despite the quick start, activity abruptly slowed, with only a tropical depression in July. The next named storm, Hurricane Dolly, existed from August 10 to August 17, while a tropical depression formed later that month. September was the most active month, with five tropical depressions, two tropical storms, and one subtropical storm, which peaked with an intensity equivalent to a Category 1. In October, Hurricane Gladys became the strongest tropical cyclone of the season, despite

maximum sustained wind The maximum sustained wind associated with a tropical cyclone is a common indicator of the intensity of the storm. Within a mature tropical cyclone, it is found within the eyewall at a certain distance from the center, known as the radius of ma ...

s of only and a minimum

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 . The season's activity was reflected with an

accumulated cyclone energy Accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) is a metric used to compare overall activity of tropical cyclones, utilizing the available records of windspeeds at six-hour intervals to synthesize storm duration and strength into a single index value. The ACE ...

(ACE) rating of 45. 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. It is only calculated for full advisories on tropical systems at or exceeding , which is tropical storm strength.

Systems

Hurricane Abby

The interaction of a mid-tropospheric

trough Trough may refer to: In science * Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench * Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure * Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave * Trough level (medicine), the l ...

and a

cold front A cold front is the leading edge of a cooler mass of air at ground level that replaces a warmer mass of air and lies within a pronounced surface Trough (meteorology), trough of Low-pressure area, low pressure. It often forms behind an extratropica ...

spawned a tropical depression on June 1. The initial circulation was not embedded within the convection, but as it moved slowly north-northeastward, it was able to strengthen and become better organized, reaching tropical storm strength on June 2. It crossed the western tip of

, and upon reaching the southeast

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

, Abby gradually strengthened. It attained winds of 65 mph (100 km/h) prior to

landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...

near

Punta Gorda, Florida Punta Gorda (; ), a city located in Southwest Florida, is the county seat of Charlotte County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 19,471, up from 16,641 at the 2010 census ...

, on June 4. Abby moved across the state and then reached the western Atlantic, where it briefly attained

hurricane 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 ...

status late on June 5. On June 6, it weakened and made another landfall near

Fernandina Beach Fernandina may refer to: *Fernandina Beach, Florida **Original Town of Fernandina Historic Site *Fernandina Island, Galapagos Islands *Fernandina (fruit), a citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. P ...

with winds of 65 mph (100 km/h). Abby weakened to a tropical depression as it moved over

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, and over the next six days, it drifted over

The Carolinas The Carolinas, also known simply as Carolina, are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean ...

, finally dissipating on June 13 east of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. As Abby crossed Cuba, moderate rainfall and relatively high winds were reported. In addition, Abby dropped heavy rainfall across the state of Florida, peaking at in Hart Lake. However, the rain was almost entirely beneficial, as Florida was suffering from a severe drought. Despite winds gusts up to , no significant wind damage was reported. Abby spawned several tornadoes in Florida, though losses rarely exceeded $5,000. One twister in

Monroe, North Carolina Monroe is a city in and the county seat of Union County, North Carolina, United States. The population increased from 32,797 in 2010 United States census, 2010 to 34,551 in 2020 United States census, 2020. It is within the rapidly growing Charlot ...

, damaged 20 cars, and destroyed three homes and impacted 20 others. Elsewhere, the storm dropped relatively light rainfall and produced a few tornadoes throughout the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also known as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical List of regions in the United States, region of the United States located in the eastern portion of the Southern United States and t ...

. Overall, the storm caused approximately $450,000 in damage and led to six indirect fatalities.

Hurricane Brenda

The trough that spawned Abby persisted, with another tropical depression developing over the

Straits of Florida The Straits of Florida, Florida Straits, or Florida Strait () is a strait located south-southeast of the North American mainland, generally accepted to be between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and between the Florida Keys (U.S.) an ...

on June 17. Early the following day, the depression crossed the

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral island, coral cay archipelago off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami a ...

and later made landfall in a rural area of Monroe County. Wind shear levels became increasingly favorable, causing the depression to maintain its intensity while crossing Florida. Because the heaviest shower and thunderstorm activity remained well offshore the state, little impact was reported. Up to of precipitation fell at the Homestead Experiment Station. At 18:00

UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...

on June 19, the depression intensified into a tropical storm while still inland over

Central Florida Central Florida is a Regions of the United States#Florida, region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, in ...

, and six hours later emerged into the Atlantic Ocean near Flagler Beach. Shortly thereafter, a weak trough in the westerlies forced the storm to curve eastward. Intensification then occurred, with Brenda nearing hurricane intensity late on June 21. At that time and into June 22, the

Bermuda high The Azores High also known as North Atlantic (Subtropical) High/Anticyclone or the Bermuda- High, is a large subtropical semi-permanent centre of high atmospheric pressure typically found south of the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean, at the Horse lat ...

built southwestward as a weak trough passed to the north, resulting in Brenda turning northeastward. With persistent favorable conditions, the storm reached hurricane status at 12:00 UTC on June 23. Early the next day, Brenda attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of . Thereafter, a ridge of high pressure blocked moist air from reaching the storm, causing it to weaken. By June 25, Brenda fell to tropical storm intensity and deteriorated further to a tropical depression on June 26. Later that day, it was absorbed by a large extratropical cyclone, while located about west-southwest of Flores Island in the

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

Tropical Storm Candy

A tropical disturbance located in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico developed into a tropical depression on June 22. Gradual strengthening occurred, with the depression being upgraded to Tropical Storm Candy on the following day. At 22:45 UTC, the storm peaked with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of as it made landfall near

Port Aransas, Texas Port Aransas ( ) is a city in Nueces County, Texas, United States. This city is 180 miles southeast of San Antonio. The population was 2,904 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Port Aransas is the only established town on Mustang Isla ...

. Moving inland, Candy quickly weakened to a tropical depression late on June 24. However, it persisted for a few more days, until transitioning into an extratropical cyclone over

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

on June 26. Due to rainfall from a previous weather system, the ground was already saturated throughout Texas. As a result, Candy caused flooding, with precipitation exceeding in some areas. Minor damage to crops, roads, and bridges was reported in the eastern portions of the state. Agricultural losses alone were slightly less than $2 million. Storm surge along the coast of Texas caused "cuts" on

Padre Island Padre Island is the largest of the Texas barrier islands and the world's longest barrier island. The island is located along Texas's southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico and is noted for its white sandy beaches. Meaning ''father'' in Spanish, ...

. The storm spawned 24 tornadoes, though only one caused significant impact. Candy and its remnants dropped rainfall in 24 other states, reaching as far north as

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. Overall, Candy caused $2.7 million in damage and no fatalities.

Hurricane Dolly

In late July, a

tropical wave A tropical wave (also called easterly wave, tropical easterly wave, and African easterly wave), in and around the Atlantic Ocean, is a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which ...

emerged into the Atlantic Ocean from the west coast of Africa. After tracking west-northwestward and westward, the wave reached the Straits of Florida on August 9, where it began interacting with an upper-level low. Early on August 10, the system developed into a tropical depression, while located near

Andros Island Andros is an archipelago in The Bahamas, the largest of the Bahamian Islands. Politically considered a single island, Andros in total has an area greater than all the other 700 Bahamian islands combined. The land area of Andros consists of hun ...

in the Bahamas. By 18:00 UTC that day, the depression strengthened into a tropical storm while heading generally northward over the western Atlantic. Initially, Dolly did not strengthen significantly and was nearly absorbed by a cold front. After paralleling part of the

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the region encompassing the coast, coastline where the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean; it has always pla ...

, Dolly moved further out to sea. By 12:00 UTC on August 12, Dolly developed into a hurricane, and six hours later attained its initial peak of 85 mph (140 km/h). Dolly briefly weakened back to a tropical storm on August 13 amid unfavorable atmospheric conditions, only to reattain hurricane intensity on the following day. By 12:00 UTC on August 14, Dolly once again peaked with winds of 85 mph (140 km/h). After maintaining its strength for 18 hours, Dolly began to rapidly weaken and became

extratropical 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 August 16, while about north of the

. Impact from Hurricane Dolly was minimal, with only rainfall being reported on land. Precipitation peaked at at

Palm Beach International Airport Palm Beach International Airport – also known as PBI Airport and historically as Morrison Field & Palm Beach Air Force Base – is a public airport in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States located just west of the city of West Palm Beach ...

West Palm Beach, Florida West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lag ...

. Although it was mostly limited to the east coast of Florida, isolated areas of rain were reported in the

Panhandle A salient, panhandle, or bootheel is an elongated protrusion of a geopolitical entity, such as a subnational entity or a sovereign state. While similar to a peninsula in shape, a salient is most often not surrounded by water on three sides. Ins ...

and on the west coast. Elsewhere, rainfall from Dolly was also recorded in North and South Carolina, though it did not exceed or reach .

Unnamed tropical storm

An upper-level trough and attendant frontal boundary moved into the western Atlantic on September 8. The next day, an area of low pressure formed on the tail-end of this front and began to organize as it moved westward. Surface observations suggested the formation of a tropical depression by 00:00 UTC on September 10. The newly formed system curved north-northeast in advance of another trough and intensified into a tropical storm while passing offshore the Carolinas. On September 11, it attained peak winds of 65 mph (100 km/h), a strength it maintained while making landfall in Long Island, New York, around 10:00 UTC that day. A few hours later, the storm transitioned into an extratropical cyclone as it became intertwined with a front. It crossed Newfoundland into the North Atlantic, interacting with another non-tropical low before dissipating on September 17. While the storm passed just offshore the

Outer Banks The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separatin ...

of North Carolina, the depression dropped of precipitation on

Bodie Island Bodie Island ( ) is a long, narrow barrier peninsula that forms the northernmost portion of the Outer Banks. The land that is most commonly referred to as Bodie Island was at one time a true island, but in 1811 Roanoke Inlet, which had separate ...

. Tropical storm-force winds overspread Long Island and Connecticut, including a peak measurement of 58 mph (93 km/h) at

Falkner Island Falkner Island (also called Faulkner's Island) is a crescent-shaped island located in Long Island Sound 3 miles (5 km) off Guilford, Connecticut, United States. The island has been visited by the Native Americans for thousands of years ...

Tropical Storm Edna

A tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic Ocean from the west coast of Africa on September 10. A weak high-level trough and a warm anticyclone to the east-northeast generated low wind shear, allowing a tropical depression to develop at 18:00 UTC on September 13, while located about southeast of

Praia Praia (, Portuguese for "beach") is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde.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 ...

. Although

satellite imagery Satellite images (also Earth observation imagery, spaceborne photography, or simply satellite photo) are images of Earth collected by imaging satellites operated by governments and businesses around the world. Satellite imaging companies sell im ...

indicated a well-defined system, the cyclone did not organize further until the following day, when it became a tropical storm at 06:00 UTC. Upon doing so, Edna quickly gained strength. Early on September 15, the ship ''Sal Mela'' observed wind speeds of , indicating that Edna was approaching hurricane status. At 00:00 UTC, Edna attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 km/h), which it maintained for 18 hours. On the next day, a cold upper-level

began producing unfavorable conditions, causing Edna to degenerate into a tropical depression by 06:00 UTC on September 17. Edna degenerated into a tropical wave early the following day, while situated about east of

Barbuda Barbuda (; ) is an island and dependency located in the eastern Caribbean forming part of the twin-island state of Antigua and Barbuda as an autonomous entity. Barbuda is located approximately north of Antigua. The only settlements on the i ...

Unnamed hurricane

A subtropical depression developed at 12:00 UTC on September 14, while located about southeast of

Cape Hatteras, North Carolina Cape Hatteras is a cape located at a pronounced bend in Hatteras Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina. As a temperate barrier island, the landscape has been shaped by wind, waves, and storms. There are long stretches of beach, ...

, initially moving east-northeastward. Early on September 16, it briefly curved north-northwestward and strengthened into a subtropical storm, before turning back to the east-northeast later that day. By September 17, the storm re-curved to the southeast and decelerated, before accelerating again on September 19. Strengthening continued, with the storm becoming a Category 1-equivalent subtropical cyclone early the following day. At 00:00 UTC on September 22, it peaked with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of . Accelerating northeastward, a weakening trend soon commenced. The subtropical storm became extratropical by 12:00 UTC on September 22.

Tropical Storm Frances

A subtropical depression developed east of the Bahamas at 12:00 UTC on September 23. Convection was enhanced by a mid-tropospheric trough, though further strengthening was initially slow. Initially, the subtropical depression headed northward, but curved northeastward on September 25. A

reconnaissance aircraft A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially, a spy plane) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using Aerial photography, photography), signals ...

on September 26 reported a warm core, sustained winds of , and a minimum barometric pressure of . Therefore, it is estimated that the subtropical depression transitioned into Tropical Storm Frances around 12:00 UTC on that date. The storm intensified slightly further to winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) on September 27, before beginning to weaken on the following day. Later that day, steering flow from an upper low-pressure area caused Frances to curve almost due eastward. Frances became extratropical by 12:00 UTC on September 29, while still producing

gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface wind moving at a speed between .

-force winds, and dissipated little more than a day later.

Hurricane Gladys

In early October, a tropical wave interacted with the

Intertropical Convergence Zone The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ , or ICZ), known by sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its monotonous windless weather, is the area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. It encircles Earth near the t ...

while located in the southwestern Caribbean Sea, spawning multiple low-pressure areas. One of the lows developed into a tropical depression while centered near San Andrés on October 13. The depression moved north-northwestward and strengthened into Tropical Storm Gladys late on October 14. Intensifying further, Gladys attained winds of 65 mph (100 km/h) before striking western Cuba at 15:00 UTC on October 16. Upon reaching the eastern

, Gladys resumed intensification, and later attained hurricane status early on October 17. At 00:00 UTC on October 19, Gladys peaked with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 km/h), making it equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane, and four hours later made landfall near

Homosassa, Florida Homosassa () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Citrus County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,299 at the 2020 census, down from 2,578 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Homosassa Springs, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Ar ...

, with the same winds, along with an estimated central pressure of . The hurricane crossed the state and continued northeastward, passing just east of Cape Hatteras on October 20. By 18:00 UTC, Gladys became extratropical and was absorbed by a cold front over Nova Scotia. In Cuba, Gladys caused flash flooding and heavily damaged the tobacco crop. Damage in the country was estimated at $12 million, and there were six deaths. While passing west of the Florida Keys, the hurricane produced strong winds that briefly cut communications to the

Dry Tortugas Dry Tortugas National Park is a national park of the United States located about west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico, in the United States. The park preserves Fort Jefferson and the several Dry Tortugas islands, the westernmost and most iso ...

, but damage was minor. Near where Gladys made landfall, winds gusted to and tides reached 6.5 ft (2.0 m) above normal. There was heavy

beach erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward r ...

and flooding along the coast, while the winds knocked down trees and caused power outages. Across the state, damage was estimated at $6.7 million, and three people were indirectly killed. Heavy rainfall in South Carolina caused minor river flooding. When paralleling just off the coast of North Carolina, Gladys was responsible for breaking the state's worst drought since 1932, and proved more beneficial than the minor storm damage there. Later, Gladys killed two people in

Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (), is the list of regions of Canada, region of Eastern Canada comprising four provinces: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. As of 2021, the landma ...

and caused coastal damage in

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

Other systems

Tropical Depression Eleven 1968 rainfall

A total of four tropical/subtropical cyclones remained below tropical/subtropical storm strength during the 1968 season. On August 26, a tropical depression developed in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Drifting northeastward, the depression was situated offshore Central Florida on August 28, shortly before it trekked southward and made three landfalls in Florida near Clearwater, Holmes Beach, and

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

. By early on August 29, the depression began moving northeast to north-northeastward across the state. Late on August 31, the system emerged into the Atlantic Ocean near

Atlantic Beach Atlantic Beach is the name of some places in the United States: *Atlantic Beach, Florida, a city *Atlantic Beach, New York, a village *Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, a town *Atlantic Beach, South Carolina, a town See also * Atlantic (disambiguat ...

and dissipated shortly thereafter. Due to the depression's slow movement across Florida, heavy rainfall was observed, including of rainfall in Jacksonville. Considerable flooding was reported in

Clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...

and

Duval Duval or DuVal is a surname, literally translating from French to English as "of the valley". It derives from the Norman "Devall", which has both English and French ties. Variant spellings include: Davolls, Deavall, DeVile, Devill, Deville, Div ...

counties. Along the upper Cedar River in the latter, many homes and businesses were flooded. Eleven bridges were inundated with water ranging from a few inches to . Peak discharge amounts were higher than during Hurricane Dora in 1964. However, soil moisture and streamflow conditions during Dora were much more conducive to producing floods than antecedent conditions associated with this depression. Further south in

Daytona Beach Daytona Beach is a coastal resort city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. Located on the East Coast of the United States, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropo ...

, a tornado destroyed a motel and several homes. A tropical depression developed on September 18 near Cabo Verde. The depression moved northwestward and did not strengthen. By September 20, it dissipated about in the open Atlantic Ocean. On September 25, a tropical depression formed in the northwestern Caribbean Sea. While a tropical cyclone, it struck Cuba and Florida. Generally light rainfall was reported in the state, with up to at the Royal Palm Ranger Station in

Everglades National Park Everglades National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States that protects the southern twenty percent of the original Everglades in Florida. The park is the largest tropical wilderness in the Un ...

. Thereafter, the depression tracked northeastward and dissipated on September 28. A subtropical depression developed on November 24 near the Bahamas. Moving north-northeastward to northeastward, the depression dissipated southwest of Bermuda about 24 hours later.

Storm names

The following list of names was used for named storms that formed in the North Atlantic in 1968. A storm was named Candy for the first time in 1968. Also, the name ''Edna'' was used this season after a 14 year retirement from the naming list on account of

Hurricane Edna Hurricane Edna was a deadly and destructive major hurricane that impacted the United States East Coast in September of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. It was one of two hurricanes to strike Massachusetts in that year, the other being Hur ...

in 1954; the name was later permanently retired, as the 1954 hurricane was still an active subject of research.

Season effects

This is a table of all of the storms that formed in the 1968 Atlantic hurricane season. It includes their name, duration, peak classification and intensities, areas affected, damage, and death totals. Deaths in parentheses are additional and indirect (an example of an indirect death would be a traffic accident), but were still related to that storm. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical, a wave, or a low, and all of the damage figures are in 1968 USD.

Notes

References

External links

Monthly Weather Review
{{DEFAULTSORT:1968 Atlantic Hurricane Season Articles which contain graphical timelines