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Hurricane Alma was a rare June major hurricane in the 1966 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the earliest Atlantic hurricane in the calendar year in fifteen years, as well as the earliest continental U.S. hurricane strike since 1825. Alma developed on June 4 over Central America, and while moving through Honduras, it dropped heavy rainfall that killed at least 73 people in the city of San Rafael. Offshore northern Honduras, the system produced heavy rainfall in Swan Island. Alma moved northeastward and intensified into a hurricane on June 6. It crossed western Cuba, causing heavy crop damage and water shortages. Alma destroyed over 1,000 houses, and damage was estimated around $200 million (1966 USD). The storm killed 12 people in the country. After crossing Cuba, Alma intensified further to reach winds of in the Gulf of Mexico. The hurricane passed west of Key West, Florida, causing a power outage and flooding. Alma dropped heavy rainfall and produced winds across most of Florida, which damaged crops and caused scattered power outages. The hurricane weakened before moving ashore near Apalachee Bay. Damage in Florida was estimated at $10 million, and there were six deaths in the state. Alma crossed southeastern Georgia as a tropical storm, damaging a few houses and causing light damage. The storm re-intensified into a hurricane over the western Atlantic Ocean, and its outer rainbands dropped heavy rainfall in Wilmington, North Carolina. Alma encountered colder water temperatures and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on June 13. Its remnants dissipated a day later over Massachusetts. ==Meteorological history== During June 1966, low atmospheric pressure stretched across the western Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico—a pattern that is conducive for tropical cyclogenesis. During the first few days of the month, a dissipating trough extended from the southeastern United States into the western Caribbean. A mid-level circulation developed along the trough near Cabo Gracias a Dios on June 3. By the next day, the circulation had reached the surface, which marked the development of a tropical depression over eastern Nicaragua. On June 5, the depression crossed Honduras and emerged into the western Caribbean, moving north-northeastward through an area of warm sea surface temperatures. It had a good cyclonic circulation, convection, and moisture content, but most significantly, a passing trough to the north provided the depression with favorable outflow.〔 On June 6, the depression rapidly intensified into Tropical Storm and later Hurricane Alma. This made it the earliest hurricane in the basin since Hurricane Able in 1951. After attaining hurricane status, Alma continued moving slowly to the north-northeast, although its intensification rate slowed.〔 While over the western Caribbean, Alma was a large hurricane with gale force winds covering about .〔 The hurricane accelerated on June 8, quickly moving across Isla de la Juventud and later mainland Cuba with winds of around 100 mph (160 km/h). Alma did not weaken over land and entered the Gulf of Mexico, where it turned northwestward and passed between Key West and the Dry Tortugas. Late on June 8, a station in the Dry Tortugas reported winds of ; this would be Alma's peak intensity. The hurricane began weakening as it paralleled the west coast of Florida, at which point a developing upper-level low over the northern Gulf of Mexico began to influence its motion. While the hurricane moved northward through the Gulf of Mexico, it had a large, ragged eye that reached in diameter.〔 Initially, forecasters anticipated Alma would cross central Florida, although the hurricane turned to the north-northwest. Cool water temperatures contributed to weakening, and Alma made landfall near Apalachee Bay with winds of on June 9. This marked the earliest United States hurricane landfall since a hurricane in May and June of 1825.〔 While turning northeastward over northern Florida, Alma quickly weakened to a tropical storm. It moved across Georgia and emerged into the Atlantic near Savannah late on June 10. Its circulation remained near the coast, although by late on June 11, Alma had moved far enough offshore that it was able to re-intensify into a hurricane. It developed a large eye and maintained hurricane intensity for about 18 hours. Afterward, Alma turned to the north into an area of drier air and colder waters, and again weakened to a tropical storm on June 12. The next day, Alma transitioned into an extratropical cyclone to the east of Maryland. The remnants continued to the northeast and dissipated on June 14 over Massachusetts.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hurricane Alma (1966)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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