|
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 Hurricane Carol. The fifth tropical cyclone and storm of the season, as well as the fourth hurricane and second major hurricane, Edna developed from a tropical wave on September 2. Moving towards the north-northwest, Edna skirted the northern Leeward Islands as a tropical depression before turning more towards the west. The depression attained tropical storm status to the east of Puerto Rico and strengthened further to reach hurricane status by September 7. The storm rapidly intensified and reached its peak intensity of 125 mph (205 km/h) north of the Bahamas before weakening to Category 2 status near landfall in Massachusetts on September 11. Edna transitioned into an extratropical cyclone in Atlantic Canada before its remnants dissipated in the northern Atlantic. Edna caused 20 fatalities throughout its lifetime as a tropical cyclone, as well as a moderate amount of damage. It first caused rainfall-induced flooding in Puerto Rico, and it later brushed the Bahamas. High waves affected the coastline of North Carolina. Edna resulted in the heaviest day of rainfall in New York City in 45 years, while strong waves cut off Montauk from the remainder of Long Island. There were six highway deaths in the state, and $1.5 million in crop damage. There were widespread evacuations in southern New England, after Hurricane Carol struck the same area only 11 days prior. Strong winds caused extensive power outages for 260,000 people, including nearly all of Cape Cod. Edna became the costliest hurricane in the history of Maine, where the hurricane caused flooding that washed out roads and rail lines. There were 21 deaths in New England, eight of whom in Maine due to drownings. Later, high winds severely damaged crops in Atlantic Canada. ==Meteorological history== Hurricane Edna originated in an easterly tropical wave which modern research has estimated to have spawned a tropical depression east of the Caribbean Sea on September 2, 1954. The low pressure area was not observed in real time until several days later, on September 5, while situated between Puerto Rico and The Bahamas. Near the disturbance, a ship reported heavy squalls and wind gusts to . Additionally, the island of Puerto Rico experienced torrential rainfall in association with the storm. Operationally, the system was not recognized to have organized into a tropical cyclone until September 6; it is listed in the Atlantic hurricane database as achieving tropical storm intensity early on September 4. Edna proceeded west-northwestward, bypassing Hispaniola to the north, and by September 7 it had strengthened into a minimal hurricane on the present-day Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale.〔 Initially a rather small storm in terms of physical size, the hurricane steadily intensified throughout the day. Reconnaissance aircraft flew into the storm frequently to take observations on the cyclone's structure.〔〔 The center of circulation passed near San Salvador Island,〔 and on September 8, Edna further strengthened into a Category 3 major hurricane while broadly curving northward.〔〔 Reconnaissance flights indicated a maturing and evolving eye, approximately in diameter. The overall circulation increased in size as banding features became more well-defined.〔 The storm reached its peak winds of and maintained them for over two days.〔 However, reconnaissance data was at times inconsistent and inaccurate, leading to suspicious and unlikely jogs in the storm's track. The cause of these errors is attributed to misinterpretation of radar information.〔 Midday on September 9, while tracking nearly due north, Edna's minimum central barometric pressure fell to , but is believed to have leveled off shortly thereafter. The radius of hurricane-force winds increased, and the storm may have become asymmetrical, with convection concentrated to the right of the center, although this was not confirmed due to a lack of data. An approaching weak frontal boundary spread overcast conditions over the Eastern Seaboard north of North Carolina.〔 By September 10, Edna was located just south of Cape Hatteras, passing east of the Outer Banks early the next day.〔 As the hurricane accelerated to the northeast, it began to deteriorate and weaken.〔 Closely following the recent track of Hurricane Carol,〔 Edna approached New England, but diverged from Carol's track upon skirting the eastern coast instead of moving inland.〔 Weather reporting stations in the Mid-Atlantic States reported rapid clearing as the storm gained latitude, while heavy rain and gusty winds enveloped New England.〔 On September 11, Edna passed directly over Cape Cod after weakening to Category 2 status, although surface weather analysis depicted a central pressure of . It subsequently tracked just east of Eastport, Maine.〔 The storm continued northeastward into Atlantic Canada and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone, although the exact time of this transition is unknown. The storm's extratropical remnants reemerged into the northern Atlantic after crossing eastern Canada and were last noted on September 15.〔〔 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 Edna」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|