Hurricane History Map

1959 North Atlantic season

14 storms formed in the North Atlantic basin in 1959, from 28 May 1959 to 22 October 1959.

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Years1959
Ocean basin

Choosing a minimum category hides storms with no wind speed in the record. To see which storms have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • Tropical depression Winds below 34 knots (39 mph)
  • Tropical storm 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph)
  • Category 1 64 to 82 knots (74 to 95 mph)
  • Category 2 83 to 95 knots (96 to 110 mph)
  • Category 3 96 to 112 knots (111 to 129 mph), major
  • Category 4 113 to 136 knots (130 to 156 mph), major
  • Category 5 137 knots (157 mph) or more, major
  • Unknown intensity No wind speed in the record
  • Post-tropical Storm has become post-tropical (dashed line)

How to read the lines. Each line is the track of one storm, drawn through its six-hourly positions and coloured by its intensity at each point (the Saffir-Simpson scale), so a line changes colour as the storm strengthens or weakens. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see which storms have passed nearby. Weaker storms appear as you zoom in. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same kind of storm with different names in different oceans.

The 1959 season in numbers

The record holds 14 storms for the 1959 North Atlantic season, of which 10 had names.14 reached tropical storm strength (34 knots or more), 7 reached hurricane strength (category 1 or more) and 2 were major (category 3 or more).

  • 14storms
  • 14tropical storm strength or more
  • 7hurricane strength or more
  • 2major (category 3 to 5)
  • 77accumulated cyclone energy

Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the squared wind speed of every position of 34 knots or more, divided by 10,000. It is approximate here because the winds are 1-minute equivalents, and it is mostly useful for comparing seasons of one basin.

Strongest storms of 1959

  • Gracie (1959)20 September 1959 to 2 October 1959, peak Category 4 (115 kt), 951 hPa
  • Hannah (1959)27 September 1959 to 8 October 1959, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 959 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of June 1959 (North Atlantic)18 June 1959 to 22 June 1959, peak Category 1 (75 kt), 974 hPa
  • Debra (1959)22 July 1959 to 27 July 1959, peak Category 1 (75 kt), 980 hPa
  • Judith (1959)14 October 1959 to 22 October 1959, peak Category 1 (75 kt), 988 hPa

All 14 storms of 1959

StormPeak
Arlene Tropical storm
Beulah Tropical storm
Unnamed storm Category 1
Cindy Category 1
Debra Category 1
Unnamed storm Tropical storm
Edith Tropical storm
Unnamed storm Tropical storm
Flora Category 1
Unnamed storm Tropical storm
Gracie Category 4
Hannah Category 3
Irene Tropical storm
Judith Category 1

← 1958 · 1960 → · All seasons

Other basins in 1959

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