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1958 Atlantic hurricane season

The 1958 Atlantic hurricane season included every tropical cyclone either affecting or threatening land. There were ten named storms as well as one pre-season tropical storm. Seven of the storms became hurricanes, including five that were major hurricanes, or the equivalent of a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The strongest storm was Hurricane Helene, which became a strong Category 4 hurricane with 150 mph (240 km/h) winds and a barometric pressure of 930 millibars (27 inHg) while just offshore the southeastern United States.

Season summary
The ten tropical storms during the season is comparable to the 20 year average of ten. In contrast to the previous season when most storms were in the Gulf of Mexico, most storms in 1958 occurred over the western Atlantic Ocean. The first storm, Alma, formed in the middle of June. Subsequently, a trough persisted along the eastern United States, which suppressed tropical cyclone formation. Conditions remained unfavorable in July due to a large ridge suppressing the westerlies. In August, a persistent trough caused three storms – Becky, Cleo, and Daisy – to recurve and remain over the ocean. Most storms formed from the middle of August through the middle of October, when polar air reached as far south as Florida due to a shift in the ridge. When the season started, the Lakeland Frost Warning Service sent four employees to assist the Miami Weather Bureau. The Hurricane Hunters flew daily to investigate potential storms in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. In addition, there was a set of radars from Texas to Maine to track storms. Beginning in 1958, the Weather Bureau predicted the change in tide due to a storm with the assistance of a tide specialist. During the season, a reporter – daughter of Weather Bureau director Gordon Dunn – flew into Hurricane Daisy, becoming the first woman to fly into a hurricane. Utilizing radars along the East Coast of the United States, the Weather Bureau tracked both Hurricanes Daisy and Helene for , which was the first such occurrence of that feat. The season's activity was reflected with a cumulative accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 121. ACE, broadly speaking, is 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 values. ACE is only calculated for full advisories on tropical systems at or exceeding or tropical storm strength. == Systems ==
Systems
Unnamed May tropical storm A small circulation crossed Panama from the Pacific Ocean on May 17, and by the following day it was a developing depression near San Andrés in the western Caribbean. The system gradually organized over warm waters while moving to the northwest, developing a well-defined low pressure area by May 23 as it approached western Cuba. Later that day, the depression crossed the western portion of the island before turning to the northeast. On May 24, the system passed southeast of Florida, dropping heavy rainfall that peaked at in Homestead. Several other locations in the Miami area reported record or near-record rainfall for the month. The high rainfall disrupted planting of vegetables, and there was some crop damage. After affecting Florida, the depression continued to the northeast, and although it had a warm core, it was not able to develop significantly due to lack of temperature instability, as well as another low developing southwest of the circulation. The depression was briefly forecast to strike North Carolina, but instead an eastward moving ridge kept it offshore. In Hatteras, North Carolina, the depression dropped of rainfall. The influx of cold air transitioned the depression to an extratropical cyclone on May 28. An approaching cold front absorbed the depression and produced heavy rainfall in eastern Canada. Tropical Storm Alma A tropical wave was first observed in the central Caribbean Sea on June 9. By the following day, there was evidence of a weak closed circulation off the south coast of Jamaica. Moving generally westward, on June 12 it crossed the Yucatán Peninsula, and the system emerged into the Bay of Campeche the next day. On June 14, a tropical depression formed about halfway between the Yucatán Peninsula and Tamaulipas. Within six hours, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Alma about east of Tampico. Later that day, a ship reported a pressure of and high seas, and early on June 15 a United States Coast Guard plane measured winds of near the northeast Mexican coast. That day, Alma made landfall about south of Brownsville, Texas, in northeastern Mexico. The storm moved ashore in northeastern Tamaulipas early on June 15 before crossing into southern Texas. After weakening to a tropical depression, Alma straddled the Rio Grande before dissipating in western Texas late on June 16. The United States Coast Guard recommended people to evacuate in beach areas near Brownsville, Texas. As it moved ashore, Alma produced a high tide of along Padre Island, and one person drowned near Galveston due to heavy surf. The highest wind gust was at Port Isabel, creating torrents of up to in some arroyos. The floods covered highways and forced about 100 people to evacuate near Sabinal. The rains also knocked out telephone lines in Uvalde County, and temporarily trapped hundreds of scouts. One person drowned along the Concho River, and three people overall died due to the system. That day, the Hurricane Hunters flew into the storm, reporting a pressure of and flight level winds of ; After peaking in intensity, Becky continued quickly to the west-northwest, and its fast motion may have prevented further strengthening. On August 14, a flight reported hurricane-force wind gusts in rainbands east-northeast of the center. The next day, the circulation became poorly defined, and by August 16, Becky had become extratropical after it merged with an approaching cold front. Hurricane Cleo A well-developed tropical wave spawned a tropical storm on August 11 to the south of Cape Verde. It moved westward, and ships in the area indicated that it had a large circulation. The Hurricane Hunters flew into the system and observed a well-developed hurricane with winds of , which were the highest measured winds. Subsequent analysis determined that Cleo became a hurricane on August 13. A weak trough near 50° W allowed the hurricane to turn to the north, and Cleo continued to intensify, based on improved definition of the eye on radar imagery. A flight into the storm late on August 16 indicated a pressure of with winds of early on August 16. Originally winds were thought to be higher in Cleo, at , which would make it a Category 5 hurricane, but reanalysis later on determined it to be weaker. After maintaining peak winds for about six hours, Cleo began weakening. It turned more to the northwest due to a strengthening ridge to the northeast and the hurricane's outflow weakening the trough. An approaching cold front turned Cleo to the northeast on August 18 and caused it to accelerate. That day, it passed about east of Bermuda. On August 20, the hurricane became extratropical to the southeast of Newfoundland. The remnants of Cleo turned to the east and east-southeast, dissipating on August 22 between the Azores and mainland Portugal. Hurricane Daisy A tropical wave moved through the Lesser Antilles on August 20 and gradually spread north. After a Hurricane Hunters flight indicated winds of , the Weather Bureau initiated advisories on Tropical Storm Daisy early on August 25 to the north of the Bahamas. Daisy accelerated to the north, passing about east of Hatteras, North Carolina; there, gusts peaked at due to the storm's small size. before turning to the northeast on August 29. The Weather Bureau issued a hurricane warning from Block Island to Provincetown, Massachusetts, due to the projected path near New England. Later on August 29, Daisy passed about southeast of Nantucket. Nearby Block Island reported peak gusts of , and a Texas Tower east of Cape Cod reported gusts to . Due to its small size, there was no major damage in the United States. Hurricane Ella A tropical wave spawned a tropical depression near the Lesser Antilles on August 30, which quickly became Tropical Storm Ella. It quickly intensified in the eastern Caribbean into a hurricane by August 31 while passing south of Puerto Rico; there, the outer rainbands caused some flooding that caused minor damage. On September 1, Ella strengthened to winds of , as measured by the Hurricane Hunters. At that intensity, the hurricane passed just south of the Dominican Republic before making landfall in southwestern Haiti. In the Dominican Republic, heavy rainfall and floods caused $100,000 in damage, mostly in the country's southwestern portion. Heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding in southwestern Haiti, and thousands of people became homeless after their houses were damaged. Near Les Cayes, 30 people were killed due to flash flooding. After Ella reached the Gulf of Mexico on September 3, its structure was disrupted, and it remained a tropical storm as it continued to the west-northwest. Its outer rainbands produced gusts of in Grand Isle, Louisiana. Ella struck Texas on September 6 and dissipated soon thereafter. At its final landfall, the storm produced of rainfall in Galveston, Texas, and in the city, one person died after falling overboard a boat. On September 6, Fifi intensified into a hurricane and reached peak winds of , around the same time that it passed about northeast of the Leeward Islands. Stations in the United States Virgin Islands reported winds up to . The storm's threat prompted gale warnings along the southern coast of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Hurricane Helene A tropical wave was first observed near Cape Verde on September 16. On September 21, the Hurricane Hunters observed a circulation, which indicated a tropical depression had formed east of the northern Leeward Islands. It moved to the west-northwest, The next day Helene became a hurricane, aided by an anticyclone aloft. It moved around a large ridge, bringing its center toward the southeastern United States. As the hurricane approached the Carolinas, the hurricane rapidly intensified as the eye became visible on radar, and Helene reached peak winds of on the morning of September 27. Damage in the United States totaled $11.2 million, and there was one indirect fatality. causing power outages in Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton Island. A wharf in Caribou, Nova Scotia, was destroyed by rough seas generated by Helene, and at least 1,000 lobster traps were carried out to sea as a result. Hurricane Ilsa On September 24, ship reports near an area of disturbed weather east of the Lesser Antilles prompted a Hurricane Hunters flight. By the time the aircraft investigated the system, they discovered a tropical storm with winds of , which was named Ilsa by the Weather Bureau. However, no damage was reported. Hurricane Janice A tropical wave moved through the Lesser Antilles on September 30. It moved westward through the Caribbean, developing a broad circulation by October 3 as it approached Jamaica. The weak circulation gradually became better organized, When Janice was still over Cuba, the Weather Bureau issued gale warnings from Vero Beach, Florida, to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. In the Bahamas, Janice produced peak winds of on San Salvador Island. In Nassau, one person was killed while trying to move a boat. A dredger was lost and a yacht was seriously damaged in the Bahamas, and damage in the country reached $200,000. == Storm names ==
Storm names
The following list of names was used for named storms (tropical storms and hurricanes) that formed in the North Atlantic in 1958. This was a completely new set of names, thus every name used this season was used for the first time. == See also ==
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