Tropical Storm Irene (1959)
Tropical Storm Irene peaked at 40 kt in the North Atlantic between October 6, 1959 and October 9, 1959, with a lowest pressure of 1000 mb, and made landfall.
Track and intensity
The whole track of Tropical Storm Irene, colored by strength, with the other storms of the 1959 season in the same basin behind it, and its wind and pressure hour by hour. Every fix is in the track table below.
The storm
- Basin
- North Atlantic
- Dates
- October 6, 1959 to October 9, 1959
- Peak strength
- Tropical Storm, 40 kt (46 mph)
- Lowest pressure
- 1000 mb (29.53 inHg)
- Landfall
- Yes
- Accumulated cyclone energy
- 0.7
- Fastest the center moved
- 18 kt (21 mph)
- Identifier
- AL101959
Deaths and damage
No source this site reads publishes a machine-readable casualty or damage figure for a storm of this era. The National Hurricane Center’s season tables begin in 1995 and carry deaths and damage only from 2005 in the Atlantic and 2020 in both basins; the US Storm Events record begins in 1996.
Landfall
| Time (UTC) | Where | Position | Wind | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 8, 10:00 | Orange Beach, AL, 3 km away | 30.3N 87.6W | 40 kt (46 mph) | 1000 mb |
Landfall points the US agencies flagged in the best track. The nearest town is named from the site’s gazetteer, not from the report.
Rainfall
The Weather Prediction Center attributes 2,140 rain gauge totals over the contiguous United States to this storm. The wettest reached 10.96 inches (278 mm).
| Station | Total | Position |
|---|---|---|
| NEEL GAP | 10.96 in (278 mm) | 34.73N 83.92W |
| TYNDALL AFB | 7.74 in (197 mm) | 30.07N 85.58W |
| SUCHES | 7.59 in (193 mm) | 34.68N 84.02W |
| TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL AP | 7.40 in (188 mm) | 30.40N 84.35W |
| HELEN | 7.11 in (181 mm) | 34.68N 83.72W |
| HIGHLANDS | 6.91 in (176 mm) | 35.05N 83.20W |
| ST MARKS 5 SSE | 6.75 in (171 mm) | 30.10N 84.17W |
| PANAMA CITY 2 | 6.73 in (171 mm) | 30.17N 85.70W |
| APALACHICOLA MUNI AP | 6.61 in (168 mm) | 29.73N 85.02W |
| FLAT TOP | 6.56 in (167 mm) | 34.85N 84.50W |
| CLAYTON 1 SSW | 6.33 in (161 mm) | 34.85N 83.40W |
| ASHLAND | 6.21 in (158 mm) | 34.83N 89.15W |
WPC’s storm rainfall file, 1900 to 2020, compiled by David Roth.
Track
| Time (UTC) | Position | Wind | Pressure | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 6, 18:00 | 23.2N 92.5W | 30 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Oct 7, 00:00 | 24.2N 91.8W | 30 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Oct 7, 06:00 | 25.2N 91.0W | 30 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Oct 7, 12:00 | 26.2N 90.0W | 35 kt | 1003 mb | Tropical storm |
| Oct 7, 18:00 | 27.3N 89.0W | 35 kt | 1001 mb | Tropical storm |
| Oct 8, 00:00 | 28.4N 88.2W | 35 kt | 1002 mb | Tropical storm |
| Oct 8, 06:00 | 29.4N 87.8W | 40 kt | 1001 mb | Tropical storm |
| Oct 8, 10:00 landfall | 30.3N 87.6W | 40 kt | 1000 mb | Tropical storm |
| Oct 8, 12:00 | 30.6N 87.6W | 40 kt | 1000 mb | Tropical storm |
| Oct 8, 18:00 | 31.7N 87.0W | 30 kt | 1003 mb | Tropical depression |
| Oct 9, 00:00 | 32.8N 86.3W | 25 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Oct 9, 06:00 | 33.7N 85.3W | 20 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Oct 9, 12:00 | 34.5N 83.5W | 20 kt | Tropical depression |
Other North Atlantic storms of 1959
- Tropical Storm ArleneNorth Atlantic · 1959
- Tropical Storm BeulahNorth Atlantic · 1959
- Unnamed hurricaneNorth Atlantic · 1959
- Hurricane CindyNorth Atlantic · 1959
- Hurricane DebraNorth Atlantic · 1959
- Unnamed tropical stormNorth Atlantic · 1959
- Tropical Storm EdithNorth Atlantic · 1959
- Unnamed tropical stormNorth Atlantic · 1959
- Unnamed tropical stormNorth Atlantic · 1959
- Hurricane FloraNorth Atlantic · 1959
- Hurricane GracieNorth Atlantic · 1959
- Hurricane HannahNorth Atlantic · 1959
- Hurricane JudithNorth Atlantic · 1959
What this means
A best track is the record a warning agency settles on after the storm, not what it said at the time: position, maximum sustained wind and central pressure every six hours, revised against every observation that came in later. Category is the Saffir-Simpson scale, which runs from Category 1 at 64 kt to Category 5 at 137 kt and reads wind only, so it says nothing about surge or rain. Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the square of the wind through the storm's life, so it counts strength and duration together.
Sources
Storm history from NOAA NCEI’s International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS), which merges the official best track of every warning agency. Live storms, cones, watches and warnings from the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Archived radar from NOAA’s Level II archive.
The National Hurricane Center has published no tropical cyclone report for this storm.