Hurricane Betsy (1965)
Hurricane Betsy reached Category 4 in the North Atlantic between August 27, 1965 and September 13, 1965, with a lowest pressure of 942 mb, and made landfall. It killed 81 people, as Wikidata records it.
Radar
Reflectivity now over Hurricane Betsy. Open it to see storms, cones and warnings on the map.
Radar mosaic and map layers from NOAA MRMS. Boundaries from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet.
The storm
- Basin
- North Atlantic
- Dates
- August 27, 1965 to September 13, 1965
- Peak strength
- Category 4, 120 kt (138 mph)
- Lowest pressure
- 942 mb (27.82 inHg)
- Landfall
- Yes
- Accumulated cyclone energy
- 40.5
- Fastest the center moved
- 22 kt (25 mph)
- Identifier
- AL031965
Deaths and damage
The sources count different things and are not added together.
Wikidata
81 deathsno damage figure
A community-maintained total, usually direct and indirect deaths together and damage worldwide. Joined to this storm by its IBTrACS serial, not by name.
Landfalls
| Time (UTC) | Where | Position | Wind | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 08:00 | Coast unnamed here | 17.9N 62.9W | 35 kt (40 mph) | 1008 mb |
| Aug 29, 09:00 | Coast unnamed here | 18.2N 63.0W | 35 kt (40 mph) | 1008 mb |
| Sep 7, 20:00 | Killarney, New Providence, Bahamas, 74 km away | 25.3N 78.1W | 105 kt (121 mph) | 952 mb |
| Sep 8, 11:00 | Tavernier, FL, 2 km away | 25.0N 80.5W | 100 kt (115 mph) | 952 mb |
| Sep 10, 04:00 | Grand Isle, LA, 12 km away | 29.2N 90.1W | 115 kt (132 mph) | 946 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 2,572 rain gauge totals over the contiguous United States to this storm. The wettest reached 12.21 inches (310 mm).
| Station | Total | Position |
|---|---|---|
| NEW ORLEANS ALVIN CALLENDER F | 12.21 in (310 mm) | 29.83N 90.02W |
| HOMESTEAD AFB | 10.89 in (277 mm) | 25.48N 80.38W |
| ROYAL PALM RS | 9.30 in (236 mm) | 25.38N 80.60W |
| JACKSON INTL AP | 8.06 in (205 mm) | 32.32N 90.08W |
| WYNNE | 8.02 in (204 mm) | 35.25N 90.80W |
| WOODVILLE 4 ESE | 7.48 in (190 mm) | 31.10N 91.23W |
| BEECH GROVE | 7.33 in (186 mm) | 36.18N 90.63W |
| SIKESTON PWR STN | 7.19 in (183 mm) | 36.88N 89.62W |
| KENDALL 2 E | 7.18 in (182 mm) | 25.68N 80.28W |
| SAINT FRANCIS | 7.13 in (181 mm) | 36.45N 90.15W |
| MIAMI BAYFRONT PARK | 7.00 in (178 mm) | 25.78N 80.18W |
| OLD RIVER LOCK | 6.92 in (176 mm) | 31.00N 91.67W |
WPC’s storm rainfall file, 1900 to 2020, compiled by David Roth.
Track
| Time (UTC) | Position | Wind | Pressure | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27, 00:00 | 11.0N 50.5W | 25 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Aug 27, 06:00 | 11.2N 51.8W | 30 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Aug 27, 12:00 | 11.4N 53.1W | 30 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Aug 27, 18:00 | 11.7N 54.5W | 30 kt | 1007 mb | Tropical depression |
| Aug 28, 00:00 | 12.1N 56.1W | 30 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Aug 28, 06:00 | 12.8N 57.9W | 30 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Aug 28, 12:00 | 14.0N 59.8W | 30 kt | 1010 mb | Tropical depression |
| Aug 28, 18:00 | 15.1N 61.1W | 30 kt | 1010 mb | Tropical depression |
| Aug 29, 00:00 | 16.2N 62.0W | 30 kt | 1010 mb | Tropical depression |
| Aug 29, 06:00 | 17.6N 62.7W | 35 kt | 1009 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 29, 08:00 landfall | 17.9N 62.9W | 35 kt | 1008 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 29, 09:00 landfall | 18.2N 63.0W | 35 kt | 1008 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 29, 12:00 | 19.2N 63.5W | 40 kt | 1007 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 29, 18:00 | 20.5N 64.3W | 55 kt | 999 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 30, 00:00 | 21.2N 64.8W | 55 kt | 997 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 30, 06:00 | 21.8N 65.1W | 55 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Aug 30, 12:00 | 22.4N 65.5W | 55 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Aug 30, 18:00 | 22.6N 65.7W | 60 kt | 994 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 31, 00:00 | 22.7N 65.8W | 60 kt | 996 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 31, 06:00 | 22.8N 65.8W | 60 kt | 990 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 31, 12:00 | 22.5N 66.0W | 55 kt | 998 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 31, 18:00 | 22.5N 66.0W | 55 kt | 996 mb | Tropical storm |
| Sep 1, 00:00 | 22.5N 66.0W | 65 kt | 990 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 1, 06:00 | 22.3N 66.6W | 70 kt | 984 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 1, 12:00 | 22.2N 67.4W | 70 kt | 988 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 1, 18:00 | 22.3N 68.0W | 70 kt | 987 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 2, 00:00 | 22.5N 68.5W | 85 kt | 970 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 2, 06:00 | 22.6N 69.3W | 105 kt | 956 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 2, 12:00 | 22.8N 70.2W | 120 kt | 942 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 2, 18:00 | 23.4N 70.9W | 115 kt | 945 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 3, 00:00 | 24.1N 71.5W | 105 kt | 952 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 3, 06:00 | 24.7N 72.2W | 100 kt | 959 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 3, 12:00 | 25.4N 72.9W | 100 kt | 955 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 3, 18:00 | 26.3N 73.7W | 105 kt | 950 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 4, 00:00 | 26.9N 74.3W | 105 kt | 951 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 4, 06:00 | 27.4N 74.8W | 105 kt | 946 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 4, 12:00 | 28.1N 75.3W | 105 kt | 951 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 4, 18:00 | 28.7N 75.6W | 105 kt | 946 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 5, 00:00 | 28.9N 75.5W | 105 kt | 943 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 5, 06:00 | 29.0N 75.3W | 100 kt | 948 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 5, 12:00 | 28.9N 75.3W | 95 kt | 952 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 5, 18:00 | 28.7N 75.4W | 85 kt | 968 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 6, 00:00 | 28.1N 75.5W | 80 kt | 973 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 6, 06:00 | 27.5N 75.9W | 90 kt | 963 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 6, 12:00 | 26.9N 76.3W | 90 kt | 966 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 6, 18:00 | 26.2N 76.7W | 100 kt | 959 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 7, 00:00 | 25.8N 76.7W | 105 kt | 956 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 7, 06:00 | 25.6N 77.0W | 105 kt | 954 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 7, 12:00 | 25.3N 77.2W | 105 kt | 957 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 7, 18:00 | 25.3N 77.9W | 105 kt | 952 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 7, 20:00 landfall | 25.3N 78.1W | 105 kt | 952 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 8, 00:00 | 25.2N 78.6W | 95 kt | 961 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 8, 06:00 | 25.1N 79.5W | 95 kt | 958 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 8, 11:00 landfall | 25.0N 80.5W | 100 kt | 952 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 8, 12:00 | 25.0N 80.6W | 100 kt | 952 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 8, 18:00 | 25.2N 82.0W | 100 kt | 953 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 9, 00:00 | 25.5N 83.6W | 100 kt | 954 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 9, 06:00 | 25.9N 85.3W | 100 kt | 950 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 9, 12:00 | 26.5N 86.9W | 100 kt | 951 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 9, 18:00 | 27.4N 88.1W | 100 kt | 953 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 10, 00:00 | 28.4N 89.2W | 115 kt | 946 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 10, 04:00 landfall | 29.2N 90.1W | 115 kt | 946 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 10, 06:00 | 29.6N 90.6W | 95 kt | 948 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 10, 12:00 | 30.7N 91.7W | 65 kt | 965 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 10, 18:00 | 32.0N 92.2W | 50 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Sep 11, 00:00 | 33.1N 92.0W | 35 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Sep 11, 06:00 | 34.0N 91.5W | 30 kt | 997 mb | Tropical depression |
| Sep 11, 12:00 | 34.7N 90.9W | 30 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Sep 11, 18:00 | 35.5N 90.0W | 25 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Sep 12, 00:00 | 36.3N 89.0W | 20 kt | Extratropical | |
| Sep 12, 06:00 | 37.2N 87.8W | 20 kt | Extratropical | |
| Sep 12, 12:00 | 38.0N 86.5W | 20 kt | Extratropical | |
| Sep 12, 18:00 | 38.7N 84.8W | 20 kt | Extratropical | |
| Sep 13, 00:00 | 39.0N 83.0W | 20 kt | Extratropical |
Other North Atlantic storms of 1965
- Unnamed tropical stormNorth Atlantic · 1965
- Hurricane AnnaNorth Atlantic · 1965
- Unnamed tropical stormNorth Atlantic · 1965
- Hurricane CarolNorth Atlantic · 1965
- Tropical Storm DebbieNorth Atlantic · 1965
- Unnamed tropical stormNorth Atlantic · 1965
- Hurricane ElenaNorth Atlantic · 1965
- Unnamed tropical stormNorth Atlantic · 1965
- Unnamed tropical stormNorth Atlantic · 1965
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.