The 1971 season

Hurricane Ginger (1971)

Hurricane Ginger reached Category 2 in the North Atlantic between September 6, 1971 and October 5, 1971, with a lowest pressure of 959 mb, and made landfall.

Track and intensity

The whole track of Hurricane Ginger, colored by strength, with the other storms of the 1971 season in the same basin behind it, and its wind and pressure hour by hour. Every fix is in the track table below.

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The storm

Basin
North Atlantic
Dates
September 6, 1971 to October 5, 1971
Peak strength
Category 2, 95 kt (109 mph)
Lowest pressure
959 mb (28.32 inHg)
Landfall
Yes
Accumulated cyclone energy
44.2
Fastest the center moved
22 kt (25 mph)
Identifier
AL141971

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.

Rainfall

The Weather Prediction Center attributes 1,213 rain gauge totals over the contiguous United States to this storm. The wettest reached 15.58 inches (396 mm).

StationTotalPosition
BODIE ISLAND15.58 in (396 mm)35.83N 75.55W
BAYBORO 3 SW11.81 in (300 mm)35.15N 76.72W
BELHAVEN 3 NE11.66 in (296 mm)35.50N 76.68W
NEW HOLLAND11.30 in (287 mm)35.45N 76.22W
COLUMBIA10.60 in (269 mm)35.92N 76.27W
CEDAR ISLAND9.88 in (251 mm)34.98N 76.30W
WASHINGTON WWTP 4W9.71 in (247 mm)35.53N 77.02W
CAPE HATTERAS AP9.68 in (246 mm)35.23N 75.62W
PLYMOUTH 5 E9.03 in (229 mm)35.87N 76.65W
WILLIAMSTON 1 E8.96 in (228 mm)35.85N 77.03W
HATTERAS8.45 in (215 mm)35.22N 75.72W
NEW BERN CRAVEN CO AP8.23 in (209 mm)35.07N 77.05W

WPC’s storm rainfall file, 1900 to 2020, compiled by David Roth.

Track

Time (UTC)PositionWindPressureStatus
Sep 6, 00:0025.5N 71.5W25 ktTropical depression
Sep 6, 06:0025.2N 71.2W25 ktTropical depression
Sep 6, 12:0025.0N 71.0W25 ktTropical depression
Sep 6, 18:0024.8N 70.8W25 ktTropical depression
Sep 7, 00:0024.6N 70.5W25 ktTropical depression
Sep 7, 06:0024.4N 70.3W25 ktTropical depression
Sep 7, 12:0024.3N 69.9W25 ktTropical depression
Sep 7, 18:0024.7N 69.3W25 ktTropical depression
Sep 8, 00:0025.2N 68.8W25 ktTropical depression
Sep 8, 06:0025.5N 68.5W25 ktTropical depression
Sep 8, 12:0025.9N 68.2W25 ktTropical depression
Sep 8, 18:0026.3N 68.0W25 ktTropical depression
Sep 9, 00:0026.6N 67.9W25 ktTropical depression
Sep 9, 06:0026.8N 67.7W25 ktTropical depression
Sep 9, 12:0027.0N 67.6W25 kt1008 mbTropical depression
Sep 9, 18:0027.3N 67.4W30 ktTropical depression
Sep 10, 00:0027.6N 67.0W30 ktTropical depression
Sep 10, 06:0027.7N 66.6W30 ktTropical depression
Sep 10, 12:0027.7N 66.1W40 kt1003 mbTropical storm
Sep 10, 18:0027.7N 65.5W45 ktTropical storm
Sep 11, 00:0027.7N 65.0W50 ktTropical storm
Sep 11, 06:0027.8N 64.2W55 ktTropical storm
Sep 11, 12:0027.9N 63.3W65 kt991 mbHurricane
Sep 11, 18:0028.3N 62.4W65 ktHurricane
Sep 12, 00:0028.9N 61.6W70 ktHurricane
Sep 12, 06:0029.6N 60.7W75 ktHurricane
Sep 12, 12:0030.3N 59.9W75 kt985 mbHurricane
Sep 12, 18:0031.1N 59.0W80 ktHurricane
Sep 13, 00:0031.7N 58.2W80 ktHurricane
Sep 13, 06:0032.3N 57.2W85 ktHurricane
Sep 13, 12:0032.7N 56.1W85 ktHurricane
Sep 13, 18:0033.0N 54.9W90 kt959 mbHurricane
Sep 14, 00:0033.3N 53.3W95 ktHurricane
Sep 14, 06:0033.6N 52.7W90 ktHurricane
Sep 14, 12:0033.7N 50.1W85 ktHurricane
Sep 14, 18:0033.3N 48.3W80 kt964 mbHurricane
Sep 15, 00:0033.0N 48.4W75 ktHurricane
Sep 15, 06:0032.9N 48.7W75 ktHurricane
Sep 15, 12:0032.8N 49.1W70 kt981 mbHurricane
Sep 15, 18:0032.7N 49.4W70 ktHurricane
Sep 16, 00:0032.7N 49.6W70 ktHurricane
Sep 16, 06:0032.7N 49.8W70 ktHurricane
Sep 16, 12:0032.7N 50.1W65 kt987 mbHurricane
Sep 16, 18:0032.7N 50.5W65 kt987 mbHurricane
Sep 17, 00:0032.7N 51.0W65 kt987 mbHurricane
Sep 17, 06:0032.7N 51.5W65 kt990 mbHurricane
Sep 17, 12:0032.7N 51.9W65 kt992 mbHurricane
Sep 17, 18:0032.6N 52.2W65 ktHurricane
Sep 18, 00:0032.5N 52.4W65 ktHurricane
Sep 18, 06:0032.3N 52.6W65 ktHurricane
Sep 18, 12:0032.1N 52.8W65 ktHurricane
Sep 18, 18:0031.8N 52.8W65 ktHurricane
Sep 19, 00:0031.4N 52.6W65 ktHurricane
Sep 19, 06:0031.0N 52.2W65 ktHurricane
Sep 19, 12:0031.0N 51.7W65 kt987 mbHurricane
Sep 19, 18:0031.2N 51.6W65 ktHurricane
Sep 20, 00:0031.4N 51.7W65 ktHurricane
Sep 20, 06:0031.6N 51.8W65 ktHurricane
Sep 20, 12:0031.7N 52.0W65 ktHurricane
Sep 20, 18:0031.8N 52.4W65 ktHurricane
Sep 21, 00:0031.7N 53.0W65 ktHurricane
Sep 21, 06:0031.6N 53.5W65 ktHurricane
Sep 21, 12:0031.5N 54.2W65 kt993 mbHurricane
Sep 21, 18:0031.4N 55.2W65 kt994 mbHurricane
Sep 22, 00:0031.3N 56.5W65 kt994 mbHurricane
Sep 22, 06:0031.3N 57.8W65 kt995 mbHurricane
Sep 22, 12:0031.2N 59.2W65 kt995 mbHurricane
Sep 22, 18:0031.1N 60.3W80 kt994 mbHurricane
Sep 23, 00:0031.0N 61.5W80 kt993 mbHurricane
Sep 23, 06:0030.9N 62.8W80 kt993 mbHurricane
Sep 23, 12:0030.8N 64.0W75 kt994 mbHurricane
Sep 23, 18:0030.5N 65.1W75 kt992 mbHurricane
Sep 24, 00:0030.1N 66.2W75 kt988 mbHurricane
Sep 24, 06:0030.0N 67.1W75 kt986 mbHurricane
Sep 24, 12:0030.0N 67.5W70 kt993 mbHurricane
Sep 24, 18:0029.9N 67.8W70 kt988 mbHurricane
Sep 25, 00:0029.8N 68.2W70 kt980 mbHurricane
Sep 25, 06:0029.6N 68.4W70 kt981 mbHurricane
Sep 25, 12:0029.4N 68.5W75 kt984 mbHurricane
Sep 25, 18:0029.2N 68.6W75 kt980 mbHurricane
Sep 26, 00:0028.8N 68.8W75 kt976 mbHurricane
Sep 26, 06:0028.4N 69.0W70 kt976 mbHurricane
Sep 26, 12:0028.2N 69.3W65 kt982 mbHurricane
Sep 26, 18:0028.0N 69.7W70 kt983 mbHurricane
Sep 27, 00:0027.9N 70.2W70 kt980 mbHurricane
Sep 27, 06:0028.0N 70.4W75 kt978 mbHurricane
Sep 27, 12:0028.2N 70.6W80 kt975 mbHurricane
Sep 27, 18:0028.4N 70.9W80 kt969 mbHurricane
Sep 28, 00:0028.7N 71.0W80 kt969 mbHurricane
Sep 28, 06:0029.1N 71.1W80 kt976 mbHurricane
Sep 28, 12:0029.5N 71.3W80 kt981 mbHurricane
Sep 28, 18:0030.0N 71.7W85 kt980 mbHurricane
Sep 29, 00:0030.5N 72.2W85 kt985 mbHurricane
Sep 29, 06:0031.0N 72.8W90 kt982 mbHurricane
Sep 29, 12:0031.6N 73.5W90 kt983 mbHurricane
Sep 29, 18:0032.3N 74.4W90 kt985 mbHurricane
Sep 30, 00:0032.9N 75.0W85 kt988 mbHurricane
Sep 30, 06:0033.5N 75.5W80 kt985 mbHurricane
Sep 30, 12:0034.0N 76.0W75 kt985 mbHurricane
Sep 30, 18:0034.5N 76.5W65 kt984 mbHurricane
Oct 1, 00:0034.7N 77.0W60 kt991 mbTropical storm
Oct 1, 06:0034.8N 77.5W55 kt997 mbTropical storm
Oct 1, 12:0034.9N 78.0W45 kt1000 mbTropical storm
Oct 1, 18:0035.2N 78.2W30 kt1004 mbTropical depression
Oct 2, 00:0035.6N 78.3W30 ktTropical depression
Oct 2, 06:0036.2N 78.2W30 ktTropical depression
Oct 2, 12:0036.8N 78.1W30 ktTropical depression
Oct 2, 18:0037.2N 77.7W30 ktTropical depression
Oct 3, 00:0037.3N 76.8W30 ktTropical depression
Oct 3, 06:0037.2N 75.9W30 kt1008 mbExtratropical
Oct 3, 12:0037.0N 75.0W30 ktExtratropical
Oct 3, 18:0036.7N 74.1W30 ktExtratropical
Oct 4, 00:0036.4N 73.3W30 ktExtratropical
Oct 4, 06:0036.1N 72.7W30 ktExtratropical
Oct 4, 12:0035.9N 72.0W25 ktExtratropical
Oct 4, 18:0035.8N 71.3W25 ktExtratropical
Oct 5, 00:0035.7N 70.6W25 ktExtratropical
Oct 5, 06:0035.7N 69.9W25 ktExtratropical

Other North Atlantic storms of 1971

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.