1969 Atlantic hurricane season (GiedriusforCat5 WMHB)

The 1969 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active Atlantic hurricane season since 1933, the costliest until 1972, and one of the deadliest, with most of its impacts coming from one storm - Dinah, the most intense Atlantic hurricane since the Labor Day hurricane in 1935, and the strongest until 1980. The season officially began on June 1 and lasted until November 30, dates which conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. It was a hyperactive season in terms of tropical storms, with a total of twenty named systems. The first system, Tropical Storm Anna, developed in the Caribbean Sea on May 30. Abby struck Cuba as a weak tropical storm, leaving insignificant damages. Betsy struck no land areas as it became a hurricane in the open Atlantic, while Camille left some damages in Atlantic Canada when it struck as a minimal hurricane.

The strongest, costliest, and deadliest storm of the season was - by far - Hurricane Dinah, a record breaking category 5 hurricane, costing over $2.7 billion (1969 USD), and resulting in 401 deaths. The states of Louisiana and Mississippi were devastated, and the city of New Orleans experienced its worst hurricane impacts up to that point. The rest of the season was as eventful, with 16 more storms, 9 more hurricanes, and 6 more hurricanes following Dinah. The second strongest storm of the season was Category 4 Esther, while the second deadliest and destructive was Gerda, a category 3 rainmaker in Central America. Overall, the tropical cyclones of 1969 caused at least 749 deaths and about $2.711 billion in damages.

Season summary


Storm names
The following names were used for named storms that formed in the Atlantic basin in 1969. Storms were named Camille, Jesse, Netty, Orva, Peggy, Rhoda, Sadie and Tanya for the first time in 1969. This is the same list used in the 1965 season except for Camille, which replaced the retired name Carla. Dinah was retired after the season. Names that were not assigned are marked in.