Hurricane Audrey Anniversary

[LaBreeze]

53 years ago today, I lived through Audrey and lost my youngest sister and our house - I can't let the anniversary pass without mentioning it. Anyone else remember Audrey?

[momnick8]

I was a baby and I think we had already moved from New Orleans to Atlanta, but my parents kept up with is. So sorry about your sister. How old were you?

I believe my family went through Hurricane Hazel in New Orleans when I was little, before we moved. My mom tells the story how she was alone with the five kids and we went into a army truck with canvas sides and you couldn't tell what was street and what was canal. My dad worked for the telephone company so he was probably out making repairs. We moved to Atlanta after that and didn't come back to Louisiana until '68.

[StormClouds63]

I wasn't born yet, but everyone in this area knows the significance of this early season hurricane. Despite Edith (1971), Carmen (1974), and Danny (1985), it was nearly half a century before the region took another hit like Audrey. The storm was Rita in 2005.

A re-anaylsis of Audrey is included in Chapter 11 of this document: http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/Landsea/12Tides.pdf

The original report on Audrey is here: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/hi ... tml#audrey

[LaBreeze]

I was a baby and I think we had already moved from New Orleans to Atlanta, but my parents kept up with is. So sorry about your sister. How old were you?

I believe my family went through Hurricane Hazel in New Orleans when I was little, before we moved. My mom tells the story how she was alone with the five kids and we went into a army truck with canvas sides and you couldn't tell what was street and what was canal. My dad worked for the telephone company so he was probably out making repairs. We moved to Atlanta after that and didn't come back to Louisiana until '68.

Thank you momnick8, I was 5 going on 6 when Audrey hit.

[StormClouds63]

I wasn't born yet, but everyone in this area knows the significance of this early season hurricane. Despite Edith (1971), Carmen (1974), and Danny (1985), it was nearly half a century before the region took another hit like Audrey. The storm was Rita in 2005.

A re-anaylsis of Audrey is included in Chapter 11 of this document: http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/Landsea/12Tides.pdf

The original report on Audrey is here: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/hi ... tml#audrey

My bad ... the original report on Audrey from the Monthly Weather Review is here:
http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/085 ... 6-0221.pdf

The Lake Charles National Weather Service page on Audrey has some great information as well:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lch/?n=Audrey

[Hybridstorm_November2001]

[Hybridstorm_November2001]

http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/Landsea/12Tides.pdf

This recent study includes the most up to date evaluation of Hurricane Audrey at landfall. Besides many other goodies about serval other historic hurricanes.

[CrazyC83]

My estimate for Audrey is similar to that, I think the landfall intensity was 85 kt (pressure 953mb), which weakened a bit from a peak of 90 kt a few hours before landfall (pressure 950mb). I don't think Audrey was ever a major hurricane, but it was likely HUGE.

It definitely appeared that the surge did most of the damage there, and there is certainly not a one-to-one relationship between storm surges and categories. It was likely somewhat weaker than Rita (937mb/generous 100 kt).

[Cyclenall]

I believe my family went through Hurricane Hazel in New Orleans when I was little, before we moved. My mom tells the story how she was alone with the five kids and we went into a army truck with canvas sides and you couldn't tell what was street and what was canal. My dad worked for the telephone company so he was probably out making repairs. We moved to Atlanta after that and didn't come back to Louisiana until '68.

How did Hurricane Hazel affect New Orleans if it struck the Carolinas?

[LSU2001]

I was a baby and I think we had already moved from New Orleans to Atlanta, but my parents kept up with is. So sorry about your sister. How old were you?

I believe my family went through Hurricane Hazel in New Orleans when I was little, before we moved. My mom tells the story how she was alone with the five kids and we went into a army truck with canvas sides and you couldn't tell what was street and what was canal. My dad worked for the telephone company so he was probably out making repairs. We moved to Atlanta after that and didn't come back to Louisiana until '68.

That sure sounds much more like a Hurricane Betsy story than anything to do with Hazel. Betsy struck NOLA in 1965 and caused tremendous flooding that was not surpassed until Katrina even though Camile in 69 caused a good bit of flooding in the Lower ninth ward and NO East.
Tim