1952 Groundhog Day tropical storm
| Tropical storm (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Surface weather analysis of the system as a non-frontal low on February 3 while crossing the Florida Peninsula
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| Formed | February 3, 1952 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | February 5, 1952 |
| (Extratropical after February 4, 1952) | |
| Highest winds |
1-minute sustained: 70 mph (110 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 990 mbar (hPa); 29.23 inHg |
| Fatalities | None reported |
| Damage | Minimal |
| Areas affected | Yucatan Peninsula, Cuba, Florida, The Bahamas, East Coast of the United States |
| Part of the 1952 Atlantic hurricane season | |
The extraordinary 1952 Groundhog Day Storm was the only Atlantic tropical cyclone on record in the month of February. First observed in the western Caribbean Sea on February 2 as a non-frontal low, it moved rapidly throughout its duration and struck southwestern Florida early the next day as a gale-force storm. In the state, the winds damaged some crops and power lines, but no serious damage was reported. The system became a tropical storm after emerging over the Atlantic Ocean before quickly transitioning into an extratropical cyclone on February 4. Strong winds and waves washed a freighter ashore, but no injuries were related to the event. Subsequently, the storm brushed eastern New England, causing minor power outages, before it moved inland near Maine. There were no reported fatalities related to the storm.
On February 2, Groundhog Day, a disturbance was first observed in the western Caribbean Sea. Winds were estimated at around 35 mph (55 km/h), and it tracked rapidly northward, initially to the north-northwest. After passing near Cancún along the Yucatan Peninsula, it turned northeastward and brushed the northwest coast of Cuba. Early on February 3 the storm approached Key West, and shortly thereafter moved ashore near Cape Sable, Florida. It quickly crossed the state, passing near Miami before emerging into the western Atlantic Ocean. The Miami National Weather Service office recorded a wind gust of 68 mph (110 km/h), as well as sustained tropical storm force winds for about four hours; the station also recorded a barometric pressure of 1004 mbar (29.66 inHg).
After leaving Florida, the storm continued rapidly northeastward and transitioned into a tropical cyclone. Late on February 3 it reached its peak strength with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 km/h). On February 4 it completed the transition into an extratropical cyclone off the coast of North Carolina. Around that time, gale force winds extended 100 miles (160 km) to the east of the center. Later that day, it passed over Cape Cod, and early on February 5 it moved into eastern Maine. The Hurricane Research Division assessed the storm as losing its identity shortly thereafter, over New Brunswick. However, a map produced by the U.S. Weather Bureau indicated that the storm continued northward into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and later crossed eastern Quebec and Labrador. By February 6, it reached the ocean again, deepening to a minimum pressure of 988 mbar (29.18 inHg). At that point, the Weather Bureau track ended, and as such the ultimate fate of the storm is unknown.
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