Hurricane Camille 1969

From Cuba to the Mississippi coast

Camille formed south of Cuba on 14 August and strengthened quickly. It crossed western Cuba as a hurricane the following day, then intensified over the Gulf of Mexico. After a brief decline, it regained Category 5 strength on approach to the northern Gulf Coast.

The hurricane came ashore near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, early on 18 August UTC with archived one-minute winds of 150 kt and a central pressure of 900 hPa. A peak water level of 24.6 feet was recorded at Pass Christian. Surge and extreme winds destroyed buildings along the Mississippi coast and damaged southeastern Louisiana.

Flooding far from the coast

Camille weakened rapidly inland and became a tropical depression over Tennessee. Its remaining moisture then produced severe thunderstorms and extraordinary rainfall in Virginia. A 27-inch accumulation was recorded in a container near Massies Mill, and floods and landslides devastated communities in the Appalachian Mountains.

More than 153 people died in Virginia, with additional deaths in West Virginia. Across the United States, the saved historical account reports at least 343 deaths, including 55 indirect fatalities, and at least US$1.42 billion in damage at 1969 values.

A final return to the Atlantic

The circulation emerged over the western Atlantic and briefly strengthened back into a tropical storm. It became extratropical on 22 August. Camille's name was retired after the season.