The Weather Notebook: Hurricane Party

Hurricane Party
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Dave Thurlow, Host

The hurricane may lend its name to a popular and potent alcoholic drink, but a tropical storm is no place to hold a party. Hi, I'm Dave Thurlow and this is The Weather Notebook.

On August 17, 1969, a group of 24 people on the Gulf Coast decided it would be fun to have a party. For most of them, though, that party would be their last. The bash was in honor of Hurricane Camille, which was moving north toward the towns of Gulfport and Pass Christian, Mississippi.


Richelieu Apartments before the Hurricane - NOAA Photo Collection

Instead of evacuating, the group decided to hunker down in the Richelieu Apartments, right on the coast, and enjoy the show. But Camille proved to be an inhospitable guest of honor. A few hours before reaching landfall, Camille strengthened dramatically, reaching Category 5--the highest rating on the hurricane scale. So far, Camille is the only hurricane to hit the U.S. coast this century that would acquire that status.

Camille pounded the Mississippi coastline, packing wind gusts of 200 miles per hour and a storm surge of 24 feet. The wind and water slammed into the Richelieu Apartments and smashed them into pieces. One woman at the party was swept more than 12 miles inland. She turned out to be the lucky one though. She was the sole survivor of the party that hoped to celebrate the storm of the century.


Richelieu Apartments after the Hurricane - NOAA Photo Collection

As Camille continued up the coast, she brought torrential rains and massive flooding across the Appalachians. In all, more than 250 people were killed.

Meanwhile, Camille gave a good scare to the city who lays claim to fame for that exotic cocktail, the "Hurricane". New Orleans, just 50 miles from Camille's path, emerged relatively unscathed.

Today's contributing writer is Bob Henson. For all kinds of hurricane information, visit our website at mountwashington.org/notebook. The Weather Notebook is a production of the Mount Washington Observatory. Major support is provided by Subaru, the beauty of all wheel drive and by the National Science Foundation.