page_title: Hurricane How
section_title: Meteorological history
hierarchical_section_title: Hurricane How / Meteorological history
caption_attribution_description: English: Track map of Hurricane How of the 1951 Atlantic hurricane season. The points show the location of the storm at 6-hour intervals. The colour represents the storm's maximum sustained wind speeds as classified in the Saffir–Simpson scale (see below), and the shape of the data points represent the nature of the storm, according to the legend below. Saffir–Simpson scale Tropical depression≤38 mph≤62 km/h Category 3111–129 mph178–208 km/h Tropical storm39–73 mph63–118 km/h Category 4130–156 mph209–251 km/h Category 174–95 mph119–153 km/h Category 5≥157 mph≥252 km/h Category 296–110 mph154–177 km/h Unknown Storm type Tropical cyclone Subtropical cyclone Extratropical cyclone / Remnant low / Tropical disturbance
context_page_description: Hurricane How was the only tropical cyclone to make landfall on the United States in 1951. It was the eighth storm of the season, forming on September 28 in the northwest Caribbean and, after entering the Gulf of Mexico, turned eastward and became a tropical storm. The storm brought heavy rainfall to Florida, causing flooding and $2 million in damage. Tropical Storm How later became a hurricane, passing near the Outer Banks of North Carolina where it produced strong winds and high tides. A ship called the "Southern Isles" capsized off Cape Hatteras, killing 17 out of the crew of 23. Rains and high tides occurred in southeastern New England, before the hurricane moved out to sea and became extratropical.
context_section_description: The origins of Hurricane How were from an easterly wave that organized into a tropical depression, in the western Caribbean Sea on September 28, 1951. It moved to the north-northwest, passing by the Yucatan peninsula before turning to the east in the central Gulf of Mexico on October 1. That day, a reconnaissance aircraft in the system reported gale force winds and, as a result, it was upgraded to Tropical Storm How. The storm strengthened to just below hurricane force, making landfall near Punta Gorda, Florida with 70 mph (110 km/h) winds (115 km/h). While it crossed the state, the center was not very organized, and consequently the strongest winds were in the south and southeastern portion of the storm; heavy rains, however, fell across its path.
  Tropical Storm How emerged into the Atlantic Ocean near Vero Beach, quickly intensifying to hurricane strength by October 3. Turning northeastward, Hurricane How reached peak winds of 110 mph (180 km/h) on October 4 as it passed near the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Subsequently the hurricane embarked on a slow weakening trend, as it briefly posed a threat to New England. It passed southeast of Cape Cod before turning more to the east-northeast. It became an extratropical storm on October 7, and the next day the remnants of How dissipated in the far northern Atlantic.
caption: Map plotting the track and the intensity of the storm, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
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