page_title: Hurricane Hilda (1955)
section_title: Meteorological history
hierarchical_section_title: Hurricane Hilda (1955) / Meteorological history
caption_attribution_description: English: Track map of Hurricane Hilda of the 1955 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 hurricane wind scale (see below), and the shape of the data points represent the nature of the storm, according to the legend below. Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind 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 typeTropical cycloneSubtropical cycloneExtratropical cyclone / Remnant low / Tropical disturbance
context_page_description: Hurricane Hilda was a strong Category 3 hurricane that was the second in a succession of three hurricanes to strike near Tampico, Mexico. The eighth named storm of the 1955 Atlantic hurricane season, Hilda formed from a tropical wave on September 10 near the Lesser Antilles. It quickly intensified while moving westward into a small hurricane, and it crossed over southeastern Cuba on September 13. There, it dropped heavy rainfall and produced gusty winds that destroyed 80% of the coffee crop in Oriente Province. In the eastern Cuban city of Baracoa, Hilda severely damaged the oldest church in the country. Damage totaled $2 million in Cuba, and there were four deaths. Later, the hurricane moved across the Northwestern Caribbean Sea making landfall in Grand Cayman, then further into the Northwestern Caribbean causing light damage in the sparsely populated region of the eastern Yucatán Peninsula.
  After reaching the Gulf of Mexico, Hilda strengthened to reach peak winds of 125 mph late on September 18. Before the hurricane moved ashore, there was residual flooding in Tampico from earlier Hurricane Gladys. Hilda struck the city early on September 19, with gusts estimated at 150 mph.
context_section_description: The origins of Hurricane Hilda were from an easterly wave, which spawned a tropical depression over the northern Lesser Antilles late on September 10. By the next day, the system was producing winds of 46 mph (74 km/h) in squalls. After moving to the northwest, it turned more to the west and quickly intensified. On September 12, Hilda attained hurricane status to the north of the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. It was a small cyclone, and the strongest winds were in a small region around the eye. Hilda continued to the west about 30 mi (48 km) offshore northern Hispaniola. After reaching winds of 100 mph (160 km/h), the hurricane weakened slightly while off the north coast of Haiti. Turning to the west-southwest, Hilda made landfall near the southeastern tip of Cuba on September 13. While crossing the island into the Caribbean Sea, it weakened from a hurricane into a tropical storm.
  On September 14, Hilda emerged into the Caribbean Sea. It quickly re-intensified, surpassing its previous strength to winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) by September 15. Hilda made Landfall on Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. The hurricane weakened slightly as it neared the Yucatán Peninsula, and Hilda struck the sparsely populated area between Chetumal and Cozumel on September 16 with winds of about 110 mph (180 km/h). It weakened slightly over the Yucatán Peninsula, emerging into the Gulf of Mexico on September 17 with winds of about 100 mph (160 km/h). Hilda again re-intensified, reaching its maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (205 km/h) late on September 18. Early the next day, the hurricane made landfall near Tampico, Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico. Winds in the city reached 105 mph (169 km/h), and the eye was observed for 45 minutes. The lowest pressure in Tampico was 952 mbar (28.1 inHg) on September 19. Hilda rapidly weakened over land, turning to the west-southwest and dissipating on September 20.
caption: Map plotting the track and the intensity of the storm, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
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