Hurricanes & Tropical Storms 1971
Visitor Number 
since September 9, 2005
All Winds are in knots (1 knot = 1.15 mph), pressures are in millibars and category is based on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
Storm Summaries For The Year
| # |
Storm Name |
Dates |
Category |
Windspeed |
Pressure |
Rainfall |
Deaths |
Damages |
| 1 |
Tropical Storm Arlene |
Jul 4-8 |
TS |
55 |
1000 |
|
|
|
| 2 |
Hurricane #2 |
Aug 3-7 |
1 |
75 |
974 |
|
|
|
| 3 |
Burricane Beth |
Aug 10-17 |
1 |
75 |
977 |
|
|
|
| 4 |
Tropical Storm Chloe |
Aug 18-25 |
TS |
55 |
1004 |
|
|
|
| 5 |
Tropical Storm Doria |
Aug 20-29 |
|
55 |
989 |
|
|
|
| 6 |
Hurricane Edith |
Sep 5-18 |
5 |
140 |
943 |
|
|
|
| 7 |
Hurricane Fern |
Sep 3-13 |
1 |
80 |
978 |
|
|
|
| 8 |
Hurricane Ginger |
Sep 6-Oct 5 |
2 |
95 |
959 |
|
|
|
| 9 |
Tropical Storm Heidi |
Sep 11-15 |
TS |
55 |
996 |
|
|
|
| 10 |
Hurricane Irene |
Sep 11-20 |
1 |
70 |
989 |
|
|
|
| 11 |
Tropical Storm Janice |
Sep 21-24 |
TS |
55 |
1005 |
|
|
|
| 12 |
Tropical Storm Kristy |
October 18-21 |
TS |
45 |
992 |
|
|
|
| 13 |
Tropical Storm Laura |
Nov 12-22 |
TS |
60 |
994 |
|
|
|
Tropical Storm Arlene
July 4 - 8, 1971
Tropical Storm
| Winds 55 kts |
Pressure 1000- mbs |
Rainfall -- ins |
| Deaths -- |
Damages -- |
|
Hurricane #2
Aug 3 - 7, 1971
Category 1
| Winds 75 kts |
Pressure 974 mbs |
Rainfall -- ins |
| Deaths -- |
Damages -- |
|
Hurricane Beth
August 10-17, 1971
Category 1
| Winds 75 kts |
Pressure 977- mbs |
Rainfall -- ins |
| Deaths -- |
Damages -- |
|
Tropical Storm Chloe
August 18 - 25, 1971
Tropical Storm
| Winds 55 kts |
Pressure 1004 mbs |
Rainfall -- ins |
| Deaths -- |
Damages -- |
|
Tropical Storm Doria
August 20 - 29, 1971
Tropical Storm
| Winds 55 kts |
Pressure 1004 mbs |
Rainfall -- ins |
| Deaths -- |
Damages -- |
|
A weak tropical depression formed in the eastern Atlantic and moved swiftly to the west, passing throug the northern Leeward Islands on the 23rd of August. It moved to the east of the Bahamas on the 256h then recurved to the North. Doria became a tropical storm and continued to intensify as it approached the East Coast. Maximum sustained winds were 65 mph with the system as it made landfall in North Carolina.
Maximum sustained winds were 52 mph at Norfolk, Virginia, 59 mph at Wallops Island and 60 mph at Langley AFB. A large warehouse near the Norfolk airport experienced severe damage. Appreciable losses were caused by a tornado as it tracked through Portsmouth and Chesapeake, Virginia. Hundreds of trees fell and a dozen homes were damaged.
The highest rainfall amount in Virginia was 6.44" just SSE of Halifax. Four-Mile Run flooded once again. A sewage plant in Virginia Beach became slogged with silt and sand. When the sewage was dumped into the Chesapeake, beaches were closed for days. A young girl drowned in Alexandria, when she fell into a drainage ditch.
Hurricane Edith
September 5 - 18, 1971
Category 5
| Winds 140 kts |
Pressure 943 mbs |
Rainfall -- ins |
| Deaths -- |
Damages -- |
|
Hurricane Fern
September 3 - 13, 1971
Category 1
| Winds 80 kts |
Pressure 978 mbs |
Rainfall -- ins |
| Deaths -- |
Damages -- |
|
Hurricane Ginger
September 6 - October 5, 1971
Category 2
| Winds 95 kts |
Pressure 959 mbs |
Rainfall -- ins |
| Deaths -- |
Damages -- |
|
Tracked for 31 days as a cyclone through the Subtropical Atlantic, the very long-lived Ginger tormented Bermuda twice before moving west into North Carolina near Atlantic Beach. Maximum winds were under 50 mph across southern Virginia. Norfolk gusted to 49 mph from the northeast on the 30th. A few trees were leveled with isolated utility outages leading to minor inconvenience. The heaviest in Virginia were seen in the southeastern part of the state. Diamond Springs reported a 7.49" deluge of rain. Tides ranged from two to four feet above normal. Moderate to heavy beach erosion ate away at Virginia Beach.
Tropical Storm Heidi
September 11 - 15, 1971
Tropical Storm
| Winds 55 kts |
Pressure 996 mbs |
Rainfall -- ins |
| Deaths -- |
Damages -- |
|
Hurricane Irene
September 11 - 20, 1971
Category 1
| Winds 70 kts |
Pressure 989 mbs |
Rainfall -- ins |
| Deaths -- |
Damages -- |
|
Tropical Storm Janice
September 21 - 24, 1971
Tropical Storm
| Winds 55 kts |
Pressure 1005 mbs |
Rainfall -- ins |
| Deaths -- |
Damages -- |
|
Tropical Storm Kristy
October 18 - 21, 1971
Tropical Storm
| Winds 45 kts |
Pressure 992 mbs |
Rainfall -- ins |
| Deaths -- |
Damages -- |
|
Tropical Storm Laura
November 12 - 22, 1971
Tropical Storm
| Winds 60 kts |
Pressure 994- mbs |
Rainfall -- ins |
| Deaths -- |
Damages -- |
|
Sources:
National Hurricane Center
NOAA
Copyright © 2003 Marla Kay Urie Price
