After being battered by several major hurricanes in the 1950s, residents of the eastern U.S. were hoping for better conditions in the 1960s. Their hopes were dashed in late August of 1960 when a tropical cyclone formed and it’s wrath was taken out in the eastern United States into September as a major hurricane.
If there was a Hall of Fame for hurricanes, Donna would take its rightful place. This beast inflicted extreme damage and killed hundreds of people from the Lesser Antilles to Puerto Rico and Cuba and then to the U.S. from Florida to New England. Donna is the only hurricane to produce hurricane-force winds in Florida, the Mid-Atlantic, and New England at that time. Hurricane Donna also holds the record for retaining major hurricane status in the Atlantic Basin for the longest period (9 days). All told, 439 lost their lives as a result of Donna.
A radar image of Hurricane Donna as it was approaching the Florida Keys late on September 9, 1960. Photo Credit- NOAA,
Donna’s Long Journey Across The Atlantic
From the beginning, Donna exhibited all the earmarks of an ill-fated storm, In late August of 1960, a tropical wave emerged from the coast of Africa, It had been producing stormy weather conditions and unfortunately, it led to the crash of Air France Flight AF343. The plane was trying to land at an airport in Senegal but it crashed into the Atlantic killing 63 people.
On August 29th, The system then passed south of the Cape Verde Islands where it likely became a tropical depression. On September 1st, a ship that was well east of the Lesser Antilles reported winds of 50 mph so it was at least a tropical storm. It was then named Donna and it had likely become a hurricane by then.
A Hurricane Hunter aircraft then flew into Donna to investigate as it was approaching the Lesser Antilles on September 2nd. Imagine their surprise as they found that winds were already up to 140 mph which made it a Category 4 hurricane! Donna inflicted catastrophic damage to St. Martin and Anguilla resulting in 12 deaths. Seven more were killed in the Virgin Islands.
Donna then passed northeast of Puerto Rico but it dumped 12-16 inches of rain in eastern sections of the island and that triggered severe flooding which killed 107 people. As it passed north of Puerto Rico, Donna hit its peak intensity as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph. Little did anyone know that its destructive path would go on for more than 2,000 miles.
Donna briefly weakened to a Category 3 as it passed through the southern Bahamas but a wind gust to 173 mph was recorded. Survivors reported incredible damage but there were no official damage estimates or a death toll.
Cuba was pounded by torrential rain and high winds from Donna. With an unstable political situation, evacuations weren’t carried out properly. As a result, 120 people were killed.
Ripping Through The Eastern U.S.
After passing north of Cuba, Donna began a recurving process and it set its eye on Florida. Hurricane Watches were already in effect on September 7th from Key West to Melbourne. They were upgraded to warnings from Key West to Key Largo on the 8th and hurricane watches were issued up to Ft. Myers on the West Coast. It was recommended that residents in low-lying areas of the Florida Keys and southwestern Florida should evacuate.
Meanwhile, Donna intensified again to a Category 4 hurricane and it reached the Florida Keys with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph after midnight on September 10th.
There were media reports that about 50 percent of the middle and Upper Keys residents evacuated. The “eye” passed over Duck Key at about 2 a.m. on September 10th. Sombrero Key reported sustained winds of 128 mph There were some unofficial gusts to 178 mph at Marathon Key. A storm surge reached 13 feet in the Keys and 11 feet over southwest Florida.
A photo showing the remains of the Olney Inn (Mile Marker 81.6 in the Florida Keys) that was destroyed by Hurricane Donna in September of 1960. Photo Credit-keyhistory.org
Donna then moved northward just off the southwest coast of Florida as it began to weaken again. It made landfall again at Naples where winds of 120 mph were ported. In the Keys, three-quarters of the buildings suffered severe damage due to coastal flooding. in southwest Florida over 5,000 homes were damaged, not counting three-quarters of homes lost at Fort Myers Beach.
Considerable damage occurred up to Sarasota and the Tampa-St. Petersburg area. Many Floridians called the hurricane “Donna the Piranha”
A photo showing damage at Whitaker Cove near Sarasota, Florida, from Hurricane Donna in September of 1960. Photo Credit- NOAA Archives.
Here are some accounts of Hurricane Donna published in an article by weather.gov. Stories of survival and sorrow abound, including, “George Brainard, a beach merchant, [who] went to his store during the calm period as the eye of Donna passed through. He didn’t leave for safety in time. The eye passed on. The wind roared in on him and the Gulf seas broke all barriers. The body of George Brainard was found more than a mile from his home in the mangroves.” More stories of Donna’s damage were reported in local newspapers, and it was said that “the Gulf sprinted across the marshlands, invaded his store and carried away three boats from [a] showroom. They still haven’t been found.” Byron Liles of Bonita Springs watched a storm surge of about 10 to 15 feet come across Hickory Boulevard. He said he watched as “some homes were carried off their block bottoms, [and] swept into the mangroves.”A woman said, “Three feet of water went through my house, [and] wedged between the beds in one of my rooms was a huge tropical plant. I haven’t the slightest idea of how it got into my home.” An elderly couple’s trailer was found 150 yards away, across a bay on its back. The tidal water went in one window and out the other. “Enormous damage was found to be done in trees uprooted, blown down, many times across portions of buildings.
There was no loss of life, and though streets are heavily cumbered with all kinds of litter there were very few instances of complete demolition of structures. It may be weeks before the debris is cleared away.”To the east, Miami received over a foot of rain that triggered severe flooding. In addition, a wind gust of 97 mph was reported.
A photo showing the facade of the 1840s-era Bennett’s Rice Mill in Charleston, South Carolina which was the only part standing after a tornado struck the area (from Hurricane Donna) in September of 1960. Photo Credit-Wikipedia-Public Domain.
Crop damage was extensive in Florida, About one-half of the grapefruit crop was lost, along with 10 percent of the orange, and tangerine crop and extensive damage to the avocado crop. Donna then turned to the northeast as it ripped through northern Florida and weakened to a tropical storm.
Across Florida, Donna destroyed over 2,100 homes and trailers and severely damaged over 3,900 more.
Roughly 174 buildings were demolished, over 1,000 received major impact, and over 4,000 suffered minor damage. Additionally, 281 boats were destroyed or severely damaged. Donna was the costliest hurricane to impact the state, at the time.
There were 14 confirmed fatalities: six from drowning, four from heart attacks, two from automobile accidents, and two from electrocution. Over 1,100 were injured.
Early on September 11th, Donna moved off Daytona Beach and back into the Atlantic as a Category 1 hurricane. It produced minor wind damage in Georgia with flooding reported in Brunswick.
A tornado touched down in the Charleston, South Carolina, area. It destroyed several houses, severely damaged a number of others, and injured a few people by flying glass. Damage from this tornado was over 500,000 (1960) dollars (over 5 million in 2024 dollars).
Another tornado touched down in Garden City and destroyed or extensively damaged six buildings. Two more tornadoes touched down in North Carolina. Donna strengthened again to Category 2 hurricane as it made another landfall at Wilmington, North Carolina with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph.
Topsail Beach was reported to have been 50% destroyed. In Southport, the docks were almost completely destroyed There were eight deaths, including three from drowning, two from falling trees, two from weather-related traffic accidents, and one from electrocution. At least 100 people were injured. Damage in North Carolina exceeded 5 million (1960) dollars (53 million in 2024 dollars).
Donna came back out over water around Virginia Beach and it then moved northward just off the East Coast. Winds up to 100 mph were observed along the coast of New Jersey with 5 to 9 inches of rain.
A map showing the track and total rainfall from Hurricane Donna in 1960. shows damage at Whitaker Cove near Sarasota, Florida, from Hurricane Donna in September of 1960. Map Credit- NOAA Archives.
Damage from Donna was most severe in coastal counties, where numerous boats, docks, boardwalks, and cottages were damaged or destroyed.
Donna made another landfall on Long Island late on September 12th at Westhampton as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 95 mph. There was considerable damage along the south shore of Long Island and into New England with a storm surge of 5 to 10 feet. Some homes on Long Island were washed away. The ferry service was canceled for days. To the west, parts of the New York City subway system were shut down due to flooding from intense rain. Many roads leading out of the city to Long Island were impassable.
A photo showing a house that was swept away on Long Island by a storm surge from Hurricane Donna in September of 1960. Photo Credit-Public Domain.
The eye of Hurricane Donna then passed near the border of Connecticut and Rhode Island. Strong winds left 15,000 people without telephone service, while 88,000 homes lost electricity.
Along the coast, extreme tides caused beach erosion, inundated streets, and weakened foundations. Four seaside cottages were destroyed.
Along the coast, high tides significantly damaged or destroyed about 200 homes at Narraganset Bay and Warwick Cove. The damage was estimated at more than $2 million (1960) dollars.
Massachusetts received strong winds and a wind gust of 145 mph was reported at the Bue Hill Observatory south of Boston. Extensive losses to apple orchards occurred, as the fruit was blown out of trees. Widespread telephone and power outages were reported.
In Vermont, winds damaged trees, tree branches, and power lines, causing telephone and electrical service outages. Along the coast of New Hampshire, many boats were damaged. Strong winds felled trees and power lines, causing residents in the southern portions of the state to lose telephone service and electricity. Along the coast, large waves damaged 15 to 20 boats at Falmouth. Coastal residents in low-lying beach areas of Cumberland and York counties were evacuated in Maine. Several counties lost power during the storm.
After becoming extratropical, the remnants of Donna continued northeastward into the Canadian Maritimes. Wind gusts of 53 mph in Quebec snapped electrical poles and trees.
Hopefully, we will never see the likes of this type of hurricane again, especially since the population of Florida has increased from nearly 5 million to slightly over 23 million over the past 64 years. The name “Donna” was retired following the storm and it was replaced by “Dora” in 1964.
