Sugg, A. L., 1966: The hurricane season of 1965. Mon. Wea. Rev., 94, 183-191.
The TIROS weather satellite photographed a disturbed area on August 23
in the eastern Atlantic near 7.5°N., 29.5°W. Reasonable
extrapolation shows that this was probably the same system that was
discovered by aircraft reconnaissance as a weak tropical depression on
August 27, some 350 mi. east-southeast of Barbados. By midday the
central pressure was 1007 mb. (29.74 in.) and by evening the depression
was named Betsy. No intensification occurred until two days later after
Betsy had passed through the Lesser Antilles. No significant damage was
reported from the islands.
By afternoon of the 29th, Betsy had intensified, with hurricane force winds reported from reconnaissance aircraft and it remained a mature hurricane through September 10.
During the formative stages of Betsy from the 28th to the 29th, there existed an east-west trough of low pressure at 200 mb., to the north of the depression, generally between the latitudes 20°N and 25°N. Immediately above Betsy, ridge conditions prevailed; and while reports were sparse, the winds were light and indicated no marked outflow. However, by the 29th, the day on which rapid intensification occurred, Betsy had moved to the northwest of the Leeward islands and was located only a short distance south of the upper trough. By now the 200-mb. winds above Betsy were southwesterly 55 m.p.h.; and, from the analysis, one would conclude that moderate outflow was occurring as a result of speed divergence.
There was a second marked intensification during September 1 and 2 when the central pressure fell approximately 40 mb. to 942 mb. (27.82 in.), the lowest recorded during the hurricane's life history. This deepening cannot be readily explained because of lack of data.
The Betsy track is an interesting one since pressure (height) rises to the north completely blocked and changed a well-established northwestward course on two occasions. In both cases there were reductions in forward speed, just prior to the near stationary or looping track so that, in this repect, the two major changes were not entirely unanticipated.
Late on September 5, Betsy began a rather unusual southwestward movement, and on the 6th the hurricane was just off Great Abaco Island. Residents of the Bahamas were warned of the hurricane on the evening of the 5th; southern Florida was placed under a hurricane watch at 0500 EST on the 6th and the warning followed at 1100 EST. Betsy continued through the northern Bahamas with the eye passing just to the north of Nassau. Total losses in the islands were 5 million pounds ($14 million); much of it was crop losses. It is estimated that between 150,000 and 200,000 pounds ($500,000) will be expended by governmental and charitable organizations to repair the damages. Insurance claims are estimated at 1.4 million pounds (nearly $4 million). In spite of the duration and strength of the wind in the islands, there was only one casualty. A man lost his life aboard his ship which was wrecked in Nassau Harbor.
After leaving the Bahamas, Betsy moved on a westerly course and passed over the Florida Keys. Damage from winds, high tides, and wave action was confined principally to the area from Ft. Lauderdale southward. Northerly winds, in advance of the center, produced flooding in the Keys by waters of Florida Bay. Southerly winds, following the hurricane, caused inundation by waters of the Atlantic and the Florida Straits. Heaviest damages were noted on the northern side of the islands and flooding on the upper Keys was extensive. Water reached depths of several hundred feet in many places and covered highways and the first floors of many buildings. Farther north, rising waters flooded sections of Key Biscayne; and in southern Dade County, similar conditions were experienced in areas east of the coastal ridge. Streets in Miami Beach near the ocean and Biscayne Bay were under water; and this was also true of the land south of Homestead Air Force Base east of U.S. Highway 1. On the west side of Biscayne Bay, riding waters reached into businesses and houses near Biscayne Boulevard and Bay Shore Drive. Considerable water damage was noted east of the ridge from Mercy Hospital southward to the Kings Bay area.
Wave action and high tides caused considerable flooding and undermining of beach roads and low-lying property between Greater Miami and the Palm Beaches. Damage was less farther north, but was noticeable along the entire Florida Atlantic coast.
Betsy turned toward the northwest on entering the Gulf of Mexico; the hurricane's forward speed increased to 22 m.p.h., well above the average speed for Gulf storms. The eye arrived at Grand Isle, La., shortly after 2100 CST, Septemebr 9. The sea level pressure of 28.00 in. reported in the eye at Grand Isle and at Houma a few hours later was the lowest recorded at any land staton during the hurricane's life history. The eye was 40 mi. in diameter on the Louisiana coast---just the same as when it passed over the Keys early in the morning of the 8th.
Fifty-eight people died in Louisiana because of winds and floods, in addition to four deaths in Florida and nine others in the adjacent waters of the Gulf and the Atlantic while boating or fishng.
Damage in Florida was estimated at $139,300,000. Highest tide in the Florida Keys was estimated at 9 ft. at North Key Largo and measured 7.7 ft. mean low water at Tavenier. Private communication from Key West (WBAS) indicated that the tides were estimated 5 to 7 ft. m.s.l. Highest debris line on the highway west of Sugarloaf Key was 9 ft and 8 ft. on Big Pine Key. Tides on Lake Okeechobee in Florida were minor. Tides on the Florida Gulf coast were abnormally low on September 7 but rose, late on the 8th, after Betsy moved into the open Gulf of Mexico. There was considerable local flooding and beach erosion, especially south of Clearwater on the 9th and 10th. Damage north of Clearwater and around the Panhandle was mainly confined to beach erosion and to docks, piers, and small boats.
There were two confirmed tornadoes in Florida. One occurred on Big Pine Key (reported by R. L. Higgs, former Meteorologist-in-Charge, San Juan Weather Bureau) moving from the southwest toward the northeast at 1600 EST on the 8th. The other was observed at Marathon and moved from west to east at 0545 EST of the same day.
Highest rainfall amount was 11.80 inches at Plantation Key in the Florida Keys; nearby Big Pine Key, had 10.52 in. Rainfall over the remainder of extreme southern Florida ranged from 3 to 7 in. The rains were beneficial and did much to relieve the water shortage in the Everglades.
From 25 to 50 percent of the citrus in Florida and nearly 90 percent of the avocadoes were blown from the trees in Dade and Broward Counties.