A Look Back at Hurricane Camille: 49 Years Ago

Hurricane Camille started as a tropical wave and quickly became a tropical storm near the Cayman Islands on August 14, 1969. From there the storm grew into a small, but extremely violent hurricane. By August 15th it was already a weak hurricane headed toward the Gulf of Mexico. On Saturday, August 16th Camille entered the Gulf of Mexico. That is when a Hurricane Watch was issued for the Biloxi area. By Saturday night the storm had quickly intensified into what we now call a category 5 with winds of 160 mph. The storm continued its track toward the central gulf coat. By Sunday morning, August 17th, hurricane warnings were issued for the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast. The storm would continue to strengthen Sunday afternoon eventually reaching its maximum recorded winds of around 200 mph. It was now near the mouth of the Mississippi River. The storm would go on to make landfall near Bay St. Louis/ Pass Christian just before midnight on August 17th. Storm surge was over 20 feet in many locations across the Mississippi Coast. Winds are thought to have gusted up to 175 mph in areas.

Facts:

• The Saffir-Simpson scale was created after Camille.
• The storm killed 143 people on the Gulf Coast.
• A  pressure of 909 mb was reported in Bay St. Louis, which makes Hurricane Camille the second most intense hurricane to hit the United States.
• The actual maximum winds will never be known, as the hurricane destroyed all the instruments in the landfall area.

Photos Courtesy: NOAA