3 — 15

lornajarrettblanchard June 23, 1961

–18 Wikipedia. “1960 Texas tropical storm.” 1-24-2022 edit. (No source citation.)
–15 Blanchard tally from locality breakouts below.
–15 Dunn, Gordon E. and Banner I. Miller. Atlantic Hurricanes (Revised). 1964, p. 341.
–15 Dunn. “The Hurricane Season of 1960.” Monthly Weather Review, March 1961, 100.
–15 Roth, NOAA, 1998.
–12 TX
— 3 AR
–15 Roth, David (NWS). Texas Hurricane History. Jan 17, 2010 update, p. 50.
–3 Shrimp boat sinks.
— 8 Weather Bureau. Storm Data, Vol. 2, No. 6, June 1960, pp. 48 and 62.

Arkansas ( 3)
— 3 Redfield area, Jefferson Co. Children in car swept off US Hwy. 66 into water-filled ditch.

Texas
–12 Blanchard tally from locality breakouts below.
–12 Roth. Texas Hurricane History: Late 20th Century. 1998; June 23, 2003 modification.
— 5 Weather Bureau. Storm Data, Vol. 2, No. 6, June 1960, p. 62.
Breakouts of fatalities by locality, where noted:
–3 Aransas Pass. Shrimp boat capsized during the storm June 23.
–1 James Hale, 43, of Aransas Pass; body washed ashore just south of Aransas Pass.
–1 Alvin Hale, brother of James; missing.
–1 Allen Davidson, missing.
–4 Houston. “Four persons drowned Sunday…” ~25% of Houston streets faced flood conditions.
–1 Drowning in local flooding; Calvin Joseph, 16.
–1 Lee McKeen, 24, drowned “in Houston flood waters Sunday.”
–1 Buffalo Bayou. Fireman Willie E. Hamm, 32, drowned; slipped from bayou bank Sunday.
–3 Houston. Blanchard tally of identified deaths noted above.
–2 McKinney area, North TX. “Known deaths from the stormy weather occurred…” 3 car crash.
–1 Horace Martin, 21 of Dallas.
–1 Billy Muirhead, 20, of Dallas.
–2 Port Lavaca. Arthur Garza, 13, Nieves Garcia, 13, drowned; current swept them into the bay.
–2 Redwood, Seguin area. “Two…feared…drowned…car was washed from a flooded creek bridge.
–1 Armando Ibarra, 25, of San Marcos, TX, drowned June 25.
–1 Willie Rodriquez, 36, of Staples, TX, drowned June 25.

Flooding (Inland due to tropical storm remnant rain and local flooding): (10)
— 3 Redfield area, Jefferson Co. Children in car swept off US Hwy. 66 into water-filled ditch.
— 3 Houston. Blanchard tally of identified deaths noted above.
— 2 Port Lavaca. Arthur Garza, 13, Nieves Garcia, 13, drowned; current swept them into the bay.
— 2 Redwood, Seguin area. “Two…feared…drowned…car was washed from a flooded creek bridge

Narrative Information

Dunn and Miller: “The first tropical cyclone of the season was poorly organized and was never named. It drifted northward from the Bay of Campeche. Early on June 24, it moved inland about 30 miles west of Corpus Christi, Texas, with lowest reported pressure 29.60 inches of rain for the period of June 23-26. Fifteen persons were drowned either in the high seas or subsequent floods. Damage mostly from floods was estimated at $3,600000.” (Dunn, Gordon E. and Banner I. Miller. Atlantic Hurricanes (Revised). 1964, p. 341.)

National Centers for Environmental Prediction, NOAA: “Unnamed Tropical Storm – June 22-29, 1960.

“An area of thunderstorms formed in the southwest Gulf of Mexico on June 22nd. The system slowly developed as it moved north-northwest, and made landfall as a tropical storm. Soon after moving inland, the cyclone looped over South Texas, leading to heavy rains along the coastal plain near Port Lavaca. As it moved north-northeast, bursts of heavy rainfall were accompanied with the system over Arkansas and Kentucky. This system was originally designated as a tropical low, but was reclassified a tropical storm after the fact, based on winds reported near its point of landfall.

“The maximum seen in Kentucky not only represents their highest tropical cyclone-related rainfall amount on record, but also their all-time 24 hour precipitation record (through 1998).” (

Roth, 1998: “A tropical storm made landfall on Padre Island with wind gusts to 60 mph. Rain on the Middle Coast caused extensive flooding. Over three days, Port Lavaca recorded 29.76″ of rain. Deaths from the flooding totaled 12 in Texas and 3 in Arkansas.” (Roth, NOAA, 1998)

Roth, 2010: “June 23-26th, 1960 (Unnamed): A tropical storm made landfall on Padre Island with wind gusts to 60 mph reported at Rockport. Alice measured the lowest pressure on land (1002.4 hPa). Tides at Corpus Christi increased to 3.5 feet. Three fishing piers were wrecked on Copano Bay. One shrimp boat beached, while another sank…taking the lives of three of its crew.

“Rain on the Middle Coast caused extensive flooding. Corpus Christi set a rainfall record for the 23rd (2.87″) while Victoria set rainfall records for the 24th and 25th (2.15″ and 2.17″). Over three days, Port Lavaca recorded 29.76” of rain.

“Serious local flooding from the torrential rains hit a five county area extending from Aransas Pass to Freeport. Flood damage exceeded $3.5 million. Deaths resulting from the flooding totaled 12 in Texas and 3 in Arkansas (Ellis ). Fifteen perished in all from this unnamed storm in Texas.” (Roth, David (NWS). Texas Hurricane History. Jan 17, 2010 update, pp. 49-50.)

Weather Bureau, Storm Data on Arkansas: “25th thru the 27th…3 [deaths]…Rain
“A slow moving low-pressure center of tropical origin brought heavy rains to much of the State, with the exception of the northwestern and extreme northern portions, during the three day period, June 25th through the 27th. These rains caused considerable local flooding of creeks, low ground and poorly drained fields. The only major stream to reach flood stage was the Ouachita River at Arkadelphia. Three children were drowned, near Redfield in Jefferson County, when the car in which they were riding was swept off U.S. Highway 66 into a water filled ditch.” (Weather Bureau. Storm Data, Vol. 2, No. 6, June 1960, p. 48.)

Weather Bureau, Storm Data on Texas: “Counties of Harris, Galveston, Brazoria, Matagorda, Jackson, Calhoun & Refugio…24-26 [June]…5 [deaths]…Heavy Rain.

“Heavy rains in connection with tropical low pressure caused extensive flooding in local drainage areas. A large number of homes were damaged from one-to-five feet of water in them. Three fishing piers were wrecked at Bayside on Copano Bay and there was moderate damage to signs, trees and utility lines in the Corpus Christi area. One shrimp boat was beached 2 miles south of Port Aransas but crew was safe. Three lives were lost off Mustang Island as another shrimp boat was sunk.

“General soaking rains occurred over the eastern half of the State. Five-to-fifteen-inch totals were numerous in the coastal plains from Corpus Christi to San Antonio and northeastward. Significant floods occurred in the lower Colorado and Navidad, Lavaca and Guadalupe Rivers. Serious local flooding from the heavy rain occurred in the immediate coastal counties of Brazoria, Matagorda, Jackson, Calhoun and Refugio. The town of Port Lavaca in Calhoun County was especially hard hit and two lives were lost by drowning as a storm total of 29.76 inches of rain was measured. Calhoun County was declared a disaster area, and best estimate of total loss, both public and private, in that county was two million dollars, with an estimate of total loss for all counties named 3.5 million dollars.” (Weather Bureau. Storm Data, Vol. 2, No. 6, June 1960, p. 62.)

Sources

Associated Press. “$1,500.000 Flood Damage is Estimated.” Abilene Reporter-News.” 6-28-1960, p1. Accessed 9-27-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/abilene-reporter-news-jun-28-1960-p-1/

Associated Press. “Heavy Rains Pose Threat.” Brownwood Bulletin, TX. 6-26-1960, p. 1. Accessed 9-27-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/brownwood-bulletin-jun-26-1960-p-1/

Associated Press. “Rain Followed by Threat of Floods on Texas Rivers.” Bryan Daily Eagle, TX, 6-26-1960, p. 1. Accessed 9-27-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/bryan-daily-eagle-jun-26-1960-p-1/

Brownwood Bulletin, TX. “Flood (continued from p. 1.)” 6-27-1960, p. 2. Accessed 9-27-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/brownwood-bulletin-jun-27-1960-p-2/

Dunn, Gordon E. and Banner I. Miller. Atlantic Hurricanes (Revised Edition). Baton Rouge LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1964, 377 pages.

Dunn, Gordon E. “The Hurricane Season of 1960.” Monthly Weather Review, March 1961, pp. 99-108. Accessed at: http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/general/lib/lib1/nhclib/mwreviews/1960.pdf

Lubbock Avalanche Journal. “Torrential Rains Lash Houston Area; Eight Die (continued from p.1).” 6-27-1960, p. 1. Accessed 9-27-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lubbock-avalanche-journal-jun-27-1960-p-8/

National Centers for Environmental Prediction, NOAA. “Unnamed Tropical Storm – June 22-29, 1960.” Accessed 9-27-2022 at: https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/unnamed1960.html

Roth, David (National Weather Service). Texas Hurricane History. Camp Springs, MD: NWS. 1-17-2010 update. Accessed 11-22-2017 at: http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/research/txhur.pdf
Also accessed 9-27-2022 at: https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/research/txhur.pdf

Roth, David. Texas Hurricane History: Late 20th Century. National Weather Service, Weather Service Forecast Office, Lake Charles, LA, NOAA, 1998; June 23, 2003 modification. Accessed at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lch/research/txlate20hur.php

Weather Bureau. Storm Data, Vol. 2, No. 6, June 1960. Asheville, NC: U.S. Dept. of Commerce. 1960. Accessed 9-27-2022 at: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-1FB20C5F-D149-400B-889A-0CE47D551723.pdf

Wikipedia. “1960 Texas tropical storm.” 1-24-2022 edit. Accessed 9-27-2022 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_Texas_tropical_storm