Season Activity
The hurricane season officially began on June 15, 1962. The National Hurricane Center began operations with no new equipment, and the warning agency instead opted to improve with the existing equipment. The agency had access to a system of radars that extended from Brownsville, Texas to Eastport, Maine, which was set up in 1961. Although satellite imagery technology was available, the system was not fully active to provide daily images of Atlantic hurricanes. The season officially ended on November 15.
During the season, three hurricanes developed from five named storms. This was below the average of 10 storms per season, and represented the fewest tropical storms since 1939. Four of the five storms developed from the intertropical convergence zone. The decreased activity is partially due to the westerlies extending further south than usual, as well as a persistent ridge. In addition, temperatures in the eastern United States were cooler than usual. Activity through September 10 was the quietest in 30 years.
The only region of the United States threatened by hurricanes was New England, although no stations recorded hurricane force winds in the country. This was the first such occurrence during the 20th century that no tropical storms or hurricanes hit the country. Overall damage was the lowest in several years.
Read more about this topic: 1962 Atlantic Hurricane Season