1952 Groundhog Day Tropical Storm - Meteorological History

Meteorological History

On February 2, Groundhog Day, a disturbance was first observed in the western Caribbean Sea, declared to have been a tropical cyclone. Winds were estimated at around 35 mph (55 km/h), and it tracked rapidly northward, initially to the north-northwest. After passing near Cancún along the Yucatan Peninsula, it turned northeastward and brushed the northwest coast of Cuba. Early on February 3 the storm approached Key West, and shortly thereafter moved ashore near Cape Sable, Florida. It quickly crossed the state, passing near Miami before emerging into the western Atlantic Ocean. The Miami National Weather Service office recorded a wind gust of 68 mph (110 km/h), as well as sustained tropical storm force winds for about four hours; the station also recorded a barometric pressure of 1004 mbar (29.66 inHg).

After leaving Florida, the storm continued rapidly northeastward, strengthening to peak winds of 50 mph (85 km/h). On February 4 it completed the transition into an extratropical cyclone off the coast of North Carolina. Around that time, gale force winds extended 100 miles (160 km) to the east of the center. Later that day, it passed over Cape Cod, and early on February 5 it moved into eastern Maine. The Hurricane Research Division assessed the storm as losing its identity shortly thereafter, over New Brunswick. However, a map produced by the U.S. Weather Bureau indicated the storm continued northward into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and later crossed eastern Quebec and Labrador. By February 6, it reached the ocean again, deepening to a minimum pressure of 988 mbar (29.18 inHg). At that point, the Weather Bureau track ended, and as such the ultimate fate of the storm is unknown.