Hurricane Audrey - Records and Strength

Records and Strength

Audrey remains the earliest storm of any Atlantic hurricane season to reach Category 4 intensity in the recorded history of the basin. Audrey attained Category 4 strength on June 27. At the time, Audrey was the strongest storm to form prior to August. It held this record for nearly fifty years before Hurricane Dennis broke it in 2005 (which was itself broken only nine days later by Hurricane Emily which became a category 5). It remains the strongest storm ever to form in June. It was also the second of three major hurricanes to occur in the month of June (the last one before it being a Category 3 in 1945, and the next and final one would be Hurricane Alma in 1966).

The strength of Hurricane Audrey was disputed during its meteorological history. Several calculations suggested that the pressure in the storm dropped to 938 millibars (27.7 inHg) while other calculations put it at 940 millibars (28 inHg). In addition, the peak wind speed of Audrey varied from 140 mph to 150 mph (225–240 km/h). An oil rig offshore claims to have recorded a reading of 925 millibars and a wind speed of 180 mph (290 km/h), but this is disputed by authorities.