Meteorological History
A convective area in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) developed into a tropical depression on September 5 east of the Lesser Antilles. It moved slowly through the islands, and on September 7 it became Tropical Storm Beulah. The next day Beulah reached hurricane strength while continuing slowly west-northwestward. It began to rapidly intensify, reaching an initial peak of 150 miles per hour (240 km/h) winds while south of the Mona Passage. It passed south of Hispaniola. Land interaction and upper level shear greatly weakened the hurricane to a 60 mph (97 km/h) tropical storm.
Once over the western Caribbean, favorable conditions again returned, letting Beulah strengthen to a 115 miles per hour (185 km/h) major hurricane. On September 16, Beulah weakened and made landfall near Cozumel, Mexico, as a 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) hurricane. It weakened slightly over land, but once over the Gulf of Mexico, conditions were very favorable. It rapidly intensified, reaching its peak as a Category 5 storm with 160 miles per hour (260 km/h) winds. In terms of size, Beulah became the third largest hurricane on record, at the time.
Subsequently, Hurricane Beulah made landfall south of the mouth of the Rio Grande as a Category 5 storm. However, the hurricane weakened over land and produced Category 3 conditions in Texas. Beulah drifted over Texas, moving southwestward into Mexico where it dissipated on September 22.
Read more about this topic: Hurricane Beulah
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“As History stands, it is a sort of Chinese Play, without end and without lesson.”
—Henry Brooks Adams (1838–1918)