1. Hurricane Camille
50th Anniversary

2. Hurricane Camille: By the Numbers
$1.4 Billion – Cost of damages; adjusted for inflation, it
would have been $9.6 billion in 2019 dollars.
900 mb – In terms of pressure, Camille is the 2nd most
intense hurricane to make landfall in the US (most
intense was 1935 Labor Day Hurricane – 892mb)
259 – Number of fatalities which occurred in association
with Camille. 143 of these occurred along the coasts
of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama
172 mph – Estimated maximum sustained winds at landfall;
All anemometers on the MS coast failed during
landfall
22.6 ft – Maximum storm surge, measured at Pass Christian
The intensity of Camille was reanalyzed, with the pressure being revised down from 909 mb and the wind speed being revised down from 190 mph.

3. Hurricane Camille: Timeline
Loses Tropical Status:
August 22nd – Morning
Landfall:
August 17th – 11 PM
Hurricane:
August 15th – Early Morning
Developed:
August 13th - Evening

4. Hurricane Camille:
An Evolving Forecast
Hurricane forecasting has come a long way since 1969!
2 ½ days before landfall: No forecast landfall location
2 days before: Forecast landfall in Eastern Gulf
1 day, 18 hours before: Hurricane Watch posted from Biloxi eastward to St Marks, FL; forecast to move toward the FL Panhandle
1 ½ days before: Hurricane Warning posted for NW Florida coast; Still no watch for West MS Coast
1 day before: Advisory headline
5 AM, morning of: Hurricane Warning west to Biloxi
14 hours before: Warning issued for landfall location

5. Hurricane Camille:
Radar Loop

6. Hurricane Camille:
Damage Pictures

7. Inspiring the Creation of a Scale
Hurricane Camille:
Inspiring the Creation of a Scale
There were no hurricane categories in 1969.
After Camille, an engineer named Herbert Saffir surveyed the damage on the MS coast, inspiring him to write a letter to the National Hurricane Center director at the time, Dr. Robert Simpson.
A few years later, the two created the Saffir-Simpson scale
It was introduced to the public in 1973

8. The Forgotten Disaster
Hurricane Camille:
The Forgotten Disaster
After moving inland, Camille dumped 10 to 30” of rain in parts of Virginia.
These extreme rains resulted in massive mudslides and occurred with little or no warning
153 lives were lost – a higher total than fatalities along the Gulf Coast

9. Hurricane Camille: MS Coast Then vs Now
Population density is increasing along the Mississippi coast, increasing vulnerable populations, infrastructure
2017 Population Density
1980 Population Density

10. Bill Parker - NWS Jackson
Questions?
Bill Parker - NWS Jackson