1976 Atlantic hurricane season facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
1976 Atlantic hurricane season

Season summary map
First storm formed	May 21, 1976
Last storm dissipated	October 28, 1976
Strongest storm	Belle – 957 mbar (hPa) (28.27 inHg), 120 mph (195 km/h) (1-minute sustained)
Total storms	10
Hurricanes	6
Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+)	2
Total fatalities	72
Total damage	$100 million (1976 USD)
Atlantic hurricane seasons 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978

The 1976 Atlantic hurricane season was a time when tropical storms and hurricanes formed in the Atlantic Ocean. It officially started on June 1, 1976, and ended on November 30, 1976. But sometimes storms can form outside these dates, and one did in 1976! The most important storm this year was Hurricane Belle, which caused about $100 million in damage in the United States.

Understanding Storms: What Happened in 1976?

During the 1976 season, there were 23 tropical or subtropical weather systems. Out of these, 10 became named storms, and 6 grew strong enough to be called hurricanes. Two of these hurricanes became "major hurricanes," meaning they were very powerful.

Here are the named storms from the 1976 season:

• Subtropical Storm One
• Tropical Storm Anna
• Hurricane Belle
• Hurricane Candice
• Tropical Storm Dottie
• Hurricane Emmy
• Hurricane Frances
• Hurricane Gloria
• Hurricane Holly
• Subtropical Storm Three

Hurricane Belle: A Powerful Storm

Hurricane Belle was the most damaging storm of the 1976 season. It formed on August 6 and quickly grew stronger as it moved north. Belle became a hurricane on August 7 and reached its strongest point with winds of 105 miles per hour.

Belle caused a lot of rain and strong winds as it moved up the East Coast of the United States. It made landfall near Long Island, New York, on August 10. The storm caused flooding, power outages, and damage to homes and businesses. Even though it was a strong storm, many people were evacuated, which helped keep the number of injuries low. The total damage from Hurricane Belle was about $100 million.

Other Notable Storms

• Hurricane Emmy and Hurricane Frances: These two hurricanes showed an interesting weather event called the Fujiwhara effect. This is when two tropical cyclones get close enough to each other that they start to orbit around a common center.
• Hurricane Gloria and Hurricane Holly: These were the other two major hurricanes of the season, reaching strong wind speeds.

Naming Storms: The 1976 List

Storms are given names to make them easier to track and talk about. For the 1976 Atlantic hurricane season, the names used were:

Retired Names: What Happens Next?

Sometimes, if a hurricane causes a lot of damage or deaths, its name is "retired." This means the name will not be used again for another storm in the future. This is done to prevent confusion and to honor the victims of the storm.

For the 1976 season, none of the storm names were retired. This means names like Anna, Belle, and Candice could have been used again in later hurricane seasons.

Images for kids

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  The Fujiwhara interaction between hurricanes Emmy and Frances on August 31

• 

  Rainfall accumulations from Tropical Depression Ten in Puerto Rico

See also

In Spanish: Temporada de huracanes en el Atlántico de 1976 para niños