Extreme Heat Across the Southern U.S.; Severe Thunderstorms and Heavy Rain in the Plains and Mississippi Valley

A heat wave over the Southwest will intensify late week, peaking and expanding into the Intermountain West and northern High Plains this weekend. Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain are expected over portions of the Plains and Mississippi Valley tonight, which will shift to parts of the Upper Midwest and mid-Mississippi Valley Friday. Monsoonal showers and flooding persist in the Desert Southwest. Read More >

Unnamed Tropical Storm

June 11-16, 1956

A tropical depression formed in the Bay of Campeche late on June 11^th and strengthened into a tropical storm during the afternoon on June 12^th as it continued to move due northward. The tropical storm continued to slowly strengthen as it moved northward, being steered by a mid to upper level ridge of high pressure across the Caribbean and a mid to upper level low over Texas and Louisiana. The tropical storm made landfall near Cocodrie, Louisiana at 11 AM CST June 13^th with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (50 knots).

The weakening tropical storm continued northward across Southeast Louisiana and Southwest Mississippi that afternoon and evening, weakening to a tropical depression near Vicksburg, Mississippi. The upper level low over Louisiana began to turn the weakening depression northwest across Arkansas, where it dissipated early on the 16^th. This storm did not receive a name, as it was found to be of tropical storm strength during the post season analysis. Click here for an interactive map of the tropical storm.

Four people drowned, three of them when a tug boat sank off the Mississippi Coast, and the other, a truck driver skidded off the Lake Pontchartrain bridge and plunged into the lake.

WIND & PRESSURE:
No tropical storm force winds were reported west of the Atchafalaya river. Winds of 55 mph were reported at Grand Isle, Louisiana at 7:15 AM CST. A boat near Pilottown, Louisiana reported gusts to 60 mph from the south-southeast. The lowest minimal central pressure measured on land of 1004.4 millibars (29.66 inches) was reported at Moissant Airport in New Orleans, Louisiana and at McComb, Mississippi. ^{Observations obtained from the Hurricane Re-analysis Project (1956) and hourly surface observations from the}National Centers for Environmental Information (NECI).

STORM SURGE:
No significant coastal flooding was reported west of the Atchafalaya River. Further east across Southeast Louisiana, tides ran around 1 to 4 feet above mean sea level (MSL). The highest tides reported in Louisiana was 4.5 feet MSL at the sulfur mines on the coast south of Houma. A higher tide of 4.7 feet MSL was reported at Biloxi, Mississippi.

RAINFALL:
Storm total rainfall varied from 1 to 4 inches over Southeast Texas, Central and South-Central Louisiana. Greater amounts of 4 to 6 inches were measured over the Atchafalaya Basin, with the highest report of 6.02 inches reported near present day I-10 at the Atchafalaya River. Higher rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches were recorded over Southeast Louisiana with the highest total of 8.89 inches recorded at Golden Meadow, Louisiana. For complete rainfall totals reported across our region, see the Rainfall section.

TORNADOES:
No tornadoes were reported.

Additional Data, Maps, Tables
Wind and Pressure		Storm Rainfall

Other Post Tropical Cyclone Reports
Monthly Weather Review - 1956 Atlantic Hurricane Season Summary

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Extreme Heat Across the Southern U.S.; Severe Thunderstorms and Heavy Rain in the Plains and Mississippi Valley

Unnamed Tropical Storm 1956