This is still the largest hurricane of record to hit Texas and covered the entire Gulf of Mexico. For 3 days (9/10-9/12) it hung off theTexas coast between Corpus Christi and Port Author with eye winds varying between 125 and 175 mph. I lived in Corpus Christi, three blocks from the bay, and we didn't dare go outside until the 4th day since hurricane force winds extended along the coast. It went into Port Lavaca with 175 mph winds. SCUBA MOM
Hurricane Carla
September 9-12, 1961
The most powerful tropical system to affect the Texas coast in over 40 years…Hurricane Carla made landfall between Port O’Connor and Port Lavaca on the day of September 11, 1961. In the open waters of the Gulf, a minimum central pressure of 931mb, or 27.50 inches along with maximum sustained wind speeds over 150 mph, made Carla a category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity. When the "eye" or center of Hurricane Carla made landfall early in the morning of the 11th, the intensity had dropped off but the storm was still packing winds of 120 mph in areas from Port O’Connor up the coast to Galveston. The "eye" of the storm came within 65 miles to the east of Corpus Christi.
Hurricane warnings were issued along the entire Texas coast on the 9th prompting immediate evacuation of all islands just offshore and low coastal areas. The wind, not the rain, became the major weather factor for the Coastal Bend area. Preliminary wind reports from locations hit hardest by Carla indicated sustained wind speeds of 115 mph in Matagorda…110 mph in Victoria…and 88 mph in Galveston. Peak wind gusts were estimated at 150 mph in Victoria and 170 mph at Port Lavaca! Average wind gusts of 80 to 90 mph were reported across Corpus Christi, with a peak wind of 81 mph recorded at the tower of the Weather Bureau Office, before failure of the instrument.
Rainfall amounts were heaviest from Port Lavaca up the coast to Galveston and within 50 miles inland, ranging from 10 to 16 inches in some spots. Galveston Airport recorded 16.49" of rain in a four-day period. Closer to home, at the airport in Corpus Christi, a relatively light 1.22" fell, but downtown Corpus had 5.15". Victoria recorded a notable 6.25" of rain.
Lowest central pressure recorded at the Corpus airport was 28.88" and at the navy base, 28.73". As the center of the storm passed over Port Lavaca, a calibrated barometer positioned at a dredging company recorded the lowest pressure anywhere on land, with 27.62" before the needle dipped below the reported scale.
With the intense wind, storm surge became a major problem. In some areas from Port Aransas to Sabine Pass, tides were 10 feet above normal…the highest levels since the storm of 1919. One report out of Port Lavaca had a tide level 18.5 feet above normal. The above normal tides produced extensive beach and inland damage to houses and businesses. Over the Corpus Christi area, most of the damage was to roofs, power and telephone lines, trees, and signs. One exception, were low-lying areas, which became flooded from heavy rain and caused more extensive damage. Estimated damage costs exceeded $300 million in Texas, with property losses being the primary contributor. In Nueces County alone, over $12 million in damage was reported from a combination of property damage and severe crop losses.
When it was all said and done, 43 people lost their lives to Hurricane Carla…31 known in the state of Texas.