Hurricane Allen was one of the strongest hurricanes in recorded history,reaching Category 5 intensity on three different occasions. Allen's highestsustained winds were 190 mph, matched only by Hurricane Camille in 1969. Thebig difference between the two was that Camille hit the Gulf Coast as a strongCategory 5 hurricane, while Allen weakened to Category 3 force prior tolandfall. Like Katrina, Allen was a big hurricane with a circulation thatfilled much of the Gulf of Mexico.The storm inflicted major damage on the Windward Islands, Haiti, Jamaica,the northern Yucatan, northern Mexico and southern Texas. Over 250 personsperished in the storm; most of those casualties were in Haiti.
Allen made landfall in southern Texas as a Category 3 hurricane withsustained winds of 115 mph and a storm surge of 12 feet. Heavy rain dumped insouthern Texas (10-20 inches) ended the region's summer-long drought.
Forecast by AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist John Kocet.
