320 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1956 



Figure 11. — The 200-mb. (about 40,000 feet) contour map when hurricane lone was begin- 

 ning to accelerate toward the east-northeast. Wind direction and wind speed (in knots) 

 are indicated at three stations near the hurricane center (see tropical storm symbol $). 

 The heavy arrow indicates the past and future movement of the storm. 



to have reached hurricane intensity ; by September 2 the center passed 

 over the Florida Keys with the lowest central pressure that has ever 

 been recorded at sea level in the Western Hemisphere, 26.35 inches of 

 mercury. Hurricane Janet of 1955 has already been listed as one of 

 the most severe storms of the century. The eye of this hurricane 

 passed just south of the Island of Barbados on September 22. It was 

 described as an immature hurricane with a very narrow band of 

 hurricane winds around the eye. The hurricane reconnaissance plane 

 that observed the storm at this time reported that the wall of cloud 

 around the eye was only 5 miles wide but the turbulence was very 

 severe. Maximum winds were estimated as 110 to 120 m.p.h. on the 

 south shore of Barbados, but the wind speed dropped off very rapidly 

 20 miles out from the edge of the eye. According to Dunn, Davis, and 

 Moore [7], hurricane Janet proceeded on a course generally toward 

 the west in the eastern Caribbean for the next several days with some 



