Hurricane Alice (December 1954)

Hurricane Alice, officially designated as the final tropical cyclone of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season, was an unusual and notable late-season hurricane. It formed in late December 1954 and persisted into early January 1955, marking one of the rare instances of a hurricane spanning across two calendar years.

Alice originated in the southwestern Caribbean Sea on December 30, 1954. It quickly intensified into a tropical storm and then a hurricane, reaching its peak intensity with sustained winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) on January 2, 1955. The hurricane followed a generally northward track.

Alice made landfall on the Leeward Islands, specifically Saint Martin and Saba, on January 2nd, 1955, causing damage primarily from heavy rainfall and strong winds. While not exceptionally strong, its unusual timing and impact on the islands garnered considerable attention.

The storm weakened after passing through the Leeward Islands and eventually dissipated on January 6, 1955, over the open Atlantic Ocean.

The occurrence of a hurricane so late in the year is highly atypical, as conditions in the Atlantic basin are generally less favorable for tropical cyclone formation during the winter months. Hurricane Alice remains a significant example of the variability of Atlantic hurricane seasons and a reminder that tropical cyclone activity, although generally concentrated in the summer and fall, can occur outside the typical window. It serves as a historical case study for meteorologists examining the factors that contribute to late-season hurricane formation.