Hurricane Flora was an extremely deadly and devastating tropical cyclone that is among the deadliest Atlantic hurricanes in recorded history, with a death total of at least 7,193. The seventh tropical storm and sixth hurricane of the 1963 Atlantic hurricane season, Flora developed from a disturbance in the Intertropical Convergence Zone on September 26 while located 755 miles (1,215 km) southwest of the Cape Verde islands. After remaining a weak depression for several days, it rapidly organized on September 29 to attain tropical storm status. Flora continued to strengthen, reaching Category 3 hurricane status after moving through the Windward Islands and passing over Tobago, and it reached maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour (240 km/h) in the Caribbean.