1915 New Orleans hurricane
Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Formed | September 21, 1915 |
Dissipated | October 1, 1915 |
Category 4 major hurricane | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Highest winds | 145 mph (230 km/h) |
Lowest pressure | 931 mbar (hPa); 27.49 inHg |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 275–279 |
Damage | $13 million (1915 USD) |
Areas affected | Trinidad and Tobago, Windward Islands, Leeward Antilles, Venezuela, Colombia, Jamaica, Honduras, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Yucatán Peninsula, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Mexico |
IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1915 Atlantic hurricane season |
The New Orleans Hurricane of 1915 was an intense
Meteorological history
According to the
The hurricane maintained its gradual forward speed and fairly steady intensity as it approached the
Caribbean impacts
Owing to the scarcity of shipping traffic across much of the Caribbean Sea,
United States impacts
Preparations
As potential impacts on the United States became more clear, the
Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana
As the hurricane traversed the Gulf of Mexico from September 28 to September 29,
Storm surge and rough seas produced by the hurricane along the Louisiana coast arrived shortly before the storm made landfall. Evacuees departing the coast as late as September 28 reported no abnormal tides along the shore. However, sea levels began to rise at abnormally rapid rates on the morning of September 29 as the hurricane neared. By the afternoon hours, low-lying lands south of New Orleans and east towards Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, as well as areas adjacent to Lake Pontchartrain, were inundated by the quickly rising storm surge. Levee overtopping along Lake Pontchartrain resulted in the flooding of much of western New Orleans. Parts of Carrollton, New Orleans were submerged under as much as 8 ft (2.4 m) of water due to the levee failure, and much of this inundation remained for up to four days as the city's drainage system slowly drained the floodwaters; in other locations, floodwaters receded rapidly. At its height, the surge was estimated to have crested between 15 and 20 ft (4.6 and 6.1 m) in height, setting a record for the highest tide reported in the region. Ocean swells topped levees along the Mississippi River and progressed well upstream; at the confluence of the Harvey Canal and the Mississippi River nearly 100 mi (160 km) from the Gulf of Mexico, the river swelled to 6 ft (1.8 m) above normal. Elsewhere, waves 10–12 ft (3.0–3.7 m) above normal high tide were reported along the same river.[13]
Upon making landfall, onshore anemometers documented winds stronger than had been recorded in any previous hurricane along the
Roofs were blown off buildings and
The landmark Presbyterian Church on Lafayette Square collapsed, as did St. Anna's Episcopal Church on
The hurricane also caused significant damage in areas around New Orleans, including the destruction of 90% of buildings destroyed along Lake Pontchartrain. Only one house remained standing in Leeville, Louisiana; similar destruction occurred between Golden Meadow, Louisiana and Cut Off, Louisiana, where 100 houses were demolished.[13] In Morgan City, Louisiana, winds of 75 mph (121 km/h) blew down wires and crippled communication.[19] The total damage to infrastructure in areas surrounding New Orleans was estimated at US$6.5 million. The heaviest rain fell within an area 25 mi (40 km) east of the center, though heavy rainfall occurred throughout the eastern half of the tropical cyclone as it moved inland.[13] Franklin, Louisiana measured the highest rainfall associated with the storm with a reading of 14.43 in (36.7 cm); on September 30, 10.28 in (26.1 cm) of rain fell in Franklin, setting a September 24-hour rainfall record for the city.[4] Precipitation spread ahead of the hurricane as it interacted with a stationary front draped over the Southeastern United States, causing widespread rainfall totals in excess of 3 in (7.6 cm) across much of Mississippi and Alabama.[5] A 13-foot (4.0 m)
Areas along the Lower Coast (south of New Orleans) were hit even harder than the city. A telegraph report states the situation:
Whole country between Poydras and Buras inundated. Levees gone, property loss appalling. Life toll probably heavy. Conditions estimated worse than ever before. Relief needed. No communications...
There were 23 dead in
Some communities, including Breton Island and the town of Saint Malo, were completely destroyed.
Though it was not as deadly as the
Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi
Early reports that streets in Biloxi, Mississippi were inundated under 6 ft (1.8 m) were initially denied by Louisville and Nashville Railroad dispatchers. Mobile, Alabama did not experience significant damage as winds remained under 50 mph (80 km/h), though storm surge A local train carrying relief supplies from Mobile was sent to affected areas, though most train service in the region was suspended.
See also
- List of Atlantic hurricanes
- List of Category 4 Atlantic hurricanes
- 1909 Grand Isle hurricane – Deadly hurricane that struck similar areas of Louisiana, causing at least 400 deaths
- 1926 Louisiana hurricane – Caused widespread damage across southern Louisiana
- Hurricane Hilda (1964) – Slow-moving and powerful hurricane that spawned several damaging tornadoes across Louisiana
- Hurricane Betsy (1965) – Made landfall in Louisiana as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, causing widespread damage
- Hurricane Katrina (2005) – Made landfall in southeastern Louisiana as a massive major hurricane, causing over 1000 deaths and becoming the costliest tropical cyclone on record
- Hurricane Ida (2021) – Destructive Category 4 hurricane that caused widespread damage in southeastern Louisiana
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Landsea, Chris (May 2015). "Documentation of Atlantic Tropical Cyclones Changes in HURDAT". Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. Miami, FLorida: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Atlantic hurricane best track (HURDAT version 2)" (Database). United States National Hurricane Center. April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2024. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b Roth, David M. (January 13, 2010). "Louisiana Hurricane History" (PDF). National Weather Service. Camp Springs, Maryland: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. pp. 29–30. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
- ^ a b Schoner, R.W.; Molansky, S. (1956). "Rainfall Associated With Hurricanes (And Other Tropical Disturbances)" (PDF). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. pp. 36–37.
- ^ "Weather Department Unable to Tell Direction of Hurricane". The Houston Post. Vol. 30, no. 174. Houston, Texas: Newspapers.com. September 24, 1915. p. 7. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- ^ "Raw Tropical Storm/Hurricane Observations for Hurricane Six of 1915" (XLS). Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- ^ "Jamaica In Grip Of Gulf Hurricane". The News and Observer. Vol. 102, no. 88. Raleigh, North Carolina: Newspapers.com. Associated Press. September 25, 1915. p. 1. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- ^ "Cotton Market Also Booms". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 75, no. 208. Brooklyn, New York: Newspapers.com. September 27, 1915. p. 17. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- ^ a b "Storm Passed West Of Jamaica". The Houston Post. Vol. 30, no. 177. Houston, Texas: Newspapers.com. Associated Press. September 27, 1915. p. 1. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- ^ "Tropical Hurricane Moving Toward Yucatan Channel". The Houston Post. Vol. 30, no. 177. Houston, Texas: Newspapers.com. September 27, 1915. p. 1. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- ^ "Western Cuba Hit By Tropic Storm". The Houston Post. Vol. 30, no. 178. Houston, Texas: Newspapers.com. Associated Press. September 28, 1915. p. 1. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- ^ .
- ^ "Derelict Used As Anchor In Storm". The Deadwood Daily Pioneer-Times. Vol. 40. Deadwood, South Carolina: Newspapers.com. September 29, 1915. p. 3. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
- ^ a b c "10 Known Dead And Million Property Loss In Big Storm". The Houston Post. Vol. 30, no. 180. Houston, Texas: Newspapers.com. Associated Press. September 30, 1915. p. 1. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
- ^ "Wind Tore Wires Down". The Chanute Daily Tribune. Vol. 24, no. 151. Chanute, Kansas: Newspapers.com. September 29, 1915. p. 1. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
- ^ "Category 4 catastrophe: Remembering the unnamed hurricane of 1915". NOLA.com. 2017-09-26. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
- Times Picayune. New Orleans. 1915.
- ^ "West Indian Gale Passes Over South". Oakland Tribune. Vol. 84, no. 40. Oakland, California: Newspapers.com. September 29, 1915. p. 1. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
Further reading
- Widmer, Mary Lou (2007), New Orleans 1900 to 1920, Gretna: Pelican, ISBN 978-1-58980-401-2.
External links
- 1915 Hurricane - excerpts from contemporary local newspaper accounts
- The Hurricane of Sept. 29th, 1915, and Subsequent Heavy Rainfalls. New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board Report
- Great Storm of 1915 track (Weather Underground)
- Great Storm of 1915 track map (unisys)