1919 Florida Keys hurricane
IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1919 Atlantic hurricane season |
The 1919 Florida Keys hurricane (also known as the 1919 Key West hurricane)
The hurricane developed near the
Meteorological history
Based on isolated observations east of the
At 06:00 UTC on September 7, the cyclone strengthened to hurricane intensity north of
From September 10 to September 14, the tropical cyclone traversed the Gulf of Mexico, maintaining a powerful intensity. On September 12, the hurricane briefly weakened to Category 3 intensity before restrengthening shortly thereafter. The following day, the storm reached a secondary peak intensity with winds of 145 mph (233 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 931 mbar (931 hPa; 27.5 inHg) over the western Gulf of Mexico before weakening precipitously afterwards.[3] At 21:00 UTC on September 14, the hurricane made its final landfall near Baffin Bay as a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) and a central pressure of 950 mbar (950 hPa; 28 inHg). Upon moving ashore, the storm was unusually large; its radius of maximum winds measured 40 mi (64 km) compared to the average of 21 mi (34 km) for storms of similar intensities.[2] As the hurricane tracked further inland, land interaction weakened the cyclone, with winds dropping below hurricane-force on September 15 and then below tropical storm-force the next day. By 18:00 UTC on September 16, the tropical cyclone had dissipated over West Texas, near the border between Texas and Mexico.[3]
Preparations
Due to the lack of hurricane observations at sea, the first
Impact
The Bahamas and Cuba
Deadliest United States hurricanes | |||
---|---|---|---|
Rank | Hurricane | Season | Fatalities |
1 | 4 "Galveston" | 1900 | 8,000–12,000 |
2 | 4 "San Ciriaco" | 1899 | 3,400 |
3 | 4 Maria | 2017 | 2,981 |
4 | 5 "Okeechobee" | 1928 | 2,823 |
5 | 4 "Cheniere Caminada" | 1893 | 2,000 |
6 | 3 Katrina | 2005 | 1,392 |
7 | 3 "Sea Islands" | 1893 | 1,000–2,000 |
8 | 3 "Indianola" | 1875 | 771 |
9 | 4 "Florida Keys" | 1919 | 745 |
10 | 2 "Georgia" | 1881 | 700 |
Reference: NOAA, GWU[8][9][nb 2] |
While passing through the Bahamas on September 8, the Ward Line steamer Corydon struck land and later sank during the storm. The ship was not found until September 11, at which time it was discovered that 27 people on board had drowned while nine others managed to survive after swimming to shore.
Although the hurricane never made landfall on Cuba, the storm's close proximity to the northern stretches of the island led to considerable impacts. A strong storm surge combined with wind-swept waves topped the Havana seawall, flooding areas of the city as far as six blocks inland and prompting the evacuation of homes at risk. The inundation also disabled some of Havana's tram systems and halted automotive traffic.[13]
United States
A tornado, spawned by the hurricane, struck
This large storm spread winds of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) across
Aftermath
The storm surge caused by this hurricane prompted the city of Corpus Christi to construct a breakwater in 1925, and a seawall was subsequently built in 1940.[21] Robert Simpson, a storm survivor who was 6 years old at the time, related his experience in an interview in 1989. Simpson, citing inspiration from this hurricane, pursued a career in meteorology and later served as the first director of the National Hurricane Research Project and as a director of the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Additionally, he co-developed and published the Saffir–Simpson scale with Herbert Saffir in 1973, a hurricane intensity scale implemented by The Loop Organisation in 1974.[22]
See also
- List of Florida hurricanes
- List of Texas hurricanes (1900–49)
Notes
- ^ All monetary values in 1919 United States dollars unless otherwise noted.
- ^ The storm category color indicates the intensity of the hurricane when landfalling in the U.S.
References
- S2CID 1785238. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Landsea, Chris; et al. (April 2014). "Documentation of Atlantic Tropical Cyclones Changes in HURDAT". Miami, Florida: Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g "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.
- ^ . Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- ^ Hurricane Research Division. "Chronological List of All Hurricanes: 1851 – 2013". Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
- ^ H. C. Frankenfield. Special Forecasts and Warnings: Weather and Crops. Retrieved on 2008-09-30.
- ^ Blake, Eric S; Landsea, Christopher W; Gibney, Ethan J; National Climatic Data Center; National Hurricane Center (August 10, 2011). The deadliest, costliest and most intense United States tropical cyclones from 1851 to 2010 (and other frequently requested hurricane facts) (PDF) (NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS NHC-6). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. p. 47. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
- ^ "Ascertainment of the Estimated Excess Mortality from Hurricane María in Puerto Rico" (PDF). Milken Institute of Public Health. August 27, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
- ^ Staff Writer (September 12, 1919). "27 Lives Lost When Ward Liner Corydon Founders In Storm". The Hartford Courant. Viewed March 14, 2010.
- ^ Staff Writer (September 8, 1919). "Two Schooners Lost With All On Board". The Lewiston Daily Sun. p. 35. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
- ^ Staff Writer (September 9, 1919). "Lifeboats Sink As Ship Founders In Bahama Gale". The Gazette Times. p. 2. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
- ^
- ^ Richard W. Gray. A Tornado Within a Hurricane Area. Retrieved on 2008-09-30.
- ^ ISBN 0-9618707-1-0
- ^ Christopher W. Landsea; et al. (December 2012). Documentation of Atlantic Tropical Cyclones Changes in HURDAT. Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (Report). Miami, Florida: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- ^ David M. Roth (April 8, 2010). Texas Hurricane History (PDF). Weather Prediction Center (Report). Camp Springs, Maryland: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. pp. 38–39. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- ^ Keys History.org
- Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. pp. 38–39. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
- ^ Jeff Masters (December 19, 2014). "Hurricane Science Legend Dr. Robert Simpson Dies at Age 102". Weather Underground. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
External links
- Hurricane info on about.com Archived September 19, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
- History of the 1919 Atlantic Gulf Hurricane at the National Weather Service, includes many damage photographs
- Historic photos of the 1919 Hurricane from the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, hosted by the Portal to Texas History