Hurricane Dog (1950)

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For other storms of the same name, see List of storms named Dog.

Hurricane Dog
A drawn weather map of Hurricane Dog. The storm is depicted to be north of Puerto Rico. The eastern tip of North Carolina is seen in the top-left portion of the map.
Surface weather analysis of Hurricane Dog on September 4
Meteorological history
FormedAugust 30, 1950
ExtratropicalSeptember 11, 1950
DissipatedSeptember 18, 1950
Category 4 hurricane
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS)
Highest winds145 mph (230 km/h)
Lowest pressure943 mbar (hPa); 27.85 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities31
Damage$3 million (1950 USD)
Areas affectedLesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, East Coast of the United States, Bermuda, Atlantic Canada, Northern Ireland, Scotland
IBTrACSEdit this at Wikidata
Part of the 1950 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Dog was the most intense

extratropical
on September 12.

Hurricane Dog caused extensive damage to the Leeward Islands, and was considered the most severe hurricane on record in Antigua. Many buildings were destroyed or severely damaged on the island, with thousands left homeless just weeks after Hurricane Baker caused serious damage there. In the United States, the hurricane caused moderate coastal damage, including damage to several boats, and resulted in 11 offshore drownings. Strong winds caused widespread power outages across southeastern New England. There were twelve people missing and assumed dead offshore Nova Scotia. Damage across its path totaled about $3 million (1950 USD$, 26.8 million 2009 USD).

Meteorological history

Map plotting the storm's track and intensity, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
Map key
Saffir–Simpson scale
  Tropical depression (≤38 mph, ≤62 km/h)
  Tropical storm (39–73 mph, 63–118 km/h)
  Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
  Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
  Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
  Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
  Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
  Unknown
Storm type
triangle Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depression

The exact origins of Hurricane Dog are obscure, due to sparse ship and land observations over the eastern Atlantic Ocean; the storm may have originated from an

Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.[2] A weather station on Antigua reported a pressure of 28.73 inches of mercury (973 mb), though the eye of the hurricane missed the station.[1] After bypassing Antigua, Hurricane Dog weakened slightly, based on reports by reconnaissance aircraft; the cyclone made its first and only landfall over Anguilla with winds of 120 to 125 mph (193 to 201 km/h). The cyclone produced hurricane-force winds over Antigua and the nearby island of Saint Martin, which reported a pressure of 978.7 mb (28.90 inHg).[3][4]

Early on September 2, Hurricane Dog came under weak

reanalysis of HURDAT by the Hurricane Research Division found that the peak winds in Hurricane Dog were more likely 145 mph (230 km/h), marking a reduction in the intensity of Hurricane Dog from Category 5 to Category 4.[1] Nevertheless, while now estimated to have been less intense than assessed operationally in 1950, Dog was a formidable hurricane while over the western Atlantic, producing wave heights of over 100 feet (30 m).[4]

Hurricane Dog maintained its peak intensity for about 12 hours.[2] On September 7, the cyclone attained a central pressure of 948 mbar (27.99 inHg), which was the lowest pressure in association with the hurricane.[6] A building ridge of high pressure to its north caused it to decelerate and weaken steadily for unknown reasons as it turned to the west; by September 9, the intensity had decreased to 75 mph (121 km/h).[2] On September 10, Hurricane Dog began turning to the northwest, and a day later it headed north and then northeast. Late that day, it briefly re-intensified slightly to 100 mph (161 km/h) before transitioning into an extratropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds.[2] The former hurricane passed within 200 miles (320 km) of Cape Cod on September 12. Shortly afterwards, the extratropical remnant turned to the east, losing hurricane winds for several days beginning on September 13.[2] The system eventually turned to the northeast on September 15, and a day later it regained hurricane-force winds as a vigorous extratropical cyclone. Early on September 17, the cyclone struck Scotland with winds of 75 mph (121 km/h), but the system persisted until finally losing its identity north of Scotland on September 18.[4][2]

Preparations

In the United States, the threat of the hurricane prompted the

National Weather Bureau to issue warnings of gale-force winds, high tides, and rough surf from the Outer Banks of North Carolina to Maine. At least 17 naval ships were moved in preparation for the hurricane. Rhode Island state police officers warned homeowners near the coast to be ready to evacuate, if necessary. There, officials also closed several beaches and canceled ferry travel along the state's southern waterways.[7]
On the day of the hurricane's closest approach to the United States, the National Weather Bureau issued storm warnings from Cape May, New Jersey, to Eastport, Maine.[8]

Impact

Passing through the

Saint-Barthélemy, where damage amounted to $70,000 (1950 USD$, 624,191 2009 USD).[12]

Heavy rain fell in the

Nantucket.[13][14] In Provincetown, a car hit a woman—neither the driver nor the victim was able to see due to the rains. A man in Falmouth was paralyzed from the waist downwards after coming into contact with a wet tree limb next to a downed power line.[8]

The hurricane produced high tides and rough surf along the

1944 Great Atlantic Hurricane.[8] Hurricane Dog produced powerful wind gusts along coastal areas of New England, which caused widespread power outages, including a loss of power to 15 towns on Cape Cod, to hundreds of residences on Nantucket, and to several other locations in the area. Additionally, winds from the hurricane destroyed two small barns and uprooted a few trees, some of which blocked roads.[8] Overall damage was fairly light, totaling about $2 million (1950 USD$, 17.8 million 2009 USD)—a much lower total than would have been expected if the hurricane had made landfall. In all, 12 people died in New England as a result of the hurricane.[4] Two ships went missing during the storm along the coast of Nova Scotia, with a crew of six people each; their status is unknown, and they are considered storm fatalities.[15]

Records, naming, and aftermath

Before scientific reexamination reduced its winds, Hurricane Dog was listed as the second-strongest Atlantic hurricane on record, tied with Hurricanes

Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet.[16] However, Hurricane Dog was referred to as "the great hurricane in the central Atlantic" in newspaper reports, and its name was seldom used.[11] Operationally, hurricanes were not referred to by name until 1952.[17]

A relief fund was organized in the aftermath of the hurricane by The Daily Gleaner, a newspaper from Kingston, Jamaica. The newspaper invited its readers to help assist "their suffering fellow-West Indians in the island of Antigua."[18] Four days after the hurricane, the fund totaled £171,000 (1950 GBP, $4.27 million 2009 USD). One Antigua official stated the country "would appreciate voluntary assistance from outside, especially food and clothing".[18] Relief aid was also sent from the United States to the affected islands.[19]

See also

  • List of Atlantic hurricanes

References

  1. ^ a b c d e National Hurricane Center; Hurricane Research Division; Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (March 2014). "Atlantic hurricane best track (HURDAT) Meta Data". United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Oceanic & Atmospheric Research. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Atlantic hurricane best track (HURDAT version 2)" (Database). United States National Hurricane Center. April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2024. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ Meteorological Service of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba (2006). "Hurricanes and Tropical Storms in the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2007. Retrieved April 1, 2007.
  4. ^
    ISSN 0027-0644
    . Retrieved November 1, 2007.
  5. S2CID 129284686
    . Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  6. ^ Winston, Jay S (1950). "The Weather and Circulation of September 1950" (PDF). U.S. Weather Bureau. Retrieved December 28, 2008.
  7. ^ a b "Hurricane Winds, High Tides Due Along Newport Shore Tonight". The Newport Daily News. Associated Press. September 11, 1950.
  8. ^ a b c d e Lowell Sun (September 12, 1950). "Hurricane Misses Nantucket".
  9. ^ Hurricanecity.com (2006). "Antigua Hurricanes". Retrieved April 1, 2007.
  10. ^ International News Service (September 2, 1950). "Second Hurricane Lashes Caribbean". The Charleston Gazette.
  11. ^ a b Canadian Press (September 2, 1950). "Havoc Heaped On Antigua As Storm Strikes Again". Daily Gleaner.
  12. ^ Edouard Magras (2006). "St-Barth Weekly" (PDF). Le Journal de Saint-Barth. Retrieved April 1, 2007.
  13. ^ National Weather Service and the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University at Albany: State University of New York (2001). "41 Tropical Cyclones producing > 4 inches of rainfall in the Northeast U.S. during the period 1950–2001" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 21, 2007. Retrieved April 1, 2007.
  14. ^ National Weather Service and the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University at Albany: State University of New York (2001). "Hurricane Dog Storm Track and Precipitation". Archived from the original on February 25, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2007.
  15. ^ Environment Canada (2009). "Dog - 1950". Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  16. ^ Atlantic Tropical Weather Center (2003). "Tropical cyclone naming". Retrieved April 2, 2007.
  17. ^ O'Neil Hendrick (August 31, 1952). "Coastal City Whipped by Hurricane". Associated Press.
  18. ^ a b Staff Writer (September 5, 1950). "Gleaner Opens Antigua Fund". The Daily Gleaner.
  19. ^ "Hurricane Relief Rushed". Associated Press. September 12, 1950.

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