1919 Florida Keys Hurricane
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
 The path of the Florida Keys Hurricane of 1919 |
|
| Duration | Sep. 2 - 14, 1919 |
| Highest winds | 131-155 mph (210-249 km/h) (approx.) sustained |
| Damages | $22 million (approx.) |
| Fatalities | 600-900 direct |
| Areas affected | Lesser Antilles; Bahamas; Dominican Republic South Florida, Southeastern Texas |
| Part of the 1919 Atlantic hurricane season | |
The Florida Keys Hurricane or Atlantic Gulf Hurricane of 1919 was an intense Atlantic hurricane.
Contents |
Storm history
The storm was first detected near the Lesser Antilles on September 2, 1919. It travelled to the west-northwest and hit the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, where it reached peak strength.
The storm's center grazed the Florida Keys on September 9 as a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It then entered the Gulf of Mexico and continued its general west-northwest track. The storm made landfall near Corpus Christi, Texas on September 14 as a Category 3 hurricane. Although the instruments needed to precisely measure a hurricane's wind speed were not available at the time, it is known that this hurricane produced a 12-foot storm surge in the Corpus Christi area, causing major damage.
The barometric pressure of the hurricane was taken, by a ship near the Dry Tortugas. It recorded a level of 27.37 inches (927 mb), making this hurricane one of the most intense in U.S. recorded history. It was the most intense hurricane to strike Key West in the 20th century.
| Most intense landfalling U.S. hurricanes Intensity is measured solely by central pressure |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Hurricane | Year | Landfall pressure |
| 1 | Labor Day | 1935 | 892 mbar (hPa) |
| 2 | Camille | 1969 | 909 mbar (hPa) |
| 3 | Katrina | 2005 | 918 mbar (hPa) |
| 4 | Andrew | 1992 | 922 mbar (hPa) |
| 5 | Indianola | 1886 | 925 mbar (hPa) |
| 6 | Florida Keys | 1919 | 927 mbar (hPa) |
| 7 | Okeechobee | 1928 | 929 mbar (hPa) |
| 8 | Donna | 1960 | 930 mbar (hPa) |
| 9 | New Orleans | 1915 | 931 mbar (hPa) |
| 10 | Carla | 1961 | 931 mbar (hPa) |
| Source: U.S. National Hurricane Center | |||
Impact
Of the approximately 600-900 people killed by the storm, roughly 500 of them were aboard ten ships lost at sea.
Trivia
One of the people forced to evacuate Corpus Christi was Bob Simpson, who would later become head of the National Hurricane Center and devise the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.
External links
- Hurricane info on about.com
- History of the 1919 Atlantic Gulf Hurricane at the National Weather Service, includes many damage photographs
 This tropical cyclone-, hurricane- or typhoon-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
