1900 Atlantic hurricane season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Season summary map |
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| First storm formed: | Aug. 27, 1900 |
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| Last storm dissipated: | Oct. 29, 1900 |
| Strongest storm: | Galveston Hurricane - 938 mbar (27.69 inHg), 125 knots (145 mph) |
| Total storms: | 7 |
| Major storms (Cat. 3+): | 2 |
| Total damage: | $60 million (1900 USD), $1.3 billion (2005 USD) |
| Total fatalities: | 8,000+ |
| Atlantic hurricane seasons 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902 |
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The 1900 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1900, and lasted until November 30, 1900. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin.
The 1900 season was below average, with seven tropical storms, of which three became hurricanes, two of them major.
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[edit] Storms
[edit] 1900 Galveston Hurricane
- Main article: Galveston Hurricane of 1900
The season had an average start with what would become the Great Galveston Hurricane forming in the south central Atlantic on August 27. It was first recorded immediately as a tropical storm, with winds of 40 mph (64 km/h). It plowed through the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Cuba as a tropical storm. After leaving Cuba and entering the Gulf of Mexico, it intensified rapidly into a Category 4 hurricane, packing 135 mph (217 km/h) winds. It slammed into Galveston, Texas, with astounding force. After ravaging that area, it quickly diminished into a tropical storm, and took a long track through the central United States, through Michigan, into New York and through Maine, all the while maintaining tropical storm status. All in all, the Great Galveston Hurricane is responsible for 8,000 to 12,000 deaths, making it the deadliest natural disaster ever to strike the United States.
[edit] Hurricane Two
Another storm formed unusually close in time to the previous one on September 8, to the north-east of the Lesser Antilles. It gathered steam as it tracked to the north-west, and became a strong Category 3 hurricane with maximum winds of 120 mph (193 km/h). Suddenly, it veered to the north and then tracked north-east away from any land, passing by Bermuda and into the north Atlantic, where it dissipated.
[edit] Hurricane Three
The rest of the season was fairly quiet, with the next hurricane forming off of Africa as a Cape Verde-type hurricane on September 9. This one turned north, reaching Category 2 status with maximum winds of 100 mph (161 km/h), then turned east and quickly performed a complete loop as a Category 1, sending it west, away from Africa. It continued on a west-northwesterly track, until it ran into unfavorable conditions and dissipated.
[edit] Tropical Storm Four
The next storm formed on September 10, directly south of Cuba. It skimmed the western-most tip of Cuba as a 40 mph (64 km/h) tropical storm, then made its way up to the United States, and hit at the southern tip of Alabama and Mississippi. It went up into Alabama, with maximum winds of 50 mph (80 km/h). It skimmed over Alabama and into Georgia, where it died out.
[edit] Tropical Storm Five
The next storm formed in about the same area as the last one on October 4, and went north-east as well. It then veered west, looking as if would hit the east coast of Florida. Suddenly, it turned north as a 70 mph (113 km/h) tropical storm. It continued north, where it eventually hit Nova Scotia. It went unusually far north, past Canada, before it dissipated.
[edit] Tropical Storm Six
On October 8, another storm formed to the south-east of the Yucatán Peninsula, and tracked north-west over it, back out into the Gulf of Mexico, then made its way north-northeast. It eventually hit near Gainesville, Florida, as a tropical storm packing 40 mph (64 km/h) winds. It exited Florida from the north-east, and continued going north-northeast and later north as it hugged its way up much of the East Coast of the United States. It made a second landfall on Long Island, New York, as a tropical storm with 35 mph (56 km/h) winds and shortly thereafter, near New Haven, Connecticut. It continued north-northeast into Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine, making its way into parts of Canada, where it eventually dissipated.
[edit] Tropical Storm Seven
The final storm of the season formed on October 23, very close east of the Lesser Antilles. It tracked west-northwest and grazed the Dominican Republic as a 40 mph (64 km/h) tropical storm. It ran into some of the Bahamas, and went north-northeast, dissipating out in the open Atlantic.
