1930 Dominican Republic Hurricane
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| Category 4 hurricane (SSHS) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Formed | August 31, 1930 | |
| Dissipated | September 17, 1930 | |
| Highest winds |
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| Lowest pressure | 933 mbar (hPa) | |
| Damage | $50 million (1930 USD) | |
| Fatalities | 2,000-8,000 | |
| Areas affected |
Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, Florida | |
| Part of the 1930 Atlantic hurricane season |
||
The 1930 Dominican Republic Hurricane (Hurricane San Zenon) was a small but intense Category 4 hurricane during the 1930 Atlantic hurricane season. This tropical cyclone killed as many as 8,000 people when it crossed Hispaniola, making it the fifth deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record.
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[edit] Storm history
On August 25, a tropical storm was first observed to the south of the Cape Verde islands, likely having formed from a tropical wave. It moved steadily westward, and attained hurricane status on August 31 while located about 495 miles east of Guadeloupe. [1] It moved just south of due west, and strengthened into a hurricane later on the 31st. The hurricane continued to slowly strengthen, and reached winds of 95 mph as it crossed the northern Lesser Antilles on September 1. The Leeward Islands reported strong winds, and a steamship named Lady Hawkins gave detail to the location of the intensifying hurricane.
A small cyclone, the hurricane quickly strengthened over the Caribbean Sea, and reached major hurricane status just off the southern coast of Puerto Rico on September 2. It slowed to a west-northwest drift and intensified, peaking as a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale with 150 mph winds and a pressure of 933 mbar late on September 3. Soon after, the intense hurricane struck southern Dominican Republic near Santo Domingo. The city experienced very intense wind gusts estimated from 180-200 mph.
While crossing Hispaniola on September 3 and September 4, the hurricane rapidly weakened over the mountainous terrain to a 70 mph tropical storm as it entered the Windward Passage. After spending less than 12 hours over waters with a severely disrupted circulation, the storm hit southeastern Cuba late on the 4th, and paralleled the southern coast of the island. It briefly emerged into the Caribbean Sea on the 5th, but moved back ashore as it continued its west-northwest motion.
On September 6, the minimal tropical storm reached the Gulf of Mexico. Its motion changed to a northeast drift, where it crossed Florida near Tampa Bay on September 9. It accelerated to the northeast, where it was finally able to re-organize over the warm Gulf Stream waters. On September 12, it became a hurricane again to the east of South Carolina, and reached a secondary peak of 95 mph on the 14th as it turned eastward. It weakened over the Northern Atlantic, and dissipated on September 17.
[edit] Impact
| Deadliest Atlantic hurricanes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Hurricane | Season | Fatalities |
| 1 | "Great Hurricane" | 1780 | 22,000 |
| 2 | Mitch | 1998 | 11,000 – 18,000 |
| 3 | "Galveston" | 1900 | 8,000 – 12,000 |
| 4 | Fifi | 1974 | 8,000 – 10,000 |
| 5 | "Dominican Republic" | 1930 | 2,000 – 8,000 |
| 6 | Flora | 1963 | 7,186 – 8,000 |
| 7 | "Pointe-a-Pitre" | 1776 | 6,000+ |
| 8 | "Newfoundland | 1775 | 4,000 – 4,163 |
| 9 | "Okeechobee" | 1928 | 4,075+ |
| 10 | "San Ciriaco" | 1899 | 3,433+ |
| Main article: List of deadliest Atlantic hurricanes | |||
While crossing the Lesser Antilles, the hurricane had a relatively minor effect, bringing flooding and shipping delays.
Puerto Rico received heavy rains up to 6 inches, where it was a welcome relief to the rain-parched island. An unusual occurrence happened when the southern part of the island, the part nearest to the hurricane, felt only 1-2 inches of rain.
The city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic was nearly destroyed from the hurricane's strong winds. There, damage was estimated at $50 million (1930 USD). The death toll is estimated between 2,000 to 8,000 people. The rest of Hispaniola fared well, with little damage or flooding being seen. This is due to the small nature of the storm, as well as the effect the mountains had at rapidly weakening the hurricane.
