1940 South Carolina hurricane

Category 2 Atlantic hurricane in 1940 June 2012 1940 South Carolina hurricane South Carolina hurricane weather map, August 11, 1940.jpg Surface weather analysis of the hurricane nearing landfall in South Carolina on August 11 August 5, 1940 August 15, 1940 85 972 1940 50 direct, 2 indirect 13000000 Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia 1940 Atlantic hurricane season The 1940 South Carolina hurricane was a Category 2 hurricane that struck the Georgia and South Carolina coast between August 11 and 12, 1940. After forming north of the Leeward Islands, the storm moved west-northwest, moving east of the Bahamas before resuming a west-northwest track towards the Southeastern United States. Hurricane warnings were in effect for the United States coastline near and north of where the center made landfall. A 13-foot storm tide was measured along the South Carolina coast, while over 15 in mm of rain fell across northern North Carolina. Significant flooding and landslides struck Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia during the system's slow trek as a weakening tropical storm, and then as an extratropical cyclone, through the Southeast. The landslides which struck North Carolina were considered a once in a century event. Damages relating to the storm totaled $13 million (1940 USD) and 50 people perished. Meteorological history AL03 1940 path.png new Morning weather charts detected a "slight" disturbance between St. Martin and St. Thomas on August 5.http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/068/mwr-068-08-0217.pdf Tropical Disturbances of August 1940 1940 Jean H. Galenne American Meteorological Society 217–218 June 18, 2009 March 19, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090319220816/http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/068/mwr-068-08-0217.pdf live Around 18:00 UTC that day, a tropical depression developed about 30 mi km on west-northwest of Anegada in the British Virgin Islands. The storm moved moving west-northwest near the Mona Passage, bringing squalls of 44 mph km/h to San Juan, Puerto Rico. On August 6, the developing storm was near the southeastern Bahamas, bringing moderate to rough seas. The cyclone turned northward after its close approach to the southeastern Bahamas. By August 10 a ship reported that winds were hurricane force. In the afternoon of August 11, the hurricane made landfall near Beaufort, South Carolina where it moved inland and turned just northeast of Savannah, Georgia between 5 and 6 p.m. on the same day. Savannah's wind peaked at 73 mph km/h and the pressure fell to 28.78 inHg hPa. It was the area's worst storm in 29 years.Ivan Ray Tannehill Hurricanes Princeton University Press 1943 250–251 Hurricane-force winds were witnessed between Savannah and Charleston. Weakening into a tropical storm that evening, for the next four or five days the storm meandered inland as a weak tropical storm before evolving into an extratropical cyclone on the evening of August 14. Preparations and impact thumb|Rainfall totals from the hurricane from August 10-18|225x225px From August 7 and 9, small craft were advised to exercise caution over the eastern Bahamas and western subtropical Atlantic Ocean as the system approached the region.http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/dwm/1940/19400807.djvu United States Weather Bureau United States Weather Bureau Daily Weather Maps: August 7, 1940 August 7, 1940 December 23, 2009 United States Department of Commerce June 4, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120604001734/http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/dwm/1940/19400807.djvu livehttp://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/dwm/1940/19400808.djvu United States Weather Bureau United States Weather Bureau Daily Weather Maps: August 8, 1940 August 8, 1940 December 23, 2009 United States Department of Commerce June 4, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120604001803/http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/dwm/1940/19400808.djvu livehttp://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/dwm/1940/19400809.djvu United States Weather Bureau United States Weather Bureau Daily Weather Maps: August 9, 1940 August 9, 1940 December 23, 2009 United States Department of Commerce June 4, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120604001831/http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/dwm/1940/19400809.djvu live By 9:30 a.m. on August 10, small craft warnings were in effect for the extreme northern Bahamas, and along the United States coast from Miami, Florida to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/dwm/1940/19400810.djvu United States Weather Bureau United States Weather Bureau Daily Weather Maps: August 10, 1940 August 10, 1940 December 23, 2009 United States Department of Commerce June 4, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120604001906/http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/dwm/1940/19400810.djvu live By the morning of August 11, storm warnings were in effect from Wilmington, North Carolina northward to Cape Hatteras and from Savannah, Georgia to Fernandina Beach, Florida. Hurricane warnings were in effect from Savannah northward to Wilmington.http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/dwm/1940/19400811.djvu United States Weather Bureau United States Weather Bureau Daily Weather Maps: August 11, 1940 August 11, 1940 December 23, 2009 United States Department of Commerce March 3, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221722/http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/dwm/1940/19400811.djvu live All coastal warnings were dropped by August 12.http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/dwm/1940/19400811.djvu United States Weather Bureau United States Weather Bureau Daily Weather Maps: August 12, 1940 August 12, 1940 December 23, 2009 United States Department of Commerce March 3, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221722/http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/dwm/1940/19400811.djvu live thumb|left|Flooding in Weldon, North CarolinaA storm tide of 13 ft m was measured along the coast of South Carolina.Stephen P. Leatherman 213 http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=1993&page=213 Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems Hurricane Hugo, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Charleston, South Carolina, September 17–22, 1989 1994 10.17226/1993 978-0-309-04475-2 June 18, 2009 June 5, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110605080323/http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=1993&page=213 live The cyclone inflicted $1.5 million in damage in Charleston, South Carolina, while Savannah, Georgia received $1 million in damage. Damage to the country's coastline totaled $3 million (1940 USD). Two people at Savannah died, one of whom from heart failure due to fright. Near the point of landfall, a total of 10.84 in mm of rainfall fell at Beaufort, South Carolina within a 24-hour period.http://www.dnr.sc.gov/climate/sco/Tropics/hurricanes_affecting_sc.php South Carolina Hurricane Climatology South Carolina State Climatology Office 2009 June 18, 2009 South Carolina Department of Natural Resources December 30, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161230224755/http://www.dnr.sc.gov/climate/sco/Tropics/hurricanes_affecting_sc.php live The highest reported rainfall amount in Georgia was recorded was 13.68 in mm one mile east of Louisville while the highest amount in South Carolina was reported from Charleston, where 12.66 in mm fell. On the coastal areas where the hurricane hit, there was a considerable loss of life. Early press reports said that 35 had died. According to the Monthly Weather Review, the deaths were low because of hurricane warnings and evacuations. However, modern sources indicate that 50 people died during this storm.http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/NWS-TPC-5.pdf 7 Eric S. Blake Edward N. Rappaport Christopher W. Landsea Chris Landsea NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS TPC-5: The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense United States Tropical Cyclones From 1851 to 2006 (and Other Frequently Requested Hurricane Facts) National Hurricane Center April 15, 2007 December 23, 2009 March 7, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307022821/http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/NWS-TPC-5.pdf live thumb|225x225px|The Atlanta Constitution Newspaper on August 12, regarding the hurricane’s impact After leaving the coast, the dissipating storm brought heavy rains that sparked disastrous flash floods. The floods inundated much of Tennessee, the Carolinas and northern Georgia. Rainfall amounts across western North Carolina exceeded 15 in mm, with the highest amount recorded at Idlewild, where 20.65 in mm fell. Landslides were common in the mountains of western North Carolina, where it is considered a once in over 100 year landslide event.http://www.geology.enr.state.nc.us/Geologic_hazards_cost/costs.htm Geologic hazards: Dates, Level of Events, Damage and Indirect Costs North Carolina Geological Survey Richard Wooten August 2004 June 19, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20080802040150/http://www.geology.enr.state.nc.us/Geologic_hazards_cost/costs.htm August 2, 2008 dead The East Tennessee and Western North Carolina railroad line was severed so badly it ceased operation.https://books.google.com/books?id=oTEt2I1neQIC&q=hurricane+rainfall+august+1940+north+carolina&pg=PA121 North Carolina weather & climate Peter John Robinson 121 University of North Carolina Press 2005 978-0-8078-5625-3 June 18, 2009 The peak discharge of the flood along Wilson Creek near Adako, North Carolina was estimated at 99000 ft3/s m3/s.https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2008/5164/pdf/sir20085164_WilsonCreek.pdf Wilson Creek near Adako, North Carolina 149–150 United States Geological Survey United States Geological Survey October 14, 2008 June 18, 2009 June 5, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110605114802/http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2008/5164/pdf/sir20085164_WilsonCreek.pdf live A total of 26 perished during the Deep Gap Debris Flow in Watauga County, North Carolina alone.http://www.geology.enr.state.nc.us/Landslide_Info/Landslides_example_historical_events.htm Geologic hazards in North Carolina — Landslides North Carolina Geological Survey February 19, 2008 June 18, 2009 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20130128084049/http://www.geology.enr.state.nc.us/Landslide_Info/Landslides_example_historical_events.htm January 28, 2013 Major portions of the county were cut off for two weeks. Debris flows and flooding cut off U.S. Highway 421 in 21 places through a six-mile stretch of roadway between Deep Gap and Maple Springs in Wilkes County, North Carolina. Flooding destroyed 90% of the bridges in Caldwell County, North Carolina.https://wncsos.blogspot.com/2008/03/laurelmor-and-landslides.html Laurelmor and Landslides March 5, 2008 June 18, 2009 Western North Carolina Landslide Advisory Website August 7, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160807182848/http://wncsos.blogspot.com/2008/03/laurelmor-and-landslides.html live Press reports stated that 30 people died in the floods. Damage amounted to over $10 million (1940 USD).Millsboro Daily News August 16, 1940 Floods Surge Toward Surge March 23, 2008 http://www.thehurricanearchive.com/Viewer.aspx?img=51700375_clean&firstvisit=true&src=search&currentResult=4&currentPage=0 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20160114033603/http://www.thehurricanearchive.com/Viewer.aspx?img=51700375_clean&firstvisit=true&src=search&currentResult=4&currentPage=0 January 14, 2016 Rains began in Virginia on August 13, as the system entered the state from the west. Deluges flooded locations across southern and western sections of the Old Dominion. Hampton Roads measured 4.76 in mm of rainfall. The highest rainfall amount statewide was recorded at Copper Hill, where 17.03 in mm fell. Emporia, on the Meherrin River, recorded a flood of record on August 17 when the river crested at 31.50 ft m, which was 8.5 ft m feet above flood stage. Mountain rivers and streams overflowed, washing out bridges and causing landslides which blocked roads. Several highways between Norfolk, southwest Virginia, and Asheville, North Carolina were closed. A collision on August 13 involving the oil screw F.B. Scarbrough 5 mi km above Coles Point may have been caused by this system.Roth, David M http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/research/roth/vaerly20hur.htm Virginia Hurricane History: Early Twentieth Century 1999 June 19, 2009 November 16, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20061116203857/http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/research/roth/vaerly20hur.htm live See also Tropical cyclones List of South Carolina hurricanes List of wettest tropical cyclones in North Carolina References External links Monthly Weather Review 1940 Hurricane Track South Carolina 1940 South 1940 South 1940 South 1940 South Category:1940 natural disasters in the United States Category:1940 in Tennessee Category:1940 in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:1940 in South Carolina Category:Floods in North Carolina Category:Floods in Tennessee Category:Floods in Virginia