1931 British Honduras hurricane

Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 1931 June 2019 1931 British Honduras hurricane 1931 Belize hurricane analysis 10 Sep (MWR).jpg Surface weather analysis of the hurricane on 10 September 1931 09 6 1931 09 13 115 952 1931 2,500 7500000 British Honduras Mexico 1931 Atlantic hurricane season The 1931 British Honduras hurricane was the deadliest hurricane in the history of British Honduras (known as Belize since 1973), killing an estimated 2,500 people. The hurricane was first detected as a tropical wave off the west coast of Africa on 29 August. Moving westward, the disturbance remained relatively weak until 6 September, when it was first classified as a tropical cyclone just west of the Windward Islands. The depression gradually intensified, reaching tropical storm intensity within the first six hours following tropical cyclogenesis. The cyclone intensified further to hurricane intensity by 8 September. Strengthening and organisation remained gradual until the storm reached the Gulf of Honduras, by which time it began to rapidly intensify, reaching Category 4 hurricane intensity on 10 September. The hurricane subsequently made landfall in Belize City with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 km/h). Moving across the Yucatán Peninsula, the tropical cyclone weakened, and continued to do so when it moved across the Bay of Campeche. This track brought it to a second landfall north of Tampico, Mexico, as a tropical storm on 13 September. Once inland, the storm quickly weakened and dissipated later that day. Possibly due to celebrations of the anniversary of the defeat of Spanish conquerors by the British in 1798, there was little warning of the storm in British Honduras. At St. George's Caye, many structures were washed away by abnormally high tides and storm surge. Belize City was devastated, with the entire city being inundated with at least 5 ft m on of water. Property on six streets was completely swept away, while overall 70% of the city was destroyed. Among the buildings severely damaged or demolished included many buildings and resident halls at St. John's College and the U.S. Embassy building; the Consul suffered fatal injuries during the collapse of the building. Further inland, severe damage to agriculture occurred. Overall, the storm left $7.5 million (1931 USD) in damage. Meteorological history AL06 1931 path.png new The hurricane began as a tropical wave—a westbound low-pressure area—first observed southeast of Cape Verde on 29 August.Weather map of tropical system 193106 on August 29, 1931 https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/weathermaps/193106-aug29.jpg Weather map United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2013-05-01 JPG 1931-08-29 Traversing the tropical Atlantic, the wave retained a minimum barometric pressure of about 1010 mbar (hPa; 29.83 inHg) and strengthened briefly the following day.https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/metadata_master.html Documentation of Atlantic Tropical Cyclones Changes in HURDAT Christopher W. Landsea Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2016-09-15 Miami, Florida etalWeather map of tropical system 193106 on September 1, 1931 https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/weathermaps/193106-sep1.jpg Weather map United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2013-05-21 JPG 1931-09-01 By 1 September, however, the wave had become rather weak and indiscernible; it would remain as such for much of its early existence until 6 September, by which time it had moved past the Windward Islands. In this region the system became sufficiently organised to be classified as a tropical depression at 18:00 UTC that same day near Grenada.Tropical Storms Of September, 1931, In North American Waters Monthly Weather Review October 1931 59 9 364–367 10.1175/1520-0493(1931)59<364b:TSOSIN>2.0.CO;2 http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/059/mwr-059-09-0364b.pdf 2013-05-21 W.F. McDonalds American Meteorological Society 1931MWRv...59..364M free Some six hours after its inception the depression strengthened to a tropical storm over the eastern Caribbean Sea. Owing to a lack of ship observations, data on the storm were scarce in that region. The first ship to identify the storm clearly was the tanker Geo H. Jones, which recorded strong winds in conjunction with rapidly decreasing barometric pressures late on 7 September. As the storm remained west-northwest bound across the Caribbean, more ships were able to record data on the cyclone. It is estimated that at 18:00 UTC on 8 September, the tropical storm attained hurricane intensity. Intensification remained gradual until the hurricane moved into the Gulf of Honduras by 10 September, when the hurricane began to rapidly intensify. At 00:00 UTC on 10 September, the cyclone intensified into a Category 2 hurricane. The storm strengthened further before reaching its peak intensity as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 km/h) at 1800 UTC. The strong hurricane made landfall on Belize City at the same intensity two hours later. A barometer in the city recorded a minimum pressure of 952 mbar (hPa; 28.12 mbar); this was the lowest barometric pressure measured in association with the storm. The hurricane substantially weakened over the Yucatán Peninsula, and had weakened to tropical storm strength by the time it had entered the Bay of Campeche. Despite moving back over water, the tropical cyclone continued to weaken in the bay, and made its final landfall roughly 60–70 mi (95–110 km) north of Tampico, Mexico, with winds of 40 mph (65 km/h) at around 00:00 UTC on 13 September. Over the mountainous terrain of Mexico, the storm quickly weakened, and dissipated later on 13 September. Preparations, impact, and aftermath thumb|Convent in Belize City after the hurricane The day of the hurricane, 10 September, is also a national holiday for British Honduras, on which many locals gather in the streets to celebrate the Battle Of St. George's Caye.https://www.sanpedrosun.com/community-and-society/2011/09/10/september-10th-belize-celebrates-battle-of-st-georges-caye/ September 10th: Belize Celebrates Battle of St. George's Caye The San Pedro Sun 2011-09-10 2013-05-24 San Pedro, Belize It is widely believed that the hurricane struck without any warning, although some recent historians have disputed this. In his column for The Belize Times on 5 September 2004, Emory King claimed that Belizean authorities withheld continuous warnings from U.S. ships in the region of a possible hurricane strike on British Honduras so the festivities would not be interrupted.http://amandala.com.bz/news/?p=250712&upm_export=pdf (Author name withheld) From the publisher [Letter to the editor] Amandala Belize City, Belize 2004 PDF 2013-05-24 King cited as evidence a letter dated 24 September 1931, from a local radio operator to the Colonial Secretary in which the warnings were discussed, adding that "perhaps none of [the authorities] had ever been in a hurricane and didn't know exactly how bad it was going to be."http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/20135 1931 Hurricane myth disputed Channel 5 Belize 2000-10-31 2013-05-24 Ann-Marie Williams Additionally, there was also belief among residents of Belize City that the reefs would provide a barrier against large tidal waves.Byron Foster The Bayman's Legacy: A Portrait of Belize City Cubola Production Belize City, Belize 1987 59 9789686233001 https://books.google.com/books?id=Ud0WAAAAYAAJ 2016-09-06 thumb|left|The remains of St. John's College Storm surge, abnormally high tides, and strong winds resulted in severe damage and many deaths in Belize City. The entire city was inundated with 5 ft m on of water. Numerous boats were swept far inland, including a 200-ton dredge. Properties on six streets were completely swept away,http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/74953670 Belize Swept by Hurricane and Tidal Wave 1931-09-17 The Northern Times 3 2016-07-04 Washington, D.C. while 70% of the city overall was destroyed.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZjdWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6100%2C3872000 400 Believed Dead in Hurricane 1931-09-11 Associated Press The Register-Guard 1 2016-07-06 Mexico City, Mexico The U.S. Embassy building was severely damaged, after water reached the second floor. Giles Russell Taggart, the Consul, suffered injuries after the building collapsed that were ultimately fatal.http://belize.usembassy.gov/historic_building.html U.S. Embassy Chancery Building (1981 - 2006) Belize City United States Department of Defense 2016-07-04 Arlington County, Virginia https://web.archive.org/web/20160817030617/http://belize.usembassy.gov/historic_building.html# 2016-08-17 dead At St. John's College, several buildings and resident halls were extensively damaged or destroyed.http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1931/09/14/page/4/article/funeral-pyres-blaze-as-ruined-city-burns-dead Funeral Pyres Blaze as Ruined City Burns Dead 1931-09-14 Associated Press Chicago Tribune 4 2016-07-04 Belize, British Honduras Government radio facilities in Belize City were cut out during the storm.200 Lives Lost In Tropic Hurricanes https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=F9dNAAAAIBAJ&pg=6663,1934344&dq=hurricane&hl=en 2013-05-25 The Free-Lance Star 1931-09-11 Associated Press Fredericksburg, Virginia 1 Several American priests in the city were killed during the storm.Americans Lose Lives In Tornado https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=F9dNAAAAIBAJ&pg=6663,1934344&dq=hurricane&hl=en 2013-05-25 The Free-Lance Star 1931-09-11 Associated Press Fredericksburg, Virginia 1 Within a 25 mi km on radius of Belize City and about 40 mi km on upstream the Belize River, all agricultural plantations were obliterated.https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1301&dat=19311012&id=BfRUAAAAIBAJ&pg=2566,6268428&hl=en British Honduras. Toll of the Hurricane 1931-10-12 The Sydney Morning Herald 5 2016-07-06 London, United Kingdom Offshore at St. George's Caye, structures were completely destroyed, while 24 deaths occurred there.http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/35684353 Thousand Killed In Caribbean Hurricanes 1931-09-14 South Australian Register 9 2016-09-06 New York City, New York Overall, damage in the country reached approximately $7.5 million. The storm left approximately 2,500 deaths, making it the deadliest tropical cyclone in the history of Belize.Edward N. Rappaport and Jose Fernandez-Partagas The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492–1996: Cyclones with 25+ Deaths National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Hurricane Center April 22, 1997 2016-09-15 https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastdeadlyapp1.shtml Miami, Florida The British government requested for the United States to send vessels to assist those affected by the storm. A number of residents of Belize City were left without food and water supplies. The USS Swan (AM-34), stationed at nearby Trujillo, Honduras, was dispatched to send aid to British Honduras. United States President Herbert Hoover ordered the United States Navy and American Red Cross to cooperate in relief efforts. Both agencies and organisations ordered a United States Marine Corps plane from Managua, Nicaragua, to send $2,500 worth of medical supplies to affected areas of British Honduras. Throughout the city, relief kitchens were set up. The Government of British Honduras eventually began burning areas with debris and bodies, to prevent spread of disease. Monrad Metzgen, a lieutenant of the British Honduras Defense Force, became responsible for the rescue of persons trapped, feeding those without shelter, and the burial of the deceased. For his efforts, Metzgen received an Order of the British Empire award from King George V of the United Kingdom.http://bnlsis.org/documents/54.html Belizean National Heroes Belize National Library Service and Information System 2021-02-18 https://web.archive.org/web/20160617222920/https://bnlsis.org/documents/54.html 2016-06-17 Authorities of Belize City considered abandoning the community and moving it to higher ground. Additionally, there was a proposal to relocate the capital further south or inland to the pine ridge, with either resulting in a higher elevation of the capital.A Town Planning Scheme for Belize Government Printer 1946 1 https://books.google.com/books?id=O3hZAAAAMAAJ 2016-09-06 However, the process of moving the capital did not begin until 1961, after Belize City was devastated by Hurricane Hattie. Belmopan became the capital city of British Honduras in 1970.Associated Press Theodore A. Ediger 1961-11-05 Battered School Shelters 200 Refugees in Belize The Evening Independent 3A 3 29 Belize City, British Honduras 2013-01-10 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MFhQAAAAIBAJ&pg=7166,453886&dq=hattie&hl=enSarasota Herald-Tribune 1971-09-07 Hurricane 'Edith' Deepens Rapidly Associated Press 46 342 1A, 4A 2013-01-10 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HjogAAAAIBAJ&pg=7339,2936965&dq=hurricane+hattie&hl=en Due to the weak intensity of the storm and a rural landfall location in Mexico, there were few observations of weather related to the storm in the country. In Tampico, located south of where the storm made landfall, winds reached only 20 mph km/h on. See also Tropical cyclones List of Category 4 Atlantic hurricanes Hurricane Hattie (1961) Hurricane Greta–Olivia (1978) Hurricane Keith (2000) Hurricane Iris (2001) References 2 Further reading Usher Kareem M. 2007 Natural Hazard Mitigation Strategies in the Continental Caribbean: The Case of Belize Études caribéennes 2007 7 http://etudescaribeennes.revues.org/document324.html 10.4000/etudescaribeennes.324 free Category:Category 4 Atlantic hurricanes Category:Hurricanes in Belize 1931 Belize hurricane Category:1931 natural disasters