1949 Texas hurricane

Category 2 Atlantic hurricane in 1949 February 2024 May 2022 Hurricane Eleven Texas hurricane weather map (high quality), October 4, 1949.jpg Weather map of the hurricane making landfall in Texas on October 4 Weather map showing the storm with weather observations and isobars plotted 1949 09 27All times and dates are based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) unless otherwise noted. note-time 1949 10 07 1949-10-06 MDY 95 965 1949 3 totalThree deaths were directly attributed to the storm. However, the storm contributed to flooding in Guatemala that may have killed as many as 40,000 people. 6700000 El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Belize, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois 1949 Atlantic andPacific hurricane seasons The 1949 Texas hurricane was a tropical cyclone that crossed over from the eastern Pacific to the Atlantic, contributing to extensive flooding in Guatemala and impacting East Texas. Forming in the Pacific Ocean on September 27, the storm meandered across Central America and southern Mexico as a tropical depression. Rainfall from the developing storm helped exacerbate a flooding event over southern Guatemala that may have killed as many as 40,000 people. The storm then crossed into the Gulf of Mexico on October 1 and began to intensify. It ultimately peaked as a high-end Category 2-equivalent hurricane on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale and made landfall near Freeport, Texas, on the morning of October 4. It rapidly weakened after moving inland and dissipated several days later. Damage from the storm was moderate, although the hurricane temporarily cut off the city of Galveston from the mainland. Rice crops suffered extensive damage in Texas and Louisiana, with losses estimated at up to $10 million (equivalent to $US 10 1949 0 million in US). Three fatalities are attributed to the hurricane. Meteorological history AL11 1949 path.png new The origins of the 1949 Texas hurricane are unclear due to the complex weather pattern that persisted over southern Mexico and Central America around the time of its formation. These areas were within a broad region of low air pressure between September 25–30. This low-pressure area likely stemmed at least in part from a tropical wave that moved westward from the Caribbean Sea into Central America on September 25–26, as well as the remnants of a previous hurricane. The Atlantic hurricane databaseHURricane DATa (HURDAT) is the official track database for tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic Ocean and contains information on the positions and intensities of storms dating back to 1851.Tropical Cyclone Activity Technical Documentation https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-08/documents/cyclones_documentation.pdf Environmental Protection Agency February 6, 2021 August 2016 October 16, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201016175810/https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-08/documents/cyclones_documentation.pdf liveTropical Cyclone History for Southeast South Carolina and Northern Portions of Southeast Georgia https://www.weather.gov/chs/TChistory National Weather Service Charleston, South Carolina National Weather Service February 6, 2021 North Charleston, South Carolina January 9, 2021 January 6, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210106172116/https://www.weather.gov/chs/TChistory live originally indicated that the tropical cyclone formed over the eastern Pacific on September 27. thumb|Weather map on September 27, showing the tropical depression in the Eastern Pacific Ocean at landfall in El Salvador A review of the data conducted by the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) in 2014 determined that there was insufficient evidence from weather observations to dispute such an origin, but noted that the available weather observations in the region did not report the higher winds or stronger pressure gradients typically associated with tropical cyclones.Landsea Chris Anderson Craig Bredemeyer William Carrasco Cristina Charles Noel Chenoweth Michael Clark Gil Delgado Sandy Dunion Jason Ellis Ryan Fernandez-Partagas Jose Feuer Steve Gamanche John Glenn David Hagen Andrew Hufstetler Lyle Mock Cary Neumann Charlie Perez Suarez Ramon Prieto Ricardo Sanchez-Sesma Jorge Santiago Adrian Sims Jamese Thomas Donna Lenworth Woolcock Zimmer Mark Christopher Landsea Documentation of Atlantic Tropical Cyclones Changes in HURDAT http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/metadata_master.html Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration February 2, 2024 2014 Miami, Florida Metadata 1949 Storm 11 (was Storm 10) - Revised in 2014 The database first lists the storm as a tropical depression at 06:00 UTC on September 27 just south of the border between Guatemala and El Salvador.1949 Hurricane NOT_NAMED (1949270N13270) https://ncics.org/ibtracs/index.php?name=v04r00-1949270N13270 Database International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS) University of North Carolina at Asheville February 2, 2024 Asheville, North Carolina The nascent tropical cyclone moved generally northward across Guatemala and southern Mexico over the next few days. Weather observations provided increasingly clearer evidence of the consolidated area of low-pressure associated with the tropical cyclone on September 29–30. The center of the broad and slow-moving cyclone tracked into the Bay of Campeche near Ciudad del Carmen by 06:00 UTC on October 1.Zoch 1949 341 Data from a nearby coastal weather station suggested that the cyclone had strengthened into a tropical storm around the time it re-emerged over water. It is relatively rare for a tropical cyclone to cross from the Pacific into the Atlantic, or vice versa; y June 2020, only five storms have crossed from the eastern Pacific into the Atlantic since 1842, including the 1949 storm.Roach John Why Cristobal is a rare 'crossover' storm AccuWeather June 5, 2020 https://www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane/why-cristobal-is-a-rare-crossover-storm/753527 February 2, 2024 The tropical storm strengthened over the western Gulf of Mexico and reached hurricane intensity on October 2.Zoch 1949 341 The hurricane began to turn northward towards the Texas coast the next day. While reconnaissance aircraft did not reach the center of the storm during this period, the AOML determined based on peripheral flight data that the hurricane's maximum sustained wind speeds had increased to 95 kn mph km/h 5 out, equivalent to a high-end Category 2 hurricane on the modern Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale.The Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale was developed in the 1970s.Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale https://www.nps.gov/articles/saffir-simpson-hurricane-scale.htm National Park Service February 2, 2024 en June 4, 2019 The hurricane made landfall just west of Freeport, Texas, in the vicinity of 28.6 N 95.6 W around 05:00 UTC on October 4 (local midnight).Severe Storms For October 1949 Monthly Weather Review October 1949 77 10 297–299 10.1175/1520-0493(1949)077<0297:SSFO>2.0.CO;2 free 1949MWRv...77..297. The lowest barometric pressure observed by a land-based weather station was 978 mbar (hPa; 28.88 inHg) just east of the center of the storm. The AOML determined based on the nearby pressure data that the hurricane was a high-end Category 2 hurricane at landfall with maximum sustained winds of 95 kn mph km/h 5 out and a central pressure of 965 mbar (hPa; 28.50 inHg).The Atlantic hurricane database originally listed the storm as being a Category 4 hurricane at landfall. This made the storm the fourth October hurricane to impact Texas since 1851, the beginning of the official Atlantic hurricane database.Detailed List of Continental United States Hurricane Impacts/Landfalls, 1851-1970, 1983-2022 April 2023 Hurricane Research Division Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/UShurrs_detailed.html February 2, 2024 Miami, Florida It later passed directly over Houston; the next storm to do so would be Hurricane Alicia in 1983.Norcross Bryan Bryan Norcross Hurricane Almanac: The Essential Guide to Storms Past, Present, and Future 2007 St. Martin's Press 978-0-312-37152-4 https://books.google.com/books?id=MlP71aeEPu0C Google Books February 2, 202459 The storm turned north-northeastward and weakened after landfall, falling below hurricane and tropical storm intensity on October 4 over East Texas. The weakening system moved across Arkansas, southeastern Missouri, and Illinois. The storm encountered colder air and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on October 6 before merging with a weather front over Lake Michigan the next day. Preparations and impact Guatemala 1949 Eastern Guatemalan floods Rainfall over Guatemala between September 28 and October 14 resulted in severe flooding. The early stages of the hurricane contributed in part to these rains. Richard Cunningham Patterson Jr., the U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala, reported that the flood was considered the worst in the Guatemala's history.Richard Cunningham Patterson, Jr. Harry S. Truman Guatemala Flood Disaster October 27, 1949 https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1949v02/d403 United States Department of State February 4, 2024 The flooding primarily occurred along the southern part of the country. Considerable flooding occurred along the Coyolate River.Yax López Pablo Yax Aráoz Ezequiel Corrales Roa Elcy Blacutt Luis Análisis y caracterización de eventos de inundación (1949, 1998 y 2005) y el cauce del río Coyolate Analysis and characterization of flood events (1949, 1998 and 2005) and the Coyolate River basin https://icc.org.gt/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Analisis-complementario-del-SSECOYOLATEversion.pdf Instituto Privado de Investigación sobre Cambio Climático es 2016 Among the affected communities were the town of San Ana Mixtán es and the hamlet of El Mango (today known as Santa Marta El Mar).Yax López Pablo Yax Aráoz Ezequiel Corrales Roa Elcy Blacutt Luis Espinoza Francisco Caracterización y análisis de las principales inundaciones en la parte baja de la cuenca del río Coyolate, años 1949, 1998 y 2005 https://icc.org.gt/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Poster-inundaciones-Coyolate-2016Final.pdf Instituto Privado de Investigación sobre Cambio Climático February 4, 2024 es October 2021 The flood may have killed as many as 40,000 people, making it the deadliest natural disaster in the country's history.Guerra Alex Andrée Liere Marie Yax Pablo Alfaro German Sergio Gil Blacutt Luis Gestión de riesgo de inundaciones en el río Coyolate: ejemplo de adaptación al cambio climático en Guatemala Flood risk management in the Coyolate River: example of adaptation to climate change in Guatemala Revista Mesoamericana de Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático September 2017 2 3 https://www.revistayuam.com/gestion-de-riesgo-de-inundaciones-en-el-rio-coyolate-ejemplo-de-adaptacion-al-cambio-climatico-en-guatemala/ February 4, 2024 es Total economic losses reached US$13.6 million.Estudio del Establecimiento de los Mapas Basicos y Mapas de Amenaza Para el Sistema de Informacion Geograpfica de la Republica de Guatemala November 2003 Kokusai Kogyo https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/11740859_08.PDF February 4, 2024 es Investigación de Historia de DesastresInforme de Pérdidas y Daños por Efectos del Cambio Climático en Guatemala August 2023 https://portal.segeplan.gob.gt/segeplan/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Informe_Guatemala2021_CC.pdf February 4, 2024 Ministerio de Ambiente y Recursos Naturales es United States thumb|Rainfall totals associated with the hurricane in the U.S.|alt=Map of rainfall amounts Throughout 10 cities in Texas, 50,000 sought shelter in advance of the hurricane.Hurricane Drives 50,000 From Homes October 5, 1949 The Sydney Morning Herald May 20, 2010 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EIsQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=F5MDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4977,737957&dq=1949+houston+hurricane&hl=en An estimated 28,000 residents fled to shelters; around 5,000 stayed in the Houston City Auditorium.Gulf Hurricane Dies Out After Hitting Crops October 5, 1949 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette May 20, 2010 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VygNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QmoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2016,1736405 Tropical cyclone watches and warnings were issued along coastal areas of Texas and Louisiana.Hurricane Heading for Texas Coast October 3, 1949 Miami News May 20, 2010 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=x3YyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vukFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3696,998696July 2026 InternetArchiveBot Pioneer Air Lines removed its aircraft from Houston, while small watercraft were kept safe in port.Hurricane Smashes Into Texas Coast October 4, 1949 The Palm Beach Post May 20, 2010 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=i9oiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=58wFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1388,2909214&dq=1949+texas+hurricane&hl=enJuly 2026 InternetArchiveBot Schools in Corpus Christi closed by October 3, as well as businesses in the threatened area.Hurricane Moves in on Texas Coast October 3, 1949 Spokane Daily Chronicle May 20, 2010 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uAEaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tfUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6956,510078&dq=1949+texas+hurricane&hl=en The hurricane produced gusts of 135 mph km/h on just west of Freeport, accompanied by an air pressure of 28.88 inHg hPa on and tides of 11.4 ft m on above normal.David Roth Texas Hurricane History Hydrometeorological Prediction Center May 20, 2010 http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/research/txhur.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20100528012717/http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/research/txhur.pdf May 28, 2010 live Precipitation from the storm was heavy, peaking at 14.5 in mm on at Goodrich.Zoch 1949 341 Rainfall extended eastward into Louisiana, amounting to 6.81 in mm on at Shreveport, Louisiana.Hurricane Kills 2, Then Losses Force October 4, 1949 The Pittsburgh Press May 20, 2010 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=eVwbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TE0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3638,1637447&dq=1949+texas+hurricane+galveston+cut+off&hl=en More rainfall was recorded in Shreveport during October 4–6 than any prior 48-hour period in October on record in the city.Lichtblau Stepehen Louisiana Climatological Data October 1949 65 10 https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-DBD0930A-CFEB-4F05-A98B-5523DB635F5B.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20240206202940/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-DBD0930A-CFEB-4F05-A98B-5523DB635F5B.pdf February 6, 2024 February 6, 2024 U.S. Weather Bureau New Orleans, Louisiana The heavy rains damaged crops and caused generally minor flooding along streams flowing towards the western Gulf of Mexico.River Stages and Floods for October 1949 Monthly Weather Review October 1949 77 10 290–291 10.1175/1520-0493(1949)077<0290:RSAFFO>2.0.CO;2 free 1949MWRv...77..290. Urban areas sustained generally light damage. In Houston, the winds shattered some store windows and distributed debris.Hurricane Blasts Rich Texas Crops October 4, 1949 Spokane Daily Chronicle May 20, 2010 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uQEaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tfUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7144,824428&dq=1949+texas+hurricane&hl=en Galveston was temporarily cut off from the mainland during the hurricane when water surpassed the city's seawall. A fishing pier was destroyed and warehouses or buildings outside the protection of the seawall were damaged or washed away by the high surf. The hurricane spawned a minor tornado which struck the community of Riceville, injuring two children. Nearly all piers and buildings along the waterfront between Texas City and La Porte were damaged by the storm surge and high winds. Freeport reportedly suffered the worst damage, costing approximately $150,000.Two Are Killed In Texas Storm October 5, 1949 Toledo Blade May 20, 2010 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZZ8TAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RQAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5966,3647606&dq=1949+texas+hurricane+galveston+cut+off&hl=en A pier at Port Aransas was largely destroyed at a cost of $10,000. The hurricane caused extensive damage to rice, cotton, and vegetable crops in the region.Hurricane Fizzling Out After Blasting Texas October 4, 1949 The Victoria Advocate May 20, 2010 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TzUcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DloEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6160,2351891&dq=1949+texas+hurricane+rice&hl=en The rice and cotton crop in western Louisiana were badly affected, with around 10 percent of unharvested rice and 25 percent of unpicked cotton damaged. The damage rendered around half of recovered rice seeds unusable for replanting. An estimate several days after the storm placed the total quantity of rice damaged at 500,000 bushels, totaling $10 million in monetary losses.Rice Crop Damaged October 9, 1949 The Pittsburgh Press May 20, 2010 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fVwbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TE0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=1491,3370840&dq=1949+texas+hurricane+rice&hl=en However, Zoch (1949) reported that total damage from the storm was $6.7 million.Zoch 1949 341 Following the storm, thousands of automobiles in six states were affected by widespread peeling and blistering paint. The blisters, usually concentrated on the hoods, fenders and tops of vehicles, contained a small amount of water, and peeling paint was also reported on one Shreveport home. Most of the cars damaged were parked outside, and sheltered automobiles were unaffected. Although total damage from the phenomenon may have reached thousands of dollars, experts were unable to identify its cause immediately following the storm.'Plague' Hits Autos in Wake of Hurricane October 7, 1949 Chicago Daily Tribune Two deaths were attributed to the storm in Texas: a resident of Port Neches who was electrocuted, and a young woman who drowned in Matagorda Bay. Winds up to 35 mph and heavy rains accompanied the storm in southern Arkansas and northwestern Mississippi. One person was killed in Magnolia, Arkansas, after strong winds toppled an oil derrick.Gulf Hurricane Slows; Magnolia Man Victim https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-news-1949-texas-hurricane/140595668/ Newspapers.com February 9, 2024 Blytheville Courier News Associated Press 167 45 October 6, 1949 Texarkana, Arkansas Blytheville, Arkansas 6 The hurricane added to a period of heavy rainfall in Arkansas, damaging rice and cotton crops; a four-day rainfall total of 9.01 in was recorded in Clinton.Arkansas Hopes to Dry Out https://www.newspapers.com/article/hope-star-1949-texas-hurricane/140595922/ Newspapers.com February 9, 2024 Hope Star Associated Press October 6, 1949 Little Rock, Arkansas Hope, Arkansas 1 The extratropical remnants of the hurricane brought rains into the Midwestern United States. Rainfall accumulations reached 1 – 3 in across Illinois on October 5–6, with the heaviest rains falling in the southern part of the state.Climatology of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Remnants in Illinois https://www.weather.gov/ilx/tropical_climo National Weather Service Lincoln, IL February 9, 2024 Lincoln, Illinois See also Weather Tropical cyclones List of Texas hurricanes (1900–1949) Tropical Storm Hermine (2010) Hurricane Jerry (1989) 1934 Central America hurricane Tropical storms Amanda and Cristobal Notes References Sources Andrew Hagen Donna Strahan-Sakoskie Christopher Luckett July 2012 A Reanalysis of the 1944–53 Atlantic Hurricane Seasons—The First Decade of Aircraft Reconnaissance Journal of Climate 25 13 American Meteorological Society Boston 4441–60 10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00419.1 2012JCli...25.4441H free IBTrACS 2021 International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS) May 2021 IBTrACS browser (hosted by UNC Asheville) National Centers for Environmental Information World Data Center for Meteorology Bryan Norcross Bryan Norcross Hurricane Almanac: The Essential Guide to Storms Past, Present, and Future 2007 Macmillan 978-0-312-37152-4 https://books.google.com/books?id=MlP71aeEPu0C&pg=PA59 May 20, 2010 Richmond T. Zoch North Atlantic Hurricanes and Tropical Disturbances of 1949 December 1949 Monthly Weather Review American Meteorological Society Boston 77 12 339–342 1949MWRv...77..339Z 10.1175/1520-0493(1949)077<0339:NAHATD>2.0.CO;2 http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/077/mwr-077-12-0339.pdf free Category:Hurricanes in Texas Texas Hurricane, 1949 Category:1940s Pacific hurricane seasons Category:1949 in Texas Category:1949 natural disasters in the United States Category:Category 2 Atlantic hurricanes Category:Meteorological events in 1949