The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 was a devastating hurricane that made landfall near the city of Galveston, Texas, on September 8, 1900. Wind speeds at landfall were estimated at 60 m/s, making it a category 4 tropical cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson scale. This hurricane caused numerous casualties, estimated at between 6,000 and 12,000 people; the most commonly cited number, 8,000, ranks it third among all Atlantic hurricanes (after the Great Hurricane of 1780 and Hurricane Mitch in 1998). The hurricane is the first among all natural disasters in terms of the number of victims in the United States, while the Okeechobee Hurricane of 1928 with 2500 victims is second, and Hurricane Katrina with 1800 victims is third.
The hurricane occurred before the introduction of the official practice of naming tropical cyclones by human names, so it has many descriptive names. It is most often referred to as the “Galveston Hurricane of 1900,” the “Great Galveston Hurricane,” or, especially in the oldest sources, the “Galveston Flood.” The name “The Great Storm” or “The Storm of 1900” was also popular among locals.
The path of the hurricane
The exact location of this tropical cyclone’s formation remains unclear, as tropical cyclone observation capabilities were limited at the time. Reports could only be received from ocean-going ships, and then only after they returned to port, as the radio telegraph had not yet become widespread. Most likely, the 1900 hurricane, like many of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes, began as a Caboverdean-type hurricane, with a tropical wave moving westward from the African coast. The first official observation of a tropical cyclone was made on August 27, about 1600 km east of the Windward Islands, when a ship passed through an area of “rough weather.” The tropical cyclone crossed the Leeward Islands on August 30, probably with only tropical depression strength, as can be judged by the recorded atmospheric pressure on the island of Antigua.
Three days later, a severe thunderstorm was reported in Antigua, followed by a period of calm, warm and humid weather typical of a tropical cyclone. On September 1, the U.S. Weather Bureau reported a “moderate storm” (not yet a hurricane) southeast of Cuba. On September 3, the storm made landfall in southwestern Cuba, causing heavy rains. On September 5, it passed through the Florida Strait with the strength of a tropical storm or a weak hurricane.
Hurricane path from September 1 to 10
By September 6, the storm was north of the city of Key West, and on the morning of September 7, the Weather Bureau in New Orleans issued a report of significant damage on the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi, but due to damage to telegraph lines, details were not disseminated. The Weather Bureau in Washington issued a storm warning for the entire coast from Florida to Galveston. On the evening of September 7, evidence of the hurricane’s approach was received in Galveston itself, and at 1 p.m. that day, the Louisiana was hit by the ship after leaving the port of New Orleans, with the captain estimating wind speeds of 45 m/s, which corresponds to a Category 2 hurricane.
On the afternoon of Saturday, September 8, a strong northeast wind began to blow in the city, reaching hurricane strength by 5 p.m. That night, the wind changed direction to the east when the eye of the hurricane reached the western outskirts of the city. At 11 p.m., the wind changed direction to the south and began to decrease in strength, and the next morning the surviving residents were greeted by clear skies and 9 m/s breezes from the Gulf of Mexico. The hurricane continued on, crossed Oklahoma, the Great Lakes (with winds of 18 m/s) and reached Halifax on September 12. Then the remnants of the hurricane entered the Atlantic Ocean and disappeared from observers.