1899 Hurricane San Ciriaco
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Hurricane San Ciriaco was an Atlantic tropical cyclone which crossed Puerto Rico over the two day period August 8 to August 9, 1899, causing many deaths from the flooding. It kept tropical storm strength or higher for 28 days, which makes it the longest duration Atlantic hurricane on record.
Storm history
The tropical storm that later ravaged Puerto Rico developed on August 3 in the tropical Atlantic, likely from a tropical wave. It moved in a west-northwest direction, becoming a hurricane on the 5th. As it neared the northern Lesser Antilles, it strengthened into a major hurricane, bringing heavy winds to Dominica, St. Kitts, and Guadeloupe on the 7th. It continued to intensify to its peak of 150 mph before hitting southeast Puerto Rico on the 8th, the namesday of Saint Cyriacus. It crossed the island in an east-southeast to west-northwest direction, causing maximum wind speeds between 110 and 140 mph throughout.
After it passed Puerto Rico, it brushed northern Dominican Republic as a Category 3 hurricane, but passed north enough to not cause major damage. It passed through the Bahamas, retaining its strength as it moved slowly northward. After drifting northeastward, the hurricane turned northwestward, hitting the Outer Banks on the August 17. It drifted northeastward over the state, re-emerging into the Atlantic on the 19th. It continued eastward, where it became extratropical on the 22nd.
| Highest ACE hurricanes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | Season | ACE | ||||
| 1 | "San Ciriaco" | 1899 | 73.57 | ||||
| 2 | Ivan | 2004 | 70.38 | ||||
| 3 | "Four" | 1926 | 67.59 | ||||
| 4 | Donna | 1960 | 64.55 | ||||
| 5 | "Charleston" | 1893 | 63.53 | ||||
| Main article: Accumulated Cyclone Energy | |||||||
| Source: | |||||||
The extratropical cyclone turned southeastward where, on the August 26, it became a tropical storm again. Like most of the rest of its lifetime, it drifted, first to the northwest then to the east. It strengthened as it moved eastward, and on September 3, as it was moving through the Azores, it again became a hurricane. The intensification didn't last long, and the hurricane became extratropical for good on the 4th. It dissipated that day while racing across the northeastern Atlantic.
Impact
Estimates of people killed range from 3,100 to 3,400, with millions of dollars in crop damage in Puerto Rico. North Carolina fared a little better, but still had considerable tobacco and corn damage from the longevitity of the strong winds and rain.Another hurricane struck Puerto Rico on August 22. Overall, the island was swamped by 28 days of rain, contributing to the overall disaster (see History of Puerto Rico).
Trivia
With an estimated ACE of 73.6, it is the tropical storm with the highest ever ACE recorded in the Atlantic basin. [link] [[Citing sources citation needed]]See also
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Sources and external links
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