Great Havana Hurricane of 1846

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The Great Havana Hurricane of 1846 was a powerful late-season hurricane that caused extensive damage and 163 deaths as it moved across Cuba, Florida, and the eastern United States before dissipating over the Canadian Maritimes.

Contents

1 Storm history
2 Impact

2.1 Cuba
2.2 Florida
2.3 Southeast United States
2.4 Mid-Atlantic and Northeast

3 Strength
4 See also
5 Sources

Storm history

First reported on October 6, the hurricane moved through the Caribbean Sea. It followed a typical track for an Atlantic hurricane in October, slicing through southwestern Cuba on October 11 with winds exceeding 135 mph and central pressure of 917 mbar. It turned northward and struck the Florida Keys as a very intense (possibly Category 5) hurricane.

The storm then paralleled the Florida west coast. Its exact track is unknown because no reports exist from Tampa and St. Augustine. Modern historians estimate the hurricane hit near Cedar Key during the early hours of October 12 and then moved rapidly to the northeast, remaining inland along the U.S. East Coast. It returned to sea near Boston, Massachusetts on October 14, and likely became extratropical in the following days.

Impact

The damage from the storm is mostly unknown but likely severe. Key West reportedly had $200,000 (1846 USD) in damage.

Cuba

The hurricane wrecked 85 merchant ships with 30-foot seas. Nearly every building in Havana was demolished and coastal villages were wiped out in a matter of hours. Some disputed reports say 600 people died; the official death toll in Cuba is 163.

Florida

In the Florida Keys, 20 boats and ships were either sunk, dismasted or grounded by the storm. The twin lighthouses at Sand Key and Key West collapsed, drowning people who'd taken refuge in them. The large naval hospital in Key West was severely damaged, and 594 of the island's 600 buildings were either damaged or destroyed. A five-foot storm surge, combined with very strong winds of Category 4 to possibly Category 5 caused about $200,000 dollars (1846 USD) in damage in Key West ($3.96 million 2005 USD). A total of 50 people were reported killed in Key West. Other parts of the Florida Keys experienced storm surge of up to 12 feet, above most of the islands' highest points.

In Cedar Key where landfall likely occurred, hundreds of oak trees were topped and houses were gutted.

Reportedly, 40 people in mainland Florida lost their lives.

Southeast United States

In Savannah, Georgia, the storm was considered the worst hurricane since 1824, causing moderate structural damage. One marine casualty occurred there.

A schooner was lost in Charleston Harbor. The city had minimal structural damage. As it passed, the hurricane's central pressure was less than 985 mb, and rainfall reached 4.5 inches. Tides were reportedly about two feet above normal.

Mid-Atlantic and Northeast

The hurricane caused the Potomac River to reach its highest level in 20 years as tides rose 6.9 feet above normal. [link]

One hundred yards of the Battery seawall was swept away by pounding surf. Widespread structural damage and heavy rainfall were experienced throughout the U.S. Northeast as the hurricane was winding down.

In Hartford, Connecticut, hurricane-force winds destroyed a trestle bridge. Numerous apple orchards in Massachusetts were reported ruined. No deaths are attributed to the hurricane's passage over New England.

Strength

The Great Havana Hurricane may have been a Category 5 hurricane; however, confirming its intensity would require the accuracy of today's instruments. [link] The earliest officially recorded Category 5 hurricane, the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane did not occur for decades.

In Havana, Cuba, a pressure of 917 mbar was recorded, but reports of wind speed at the time are only estimates.

[One estimate] shows a pressure of 902 mbar as the storm crossed the Florida Keys, which would make it the second-strongest U.S. hurricane landfall on record, behind only the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, also in the Florida Keys. In addition, if the pressure estimate is accurate, the hurricane would be tied with Hurricane Katrina as the sixth-most-intense hurricane.

Sources

David Longshore. "Great Havana Hurricane of 1846." Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons and Cyclones. David Longshore. New York: Facts on File, 1998, Pg; 150-151.
[Early 19th Century U.S. Hurricanes Information]

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