1869 Saxby Gale

Infobox Hurricane
Name=Saxby Gale
Type=hurricane
Year=1869
Basin=Atl
Formed=October 4, 1869
Dissipated=October 5, 1869
1-min winds=90
Pressure=972
Da

Inflated=
Fatalities=100+ direct
Areas=Massachusetts, Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia
Hurricane season=1869 Atlantic hurricane season

The Saxby Gale was the name given to a tropical cyclone which struck eastern Canada's Bay of Fundy region on the night of October 4-October 5, 1869.

Effects

The hurricane caused extensive destruction to port facilities and communities along the Bay of Fundy coast in both New Brunswick and Nova Scotia as well as Maine, particularly Calais, St. Andrews, St. George, Saint John, Moncton, Sackville, Amherst, Windsor and Truro.

Much of the devastation was attributed to a 2-metre storm surge created by the storm which coincided with a perigean spring tide; the Bay of Fundy having one of the highest tidal ranges in the world. The Saxby Gale storm surge produced a water level which gave Burntcoat Head, Nova Scotia the honor of having highest tidal range ever recorded.

The storm also produced waves which, combined with the storm surge, breached dykes protecting low-lying farmland in the Minas Basin and the Tantramar Marshes, sending ocean waters surging far inland to inundate farms and communities. Sailing ships in various harbors were tossed about and/or broken up against wharves and breakwaters which were also destroyed. Farmers trying to rescue livestock from fields along shorelines drowned after dykes were breached; over 100 people were killed in the Maritimes alone.

Naming of the storm

The storm (which pre-dated the practice of naming hurricanes) was given the name "Saxby" in honor of Lieutenant Stephen Saxby, Royal Navy, who was a naval instructor and amateur astronomer. Lt. Saxby had written a letter of warning, published December 25, 1868 in London's "The Standard" newspaper in which he notes the astronomical forces predicted for October 5, 1869 which would produce extremely high tides in the North Atlantic Ocean during the height of hurricane season. Lt. Saxby followed this warning with a reminder published on September 16, 1869 to "The Standard" in which he also warns of a major "atmospheric disturbance" that would coincide with the high water level at an undetermined location. Many newspapers took up Saxby's warning in the coming days.

In a monthly weather column published October 1, 1869 in Halifax's "The Evening Express", amateur meteorologist Frederick Allison relayed Lt. Saxby's warning for a devastating storm the following week.

Despite the warning, many readers throughout the United Kingdom, Canada, Newfoundland and the United States dismissed Saxby since there were frequent gales and hurricanes during the month of October. The fact that the high tides occurred throughout the North Atlantic basin was unremarkable and astronomically predictable, except for their coinciding with the hurricane which struck the Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy to produce the devastating storm surge. Lt. Saxby's predictions were considered quite lunatic at the time. Some believed that his predictions were founded upon astrology, which was not the case.

Letter to the Editor, Dec. 25, 1868

Source: [http://www.magma.ca/~jdreid/saxby25dec.htm http://www.magma.ca/~jdreid/saxby25dec.htm]

See also

*List of tropical cyclones
*List of Atlantic hurricanes
*List of New England hurricanes

References

* [http://www.magma.ca/~jdreid/saxby_gale.htm The Saxby Gale]
* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~nbcharlo/saxby1.htm The SAXBY GALE of 1869]
* [http://gsca.nrcan.gc.ca/oceanmapping/lidar/truro_e.php Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic) - The Saxby Gale of 1869: A case study of flood water levels in Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada]
* [http://www.atl.ec.gc.ca/weather/hurricane/hurricanes5.html#1869 Meteorological Service of Canada (Canadian Hurricane Centre) - 1869, The Saxby Gale, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia]
* [http://www.theweathernetwork.com/inter/help/glossary/pages/saxbygale.htm The Weather Network - Saxby Gale]