1943 Surprise Hurricane

1943 Surprise Hurricane

Infobox Hurricane
Name=Surprise Hurricane
Type=hurricane
Year=1943
Basin=Atl
Formed=July 25, 1943
Dissipated=July 29, 1943
1-min winds=75
Pressure=975
Da

Inflated=0
Fatalities=19
Areas=Texas
Hurricane season=1943 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1943 Surprise Hurricane struck the Houston, Texas area on July 27, 1943. While not a major hurricane, the storm was described as the worst since the 1915 hurricane, which tested the newly constructed seawall at Galveston.

Meteorological history

This hurricane was first detected on July 26, 1943. There were no satellites, and weather radar was a decade away. Because of the fear of U-boats in the Gulf, all radio traffic from ships was silenced, including storm reports.

The storm struck the Bolivar Peninsula, crossed Galveston Bay, and made landfall a second time near the Houston Ship Channel. Because of the distraction of the war, and the lack of ship reports, warnings were few, and residents were caught off guard.

By 27 July, the storm had weakened to tropical storm strength, and was northwest of Houston.

Impact

Although the officially recorded sustained winds were only in the 70-90 mph range, damage was heavy, and primarily wind-related. The storm killed 19 people, and caused $17 million (1943 dollars) in damage to the Houston area.

The hurricane produced little storm surge, and rainfall was quite variable. Most rainfall reports were around 6", but 80 miles east of Houston in Port Arthur, the storm produced over 19" of rain.

Hurricane hunting

This storm also marked the first intentional meteorological flight into a hurricane. On a bet with British pilots at Bryan Field, flight instructor Colonel Joe Duckworth flew his AT-6 Texan trainer directly into the storm, becoming the first hurricane hunter. On his return, he would make a second flight, this time carrying the base weather officer as a passenger.

Censorship

News of this storm was heavily censored. The U.S. Weather Bureau destroyed their barometric readings, as well as many other measurements. News that the storm even existed was censored outside of Texas and Louisiana. The storm destroyed the cooling towers at the Shell Oil Refinery in Deer Park and the Humble Oil Refinery in Baytown, shutting the two facilities down. As these were the primary refineries producing aviation fuel for World War II, it was decided that news about this loss of production should be censored.

Censorship in relation to hurricane advisories has been called the most tragic aspect of this hurricane. Advisories had to be cleared through the Weather Bureau office in New Orleans, causing them to be hours late; moreover the advisories contained no forecast information, which would have allowed for preparation before the storm hit. After the loss of life in this storm, U.S. hurricane advisories have never been censored again.

ee also

*List of tropical cyclones
*List of Atlantic hurricanes

External links

* [http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hgx/projects/hurr_1943/hurr_1943.htm National Weather Service Forecast Office Houston, Galveston - Research Projects - The 1943 "Surprise" Hurricane, by Lew Fincher & Bill Read]
* [http://www.galvnews.com/1943storm.lasso Galveston Daily News special report: "The mystery storm of 1943" by Ted Streuli]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • 1943 Atlantic hurricane season — Infobox hurricane season | name=1943 Atlantic hurricane season first storm formed=July 25, 1943 last storm dissipated=Oct. 23, 1943 strongest storm=#3 120 knots (140 mph) total storms=10 major storms=2 total da (1943 USD) total fatalities=19… …   Wikipedia

  • Hurricane Hunters — are aircraft that fly into tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic Ocean and Northeastern Pacific Ocean for the specific purpose of directly measuring weather data in and around those storms. In the Western Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean, the… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Texas hurricanes (1900–1943) — The List of Texas hurricanes from 1900 to 1943 encompasses 41 tropical cyclones that affected the U.S. state of Texas. The season with the most storms to affect the state was the 1933 Atlantic hurricane season, when five storms affected Texas.… …   Wikipedia

  • Hawker Hurricane — Hurricane Hurricane Mk I (R4118), which fought in the Battle of Britain Role Fighter …   Wikipedia

  • 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron — The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, also known by the nickname, Hurricane Hunters, flies aircraft into tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean for the specific purpose of directly measuring weather data in and around those …   Wikipedia

  • Supermarine Spitfire operational history — November 1942 photo of a very early Mk IXb of 306 (Polish) Toruński Squadron. Main article: Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire, the only British fighter to be manufactured before, during and after the Second World War, was designed as… …   Wikipedia

  • performing arts — arts or skills that require public performance, as acting, singing, or dancing. [1945 50] * * * ▪ 2009 Introduction Music Classical.       The last vestiges of the Cold War seemed to thaw for a moment on Feb. 26, 2008, when the unfamiliar strains …   Universalium

  • United States — a republic in the N Western Hemisphere comprising 48 conterminous states, the District of Columbia, and Alaska in North America, and Hawaii in the N Pacific. 267,954,767; conterminous United States, 3,022,387 sq. mi. (7,827,982 sq. km); with… …   Universalium

  • Escadron De Chasse 3/3 Ardennes — Type assaut conventionnel tout temps Statut …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Escadron de Chasse 3/3 Ardennes — Type assaut conventionnel tout temps Statut …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”