Indianola Hurricane of 1886

Infobox Hurricane
Name=Indianola hurricane of 1886
Type=hurricane
Year=1886
Basin=Atl
Image location=indianola.jpg

Indianola in 1875
Formed=August 12, 1886
Dissipated=August 21, 1886
1-min winds=135
Pressure=925
Da

Inflated=
Fatalities=74+
Areas=Lesser Antilles, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Texas
Hurricane season=1886 Atlantic hurricane season

The Indianola Hurricane of 1886 destroyed the town of Indianola, Texas. It was one of the most intense hurricanes ever to hit the United States.

Meteorological history

The storm began east of the Lesser Antilles on August 12. The tropical storm moved northwestward through the islands, reaching hurricane strength on August 13. It hit the Dominican Republic as a Category 2 hurricane, weakened a bit, and hit southeastern Cuba as a Category 2 hurricane. The storm weakened over land.

When the tropical storm reached the favorable Gulf of Mexico waters on the August 18, it again strengthened. As the hurricane approached the coast of Texas, it rapidly intensified to a 155 mph (250 km/h) hurricane. At the time, it was the strongest hurricane ever recorded (the first reported, and confirmed, Category 5 hurricane would be in 1928). On August 19, winds increased in Indianola, and, on the August 20, it made landfall as a catastrophic Category 4 hurricane. Pressure at landfall is estimated to be 925 mbar, which would make it the fifth strongest hurricane known to have hit the United States, and by winds, it was the fourth most powerful hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland, and the strongest one which wasn't a cat. 5. The hurricane dissipated over Texas on the 21st.

Impact

The total death toll was at least 74, including 28 in Cuba.

In Texas, the hurricane obliterated the town of Indianola that was only just recovering from a powerful 1875 hurricane on the same location. This storm caused fewer fatalities however (46 in Indianola, compared to 400 in the 1875 storm), largely because the storm struck during the day and residents had time to take shelter. The hurricane also ended a severe drought in Texas.

Aftermath

Indianola's residents relocated farther inland after the storm; the old town's ruins sit just offshore under 15 feet of water in Matagorda Bay.

The storm ended the rivalry between Galveston and Indianola as the chief port of Texas. With the abandonment of Indianola and the unwillingness of the former residents to rebuild close to shore, Galveston became the most important Texan port until the 1900 Galveston Hurricane lead to the rise of Houston as a major port.

ee also

*List of tropical cyclones
*List of Atlantic hurricanes
*Galveston Hurricane of 1900

External links

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