1947 Fort Lauderdale Hurricane

Infobox Hurricane
Name=1947 Fort Lauderdale Hurricane
Type=hurricane
Year=1947
Basin=Atl
Image location=September1947 Miami.jpg

Miami
Formed=September 4, 1947
Dissipated=September 21, 1947
1-min winds=140
Pressure=940
Da

Inflated=0
Fatalities=51 direct [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastdeadly.shtml NOAA/NHC deadliest hurricanes]
Areas=The Bahamas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi
Hurricane season=1947 Atlantic hurricane seasonThe Fort Lauderdale Hurricane (or Pompano Beach Hurricane) was an intense Category 5 hurricane that affected the Bahamas, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi in September of the 1947 Atlantic hurricane season. The fourth tropical cyclone, third hurricane, and first intense hurricane of the 1947 Atlantic hurricane season, it developed 230 miles (370 km) east of Praia, Cape Verde. It quickly strengthened to a hurricane on September 4. Later, it turned southwest on September 7, and it steadily resumed a northwest motion on September 10. A large, powerful hurricane, it attained its peak intensity of 160 mph (260 km/h) over the Abaco Islands, and it made landfall near Pompano Beach, Florida. It passed over southern Florida, and it eventually struck southeastern Louisiana as a weaker Category 3 hurricane. It killed 51 people and caused $110 million (1947 USD) in damage.

Meteorological history

On September 2, an area of low pressure was detected over French West Africa in association with a tropical wave.cite web|author=H. C. Sumner|year=1947|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/mwr_pdf/1947.pdf|title=1947 Monthly Weather Review|publisher=U.S. Weather Bureau|accessdate=2008-01-18] The system moved westward, and it moved offshore near Dakar, Senegal. On September 4, the system quickly organized to a tropical storm,cite web|author=Hurricane Research Division|year=2007|title=Atlantic hurricane best track|publisher=NOAA|accessdate=2008-01-18|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/easyhurdat_5106.html] producing 3.36 inches (85.3 mm) of precipitation at the Pan American Airways meteorological station in Dakar.cite web|author=H. C. Sumner|year=1947|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/mwr_pdf/1947.pdf|title=1947 Monthly Weather Review|publisher=U.S. Weather Bureau|accessdate=2008-01-18] Operationally, the cyclone was not observed until the S.S. "Arakaka" noted a well developed system on September 10. On September 5 (00 UTC), the tropical storm rapidly strengthened to a hurricane, moving westward on an average motion near 17 mph (25 km/h).cite web|author=H. C. Sumner|year=1947|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/mwr_pdf/1947.pdf|title=1947 Monthly Weather Review|publisher=U.S. Weather Bureau|accessdate=2008-01-18] On September 7, the cyclone turned southwest; it lost 2.70 degrees of latitude from September 7–9.cite web|author=Hurricane Research Division|year=2007|title=Atlantic hurricane best track|publisher=NOAA|accessdate=2008-01-18|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/easyhurdat_5106.html] On September 9, it strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane. On September 10, the hurricane resumed a northwest movement, and it attained maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) on September 11. On September 15, the cyclone continued to strengthen, and its forward motion nearly stalled.cite web|author=H. C. Sumner|year=1947|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/mwr_pdf/1947.pdf|title=1947 Monthly Weather Review|publisher=U.S. Weather Bureau|accessdate=2008-01-18]

On September 16, the hurricane attained its peak intensity of 160 mph (260 km/h) 95 miles (155 km) east of Hope Town, Abaco Islands.cite web|author=Hurricane Research Division|year=2007|title=Atlantic hurricane best track|publisher=NOAA|accessdate=2008-01-18|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/easyhurdat_5106.html] The storm crossed the northern portion of the Abaco Islands, where a weather station claimed a wind reading of 160 mph (260 km/h).cite web|author=H. C. Sumner|year=1947|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/mwr_pdf/1947.pdf|title=1947 Monthly Weather Review|publisher=U.S. Weather Bureau|accessdate=2008-01-18] As the storm passed over the Gulf Stream, it lost some strength before landfall.cite web|author=Hurricane Research Division|year=2007|title=Atlantic hurricane best track|publisher=NOAA|accessdate=2008-01-18|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/easyhurdat_5106.html] The storm made landfall on September 17 near Fort Lauderdale, Florida as a minimal Category 4 hurricane. Winds of hurricane force extended out roughly 120 miles (195 km) from the center in all directions.cite web|author=H. C. Sumner|year=1947|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/mwr_pdf/1947.pdf|title=1947 Monthly Weather Review|publisher=U.S. Weather Bureau|accessdate=2008-01-18] The cyclone produced peak gusts of 155 mph (250 km/h) and sustained winds of 122 mph (195 km/h) at Hillsboro Inlet Light near Pompano Beach;cite web|author=H. C. Sumner|year=1947|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/mwr_pdf/1947.pdf|title=1947 Monthly Weather Review|publisher=U.S. Weather Bureau|accessdate=2008-01-18] the reading was the highest measured wind speed recorded in the state of Florida until Hurricane Andrew.cite web|author=Williams, John M. and Duedall, Iver W.|year=1997|url=http://nsgd.gso.uri.edu/flsgp/flsgpb97001.pdf|title=Florida Hurricanes and Tropical Storms: Revised Edition|publisher=University Press of Florida|accessdate=2008-01-19] The hurricane moved slowly inland near 10 mph (16 km/h),cite web|author=H. C. Sumner|year=1947|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/mwr_pdf/1947.pdf|title=1947 Monthly Weather Review|publisher=U.S. Weather Bureau|accessdate=2008-01-18] and it diminished to a Category 2 hurricane over the Everglades.cite web|author=Hurricane Research Division|year=2007|title=Atlantic hurricane best track|publisher=NOAA|accessdate=2008-01-18|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/easyhurdat_5106.html] The cyclone entered the Gulf of Mexico near Naples, and it produced gusts of 120 mph (190 km/h) at Sanibel Island Light near Fort Myers.cite web|author=H. C. Sumner|year=1947|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/mwr_pdf/1947.pdf|title=1947 Monthly Weather Review|publisher=U.S. Weather Bureau|accessdate=2008-01-18]

On September 18, the hurricane's maximum sustained winds diminished to 90 mph (145 km/h).cite web|author=Hurricane Research Division|year=2007|title=Atlantic hurricane best track|publisher=NOAA|accessdate=2008-01-18|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/easyhurdat_5106.html] It turned west-northwest, and its forward motion increased to 15 mph (25 km/h).cite web|author=H. C. Sumner|year=1947|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/mwr_pdf/1947.pdf|title=1947 Monthly Weather Review|publisher=U.S. Weather Bureau|accessdate=2008-01-18] On September 19, the hurricane moved ashore over Saint Bernard Parish, Louisiana as a major hurricane.cite web|author=Blake, Rappaport, and Landsea|year=2006|title=The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense United States Tropical Cyclones (1851 to 2006)|publisher=NOAA|accessdate=2008-01-19|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/NWS-TPC-5.pdf] The hurricane weakened as it moved over the New Orleans metropolitan area, although its strong winds gusted to 110 mph (175 km/h) in New Orleans. Its winds decreased to 85 mph (135 km/h) near Baton Rouge, and the cyclone diminished to a strong tropical storm over central Louisiana.cite web|author=Hurricane Research Division|year=2007|title=Atlantic hurricane best track|publisher=NOAA|accessdate=2008-01-18|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/easyhurdat_5106.html] On September 20, it weakened to a tropical depression over northeastern Texas.cite web|author=Hurricane Research Division|year=2007|title=Atlantic hurricane best track|publisher=NOAA|accessdate=2008-01-18|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/easyhurdat_5106.html] The remnant circulation turned northeast over southeastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas. On September 21, it dissipated over southern Missouri.

Preparations

Hurricane warnings were issued for the Florida east coast from Titusville to Miami.cite web|author=The Associated Press|year=1947|url=http://www.thehurricanearchive.com/Viewer.aspx?
|title=Storm Nears Florida: Rich Resort Area Periled|publisher=Kingsport News|accessdate=2008-01-22] Northern commercial flights were grounded at Jacksonville. 1,500 National Guard troops were ready for mobilization if "deemed necessary" by Florida Governor Millard Caldwell.cite web|author=The Associated Press|year=1947|url=http://www.thehurricanearchive.com/Viewer.aspx?
|title=Storm Nears Florida: Rich Resort Area Periled|publisher=Kingsport News|accessdate=2008-01-22]

Impact

Bahamas

Damage and deaths in the Bahamas are unknown. Green Turtle Cay was flooded by 2 feet (610 mm) of water.cite web|url=http://www.thehurricanearchive.com/Viewer.aspx?
|title=Hurricane (Continued From Page 1)|publisher=The Times Recorder|accessdate=2008-01-22] The cyclone's strong winds damaged or destroyed many homes on the western end of Grand Bahama; all docks received damages.cite web|url=http://www.thehurricanearchive.com/Viewer.aspx?
|title=Assess Atlantic Hurricane Damage|publisher=The Lethbridge Herald|accessdate=2008-01-27]

Florida

At the storm's first landfall, an convert|11|ft|m|sing=on storm surge was reported along the Florida coast. Large stretches of State Highway A1A between Palm Beach and Boynton Beach were washed out by the wave action.Barnes, Jay. 1998. "Florida's Hurricane History." Chapel Hill Press.] The Boca Raton Airport, known then as Boca Raton Army Air Field, received significant damage from the storm, reporting $3 million in damages.cite web|author=Boca Raton Airport Authority|url=http://www.bocaairport.com/history.shtml|title=The History of the Boca Raton Airport|accessdate=2007-12-29] The hurricane was unusually large: some reports indicate hurricane-force winds may have extended convert|120|mi|km out from the eye center (from Cape Canaveral to Coral Gables).

At Lake Okeechobee a 20 foot (6 m) storm surge was reported along the south shore between Clewiston and Moore Haven, nearly overrunning the Herbert Hoover Dike that surrounded the lake. Unlike in the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane, the dike held and a much larger catastrophe was averted. However, this 1947 storm prompted a further strengthening of the dike in the 1960s.

The storm was also slow-moving (about 10 mph) and dropped a prodigious amount of rain over the area–records for single-month rainfall were set in many areas, some of which still stand today (others were broken in the 1992 or 2004 seasons), and flooding was among the worst in southern Florida's history. [http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mfl/newpage/dade_events.html NOAA: Dade County historic weather events] The storm killed 17 people in Florida.http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/general/lib/mgch.html NOAA: Gulf Coast hurricanes.] The hurricane damaged "Citrus" crops in the Fort Pierce area, and losses were estimated at $4,000,000.cite web|author=United Press|year=1947|url=http://www.thehurricanearchive.com/Viewer.aspx?
|title=Florida Storm Changes Course|publisher=The Daily Courier|accessdate=2008-01-26]

Gulf Coast

A large part of Greater New Orleans was flooded, with two feet of water shutting down Moisant Field and six feet of water in parts of Jefferson Parish. The storm produced an estimated 100 million US dollars worth of damage to the city. [http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lch/research/laerly20hur2.php NOAA - Louisiana hurricane history]

A convert|12|ft|m|sing=on storm surge was reported along the western half of the Mississippi coastline, causing heavy damage in Bay St. Louis (which received a convert|15|ft|m|sing=on storm surge), Gulfport, and Biloxi.

Although weaker at its second landfall, the hydrology of this location makes it particularly vulnerable to hurricanes. 12 people were killed in Louisiana and 22 in Mississippi.

Aftermath

Coming as it did shortly after the end of World War II and at the start of the Cold War, and striking an area that had recently been hit by other, even more destructive hurricanes, this hurricane was largely forgotten. Building codes and hurricane awareness had improved in Florida since the destructive hurricanes of the 1920s, limiting both damage and loss of life. Yet if this same storm were to hit today it would probably do around $11.72 billion (2004 USD) in damages. [http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/costliesttable3.html NOAA/NHC costliest US hurricanes (normalized)]

ee also

* List of tropical cyclones
* List of Atlantic hurricanes
* List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes

Notes

External links

* [http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/atlantic/1947/index.html UNISYS tracks for 1947 storms]
* [http://www.tommymarkham.com/Hurricane/floodcontrol1.htm Pictures from Lake Okeechobee area after the storm]