October 12, 1944 October 23, 1944 This 1944 hurricane, known as
the Pinar del Rio hurricane or Cuba- Florida hurricane. October 12
th, the storm was detected on off the coast of Nicaragua. As it
moved Westward, winds intensified reaching sustained winds of 100
mph On October 16 th, it becoming a Category 2 centered below Grand
Cayman. October 17 th, the storm strengthened to the equivalent of
a major hurricane making landfall in Pinar del Rio, on the west
side of Cuba. October 19th the hurricane weakened significantly,
and it struck the mainland of southwest Florida near Sarasota as a
minimal hurricane with winds of 75 mph (120 km/h)and with minimum
pressure, 962 mbar measured in Sarasota. On October 20 the
hurricane diminished to a tropical storm as it passed through
Jacksonville and moved inland over North Carolina. On October 21st
the storm caused strong winds over Newfoundland and the remnants
joined a low pressure over Southern Greenland. HISTORY
Slide 3
IDV REANALYSIS Here we can see the storm forming by Nicaragua,
and how quickly the intense rain and size of the storm intensifies
as it moves through the Gulf and how it weakens once hitting
Northern Florida, the Carolinas, Newfoundland and eventually
disappating by Europe.
Slide 4
Cuba There was severe damage, mostly in the Pinar del Ro
Province which is the Western part of the island where the
hurricane went through directly. In this area all the harvests were
lost, animals were killed or drowned, and houses were destroyed.
Much of Havana harbor was strewn with wrecked and sunken ships.
About 300 people were killed in Cuba. Florida There was serious
tide damage along the southwest Florida coast, and much of the
citrus harvest was ruined by the storm. Nine people died when their
boat capsized during the storm. HOLDS A RECORD AS ONE OF THE
COSTLIEST STORMS
Slide 5
The storm was reported by the Silver Arrow, a ship traveling
from Jamaica to Belize on October 12 th. On the 16 th The keeper of
Swan Island (an island in the Caribbean belonging to Honduras)
reported the roughest seas he had ever experienced in his life. On
the 14 th a record 24 hours of rainfall fell, 16.04 inches of rain
on Grand Cayman (31.29 total). On the 15 th gusts were measured at
that station to be 118 mph from the east as the storm center passed
Westward of the island. On the 17 th the hurricane passed through
Pinar del Rio incurring heavy damage, but they had no reports at
the time as they lost all communication with this part of the
island at this time. Through Jacksonville the eye was reported to
have lasted from 11:30 am to 5 pm indicating an unusually large
core extending from Jacksonville to Ocala, about 70 miles. By the
21 st the storm remnants merged with the Icelandic Low east of
Greenland. STORM HISTORY
Slide 6
Swan Island Grand Cayman Pinar del Rio Dry Tortugas STORM
TRACK, IMPORTANT OBSERVATIONS
Slide 7
The lowest pressure for the storm was 248.9 mb (28.02 inches)
recorded over Dry Tortugas. The highest recorded winds & wind
gusts were recorded in Havana, Cuba to be 140 mph & 163 mph
respectively. Gusts of at least 60 miles per hour were recorded for
18 hours straight, while winds of over 35 mph were reported to have
lasted 72 hours. At dry tortugas the winds were recorded to be 120
mph for 2 consecutive hours before the instrument was blown away.
PRESSURE & WINDS
Slide 8
The storm tides caused the most damage in this hurricane. Over
Jacksonville the tide was 12.28 feet above mean low tide. In Cuba,
a tidal wave killed 20 people and carried a Oil barge 10 miles
inland. Before wire service failure due to storm winds, the
hurricane center in Miami broadcasted warnings in order to evacuate
potential dangerous areas. 35,000 people were sheltered by the red
cross. About 318 persons were killed. In Florida there were 18, of
which 9 were marines attempting to get of the storm but their ship
capsized. The remaining 300 that lost their life were in Cuba,
including 200 just from Pinar del Rio. Florida lost about 70% of
its crop, the equivalent to 25 million boxes of oranges or $50
million. The Carolinas & Georgia most incurred damage to power
& communication lines. In Cuba, the Havana harbor was so
clogged with sunken and wrecked boats it had to be closed. STORM
TIDE, CASUALTIES, & DAMAGE
