Tropical Events 1940s

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception


1949 - Hurricane (Texas)
This hurricane's center made landfall near Freeport, TX, in early October. High tides were reported in Velasco at 11 feet and in Matagorda at 8 feet. High tides in Anahuac were 9 feet and in Harrisburg (in the Houston Ship Channel) at 11.4 feet. Two lives were lost in this hurricane and total damage reported amounted to $6.7 million.


1947 - Severe Hurricane (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina)
This hurricane made landfall in mid-October at the extreme southern portion of the Florida Peninsula, but didn't cause much damage until it reached the east coast between Miami and Palm Beach. The center moved offshore, but made landfall again just south of Savannah, GA, where the worst part of the hurricane was experienced. High tides along the Georgia and South Carolina coasts ranged from
12 feet above mean low tide at Savannah Beach, GA, and Parris Island, SC, to 9 feet at Charleston, SC, and 9.6 feet at St. Simons Island near Brunswick, GA. The lower portions of Charleston were flooded, while some small communities as far north as Cape Hatteras were partly or wholly inundated by tides. This hurricane was responsible for one death and damage estimates were more than $2.5 million.


1947 - Major Hurricane (Mississippi Gulf Coast, New Orleans)
This hurricane made landfall in mid-September as a Category 4 on the southeast coast of Florida, with the most destructive portion of the storm passing inland between Miami and Palm Beach. The storm moved across Florida and out into the Gulf a short distance north of Naples. Everglades City was inundated by tidewater, which rose 5.5 feet above normal. This hurricane then made landfall again as a Category 3 on the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts, bringing a highest tide of 14 feet above normal high tide at Chandeleur Island on the eastern tip of Louisiana. Tides along the Mississippi coast rose to 12 feet at Biloxi, Bay St. Louis, and Gulfport, and to about 9 feet at Pascagoula, MS, and in the Lake Catherine-Chef Menteur area of Louisiana. A storm surge of 16 feet occurred in the Slidell
area of Lake Pontchartrain, while most of downtown New Orleans was flooded extensively due to tidal surges from Lake Pontchartrain. In Mississippi and Louisiana, it was estimated that 90% of the damage was caused by water. This hurricane was responsible for 51 deaths and total damage in 1990 dollars was more than $700 million.


1945 - Hurricane (Texas)
The center of this hurricane moved inland near Port Aransas, TX, in late August. The slow movement of this storm's center, combined with winds estimated as high as 135 mph in some locations, built up high tides reaching as high as 15 feet at Port Lavaca, TX, and 4 to 8 feet along other portions of the Texas Gulf coast. This hurricane was responsible for 3 deaths, but further loss of life was prevented by the evacuation of thousands of people from low-lying areas and from buildings not expected to survive the storm. Total damage was in excess of $20 million.


1944 - Severe Florida-Cuba Hurricane
The Florida-Cuba Hurricane came ashore in mid-October over Dade City and Ocala, FL, and passed back out to sea south of Jacksonville. The hurricane again moved inland just north of Savannah, GA, passing through South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. Damage from high tides was most severe along the Florida west coast, between Sarasota and Everglades, with heaviest losses reported along the beaches near Fort Myers. The highest tide reported was 12.28 feet above mean low tide at Jacksonville Beach, FL. This hurricane was responsible for 18 deaths in Florida, with property damage estimates of over $100 million, of which $63 million was estimated for Florida alone.


1942 - Hurricane (Texas)
The hurricane's center moved onto the Texas coast on August 30 over Matagorda Bay, bringing storm tides along the coast from Matagorda to southwestern Louisiana. The highest tide reported was 14.7 feet at Matagorda, TX, which placed the entire town under 4 to 8 feet of water. High tides and waves proved to be very destructive during this storm, with property losses estimated at over $11 million and crop losses at $15 million. Fortunately, due to extensive evacuations, only 8 lives were lost.


1940 - Hurricane (Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina)
This storm crossed the coast near Beaufort, SC, on August 11, passing just north of Savannah, GA, as a Category 2 hurricane. Tides were very high north of Beaufort, with Charleston, SC, reporting 10.7 feet above mean low tide. Property damage was estimated at several million dollars, with an estimated $3 million in damage just along the coast. An estimated 50 deaths were due to the hurricane.