1916 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1916 Atlantic hurricane season ran through the summer and the first half of fall in 1916. The season is one of only two hurricane seasons where two major hurricanes were reported before the month of August, the other being the 2005 season.
Timeline
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Systems
1916 was a fairly active season, especially for the time. Fifteen tropical cyclones formed during the course of the year. Ten hurricanes formed, and five of those were major hurricanes.Tropical Storm One
On May 13, a tropical depression formed south of the Cuban coast. It quickly crossed the island and moved over the Straits of Florida. On May 14, it slowly strengthened to a minimal tropical storm, and it made landfall near Key Vaca, Florida with winds of 40 mph. It entered the Florida peninsula near Cape Sable, moving northward across the state. Gale-force winds were reported east of the center. It transitioned to an extratropical cyclone on May 16. Initially, the cyclone was not included in the Atlantic hurricane database.The tropical storm ended a significant drought in Florida, producing the state's first widespread rainfall event in several months. Parched crops and vegetation were rejuvenated by the well-timed rains. Lakeland, Florida, recorded of rain in a 24-hour period. Strong, albeit non-damaging winds, were felt across the Florida coasts, with a peak gust of documented in Jacksonville. Moderate gales were produced by the storm's extratropical stages in the Mid-Atlantic states and New England. Widespread rainfall in southwestern Maine and southeastern New Hampshire from the storm's remnants peaked at in Durham, Maine, and damaged roads. The cost of damaged infrastructure in southwestern Maine was estimated at $150,000.
Hurricane Two
The Gulf Coast Hurricane of 1916A tropical disturbance organized into a tropical storm on June 29 in the southwest Caribbean Sea. It moved to the north-northwest, brushing the coast of Honduras before strengthening into a hurricane on July 2. The hurricane continued to intensify, reaching major hurricane strength in the northern Gulf of Mexico on July 4. It made landfall near Gulfport, Mississippi with 120 mph sustained winds on July 5. The damage was around $3 million with four deaths occurring. At the time, it was the earliest known major hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. in any season, but that record has since been broken by Hurricane Audrey.
In Florida, winds of was observed in Pensacola. People venturing outside were knocked down, while a few cars flipped over. Additionally, homes were unroofed, while chimneys and trees were toppled. At the aeronautic station, several hangars collapsed. Storm surge at Pensacola flooded an engine room at the municipal power plant, causing electrical outages. Further inland, heavy rainfall left severe crop damage in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The storm left 34 deaths, 4 of which occurred in Florida, and $3 million in damage, including $1 million in Florida.
Hurricane Three
The third tropical storm was first observed east of the Lesser Antilles on July 10. It tracked northwestward, crossing the islands before reaching hurricane strength north of Puerto Rico on July 15. The hurricane continued to the northwest, and reached a peak of 105 mph on July 16. Cool and dry air weakened it to a 70 mph tropical storm when it hit New Bedford, Massachusetts on July 21. It caused little damage and no known deaths. Initially, the cyclone was recorded as a major hurricane, but it was subsequently downgraded by the Atlantic hurricane reanalysis project. Storm warnings were issued by the Weather Bureau for coastal stretches from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to Eastport, Maine as the hurricane paralleled the coast offshore. Ships destined for The Bahamas were held at the harbor in Miami, Florida.Hurricane Four
The Charleston Hurricane of 1916Hurricane Four, which developed on July 11 north of the Bahamas, reached a peak intensity of 115 mph winds on July 13. The hurricane moved ashore near Charleston, South Carolina as a strong Category 2 hurricane on July 14. Seven deaths were reported, with $100,000 in damage. The heavy rains from this storm caused severe flooding of the French Broad River at Asheville, North Carolina. The rains caused more damage due to subsequent flooding in Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Counties and further into South Carolina with three textile mills and their neighboring villages being either damaged beyond repair or destroyed. Damages in North Carolina were estimated at $15–$20 million with the loss of 80 lives. Mountain Island Mill, the oldest operating textile mill in the state and the Mountain Island village was completely destroyed and swept away by the flood waters.
Tropical Storm Five
A tropical storm formed in the southern Gulf of Mexico on August 4. On August 5, it struck the Mexican state of Tamaulipas with estimated winds of 60 mph. Tropical storm force winds affected southern Texas.Hurricane Six
The Great Texas Hurricane of 1916The fourth hurricane of the season was observed east of the Lesser Antilles on August 12. It passed through the islands, strengthening to a hurricane late on August 12 while crossing. On August 15, the hurricane hit Jamaica as a hurricane, and continued to the west-northwest through the Caribbean Sea and Yucatán Channel. On August 16, it became a major hurricane. It made landfall on Padre Island, Texas on August 18 as a 130 mph hurricane. The hurricane caused 24 fatalities, with $1.8 million in damage.
Hurricane Seven
Hurricane San Hipólito of 1916The hurricane appeared over the northern Lesser Antilles on August 21. It tracked westward, becoming a hurricane and reaching a peak of 110 mph winds before hitting Puerto Rico on August 22. It was a small diameter hurricane that crossed Puerto Rico from Naguabo to Aguada. From the Humacao region to the Aguadilla region suffered hurricane-force winds, with minor damages in the east and north of Puerto Rico. One death occurred and the damages were estimated at $1 million. In San Juan winds were measured at 92 mph and the pressure was 29.82 inches. The worst damages occurred in Santurce.
It crossed Hispaniola on August 23, weakened to a tropical storm, and paralleled the north coast of Cuba. This fast moving storm turned northward, passing west of Miami, Florida on August 25. It dissipated on August 26.
Hurricane Eight
On August 27 a tropical storm was observed east of the Lesser Antilles. It strengthened into a hurricane that night before crossing Dominica with 80 mph winds on August 28. This fast-moving hurricane moved through the Caribbean Sea, and it quickly weakened on August 30. On September 1 it made landfall on northern Belize as a tropical storm.The hurricane struck Dominica with little warning with winds exceeding 70 mph. Fifty people were killed and two hundred homes were destroyed. Many of the homes, bridges, and culverts were overtaken by swollen rivers that rose to unprecedented heights. The storm was particularly destructive to the island's agriculture, including cocoa, coconut, lime, and rubber production. Over a hundred thousand barrels of limes were lost due to the downing of 83,198 lime trees and the loss of 23,100 others. Many cocoa trees were destroyed. Though these industries recovered quickly by the year's end, the storm was ultimately part of a decade-long series of natural disasters and political events that eventually led to the demise of the island's cultivation economy by 1925. Caution was advised for shipping in the vicinity of Jamaica on August 30 as the storm approached. The passing storm brought showers and heavy surf to Jamaica, marking the second time in a fortnight that the island was affected by a tropical cyclone. Torrential rains inflicted damage to some roads and cultivations. At Mandeville, of rain fell due to the storm within a day.
Tropical Storm Nine
The ninth tropical storm of the season formed over the eastern Bahamas on September 4. It tracked northward, and hit near the North Carolina/South Carolina border on September 6.Storm warnings were issued by the Weather Bureau on September 5 for coastal areas between Savannah, Georgia, and Cape Hatteras; warnings were later extended north to the Virginia Capes. Ahead of the storm, of rain fell in Wilmington, North Carolina. Gale-force winds were produced inland following the storm's landfall. Rainfall from the storm spread across the U.S. East Coast from North Carolina to Maine.
Hurricane Ten
The tenth tropical storm of the season, which was first observed on September 13 to the northeast of the Lesser Antilles, tracked westward before turning northward. It reached a peak of 85 mph winds on September 18 before dissipating on September 24 in the northeast Atlantic.Hurricane Eleven
On September 17 the eleventh tropical storm was seen east of Barbados. It headed west-northward, strengthening into a hurricane on September 19 before passing north of the Lesser Antilles. The hurricane reached a peak of 120 mph winds on September 22. It passed by Bermuda on September 24, and became extratropical on the same day.Tropical Storm Twelve
A tropical storm formed on October 2 and struck the Georgia coast on October 4.The Weather Bureau issued storm warnings from Fort Monroe to Savannah, Georgia. Moderate gales occurred along the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina. The highest winds measured inland reached in Savannah, Georgia.