1887 Halloween tropical storm
| tropical storm (SSHWS/NWS) | |
 Track map of the storm | |
| Formed | October 29, 1887 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | November 1, 1887 |
| Highest winds | 1-minute sustained: 70 mph (110 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 993 mbar (hPa); 29.32 inHg |
| Fatalities | 2 |
| Damage | ≥ $7,000 (1887 USD) |
| Areas affected | Gulf Coast, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, |
| Part of the 1887 Atlantic hurricane season | |
The 1887 Halloween tropical storm was a powerful tropical storm that caused severe damage along the East Coast of the United States during Halloween of 1887. The sixteenth tropical storm of the 1887 Atlantic hurricane season, it formed from an area of disturbed weather over the Gulf of Mexico. The storm eventually moved over Florida and continued up the East Coast while strengthening, causing severe storms in North Carolina and Virginia before transitioning into an extratropical cyclone. After transitioning, the cyclone continued to intensify, peaking as the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. The extratropical storm eventually dissipated on November 6, shortly after hitting northwest France.
On land, the hardest hit town was Norfolk, where it was the most damaging storm in the city since 1879. Although it caused severe damage on land, the storm is best known for causing an unusually high amount of shipwrecks and maritime incidents. One ship, a schooner called the Manantico, capcized, killing the captain and one of its crew. Three other ships were reported to be shipwrecked between Dam Rock, Virginia and Cape Henry and numerous others were in danger on the open water.
Meteorological history
A large area of disturbed weather had persisted in the Gulf of Mexico during late October, outside the area of coastal stations.[1] On October 29, the disturbance had completed tropical cyclogenesis and became the sixteenth tropical storm of the season.[2] After becoming a tropical cyclone, the storm began moving from a point 200 miles (320 km) northwest of Key West, making landfall on the Florida Peninsula. It crossed land and emerged over water within the next eight hours while weakening.[3] During its passage near Fort Meade, the storm was measured to have a pressure of 1,007 millibars (29.7 inHg), supportive of minimum tropical storm strength.[4] Upon crossing the state, the storm paralleled the East Coast for two days while strengthening. The storm came closest to land near North Carolina on October 31 at its peak as a 70 mph (110 km/h) tropical storm with a pressure of 993 millibars (29.3 inHg). Shortly after moving away from land, the storm became extratropical.[2][3]
After becoming an extratropical cyclone, the storm moved away from the coast and strengthened to the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale on November 1. The storm began a weakening trend on November 2 while taking a wavering path across the north Atlantic Ocean.[2] On November 4, the cyclone started a general east-southeast motion, passing near the southwest coasts of Ireland and Great Britain. The storm made landfall on the Cotentin Peninsula of France on November 6 and dissipated, although one proposed track showed the cyclone executing a counter-clockwise loop over northwest France until dissipating the storm on November 8.[3]
Impact
On land
Over water
See also
References
- ^ United States Signal Service (1887). "Monthly Weather Review: Areas of Low Pressure: X" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-01-12.
- ^ a b c National Hurricane Center (2011). "Atlantic Best Track Data 1851-2010". Retrieved 2012-01-12.
- ^ a b c Partagas, Jose Fernandez and Dias, H. F. (1996). "A Reconstruction of Historical Tropical Cyclone Frequency in the Atlantic from Documentary and other Historical Sources Part III: 1881-1890: 1887b" (PDF). NOAA. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Landsea, Chris; et al. (2005). "Documentation of Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Changes in HURDAT". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hurricane Research Division. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
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