Hurricane Baker was a Category 2 hurricane that affected the Leeward Islands,Greater Antilles,and the Gulf Coast of the United States. The tropical cyclone was the second tropical storm and second hurricane of the 1950 Atlantic hurricane season. Originating as a tropical depression east of the Windward Islands on August18,Baker became a tropical storm on August19,and further intensified into a hurricane on August21. It attained an initial peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 100mph (160km/h) on August22 before weakening to a tropical storm as it made landfall on the island of Antigua. Baker weakened to a tropical depression late on August23 while southwest of Puerto Rico. By the following morning,it had restrengthened into a tropical storm,though a landfall in Cuba caused it to weaken once again. Entering the Gulf of Mexico,Baker began to strengthen once more,regaining hurricane strength on August29 and reaching its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 105mph (169km/h) early the following day. The cyclone weakened before making its final landfall in the United States near Gulf Shores,Alabama,with winds of 85mph (137km/h). Hurricane Baker produced extensive damage in the Lesser Antilles and Cuba,but impacts were minimal in the United States.
On the morning of August20,a strong tropical storm developed about 446 miles (718km) east of Basse-Terre,Guadeloupe.[1] The tropical storm deepened to hurricane intensity. On August21,it rapidly attained maximum sustained winds of 120mph (190km/h),equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane. The hurricane passed over Antigua during the evening,[2] while still producing winds of 115mph (185km/h).[1] On August22,it lost intensity and weakened to a tropical storm. On August23,Baker made landfall near the Puerto Rican town of Guánica as a minimal tropical storm.[1] The highest winds on the island of Puerto Rico were 35–40mph (56–64km/h).[2] The storm then degenerated into an easterly tropical wave,[2] and moved west-northwestward over northeastern Hispaniola. On August 24,it re-entered the Atlantic Ocean,and Tropical Depression Baker crossed the coast of eastern Cuba early on the next day.[1]
On August25,Baker redeveloped a center over the Caribbean Sea off southern Cuba,[2] and re-intensified to tropical storm status.[1] On August27,Baker affected the Pinar del Río Province with 60mph (97km/h) winds,and then turned northward over the southern Gulf of Mexico.[2] On August28,Baker re-strengthened to hurricane intensity;reconnaissance and ship reports[2] suggest the hurricane attained a second peak intensity of 110mph (180km/h) on August30. The minimum central pressure was 979mbar (28.9inHg) on this date.[1] The cyclone diminished in intensity prior to landfall.[2] On August31,the hurricane struck Gulf Shores,Alabama[1] as a Category 1 hurricane[3] with sustained winds estimated near 85mph (137km/h).[1][2] The estimated central pressure at landfall was 980mbar (29inHg).[3] Baker moved inland over Alabama and dissipated over southeastern Missouri on September 1.[1]
Impact
Rainfall from Hurricane Baker in the United States.
On Antigua,the Pan American Airways station's power failed when winds reached 85mph (137km/h) around midnight on August22.[4] Unofficial estimates placed winds between 95–120mph (153–193km/h) at the location,although damages and casualties were unknown.[5] Subsequent reports indicated light damage occurred on the island;[6] later,information from the island indicated extensive damage. More than 100 homes were destroyed or damaged in the Willkie and Piggott areas,and large homes were destroyed in Prestown. Additionally,a manse was also demolished in Prestown. Electronic communications were dismantled,and thousands of homeless people sheltered in churches and schools. No deaths occurred on the island,but damages were expected to reach several thousand dollars.[7] In Cuba,37people died,and the property losses reached several million dollars.[8]
In the United States,the greatest property and crop damage occurred from Mobile,Alabama to Saint Marks,Florida,where losses approached $2,550,000 (1950 USD);[2] high tides and winds inflicted minimal damage in both cities.[9]Panama City,Florida incurred heavy damage to homes and businesses from high tides and rainfall,which peaked at 14.96 inches (380mm).[10][pageneeded] The highest rainfall total was 15.49 inches (393mm) at Caryville,Florida.[11] Peak gusts exceeded 100mph (160km/h) on Santa Rosa Island,Florida.[10]:188 200 to 300 cottages received damage in Panama City,and homes were flooded near the bay.[12] Losses reached $200,000 (1950 USD) in Gulf Shores,Alabama.[8] Hurricane Baker spawned two tornadoes.[2] On August30,a F1 tornado[13] touched down in Apalachicola,Florida,destroying four dwellings and a store building and damaging another eleven buildings.[2] On August31,a F0 tornado[13] demolished one building near Marianna,Florida,in Jackson County.[2] Inland,Birmingham International Airport recorded 50mph (80km/h) wind gusts;higher gusts were estimated near 75mph (121km/h) in elevated,mountainous locations.[2] Hundreds of trees were prostrated as far north as the Birmingham,Alabama area,[10]:188 and one person was killed and two more injured by live wires falling from utility poles.[2]
↑ "Coast is at Last Clear of Storms". Nevada State Journal. No.236. Reno, Nevada. United Press. August 24, 1950. p.15. Retrieved July 3, 2019– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Storm Wrecks 100 Houses in Antigua". The Daily Gleaner. Vol.116, no.187. Kingston, Jamaiaca. Trinidad Guardian. August 26, 1950. p.1 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
The 1960 Atlantic hurricane season was the least active season since 1952. The season officially began on June 15, and lasted until November 15. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The first system, an unnamed storm, developed in the Bay of Campeche on June 22. It brought severe local flooding to southeastern Texas and was considered the worst disaster in some towns since a Hurricane in 1945. The unnamed storm moved across the United States for almost a week before dissipating on June 29. In July, Hurricane Abby resulted in minor damage in the Leeward Islands, before impacting a few Central American counties — the remnants of the storm would go on to form Hurricane Celeste in the East Pacific. Later that month, Tropical Storm Brenda caused flooding across much of the East Coast of the United States. The next storm, Hurricane Cleo, caused no known impact, despite its close proximity to land.
Hurricane Frederic was an intense and damaging tropical cyclone that carved a path of destruction from the Lesser Antilles to Quebec, in particular devastating areas of the United States Gulf Coast. Though only five were killed directly, the US$1.77 billion in damage accrued by Frederic made it the Atlantic basin's costliest tropical cyclone on record at the time. Prior to its final landfall, the threat that Frederic imposed on areas of the U.S. Gulf Coast triggered a mass exodus from the region larger than any other evacuation in the past. While the storm primarily impacted the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama, lesser effects were felt throughout the Greater and Lesser Antilles, as well as inland North America.
The 1950 Atlantic hurricane season was the first year in the Atlantic hurricane database (HURDAT) that storms were given names in the Atlantic basin. Names were taken from the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet, with the first named storm being designated "Able", the second "Baker", and so on. It was a very active season with sixteen tropical storms, with eleven of them developing into hurricanes. Six of these hurricanes were intense enough to be classified as major hurricanes—a denomination reserved for storms that attained sustained winds equivalent to a Category 3 or greater on the present-day Saffir–Simpson scale. One storm, the twelfth of the season, was unnamed and was originally excluded from the yearly summary, and three additional storms were discovered in re-analysis. The large quantity of strong storms during the year yielded, prior to modern reanalysis, what was the highest seasonal accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) of the 20th century in the Atlantic basin; 1950 held the seasonal ACE record until broken by the 1995 Atlantic hurricane season. However, later examination by researchers determined that several storms in the 1950 season were weaker than thought, leading to a lower ACE than assessed originally. This season also set the record for the most tropical storms, eight, in the month of October.
The 1948 Atlantic hurricane season featured the first tropical cyclone before the month of June since 1940. The season officially began on June 15, 1948, and lasted until November 15, 1948. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. There were 10 tropical cyclones; six storms attained hurricane status, and four storms intensified into major hurricanes, which are Category 3 or higher on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. Operationally, it was believed that a weak tropical disturbance formed over the southeast Bahamas in May and moved northwest into the Georgia coast near Savannah. This system was later excluded from HURDAT. The seventh tropical cyclone was not operationally considered a tropical cyclone, but was later added to HURDAT.
The 1945 Atlantic hurricane season produced multiple landfalling tropical cyclones. It officially began on June 16 and lasted until October 31, dates delimiting the period when a majority of storms were perceived to form in the Atlantic Ocean. A total of 11 systems were documented, including a late-season cyclone retroactively added a decade later. Five of the eleven systems intensified into hurricanes, and two further attained their peaks as major hurricanes. Activity began with the formation of a tropical storm in the Caribbean on June 20, which then made landfalls in Florida and North Carolina at hurricane intensity, causing one death and at least $75,000 in damage. In late August, a Category 3 hurricane on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale struck the Texas coastline, with 3 deaths and $20.1 million in damage. The most powerful hurricane of the season, reaching Category 4 intensity, wrought severe damage throughout the Bahamas and East Coast of the United States, namely Florida, in mid-September; 26 people were killed and damage reached $60 million. A hurricane moved ashore the coastline of Belize in early October, causing one death, while the final cyclone of the year resulted in 5 deaths and $2 million in damage across Cuba and the Bahamas two weeks later. Overall, 36 people were killed and damage reached at least $82.85 million.
The 1944 Atlantic hurricane season featured the first instance of upper-tropospheric observations from radiosonde – a telemetry device used to record weather data in the atmosphere – being incorporated into tropical cyclone track forecasting for a fully developed hurricane. The season officially began on June 15, 1944, and ended on November 15, 1944. These dates describe the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The season's first cyclone developed on July 13, while the final system became an extratropical cyclone by November 13. The season was fairly active season, with 14 tropical storms, 8 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes. In real-time, forecasters at the Weather Bureau tracked eleven tropical storms, but later analysis uncovered evidence of three previously unclassified tropical storms.
The 1939 Atlantic hurricane season was the least active since 1930. The season had below normal activity, with only six tropical storms, of which three became hurricanes and one became a major hurricane, equivalent to Category 3 status or higher on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson scale. The first tropical cyclone formed on June 12, and the last dissipated on November 6. These dates are within the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin.
The 1937 Atlantic hurricane season was a below-average hurricane season, featuring eleven tropical storms; of these, four became hurricanes. One hurricane reached major hurricane intensity, equivalent to a Category 3 or higher on the modern Saffir–Simpson scale. The United States Weather Bureau defined the season as officially lasting from June 16 to October 16. Tropical cyclones that did not approach populated areas or shipping lanes, especially if they were relatively weak and of short duration, may have remained undetected. Because technologies such as satellite monitoring were not available until the 1960s, historical data on tropical cyclones from this period are often not reliable. As a result of a reanalysis project which analyzed the season in 2012, a tropical storm and a hurricane were added to the Atlantic hurricane database (HURDAT). The official intensities and tracks of all storms were also revised by the reanalysis. The year's first storm formed on July 29 in the Gulf of Mexico, and the final system, a hurricane, dissipated over open ocean on October 21.
The 1935 Atlantic hurricane season was a near-normal hurricane season. Altogether, ten tropical cyclones developed, eight of which intensified into tropical storms. Five of those tropical storms strengthened into hurricanes, while three of those reached major hurricane intensity. The season ran from June 1 through November 15, 1935.
The 1932 Atlantic hurricane season featured several powerful storms, including the Cuba hurricane, which remains the deadliest tropical cyclone in the history of Cuba and among the most intense to strike the island nation. It was a relatively active season, with fifteen known storms, six hurricanes, and four major hurricanes. However, tropical cyclones that did not approach populated areas or shipping lanes, especially if they were relatively weak and of short duration, may have remained undetected. Because technologies such as satellite monitoring were not available until the 1960s, historical data on tropical cyclones from this period are often not reliable. The Atlantic hurricane reanalysis project discovered four new tropical cyclones, all of which were tropical storms, that occurred during the year. Two storms attained Category 5 intensity, the first known occurrence in which multiple Category 5 hurricanes formed in the same year. The season's first cyclone developed on May 5, while the last remaining system transitioned into an extratropical cyclone by November 13.
The 1915 Atlantic hurricane season featured the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall in the United States since the 1900 Galveston hurricane. The first storm, which remained a tropical depression, appeared on April 29 near the Bahamas, while the final system, also a tropical depression, was absorbed by an extratropical cyclone well south of Newfoundland on October 22. Of the six tropical storms, five intensified into a hurricane, of which three further strengthened into a major hurricane. Four of the hurricanes made landfall in the United States. The early 20th century lacked modern forecasting and documentation, and thus, the hurricane database from these years may be incomplete.
The 1899 Atlantic hurricane season featured the longest-lasting tropical cyclone in the Atlantic basin on record. There were nine tropical storms, of which five became hurricanes. Two of those strengthened into major hurricanes, which are Category 3 or higher on the modern day Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. The first system was initially observed in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico on June 26. The tenth and final system dissipated near Bermuda on November 10. These dates fall within the period with the most tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic. In post-season analysis, two tropical cyclones that existed in October were added to HURDAT – the official Atlantic hurricane database. At one point during the season, September 3 through the following day, a set of three tropical cyclones existed simultaneously.
The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season was the most destructive Atlantic hurricane season since 2005, causing over 1,000 deaths and nearly $50 billion in damage. The season ranked as the third costliest ever at the time, but has since fallen to ninth costliest. It was an above-average season, featuring sixteen named storms, eight of which became hurricanes, and five which further became major hurricanes. It officially started on June 1 and ended on November 30. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. However, the formation of Tropical Storm Arthur caused the season to start one day early. It was the only year on record in which a major hurricane existed in every month from July through November in the North Atlantic. Bertha became the longest-lived July tropical cyclone on record for the basin, the first of several long-lived systems during 2008.
Hurricane Kate was the final in a series of tropical cyclones to impact the United States during 1985. It was the eleventh named storm, seventh hurricane, and third major hurricane of the 1985 Atlantic hurricane season, Kate originated from the interaction of an upper-level trough and tropical wave northeast of Puerto Rico on November 15. Though the system tracked erratically during the first hours of its existence, the intensification of a region of high pressure to the cyclone's north caused Kate to turn westward. A favorable atmospheric pattern allowed the newly developed system to intensify to hurricane intensity on November 16, and further to Category 2 intensity three days later.
The 1886 Atlantic hurricane season ran through the early summer and the first half of fall in 1886. This is the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. It was a very active year, with ten hurricanes, six of which struck the United States, an event that would not occur again until 1985 and 2020. Four hurricanes became major hurricanes. However, in the absence of modern satellite and other remote-sensing technologies, only storms that affected populated land areas or encountered ships at sea are known, so the actual total could be higher. An undercount bias of zero to six tropical cyclones per year between 1851 and 1885 and zero to four per year between 1886 and 1910 has been estimated. Of the known 1886 cyclones, Hurricane Seven and Tropical Storm Eleven were first documented in 1996 by Jose Fernandez-Partagas and Henry Diaz. They also proposed large alterations to the known tracks of several other 1886 storms.
Hurricane King was the most severe hurricane to strike the city of Miami, Florida since the 1926 Miami hurricane. It was the eleventh tropical storm and the last of six major hurricanes in the 1950 Atlantic hurricane season. The cyclone formed in the western Caribbean Sea on October 13, and initially moved northeastward, slowly strengthening. Hurricane King crossed Cuba on October 17, causing seven deaths and $2 million in damage (1950 USD). It reached its peak intensity of 130 mph (210 km/h) and subsequently made landfall on downtown Miami. The hurricane damaged 20,861 houses in southern Florida, 580 of them severely, and destroyed a further 248. Further inland, King caused heavy crop damage, particularly to the citrus industry. After weakening to a tropical storm, King moved across Georgia, where it caused isolated power outages and minor damage. Across the United States, the hurricane left four fatalities and $30 million in damage.
The 1924 Atlantic hurricane season featured the first officially recorded Category 5 hurricane, a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds exceeding 155 mph (249 km/h) on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson scale. The first system, Tropical Storm One, was first detected in the northwestern Caribbean Sea on June 18. The final system, an unnumbered tropical depression, dissipated on November 24. These dates fall within the period with the most tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic. Of the 13 tropical cyclones of the season, six existed simultaneously. The season was average with 11 tropical storms, five of which strengthened into hurricanes. Further, two of those five intensified into major hurricanes, which are Category 3 or higher on the Saffir–Simpson scale.
Hurricane Fox was the strongest and deadliest tropical cyclone of the below average 1952 Atlantic hurricane season. The seventh tropical storm, sixth Atlantic hurricane, and the third major hurricane of the season, Fox was a small and intense Caribbean storm that developed northwest of Cartagena, Colombia, in the southern Caribbean. It moved steadily northwest, intensifying to a tropical storm on October 21. The next day, it rapidly strengthened into a hurricane and turned north passing closely to Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. The cyclone attained peak winds of 145 mph (233 km/h) as it struck Cayo Guano del Este off the coast of Cienfuegos. Fox made landfall on Cuba at maximum intensity, producing peak gusts of 170–180 mph (270–290 km/h). It weakened over land, but it re-strengthened as it turned east over the Bahamas. On October 26, it weakened and took an erratic path, dissipating west-southwest of Bermuda on October 28.
The 1851 Atlantic hurricane season was the first Atlantic hurricane season to be included in the official Atlantic tropical cyclone record. Six known tropical cyclones occurred during the season, the earliest of which formed on June 25 and the latest of which dissipated on October 19. These dates fall within the range of most Atlantic tropical cyclone activity. None of the cyclones existed simultaneously with another. Three of the six storms only have a single point in their track known.
The 1852 Atlantic hurricane season was one of only three Atlantic hurricane seasons in which every known tropical cyclone attained hurricane status. Five tropical cyclones were reported during the season, which lasted from late August through the middle of October; these dates fall within the range of most Atlantic tropical cyclone activity, and none of the cyclones coexisted with another. Though there were officially five tropical cyclones in the season, hurricane scholar Michael Chenoweth assessed two of the cyclones as being the same storm. There may have been other unconfirmed tropical cyclones during the season, as meteorologist Christopher Landsea estimated that up to six storms were missed each year from the official database; this estimate was due to small tropical cyclone size, sparse ship reports, and relatively unpopulated coastlines.
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