1915 New Orleans hurricane
Template:Infobox hurricane nopic The New Orleans Hurricane of 1915 was an intense Category 4 hurricane that made landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana. The hurricane killed 275 people and caused $13 million (1915 US dollars) in damage.
Storm history
Tropical storm (39–73 mph, 63–118 km/h)
Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
Unknown
Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depression| Most intense landfalling tropical cyclones in the United States Intensity is measured solely by central pressure | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | System | Season | Landfall pressure |
| 1 | "Labor Day" | 1935 | 892 mbar (hPa) |
| 2 | Camille | 1969 | 900 mbar (hPa) |
| Yutu | 2018 | ||
| 4 | Michael | 2018 | 919 mbar (hPa) |
| 5 | Katrina | 2005 | 920 mbar (hPa) |
| Maria | 2017 | ||
| 7 | Andrew | 1992 | 922 mbar (hPa) |
| 8 | "Indianola" | 1886 | 925 mbar (hPa) |
| 9 | "Guam" | 1900 | 926 mbar (hPa) |
| 10 | "Florida Keys" | 1919 | 927 mbar (hPa) |
| Source: HURDAT,[1] Hurricane Research Division[2] | |||
The storm was first reported near the Leeward Islands between Puerto Rico and South America. The developing system crossed the Yucactan Penisula and moved northward into the Gulf of Mexico where it rapidly strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane. As the hurricane moved closer to the U.S. Gulf coast, hurricane warnings were put up from Florida to Louisiana. The storm made landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana; the center was 20 miles east of New Orleans. The storm then moved northeast and weakened into a tropical storm as it crossed into Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. The storm became extratropical as it moved north.
Impact
The hurricane damaged the Times-Picayune building , hampering newspaper production. There were reports of damage in New Orleans, with roofs blown off buildings and the Presbetere on Jackson Square loosing its cupola. Wind damage was worse than the most recent previous hurricane to hit the city in 1909, but flooding was much less widespread. Areas along the Lower Coast were hard hit. A telegraph report states the situation:
"Whole country between Poydras and Buras inundated. Levees gone, property loss appalling. Life toll prabally heavy. Conditions estimated worse than ever before. Relief needed. No Communications..."
There were 23 dead in Venice, Louisiana, with simlar numbers in coastal towns of Fremier and LaBranche. In Plaquemines Parish, there was severe flooding and miles of levees were washed away. Thousands of people were left homeless. The hurricane also wrecked many of the oyster boats, damaging the local ecomomy.
Though it was not as deadly as the 1893 Chenier Caminanda Hurricane, this hurricane was the deadliest Louisiana hurricane until Hurricane Betsy 50 years later. A massive relief effort after the 1915 storm occurred in similar proportions to the relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
See also
Sources
- 1915 Hurricane
- Great Storm of 1915 track (Weather Underground
- Great Storm of 1915 track (unisys)
- Louisiana timeline
- ^ "Atlantic hurricane best track (HURDAT version 2)" (Database). United States National Hurricane Center. May 11, 2024.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- Landsea, Chris (April 2022). "The revised Atlantic hurricane database (HURDAT2) - Chris Landsea – April 2022" (PDF). Hurricane Research Division – NOAA/AOML. Miami: Hurricane Research Division – via Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.
- ^ Landsea, Chris; Anderson, Craig; Bredemeyer, William; et al. (February 2024). Detailed List of Continental United States Hurricane Impacts/Landfalls 1851-1970, 1983-2023. Re-Analysis Project (Report). Miami, Florida: Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Hurricane Research Division.