Because not many people know about it
By Paul Homewood
Helene has been declared the strongest hurricane to hit the Big Bend region of Florida.
But what about the unnamed storm of 1896, which devastated the Cedar Keys?
This image shows the damage caused by the Great Hurricane of 1896 that hit the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida. With 2,200 kilometers of coastline, Florida is the US state most vulnerable to such storms. More than 450 recorded tropical storms and hurricanes have made landfall since European exploration began. The storm of September 1896 destroyed most of the residential area of ​​the town of Cedar Key on the upper west coast of the Florida peninsula, killing dozens of residents and destroying much of Cedar Key’s industry. Before reaching land, storms and high tides overtook more than 100 sponge boats, killing countless crews. The storm then crossed the peninsula, leaving a wide swath of destruction all the way to the Atlantic coast in Fernandina, before heading north to Virginia. This picture shows survivors, in black and white, in Fernandina, standing atop a pile of rubble, still looking stunned by the destruction.
https://www.loc.gov/item/2021669942
By any standard the 1896 Cedar Keys hurricane was a monster. Here’s the Wikipedia summary:
At 1896 Cedar Keys hurricane something powerful and destructive tropical cyclone which destroys many East Coast of the United Statesstarting with Florida‘s Cedar Keysnear the end of September 1896. The storm’s rapid movement allowed it to maintain its intensity afterward mainland and causing significant damage over a wide area; as a result, it became one of the most expensive storms in the United States at the time. The fourth tropical cyclone in the 1896 Atlantic hurricane seasonit was formed by September 22, the possibility of a tropical wavesbefore crossing the Caribbean Sea just south of the Greater Antilles. It goes in Gulf of Mexico as the equivalent of a hurricane Saffir-Simpson Scaleand attacked the Cedar Keys—an offshore island chain that includes the island and town of Cedar Key—early on the morning of September 29 with the wind from 125 mph. The area was inundated by a devastating 10.5 feet the storm is rising which destroyed buildings, washed away the railroad connecting to the mainland, and submerged smaller islands, where 31 people died. Strong winds also destroyed many red fir tree which plays an important role in the economy of the region. No hurricane will hit this area of ​​Florida with the same strength until now 2023.
Cyclone continues to land over Suwannee River valley, causing widespread damage in dozens of communities across the interior of northern Florida; in the hardest hit settlements, strong winds left few trees or buildings standing. The storm affected 5,000 sq mi (13,000 km).2) from the dense pine forests of northern Florida, crippling the turpentine industry. Crops and livestock were destroyed, and thousands of people were left homeless. The storm killed at least 70 people in mainland Florida, while causing about $3 million (equivalent to $110 million in 2023) in property damage across the state. Speeding north, the hurricane ravaged southeast Georgia and so on Sea islands. At Savannah45-minute attack of strong winds unroofed thousands of structures. Parks, cemeteries, and city streets were littered with fallen trees, and Savannah River saw dozens of damaged boats. At least 37 people in Georgia were killed. Strong winds and high waves hit the southeast South Carolinadestroying the rice fields and peeling off the roofs. The storm then tracked through the most rural sector of the North Carolina and do significant wind damage on Raleigh–Durham territory.
Although the typhoon was weakened and transitioned into extratropical cyclone ending on September 29, the rapid forward movement contributed to the high wind speed across the section of Middle Atlantic countrieswith winds approaching 100 mph (160 km/h). Additionally, heavy rain is falling to the west of the storm’s track. At Virginiatowns and agricultural districts suffered extensive damage. Flash floods in the district The Shenandoah Valley culminated in a failure underground dam upstream from Stauntonunleashed a torrent of water that swept houses off their foundations and devastated the city’s commercial district. At Washington, DCthousands of trees were uprooted or destroyed, communications were cut off, and locally violent windstorms destroyed many public and private buildings. At The White House the grounds are left in disray. High tide in Chesapeake Bay causing flooding in coastal cities. At Pennsylvaniaflooding rains and strong winds caused widespread damage. The railways in the western part of the country were hit by floods and landslides, while in the southeastern region, hundreds of barns were destroyed. The storm destroyed the bridge 5,390 ft (1,640 m) above Susquehanna Riverwhile in Gettysburg battlefield hundreds of trees were lost, some were hit and historical monuments were damaged. The wind was strong until it reached the east Long Island. heavy rain to the west Ohioand the remnants of the extratropical typhoon which wrought an accident on the ship Great Lakes. The storm caused at least 202 deaths and caused more than $9.6 million in damage (equivalent to $352 million in 2023).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1896_Cedar_Keys_hurricane
Like Helene, the Cedar Keys quickly expanded the Gulf, and then caused extensive damage inland, through Georgia, the Carolinas, and up to New York. There were 115 deaths and 12000 homeless in Florida alone. Cedar Keys was hit by a 10.5 ft storm surge, greater than any recorded during Helene. Nearby Yankeetown has an even bigger surge of over 12ft.
No wonder most residential and industrial areas of the Cedar Keys are devastated. Helene by contrast did not leave this kind of damage, which could not be explained by a stronger building.
Georgia also suffered from the storm, with damage to plantations and rice crops, widespread damage to homes and the clearing of dense pine forests east of Folkston. This storm was still wreaking havoc when it reached Virginia, and produced what still stands as the heaviest storm in Richmond’s history.
Catastrophic flooding followed the storm on its way north, even as far as Ohio.
A total of 202 people died.
But despite all this, the hurricane of 1896 was only rated as a Cat 3, with winds of 125 mph. Note that Helene is expected to have sustained winds of 140 mph.
So how did the authorities arrive at the 125mph estimate? Remember that on that day an anemometer was useless for measuring hurricane speed, even if you had one in the exact center of the storm. Below are the Hurricane Research Division’s notes on how they reached their conclusions. I’ve highlighted the parts relevant to landfall:
https://web.archive.org/web/20110604063810/http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/metadata_master.html
Not scientific!
The analysis by Partagas, which is called and based on the latest analysis can be read here, and is not better, mainly referring to newspaper reports.
Nowhere in HRD’s analysis does anyone mention actual records of wind speed or central pressure. Not surprising, because it all happened in 1896.
But we hope to believe that Helene, with less damage, in Florida and inland, is a more powerful storm.
Sorry, I just don’t believe it.
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