The history of Texas hurricanes in the 20th century appears to be a history of frequent hurricanes followed by years of no hurricanes at all. Texas also had the worst hurricane in American history in terms of loss of life. In the early years of the 29th century, hurricanes were not given names.
The worst hurricane to hit Texas in the history of the 20th century came into Galveston on September 8, 1900. The first typhoon was detected in the tropical Atlantic on August 27, and a tropical storm was detected in Cuba on September 5. by the time it reached Galveston on September 8, it was forecast to be a 4 hurricane with 8 to 15 feet of storm surge.
Galveston, at this time, one of the richest communities not only in Texas, but also in the United. The port was bustling with lots of coins. Galveston boasted electricity and telephone service, a rarity in a community of only 38,000 people. It had opera house, 58 miles of streetcars, and foreign consulates for 19 countries.
The hurricane and 8 to 15 foot storm surge devastated the central region and was responsible for approximately ten thousand deaths, over one quarter of the entire population of Galveston. This death toll is the largest loss of life storm in the history of Texas and the United States. So many bodies were to be cremated, and the bodies were not found until March of the following year.
Galveston never recovered from this blow. He lost his leadership as a port and moved his wealth elsewhere.
The next hurricane to hit Texas was on July 20, 1909. The storm passed through Velasco where the calm center lasted 45 minutes. Then came the winds, which destroyed half the town.
On August 16, 1915, Galveston was again hit by a hurricane. A storm surge sank twelve feet six feet, and the central area was flooded to a depth of six feet. 275. people died.
Sept. 14 1919 The most violent storm of the 20th century landed in the south of Corpus Christi Ten ships were lost at sea, and 500 to 900 dead. the tides were 16 feet above normal and 287 lives were lost on land.
Hurricane Audrey was the first typhoon to make landfall in Texas on the Texas-Louisiana border on June 27, 1957. The storm surge was twelve feet and 390 people died.
Sept. 9 1961 Hurricane Carla filled the entire Gulf of Mexico and caused the 9th largest evacuation day, with over five hundred million people leaving their homes. Coastal areas and islands that lie above the waters of Texas and Louisiana. Only 46 people lost their lives.
Beulah made a loss between Brownsville, Texas, and the mouth of the Rio Grande on Sept. 20. 1967. The storm produced 18-foot waves and winds of 136 miles per hour. The rains were 20 to 30 inches and spawned a large number of tornadoes. Hurricane wave 31 cuts Padre Island. There were 15 deaths.
Hurricane Celia crossed the northern coast of Corpus Christi on August 1, 1970. There were 160 thousand hours of wind damage of 1.6 billion dollars (1990 dollars). Eleven people died.
In 1983, Hurricane Allen reached category 5 status while still over water. It will be moved inland on 9 Aug. North of Brownsville. The storm had storm surges of 12 feet across Padre Island and winds at 129 miles per hour. Two people were killed.
The continent of the United States had not been hit since 1988 when category 3 Alice made landfall in Texas on the 18th August 1980 about 25 miles southwest of Galveston. There was loss of life.
Although Gilbert didn’t hit Texas it came close and is notable for the lowest sea level pressure ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere, around 26.23. He made a raid in Mexico where there was a great loss of life and property.
Texas has had a long history of hurricanes, spanning from Aricia in 1983 to Gilbert in 1999. It was a Category 4 when it made landfall on Sept. 22, but it hit in a sparsely populated area and caused little or no damage. life
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