Meteorological History
The storm was observed on October 20 while several hundred miles southwest of Jamaica. Its origin is unknown, though it possibly developed from a low pressure area over Panama a day earlier. A high pressure system over Bermuda caused a north-northwest motion, allowing for the storm to intensify over favorable conditions. On October 22, the storm attained hurricane status shortly after passing 10 miles (16 km) east of the Swan Islands. On October 23, the hurricane attained a peak intensity of 140 miles per hour (230 km/h), with a central pressure of at most 27.80 inches of mercury (941.42 mb), as it entered the Yucatán Channel, with its eastern side brushing the western end of Cuba.
As it turned to the north in the Gulf of Mexico, the hurricane maintained its intensity before curving to the north-northeast on October 24. Thereafter, it turned northeast and quickly weakened, making landfall as a Category 3 hurricane near Tarpon Springs, Florida, on October 25 with sustained winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) and a central pressure of 958 mb (28.29 inHg). The hurricane quickly crossed Central Florida before entering the Atlantic, weakening to a minimal hurricane over land. It accelerated to the southeast before recurving to the east-northeast. It transformed into an extratropical cyclone on October 30 while centered southeast of Bermuda.
Read more about this topic: 1921 Tampa Bay Hurricane
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