1924 Cuba Hurricane - Impact and Records

Impact and Records

As a developing tropical cyclone, the storm produced increased winds and lower pressures in the Swan Islands, off the coast of Honduras. Heavy rainfall occurred throughout Jamaica, causing street flooding and several mudslides, but little damage. No disruptions were reported to communications or railway travel. The storm brushed eastern Belize while located off the coast, producing 3.62 inches (21.9 mm) of rainfall and light winds.

In extreme western Cuba, damage was very severe from the strong winds, likened to the impact of a tornado. Severe damage was reported in Los Arroyos and Arroyos de Mantua. In the latter location, around a dozen people were killed, 50 were injured, and nearly every building in the town was severely damaged; heavy losses also occurred to the tobacco crop. Across western Pinar del Río Province, the hurricane destroyed all communication links. Further from the center, the capital city of Havana recorded southerly winds of 72 mph (116 km/h), as well as a minimum pressure of about 999 mbar (29.50 inHg). Around the country, the hurricane capsized several ships, primarily fishing vessels. The death toll in the country was estimated at around 90. In the days after the storm, Cuban President Zayas authorized about $30,000 in relief aid to send to hurricane victims in Pinar del Río.

Several days prior to striking Florida, the outer circulation began producing rainfall across the state. Storm warnings were issued along the east and west coastlines northward to Cedar Key and Titusville. Later, hurricane warnings were issued for much of the same area, and schools in the Tampa area were closed as the storm was expected to move ashore. The hurricane first affected Florida when it passed west of Key West, where sustained winds of 66 mph (107 km/h), along with gusts to 74 mph (120 km/h), were reported. Little damage occurred in the region, limited to downed trees; this was due to advanced warning by the U.S. Weather Bureau, which advised ships to remain at port and for residents to secure property. Later, the hurricane moved ashore in a sparsely populated region of southwestern Florida. Damage was reported in Fort Myers and Punta Gorda and communications were temporarily cut, although no deaths were reported. Heavy rainfall was reported along its path, and one location accumulated 23.22 inches (590 mm) in a 24 hour period; this established a new one-day rainfall record in the state. A station in Miami recorded 12.18 inches (309 mm), and wind gusts in the area approached hurricane force. The combination of winds and rain damaged 5% of the local citrus and avocado crop. The rainfall flooded streets, homes, and commercial buildings in the Miami area, and hundreds of people were left without telephone access. No impact was reported in the Bahamas.

After a reanalysis of hurricanes between 1921 and 1925, the Hurricane Research Division determined this hurricane attained winds of 165 mph (270 km/h), making it a Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale. The hurricane is the earliest known to have attained the intensity, besting the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane, which was previously thought to be the earliest storm of this intensity. It is also the only one on record to make landfall on Cuba at Category 5 status. A hurricane in 1846 that hit the country was also thought to have struck at Category 5 status, although the storm existed prior to the start of the Atlantic hurricane database. When the steamship "Toledo" recorded an atmospheric pressure of 922 mbar (27.22 inHg) in the storm, it was the lowest pressure recorded in an Atlantic hurricane, breaking the previous record of 924 mbar (27.28 inHg) in the Atlantic hurricane of 1853. The record during this storm lasted until the 1932 Cuba hurricane, when a pressure of 915 mbar (27.02 inHg) was reported. The reading of 932 mbar (27.52 inHg) at Los Arroyos in Mantua, Pinar del Río remains the lowest pressure recorded on land in Cuba.