The 1925 Atlantic hurricane season was a below-average
Atlantic hurricane season
The Atlantic hurricane season is the period in a year from June through November when tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic Ocean, referred to in North American countries as hurricanes, tropical storms, or tropical depressions. In addition ...
during which four
tropical cyclones formed. Only one of them was a hurricane. The first storm developed on August 18, and the last dissipated on December 1. The season began at a late date, more than two months after the season began. The official start of the season is generally considered to be June 1 with the end being October 31;
however, the final storm of the season formed nearly a month after the official end.
Due to increased activity over the following decades, the official end of the hurricane season was shifted to November 30.
The final two storms of the season impacted several areas, with the final storm affecting areas from Cuba to Rhode Island. The third storm caused little or no damage along the Texas coastline with gale-force winds being recorded only along the coast. The last storm caused severe damage along the beaches of the
Florida Peninsula, with damages estimated in the millions along with four fatalities near Tampa. At least $600,000 was lost in damages dealt to the citrus industry and several maritime incidents resulted in over 55 fatalities.
The season's activity was reflected with an
accumulated cyclone energy
Accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) is a metric used by various agencies to express the energy released by a tropical cyclone during its lifetime. It is calculating by summing the square of a tropical cyclone's maximum sustained winds, measured ever ...
(ACE) rating of 7,
one of the lowest totals ever and far below the 1921–1930 average of 76.6.
ACE is a metric used to express the energy used by a tropical cyclone during its lifetime. Therefore, a storm with a longer duration will have high values of ACE. It is only calculated at six-hour increments in which specific tropical and subtropical systems are either at or above sustained wind speeds of , which is the threshold for tropical storm intensity. Thus, tropical depressions are not included here.
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Timeline
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Systems
Hurricane One
The first indications of a tropical cyclone developing were on August 17. A ship in the vicinity of the developing system reported winds of over waters.
Around 0000
UTC the next day, the system was classified as a modern-day tropical depression with sustained winds estimated at . Roughly 18 hours later, the depression strengthened into a tropical storm, the first of the season while located to the north-northeast of the
Bahamas. Gradual intensification took place throughout most of the storm's life
as it traveled towards the northeast
until becoming a hurricane around 0600 UTC on August 20.
About 30 minutes later, a ship recorded winds of
and a pressure of 993.6 mbar (hPa),
the lowest pressure recorded in relation to the small storm.
Shortly after, the storm reached its peak intensity with winds of .
Increasing in forward motion, the storm became
extratropical early on August 21 after turning towards the north.
Tropical Storm Two
The second storm of the season was first identified on August 25 to the east of Florida as a tropical depression.
Around this time, several ships were reporting winds up to in the vicinity of the system.
Traveling towards the northeast, the storm gradually intensified, attainting tropical storm status around 0600
UTC the next day.
Several hours later, a ship recorded a pressure of 1010 mbar (hPa) while located in the vicinity of the system.
The storm turned towards the west-northwest later that day and forward motion began to increase.
Early on August 27, the storm weakened below tropical storm status and transitioned into an
extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of ...
while moving over cooler waters.
The system dissipated shortly after over open waters.
Although the storm remained over water for the duration of its existence, the outer reaches of the system brought rain and light winds to
Georgia,
Florida, and the
Carolinas
The Carolinas are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina, considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east.
Combining Nort ...
. In
Jacksonville, Florida, the storm produced of rain on August 25. Between August 26 and 27,
Cape Hatteras received of rain from the storm.
Tropical Storm Three
The third storm of the season was first identified as tropical depression off the northwestern coast of the
Yucatan Peninsula early on September 6. The system moved at a steady pace to the northwest towards the
Rio Grande Valley. Shortly after forming, the depression strengthened into a tropical storm.
At this time, a ship in the vicinity of the storm recorded a pressure of 1012 mbar (hPa).
By 1800
UTC that day, the storm reached its peak intensity with winds of .
Around 9 pm CST (0300 UTC on September 7) that night, storm warnings were issued for areas between
Brownsville and
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi (; Ecclesiastical Latin: "'' Body of Christ"'') is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patrici ...
. These warnings were later expanded to include the entire Texas coastline.
The storm made landfall in northern Mexico, just south of the Texas border,
shortly after the warnings were extended.
Around the time the storm made landfall, a pressure of 1002 mbar (hPa) was recorded in Brownsville, Texas.
The storm dissipated later that day over southwestern Texas.
No known damage was caused as a result of this storm and storm-force winds were only recorded over a small area on the Texas coastline.
The storm produced minor rainfall over south Texas with Brownsville recording and Corpus Christi recording 0.95 in (24.1 in). Winds up to were reported in Brownsville around 1 am CST (0800 UTC) on September 7.
Tropical depression
In late September, a low-pressure area detached from a dissipating frontal system and gradually organized into a tropical system over warm
sea surface temperatures in the central Atlantic. A tropical depression formed by late on September 29. However, the depression transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on October 1 as it merged with another frontal system.
Tropical Storm Four
A tropical depression developed near the
Yucatan Peninsula early on November 27.
The depression drifted southeastward and gradually strengthened into a tropical storm.
Once in the gulf, it accelerated and intensified to winds of .
Early on December 1, the storm made landfall near
Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...
, at the same intensity. The system weakened and soon became extratropical. The extratropical cyclone emerged over the eastern Atlantic several hours later and regained hurricane-force winds. By 0000 UTC, the extratropical system peaked with winds of and a minimum pressure of .
Around this time, the U. S. S. ''Patoka'', which was in the vicinity of the storm, recorded a pressure of .
The northeastward movement slowed shortly after crossing Florida.
Around 2300 UTC, it made landfall between
Wilmington and
Cape Hatteras with winds equivalent to a minimal hurricane. Shortly after landfall, maximum sustained winds in the storm dropped below .
A strong
area of high pressure located over the
Canadian Maritimes
The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of Ca ...
caused the system to turn east-southeastward.
On December 5, the storm weakened further to the equivalent of a tropical depression as the system began to move towards the south.
The remnants of the storm continued eastward, passing several hundred miles north of
Bermuda later that day. The cyclone was reported near the
Azores on December 9, before finally merging with another cyclone over the North Atlantic.
The storm caused significant property and crop damage along the Gulf Coast of Florida. Trees, power lines, and telegraph wires were uprooted or knocked down by high winds along the
Suwannee River
The Suwannee River (also spelled Suwanee River) is a river that runs through south Georgia southward into Florida in the southern United States. It is a wild blackwater river, about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset hig ...
. Structures which were previously considered to be safe from storms, being over inland, sustained significant damage from what was likely
storm surge
A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the n ...
. The beaches along the Atlantic coast also sustained considerable damages from the storm.
Four people were killed near Tampa in two separate incidents. The first occurred when a house collapsed on three men, pinning them to the ground. The second incident occurred after a woman ran outside her home and was struck by a tree limb. In North Carolina, heavy rains and strong winds were reported along the coast. Near record high water rises were recorded around Wilmington. Cape Hatteras was temporarily isolated from the surrounding areas as the high winds from the storm knocked down power lines throughout the area. Several buildings along the coast and numerous boats sustained considerable damage.
Property loses were estimated in the millions, with $1 million in
Jacksonville alone. Damages to the citrus industry were also significant, with total losses exceeding $600,000. In addition to the severe impacts on land, numerous shipping incidents resulted in several deaths. A schooner carrying seven people sunk with no survivors. A tug boat sank off the coast of
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...
, while towing a lumber barge, the fate of the crew is unknown. A ship named the American
SS Cotopaxi
SS ''Cotopaxi'' was an Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) Design 1060 bulk carrier built for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) under the World War I emergency shipbuilding program. The ship, launched 15 November 1918, was named after the ...
sank between
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
and the northern coast of
Cuba; all 30 crew members drowned. A ship carrying about 2,000 cases of liquor with a crew of six sank near
Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County near the Atlantic coastline, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. Daytona Beach is approximately nort ...
. Near
Savannah, Georgia, a yacht sank, drowning 12 crew members. At least 55 deaths occurred at sea.
See also
*
List of tropical cyclones
This is a list of tropical cyclones, subdivided by basin. See the list of tropical cyclone records for individual records set by individual tropical cyclones.
*Lists of Atlantic hurricanes – directory for Atlantic hurricanes north of the equa ...
*
Atlantic hurricane season
The Atlantic hurricane season is the period in a year from June through November when tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic Ocean, referred to in North American countries as hurricanes, tropical storms, or tropical depressions. In addition ...
*
List of Florida hurricanes
*
1900–1940 South Pacific cyclone seasons
The following is a list of all reported tropical cyclones within the South Pacific Ocean, to the east of 160°E, from 1900 to 1940.
Background
Ancient Polynesians and others who inhabited the tropical Pacific before the Europeans arrived, knew o ...
*
1900–1950 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons
The following is a list of South-West Indian Ocean tropical cyclones between the year 1900 and 1950.
Storms 1904 Comoros cyclone
On December 14, a cyclone moved through the Comoros, causing damage to the island's vanilla and coffee plantati ...
*
1920s Australian region cyclone seasons
Storms Unnamed tropical cyclone (1923)
This cyclone developed on 21 March 1923 east of Cape York and then devastated the normally cyclone free Torres Strait Islands. It then moved over the Gulf of Carpentaria where 20 people died around 28 March ...
References
External links
Monthly Weather Review
{{DEFAULTSORT:1925 Atlantic Hurricane Season
Articles which contain graphical timelines
1925 meteorology
1925 natural disasters