The 1900 Atlantic hurricane season
ran through the summer and early fall months of 1900. The season was below average, with seven tropical storms
, of which three became hurricanes
, two of them major.
A tropical storm formed in the south central Atlantic on August 27 with winds of 40 mph (65 km/h). The weak tropical storm moved west-northwest for a week through the Dominican Republic
, and Cuba
. After leaving Cuba and entering the Gulf of Mexico
, it intensified rapidly into a Category 1 hurricane late on September 6 and eventually to a Category 4 hurricane
on September 8, packing 145 mph (230 km/h) winds before making landfall near Galveston, Texas
. The hurricane's storm surge and wind damage was catastrophic, resulting in an immense loss of life. After moving inland, it quickly weakened to a tropical storm and began to move northeast across the central United States through Michigan
and into New York
and through Maine
. All in all, the Great Galveston Hurricane is responsible for 8,000 to 12,000 deaths, making it the deadliest natural disaster ever to strike the United States.
Another storm formed unusually close in time to the previous one on September 8, to the north-east of the Lesser Antilles
. It gathered steam as it tracked to the north-west, and became a strong Category 3 hurricane with maximum winds of 120 mph (193 km/h). Suddenly, it veered to the north and then tracked north-east away from any land, passing by Bermuda and into the north Atlantic, where it dissipated.
The rest of the season was fairly quiet, with the next hurricane forming off Africa
as a Cape Verde-type hurricane
on September 9. This one turned north, reaching Category 2 status with maximum winds of 100 mph (161 km/h) , then turned east and quickly performed a complete loop as a Category 1, sending it west, away from Africa. It continued on a west-northwesterly track, until it ran into unfavorable conditions and dissipated.
Tropical Storm Four
The next storm formed on September 10, directly south of Cuba. It skimmed the western-most tip of Cuba as a 40 mph (64 km/h) tropical storm, then made its way up to the United States
, and hit at the southern tip of Alabama
. It went up into Alabama, with maximum winds of 50 mph (80 km/h). It skimmed over Alabama and into Georgia
, where it died out.
Tropical Storm Five
The next storm formed in about the same area as the last one on October 4, and went north-east as well. It then veered west, looking as if would hit the east coast of Florida
. Suddenly, it turned north as a 70 mph (113 km/h) tropical storm. It continued north, where it eventually hit Nova Scotia
. It went unusually far north, past Canada
, before it dissipated.
Tropical Storm Six
On October 10, a tropical storm developed west of the Yucatán Peninsula
and began moving northeast through the Gulf of Mexico
, strengthening little. The system made landfall near Lake City, Florida
on October 12 with 45 mph
) winds and quickly became extratropical as it moved across northern Florida. The extratropical low skirted the East Coast of the United States
before making landfall on Long Island
, New York
and accelerating through New England
into eastern Canada
, where it dissipated.
Tropical Storm Seven
A tropical depression was first observed southeast of Puerto Rico
on October 24. The system moved west-northwestward over Hispaniola
and gradually strengthened, becoming a tropical storm off the coast of Haiti
on October 26. The storm then recurved to the north-northeast over the Bahamas
, strengthening slightly to a peak of 50 mph
) on October 27 before becoming extratropical over the open Atlantic Ocean on October 29.