1916 Atlantic hurricane season

[nb 1] The early 20th century lacked modern forecasting tools such as satellite imagery and documentation, and thus, the hurricane database from these years may be incomplete.

Another hurricane in October which struck the Yucatán Peninsula and near Pensacola, Florida, was attributed to at least $100,000 in damage and 29 deaths, 20 of which occurred when a ship sank in the Caribbean Sea.

Little intensification occurred for several days as the depression moved westward and eventually northwestward, brushing the coasts of Nicaragua and Honduras late on June 30 and early on July 1.

The cyclone finally strengthened into a tropical storm early the next day and reached hurricane status late on July 3 as it neared the Yucatán Channel.

Further intensification occurred in the Gulf of Mexico,[2] and at around 18:00 UTC on July 5, the storm peaked as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (190 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 950 mbar (28 inHg), with the latter being derived from the former.

[16] Heavy rains over the interior portions of Alabama inundated 250,000 acres (100,000 ha) of farmlands in four counties alone and caused about $5 million in damage to crops throughout the state.

After crossing the northeastern Caribbean, the storm made landfall near Humacao, Puerto Rico, with winds of 50 mph (80 km/h) shortly before 12:00 UTC on July 13.

Early on July 15, the system strengthened into a hurricane and then reached Category 2 status about 24 hours,[2] peaking with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (169 km/h) shortly thereafter, based on an observed barometric pressure of 980 mbar (29 inHg).

[4] Storm warnings were issued by the Weather Bureau for coastal stretches from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, to Eastport, Maine, as the hurricane paralleled the coast offshore.

[4] The system weakened more quickly after moving inland, falling to tropical storm intensity several hours later as it resumed its original west-northwestward motion.

[29] Upon entering North Carolina, torrential rainfall generated by the storm caused orographic lift, which, combined with heavy precipitation from the hurricane which recently struck the Gulf Coast resulted in record-breaking river flooding in the Appalachian and southern Blue Ridge Mountains.

The French Broad River, for instance, crested at nearly twice its previous stage record in Asheville, where flooding demolished numerous buildings.

Shortly thereafter, the cyclone peaked with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (210 km/h) and retained this intensity through its landfall several hours later near Baffin Bay, Texas.

High winds and heavy precipitation spread farther inland to mainly rural areas of South Texas,[4] impacting towns and their outlying agricultural districts alike.

[44][45] Heavy precipitation and high winds caused significant damage at military camps along the Mexico–United States border, forcing 30,000 garrisoned militiamen to evacuate.

Early the next day, the system strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane and peaked with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (180 km/h),[2] based on a barometric pressure observation of 980 mbar (29 inHg) in San Juan, Puerto.

Continuing northwestward, the storm passed just west of the Bahamian islands, before making landfall near Cutler Bay, Florida, with winds of 45 mph (72 km/h) around 08:00 UTC on August 25.

[2] In Puerto Rico, the storm's swath of damage spanned about 45–50 mi (72–80 km) wide and extended from Naguabo to Arecibo,[50] while areas from Humacao to Aguadilla suffered hurricane-force winds.

The storm attained its peak intensity around the time it struck Dominica with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 986 mbar (29.1 inHg) early on August 28,[2] with the former being based on the latter, which was observed at Roseau.

[60] Though these industries recovered quickly by the year's end,[59] the storm was ultimately part of a decade-long series of natural disasters and political events that eventually led to the demise of the island's cultivation economy by 1925.

Moving north-northwestward, the storm intensified slightly and peaked with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 1,010 mbar (30 inHg), based on observations from a ship.

About 12 hours after moving inland, the system weakened to a tropical depression near Rocky Mount, shortly before dissipating over the northeastern parts of the state.

The storm became a Category 3 hurricane early on September 22,[2] and shortly thereafter peaked with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 975 mbar (28.8 inHg), based on data from ships and historical weather maps.

[72] In Atlantic Canada, the remnants of the hurricane generated rough seas along the coast and offshore, capsizing several ships, which resulted in at least 12 deaths and possibly as many as 19.

The storm moved northwestward as it slowly intensified, peaking with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (97 km/h) on the following day,[2] an estimate based on a ship observation of a barometric pressure of 1,000 mbar (30 inHg).

[2] Several hours later, the cyclone curved northward and reached Category 2 status before making landfall on Saint Croix late on October 10 with winds of 110 mph (180 km/h).

Early on the following day, the system attained Category 2 intensity and reached sustained winds of 110 mph (180 km/h),[2] based on observations from the Swan Islands,[4] while curving northwestward.

The hurricane reached sustained winds of 110 mph (180 km/h) again and a minimum barometric pressure of 970 mbar (29 inHg) about 24 hours later,[2] with both estimates derived from observations Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida, and the pressure-wind relationship.

[4] After curving northwestward, the storm made landfall in Nicaragua north of Puerto Cabezas early on November 13 with winds of 40 mph (64 km/h) and soon re-emerged into the Caribbean off northeastern Honduras.

[2] By November 14, the cyclone turned northward and peaked with sustained winds of 70 mph (110 km/h), based on observations from ships and weather stations in western Cuba.

Destruction wrought by the Texas hurricane