Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900 Pressure Map

[Ptarmigan]

Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900 pressure map. A Cape Verde Hurricane like Ike. Quite a large hurricane, like Carla and Ike.

http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/028 ... 09-c11.pdf

[Paul]

you see how it missed the weakness to escape ala 04 Charlie and the high building in on top.....semi similar to Ike...

[Ptarmigan]

you see how it missed the weakness to escape ala 04 Charlie and the high building in on top.....semi similar to Ike...

If it was not for that weakness, think about how it would of turned out. Of course there is the 1915 Hurricane and that was bad too, but they had as seawall by then because of the 1900 Hurricane. Disaster was averted with Charley in 2004.

The 1900 Hurricane kept traveling over land like Cuba and Hispanola. I would not be surprised if the storm expanded as a result, like we saw in Ike. I know large hurricanes can undergo rapid intensification like Gilbert or Katrina did. Most people think small hurricanes can rapidly intensify, which it is true too and are more likely to do so because they have less size to deal with. Just look at the 1932 Freeport Hurricane or Humberto.

[Paul]

Ike's concentric eye walls kept him from intensifying. If it was for that it would have bombed out. That and less interaction with Cuba. He did strengthen a bit right before landfall and I have theorized it was due to land interaction.

[Ptarmigan]

Ike's concentric eye walls kept him from intensifying. If it was for that it would have bombed out. That and less interaction with Cuba. He did strengthen a bit right before landfall and I have theorized it was due to land interaction.

I would imagine if we had satellite images and radar of the 1900 Hurricane, it probably did not have a concentric eyewall. Also, it was a tropical storm for most of its life. Would be interesting to think it was a hurricane prior to entering the Gulf of Mexico. I know land interaction, the windfield of a hurricane does shrink somewhat due to friction. Also, I think Ike entered an area where there was a small opening between high pressure systems and a cold front, which also helped it intensify before landfall. Notice that the western eyewall was strengthening as it was over Houston. I know cold fronts have helped storms intensify like Wilma in 2005 before it hit Florida.

[TexasMetBlake]

For what it is worth, some have theorized that the 1900 storm wasn't a Cat. 4 at all but rather a midrange 3. The reason Galveston was in splinters is because every building there was wood frame and exposed directly to surge. It doesn't take a strong hurricane to wipe out an island destination. Look at Ike. The 1900 storm and Ike could have far more in common than we think. By looking at the chart above, Galveston was also in the worst position possible--the right front quad...same as Bolivar in Ike.

[Ptarmigan]

For what it is worth, some have theorized that the 1900 storm wasn't a Cat. 4 at all but rather a midrange 3. The reason Galveston was in splinters is because every building there was wood frame and exposed directly to surge. It doesn't take a strong hurricane to wipe out an island destination. Look at Ike. The 1900 storm and Ike could have far more in common than we think. By looking at the chart above, Galveston was also in the worst position possible--the right front quad...same as Bolivar in Ike.

From the map, the 1900 Hurricane was large and the pressure gradient is not as tight with central pressure of 936 mb. As you mentioned, storm surge is what did the damage and killed 12,000 people. You are right that the 1900 Hurricane and Ike have a lot in common. Both are Cape Verde Storms that took almost a similar path. The 1900 Hurricane made landfall south of Galveston, while Ike made landfall on the eastern part of Galveston.

[Ptarmigan]

When tornado season has wound down, that'll make a great avatar.

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