Estimates by me may differ from official reports - The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is the deadliest storm in US history. The storm resulted in over 8000 fatalities when it made a category 4 landfall in Texas. The system likely started off near the coast of Africa, although the storm was first encountered by a ship to the east of the windward islands on August 27. The storm struck Hispaniola and Cuba before moving into the gulf. Upon moving into the gulf, the storm rapidly intensified into a category 4 with winds of 150 mph. The storm weakened slightly but was still a category 4 when it made landfall in Texas as a category 4. The storm weakened as it moved inland and became extratropical over the Midwest. The extratropical cyclone caused damage in Chicago and then the northeast. In Galveston, the storm caused a catestrophic storm surge of 15-20 feet that went miles inland. The storm killed anywhere between 6-12 thousand, and I estimate the storm's death toll to be around 8500. There is some uncertainty in terms of this storm's intensity, and I do think there is a possibility the storm reached category 5 status. The main argument for this is because the storm's intensification phase abruptly stopped as it entered the western gulf. Although SST values were not measured, that area is usually more favorable at that time, and the only reason the storm's intensification phase may have stooped is an eyewall replacement cycle, which likely occurred at some point given how large the storm was. Still, I do think that the storm was in conditions that should have gotten it to category 5 intensity, and that there is certainly a possibility. - Tags: #Scratchmaster295 #TropicalCyclone #Hurricane #Meteorology #GalvestonHurricane #Galveston #Weather #Animations
