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Hurricanes in the Bahama Archipelago

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Hurricane Dorian at peak intensity while making landfall in the Abaco Islands on September 1, 2019

The Bahama Archipelago, also known as the Lucayan Archipelago, is an archipelago comprising the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the British Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The archipelago is in the western North Atlantic Ocean, north of Cuba along with the other Antilles, and east and southeast of Florida. The archipelago has experienced the effects of at least 22 Atlantic hurricanes, or storms that were once tropical or subtropical cyclones, including 17 since 2000. The storms collectively killed 101 people.

Hurricane Dorian in 2019 was the strongest hurricane on record to strike the Bahamas, with one-minute maximum sustained winds of 185 mph (298 km/h), causing $2.5 billion in damage and at least 74 deaths. Dorian was one of four Category 5 hurricanes to strike the Bahamas, the others being the 1932 Bahamas hurricane, the 1933 Cuba–Brownsville hurricane, and Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The most recent hurricane to strike the archipelago was Hurricane Oscar in 2024.

Pre-1900s

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  • September 26, 1852 − The Great Mobile hurricane hits the southernmost portion of the archipelago as a minimal hurricane. Damage is unknown.[1]
  • October 1853 − Hurricane Eight passes north of the Bahaman archipelago, killing 12 people in the islands.[2][3]
  • August 15, 1871 − A major hurricane strikes the northernmost part of the archipelago, killing 23 people.[4]

1900s

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  • September 15–16, 1928 − The 1928 Okeechobee hurricane causes 21 fatalities in the archipelago.[5][6]
  • September 5, 1932 - The 1932 Bahamas Hurricane strikes Great Abaco Island as a Category 5. Damage in Nassau, despite being just 65 miles from the hurricane, is minimal. However, on Great Abaco Island, winds of up to 160 mph (260 km/h) battered the island. At nearby Hope Town, a pressure of 921 mbar (27.2 inHg) was recorded, and 83 homes were destroyed while another 63 were severely damaged. At Green Turtle Cay, a large storm surge inundated the entire island, flooding homes, churches, and businesses. At Green Turtle Cay alone, six people died while another 25 were injured. Multiple vessels to the north of Abaco Island also reported low pressure, one even reporting 936 mbar (27.6 inHg) while another vessel recorded 934 mbar (27.6 inHg).[7]
  • August 29, 1933 - The 1933 Cuba–Brownsville hurricane moves over the southeastern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands as a brief Category 5, with winds of 160 mph. The radius of hurricane-strength winds was small, as Grand Turk Island reported winds of only 56 mph. A ship near Mayaguana recorded a pressure of 930 millibars (27 inHg), however, the ship was not in the eye of the hurricane.
  • September 6–8, 1965 - Hurricane Betsy smashes the northern Bahamian islands as a high-end Category 4 hurricane, with one station in Green Turtle Cay recording winds clocked at 151 mph (243 km/h). Another station in Hope Town recorded a gust of 178 mph (286 km/h). Two luxury yachts were destroyed, while dozens of smaller boats were damaged. A man was killed in Nassau after his ship capsized at Nassau Harbor. In the Bay Street shopping district, 10 ft (3.0 m) of water flooded the street. Many power lines and trees were blown down as a result of the strong winds, and many homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. As a result of the strong winds, rain, and storm surge, $14 million (1965 USD) of damage was estimated, most of it being crop damage.[8][9]
  • October 2–5, 1966 -Hurricane Inez stalls in The Bahamas, bringing with it heavy rainfall. In Nassau alone, 14.31 in (363 mm) of rain is dropped while in Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, 9.82 in (249 mm) of rain is dropped. A tornado also formed in Nassau, killing a 15-month-old child, and injuring two others. It was rated an EF1, with winds of over 100 mph (160 km/h) being reported from an anemoter near the tornado. However, the strongest winds in the Bahamas directly linked to the hurricane was in West End, Grand Bahama where winds got to 90 mph (140 km/h). Overall, five people died and around $15.5 million (1966 USD) of damage was caused.[10]
  • May 29, 1969 - Tropical Depression 5 tracks over the Abaco Islands. No impact is reported.
  • October 20–22, 1973 - Tropical Storm Gilda stalls south of the Abaco Islands, bringing heavy rainfall and winds to the islands forcing businesses and schools to close. Peak wind gusts were about 75 mph (121 km/h) on Golden Cay. There was some reported crop damage, but the overall losses are minor and nobody was killed.
  • September 2, 1979 - Hurricane David rolls through the Bahamas as a category 1–2, as it had brought strong winds of 70–80 mph (110–130 km/h) to places such as Andros Island. It also brought heavy rainfall to The Bahamas peaking at 8 inches (200 mm). Even with the rainfall and winds, the overall damage in The Bahamas is minor.
  • September 26, 1984 - Tropical Storm Isidore moves through the Bahamas before striking Florida, bring gusty conditions and heavy rainfall to the islands. In Nassau, floods and gales close businesses, schools and banks across the island. Even with the floods and gusty winds overall damage is minor and nobody is killed.

1990—1999

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  • August 24, 1992 - Hurricane Andrew strikes Eleuthera with 160 mph winds (260 km/h) and early the next day passes through the southern Berry Islands with 150 mph winds (240 km/h). The storm causes $250 million worth of damage (1992 USD, $461 million in 2019 USD), with the most damage on Eleuthera and Cat Cays. 4 people were also killed in The Bahamas, with one of them being an indirect death.
  • September 23—24, 1998 - Hurricane Georges passed to the south of the archipelago, though forecasts from National Hurricane Center showed the storm making landfall in the archipelago while the storm was farther away. Georges brought 70 mph (110 km/h) winds to Turks and Caicos Islands and South Andros, as well as precipitation in the storm's outer bands. Though damage was minimal, one person died in the country.[11]
  • August 28, 1999 - Hurricane Dennis strikes the Abaco Islands as a category 1 hurricane, causing winds of 40 mph (64 km/h) to strike Grand Bahama Island, with other areas recording winds of 70–75 mph (113–121 km/h). The strong winds caused widespread power outages as storm surge was pushed in, flooding roads and buildings. Trees were also downed or severely damaged as the storms center moved across the Abaco Islands. There were no deaths or injuries and the damage total is unknown.
  • September 1, 1999 - Hurricane Floyd lashed the Bahamas with winds of 155 mph (249 km/h) and waves up to 50 ft (15 m) in height. A 20 ft (6.10 m) storm surge inundated many islands with over five ft (1.5 m) of water throughout.[12] The wind and waves toppled power and communication lines, severely disrupting electricity and telephone services for days. Damage was greatest at Abaco Island, Cat Island, San Salvador Island, and Eleuthera Island, where Floyd uprooted trees and destroyed a significant number of houses.[13] Numerous restaurants, hotels, shops, and homes were devastated, severely limiting in the recovery period tourism on which many rely for economic well-being.[14] Damaged water systems left tens of thousands across the archipelago without water, electricity, or food. Despite the damage, few deaths and injuries were reported, as only one person drowned in Freeport.[12]

2000s

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2000—2009

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  • November 5, 2001 - Hurricane Michelle weakened before hitting the Bahamas, bringing high winds and flooding. At its peak, almost 200,000 customers were without power as many trees fell down from strong winds. In Nassau, almost 12.64 inches of rainfall fell down, and, in New Providence Island, 5–8 feet of storm surge was pushed in. Overall, Michelle caused an estimated $300 million in damage (2001 USD), but there were no reported deaths.
  • August 7, 2002 - Tropical Storm Cristobal brought showers and gusty winds to the northern islands of The Bahamas. Two ships recorded tropical storm force winds in association with the storm; one of them, a vessel with the call sign WUQL, reported sustained winds of 47 mph (76 km/h) from the west-southwest on August 7, while located about 160 mi (260 km) northeast of Great Abaco.[15]
  • August 13, 2003 - Hurricane Erika's precursor disturbance dropped heavy, yet needed rainfall to northwestern islands of The Bahamas.[16]
  • September 7, 2003 - Tropical Storm Henri's outer rainbands dropped around 1 inch (25 mm) of rain. Winds in the archipelago gusted to 32 mph (51 km/h).[17]
  • September 15—18, 2003 - Hurricane Isabel caused strong swells that lashed the Bahamas. During most hurricanes, the location of the Bahamas prevents powerful swells of Atlantic hurricanes from striking southeast Florida. However, the combination of the location, forward speed, and strength of Isabel produced strong swells through the Providence Channel. Wave heights peaked at 14 feet (4.3 m).[18]
  • October 11, 2003 - Tropical Storm Mindy passed over the Turks and Caicos Islands on October 11, causing some rain and squally weather. Mindy had weakened to a tropical depression, as winds reached only 31 mph (50 km/h) at Grand Turk Island.[19]
  • September 2, 2004 - Hurricane Frances roars through the Bahamas as a category 3, being the first storm since 1866 to impact the entire Bahama Archipelago. At its peak, around 75% of people living in the Bahamas lost power. On San Salvador Island in the Bahamas, between 13 and 17 percent of Australian Pine was lost, most because of snapping. Almost several feet of water was reported in the Freeport International Airport and many crops, including the banana and cool-season vegetables were destroyed.
  • November 1, 2007 - Hurricane Noel moves through as a tropical storm, dropping heavy rainfall and bringing gusty winds. At one station in the Bahamas, almost 15 inches (380 mm) of rain was recorded while there were sustained winds up to 40 mph through central and northwestern parts of the Bahamas. The worst damage was reported in Long Island with floods up to 5 feet high. There was one death on Exuma when a man abandoned his truck and was then swept away.

2010—2019

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  • July 17, 2011 - Tropical Storm Bret passes around 100 miles north of Grand Bahama Island, prompting tropical storm warnings for the northwestern Bahamas. On Abaco Island, a weather station recorded a tropical storm force gust up to 48 miles per hour (77 km/h). 3 inches of rain was recorded from July 16–17. Impacts were relatively minor, and a drought plaguing the island was relieved by the rainfall.[20]
  • August 25, 2011 - Hurricane Irene struck the southeastern Bahamas along with the Turks and Caicos Islands. In the Turks and Caicos, the storm hit as a Category 1 hurricane, downing power lines and ripping off roofs. In the Bahamas, the storm made landfall as a Category 3, with the eye passing over several Bahamian Islands. The peak wind gust was clocked at nearly 140 mph and the heaviest rain was about 13 inches (330 mm). Winds damaged dozens of buildings, while in Lovely Bay almost 90 percent of all buildings were wiped out. The worst of the damage was reported to be in Cat Cay. The overall damage was around $40 million (2011 USD, $46 million 2020 USD), though there were no fatalities or injuries reported.
  • October 1, 2015 - Hurricane Joaquin struck the southeastern Bahamas as a Category 4 hurricane. It was one of the strongest known hurricanes to impact the Bahamas,[21] with effects comparable to Hurricane Andrew in 1992.[22] Joaquin directly affected about 7,000 people in the archipelago,[23] with 836 houses destroyed; this included 413 on Long Island, 227 on San Salvador, 123 on Acklins, 50 on Crooked Island, and 23 on Rum Cay.[24] One man died during the storm on Long Island, his death was unrelated to the hurricane.[25] Joaquin left about $200 million in damage across the Bahamian archipelago.[26][27]
  • October 7, 2016 - Hurricane Matthew passed through the Bahamas, making a direct landfall on Grand Bahama. Strong winds took down trees and an estimated 95% percent of houses were severely damaged in Eight Mile Rock and Holmes Rock. On the backside of the hurricane, heavy rainfall flooded the Bahamas, damaging roads. Total damage is about $580 million in damage (2016 USD), but no deaths or injuries were reported.[28][29][30]
  • September 7, 2017 - Hurricane Irma passed south of the Turks and Caicos Islands before hitting The Bahamas. Winds took out power over the Turks and Caicos, with communication infrastructure destroyed. On South Caicos, over 75% of buildings had lost their roofs, while the hospital in the capital of Cockburn Town was heavily damaged. In the Bahamas, the eye passed over Duncan Town, Inagua and South Acklin. Most damages were confined to Great Inagua and Mayaguana with power lines knocked down. On Crooked Island, Bahamas there was widespread roof damage, and outer rain bands caused tornadoes on Grand Bahama. Overall, damage was $635 million in damage (2017 USD).
  • July 22, 2019 - Tropical Depression Three moved across Andros Island shortly after its formation. The depression dropped locally heavy rainfall, reaching 1.53 in (39 mm) in Freeport.[31]
Hurricane Dorian's destruction in the Bahamas
  • September 1, 2019 - Hurricane Dorian struck Elbow Cay on Great Abaco as a Category 5 hurricane, with one-minute sustained winds of 185 mph (298 km/h), wind gusts over 220 mph (355 km/h), and a central barometric pressure of 910 millibars (27 inHg). This made Dorian the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Bahamas since 1992, and the strongest hurricane on record to strike the country. After nearly stalling over the country, Dorian struck Grand Bahama Island near South Riding on September 2 with winds of 180 mph (290 km/h). Dorian's storm surge flooded areas 20 ft (6.1 m) deep while also dropping heavy rainfall. Precipitation reached 22.84 in (0.580 m) at Hope Town. Dorian killed at least 74 people, with another 245 missing as of April 2020.[32][33] Property damage accounted for $2.5 billion; the nation suffered $717 million in economic losses; and $221 million was required for debris removal and cleaning a large oil spill.[34]
  • September 14, 2019 - Hurricane Humberto passed just northeast of the Bahamas as a tropical storm, only two weeks after Dorian devastated the country. Grand Bahama International Airport reported ten-minute sustained winds of just 29 mph (47 km/h) as the storm passed to the east, and rainfall totals were light.[35] Humberto's proximity to the disaster area caused small airfields being used in the distribution of emergency supplies to be closed briefly.[36]

2020—present

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  • May 16, 2020 - Tropical Storm Arthur formed just north of Grand Bahama Island. Gusty winds damaged tents and other temporary shelters across the island, and heavy rainfall caused some minimal flooding.[37][38]
  • August 1, 2020 - Hurricane Isaias made landfall in Northern Andros Island at wind speeds of 80 mph (130 km/h).[39] The storm caused moderate damage to property, namely storm surge and wind damage to trees and roofs. A few tents and temporary shelters were destroyed.
  • September 11, 2020 - Hurricane Sally forms as a tropical depression over Andros Island, bringing strong wind gusts and heavy rain.
  • November 9-10, 2022 - Hurricane Nicole makes landfall on Abaco Island as a strong tropical storm. Hours later, it makes landfall on Grand Bahama as a minimal hurricane with wind speeds of 75 mph (121 km/h).
  • October 20, 2024 - Hurricane Oscar makes landfall on Great Inagua as a Category 1 hurricane with windspeeds of 80 mph (130 km/h).

Climatology

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Storms affecting the Bahama Archipelago by month
Month Number of storms
May
2
July
2
August
8
September
15
October
7
November
3
Storms affecting the Bahama Archipelago by period
Period Number of storms
1800s
3
1900–49
3
1960s
3
1970s
2
1980s
1
1990s
4
2000s
8
2010s
8
2020s
5

Deadly storms

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The following is a list of Atlantic tropical storms that caused fatalities in the Bahama Archipelago.

Name Year Number of deaths Source
"Great Nassau" 1866 387+ [40]
"San Ciriaco" 1899 ~334 [2]
"Nassau" 1926 258–68+ [2]
"Great Andros" 1929 142 [41]
"Miami" 1926 ~123 [2]
Three 1883 109 [2]
Eight 1908 99 [42]
"Florida Keys" 1919 ≥94–5 [43]
Dorian 2019 74 (245 missing) [32]
Six 1908 58+ [44][45]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Atlantic hurricane best track (HURDAT version 2)" (Database). United States National Hurricane Center. April 5, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2024. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ a b c d e Neely 2019, p. 462.
  3. ^ Partagás & Díaz 1995, p. 25.
  4. ^ Neely 2019, pp. 290, 462.
  5. ^ Mitchell 1928, p. [page needed].
  6. ^ Neely 2014, p. [page needed].
  7. ^ "10 Killed, 30 Injured By Storm In Bahamas; Hurricane Destroys 200 Houses on Abaco Island - Bermuda Escapes Worst of Blow". The New York Times. September 9, 1932. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  8. ^ "Betsy Clobbering Bahamas Islands". Rome News-Tribune. September 7, 1965. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  9. ^ "Hurricane Betsy". hurricanecity. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  10. ^ Sugg, Arnold L (March 1, 1967). "The hurricane season of 1966" (PDF). United States Environmental Science Services Administration. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  11. ^ Guiney, John L. (January 5, 1999). Preliminary Report Hurricane Georges 15 September – 01 October 1998 (updated September 2014) (PDF). National Hurricane Center (Report). NOAA. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  12. ^ a b Graef, Rick. "The Abacos' Hurricane Floyd Information Pages Relief and Rebuilding Reports and Updates". Go-Abacos.Com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2001. Retrieved October 4, 2008.
  13. ^ Wahlstrom, Margareta (1999). "Bahamas: Hurricane Floyd — Preliminary appeal #23/99" (PDF). International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Retrieved October 4, 2008.
  14. ^ Agence France-Presse (1999). "Battered Bahamas start difficult clean-up in Floyd's wake". ReliefWeb. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved October 4, 2008.
  15. ^ James Franklin (2002). "Tropical Storm Cristobal Tropical Cyclone Report" (PDF). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
  16. ^ Stormcarib.com (2003). "Unofficial Bahamas Reports". Retrieved 2006-09-25.
  17. ^ Stormcarib.com (2003). "Unofficial Reports from the Bahamas". Retrieved 2006-06-12.
  18. ^ Richard J. David; Charles H. Paxton (2005). "How the Swells of Hurricane Isabel Impacted Southeast Florida". Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 86 (8): 1065–1068. Bibcode:2005BAMS...86.1065D. doi:10.1175/BAMS-86-8-1065.
  19. ^ World Meteorological Organization (2004). "Final Report of the 2003 Hurricane Season" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2005. Retrieved 2006-10-09.
  20. ^ Robards, Chester (2011-07-19). "Weather system dumps rain over parts of Bahamas". The Nassau Guardian. Retrieved 2011-07-19.
  21. ^ Ian Livingston (October 2, 2015). "Hurricane Joaquin among the strongest storms on record in the Bahamas". Capital Weather Gang. The Washington Post. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  22. ^ "Updated: Storm Compared To Hurricane Andrew". The Tribune. October 3, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  23. ^ International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies (October 21, 2015). "Bahamas Red Cross Responds to Hurricane Joaquin". ReliefWeb. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  24. ^ Krishna Virgil (October 22, 2015). "Hurricane Wiped Out 836 Homes". The Tribune. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  25. ^ "No Deaths In Long Island From Storm, Says Police Chief". The Tribune. October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  26. ^ Government of the Bahamas (October 20, 2016). "PM Christie: Hurricanes Matthew and Joaquin Losses Estimated in Hundreds of Millions". Relief Web. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  27. ^ Government of the Bahamas (April 5, 2016). "Review of the Past Hurricane Season". The Tribune. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  28. ^ Rashad Rolle (October 7, 2016). "Grand Bahama Suffers Significant Damage As Matthew Roars Through". Tribune 242. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  29. ^ Neil Hartnell (April 3, 2018). "Bahamas Facing 'Hard Choices' On $710m Storm Woe". The Tribune 242. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  30. ^ Neil Hartnell (January 19, 2018). "Bahamas Facing $500m Storm Bill Over Next Decade". The Tribune. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  31. ^ David A. Zelinsky (August 19, 2019). Tropical Cyclone Report: Tropical Depression Three (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  32. ^ a b Lixion Avila, Stacy Stewart, Robbie Berg, and Andrew Hagen (April 20, 2020). Hurricane Dorian (AL052019) (PDF) (Report). Tropical Cyclone Report. National Hurricane Center. Retrieved April 29, 2020.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  33. ^ Digital Writers (2 September 2019). "Catastrophic Hurricane Dorian could come dangerously close to Florida". MSN. Archived from the original on September 2, 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  34. ^ "Hurricane Dorian Responsible for $3.4 Billion in Losses on Bahamas, Report Says". The Weather Channel. Associated Press. November 15, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  35. ^ Stacy R. Stewart (February 19, 2020). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Humberto (PDF) (Report). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  36. ^ "Cleanup Resumes In Bahamas As Humberto Swirls Away". The Tribune. Associated Press. September 15, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  37. ^ Cangialosi, John. "Tropical Depression One Discussion Number 1". National Hurricane Center. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  38. ^ "Tropical weather conditions expected to hit Grand Bahama". www.tribune242.com. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
  39. ^ Stewart, Stacy (August 1, 2020). Hurricane Isaias Advisory Number 18...Corrected. National Hurricane Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  40. ^ Neely 2019, pp. 260, 462.
  41. ^ Neely 2019, pp. 462, 477.
  42. ^ Neely 2019, p. 374.
  43. ^ Neely 2019, pp. 375, 462.
  44. ^ Neely 2019, pp. 371–2.
  45. ^ Rappaport, Edward N.; Fernández-Partagás, José (22 April 1997) [28 May 1995]. "Appendix 1. Cyclones with 25+ Deaths". The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492–1996 (Technical report). National Weather Service, National Hurricane Center. NWS NHC 47. Retrieved 19 February 2022.

Sources

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