1909

[Extremeweatherguy]

I never had realized how active the hurricane season of 1909 was!



If the same thing were to happen today...that would mean a major into Houston, New Orleans, and Miami all in one year!

[CHRISTY]

florida was under attack!

[HurricaneHunter914]

If that happens this year, then 2006 could be the costliest season ever!

[Audrey2Katrina]

Yup, 1909 was a pretty active year, and the only thing that kept it from being the kind of catastrophe it would've been today was the much sparser population and development in those areas back in 1909---quite a different story today.

A2K

[jusforsean]

wow

[JonathanBelles]

there were probably more strorms that couldnt be tracked

[Jim Cantore]

That storm into Central Texas is $25 Billion today

[Dr. Jonah Rainwater]

That one in Mexico looks almost exactly like Emily.

Miami got spared, but Key West looks like it must have been brutalized.

[docjoe]

It is interesting to me that none of those storms formed in the central or eastern atlantic

docjoe

[O Town]

Some of them may have, but I don't think they could have known back then where they originated. All they knew is when they were full on hurricanes from word of mouth from sailors, unlike now we are watching them from birth.

[Audrey2Katrina]

Some of them may have, but I don't think they could have known back then where they originated. All they knew is when they were full on hurricanes from word of mouth from sailors, unlike now we are watching them from birth.

Very valid point! Same could be said for quite a FEW storms up till the age of flight and radar.

A2K

[Cookiely]

Just think of the limited resources for recovery during that time. Probably very little warning.

[Patrick99]

I bet many more went undetected.

Key West got drilled....that looks like a Wilma track a couple hundred miles to the south and east.

[weatherwindow]

I bet many more went undetected.

Key West got drilled....that looks like a Wilma track a couple hundred miles to the south and east.

....most damaging to key west and the lower keys since the great hurricane of 1846, record low pressure 28.26, wind speed indeterninate due to equipment failure.......rich

[Air Force Met]

It is interesting to me that none of those storms formed in the central or eastern atlantic

docjoe

It's more likely that none of those storms were detected until they got into the western Atlantic. Exact tracts and intensities in the open ocean before the age of satellite and recon were, by and large, a guessing game. Many storms just went undetected. If you look at the map of 1909...you can bet there were some storms that were eastern Atlantic fish that aren't on the map...which means the numbers are a lot higher.

The same could also be said for 1933. If you look at the map...if I remember this correctly...there is nothing east of 50W or so. In such an active season...that seems very odd. That tells me that 1933 was much more active that what is on paper. They just went undetected.

If you read the monthly weather reviews from the late 1800's and early 1900's...you will see how they come up with those tracks over the open ocean. From ships literally hundreds of miles away in some cases. So...those tracks and intensities on those pre-recon and satellite maps are based all on sparse ship data and are really just a best guess but really...who knows. In one case, they guessed the center of a storm was 60 miles away from a ship...but how do they know? It could have been spread out like Katrina at that point and been 150 miles away...or been as tight as Andrew and been only 30 miles away.

Imagine the number of Jerry's (1989) that snuck under the radar in those days.