HURDAT reclassification: Sobering news for Georgians...

[JetMaxx]

This is an excerpt from the HURDAT website...a NOAA research team that's re-evaluated hurricanes of the past (from 1851 to 1910). For Georgia Coastal residents that think they're immune to a major landfalling hurricane, they'd better think again....before their apathy cost them their lives.

4. Georgia major hurricanes: During the 20th Century, Georgia did not have even a single major hurricane make a landfall along its coast. However, it was a different story in the 19th Century. In contrast, Georgia experienced three major hurricanes in the later half of the 19th Century: a Category 3 in 1854 near Savannah, the Category 3 "Sea Islands Hurricane" in 1893 that killed 1,000-2,000 people near Savannah and a Category 4 in 1898 near Brunswick. Knowledge that such strong hurricanes have impacted this portion of the coast (and will undoubtedly hit again) is important for residents of Georgia to plan for the future.

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Note: the October 1898 hurricane that is now rated a 135-140 mph (120 kts) cat-4 at landfall near Brunswick, Georgia produced a confirmed storm surge of 19' feet near Sapelo Lighthouse....and 12-16' surge levels from Brunswick to Savannah Beach. This was a large hurricane...and caused considerable damage in NE Florida from Jacksonville to the Georgia border.

The August 27-28 1893 "Sea Islands" hurricane was in the 130 mph range...borderline cat 3/4. I base this on the fact storm surge heights reached 17' feet and completely innundated Tybee Island and Hilton Head (SC)...where most of the 2000 casulties occurred when they drowned :o :o

HURDAT is a research project headed by Dr Chris Landsea of NOAA's Hurricane Research Division (HRD).
Here's a link to the complete article regarding HURDAT's update:
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s2005.htm

[Toni - 574]

Thanks Jetmaxx, interesting reading. Something Georgia residents needs to be reminded of for sure.And some good history info there.

[Scott_inVA]

The Sea Islands Hurricane put about half of Hilton Head Island, SC underwater. The storm surge from that TC came inland about 2 miles (anyone driven 278 to HH recently and notice the development and residential communities not there then?). One only imagines the damage if that happened today.

Scott

[Stormsfury]

The Sea Islands hurricane also flooded Charleston with a 13½ foot storm surge that went easily over the Battery Wall ... That same Battery Wall still exists today here in Charleston, unchanged ... Beaufort, SC reported 125 mph, and Charleston reported 120 mph winds. The Charleston, South Carolina NWS lists the 1893 Sea Islands Hurricane as a presumed Cat. 4.

Downtown Charleston floods heavily during a heavy rainstorm ... add a 13½ foot storm surge coming over it again, and the results won't be pretty. In Hugo, fortunately, there wasn't much of a storm surge in Charleston, but there still was very heavy flooding.

SF