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The 1909 Grand Isle hurricane was a large and deadly Category 3 hurricane that caused severe damage and killed more than 400 people throughout Cuba and the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Forming out of a tropical disturbance just south of Hispanola on September 13, 1909, the initial depression slowly intensified as it moved west-northwest towards Jamaica. Two days later, the system attained tropical storm intensity and turned northwestward towards Cuba. On September 16, it attained the equivalent of a modern-day Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale and further strengthened to attain winds of 100 mph (155 km/h) before making landfall in Pinar del Río Province, Cuba on September 18. After a briefly weakening over land, the system regained strength over the Gulf of Mexico, with peak winds reaching 120 mph (195 km/h) the following day. After only slightly weakening, the hurricane increased in forward motion and made landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana on September 21. The system quickly lost strength after moving over land, dissipating the following day over Missouri. In the Caribbean Sea, little impact was known to have been caused by the storm outside of Cuba where rough seas killed 29 people. In the United States, the hurricane wrought catastrophic damage across Louisiana and Mississippi. Throughout these states, 371 people are known to have been killed, making it the sixth deadliest hurricane in United States history at the time; however, it has since been surpassed by five other cyclones. Along the Louisiana coastline, a powerful storm surge penetrated inland, destroying the homes of 5,000 people. Thousands of other homes throughout the affected region lost their roofs and telegraph communication was crippled. In terms of monetary losses, the storm wrought $11 million (1909 USD; $265 million 2010 USD) in damage throughout its path. ==Meteorological history== The origins of the Grand Isle hurricane were in a tropical disturbance over the western Atlantic Ocean in early September 1909. Enhanced by a strong area of high pressure over the Azores and British Isles, the system was able to gradually intensify as it neared the Lesser Antilles. On September 10, barometric pressures across several of the islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea fell, indicating that a disturbance was moving through the region.〔 According to the Atlantic hurricane database, maintained by the National Hurricane Center, the system developed into a tropical depression south of Hispanola in the Caribbean Sea on September 13.〔 However, meteorologist José Fernández Partagás stated that there was no evidence of a closed circulation, a key component of tropical cyclones, until September 14.〔Partagás, pp. 13〕 Tracking west-northwestward, the depression brushed the coast of Haiti before attaining tropical storm intensity off the northwestern coast of Jamaica on September 15.〔 After reaching this strength, the storm slowed and gradually took a more northwesterly course, heading towards Pinar del Río Province in western Cuba. On September 16, the system attained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h), what would now be considered a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale. Moving at a slow pace of , the system gradually intensified. Late on September 18, the center of the storm was estimated to have made landfall in Pinar del Río Province with winds of 100 mph (155 km/h); an atmospheric pressure of 976 mbar (hPa; 28.82 inHg) was recorded during its passage. The storm's eye passed over the town of Manta for four hours, between 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm on September 17.〔Partagás, pp. 12〕 Slight weakening took place after moving over western Cuba; however, once over the Gulf of Mexico, the storm steadily regained its strength. By September 19, the system re-attained the equivalent intensity of a Category 2 hurricane and the forward motion increased. Early that morning, the storm further intensified to attain its peak winds of 120 mph (195 km/h), equivalent to a mid-range Category 3 cyclone.〔 By the afternoon of September 19, reports from the Louisiana and Mississippi coastline indicated that the outer bands of the hurricane were producing scattered rainfall. Early on September 21, it was estimated that the center of the hurricane made landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h). A pressure of 952 mbar (hPa; 28.11 inHg) was recorded around this time, the lowest in relation to the storm.〔 Operational analysis of the storm indicated that it attained the equivalent intensity of a Category 4 hurricane as it made landfall.〔Hearn, pp. 75〕 The storm's lowest pressure was also operationally listed as 931 mbar (hPa; 27.49 inHg).〔Ahrens, pp. 420〕 This pressure was based on operational estimates in relation to the system's storm surge and was not directly measured. However, later research of the storm determined that its winds had not exceeded 120 mph (185 km/h).〔 At this time, the hurricane's radius of maximum wind was roughly and the overall size of the storm was estimated to be wide. Once overland, the system quickly weakened, losing hurricane status within 12 hours and later to a tropical depression over southern Missouri.〔 The remnants of the system were last noted on September 22 as it merged with a trough over the Midwestern United States.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「1909 Grand Isle hurricane」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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