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Remembering Hurricane Hazel

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The Canadian Hurricane Centre

Summary of Storms

This is a description of all of the tropical storms and hurricanes that passed through the Canadian Hurricane Centre's Response Zone since 1954. Also, descriptions of notable storms before 1954 and notable storms that did not pass through the Response Zone after 1954 are included.

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2000's2000 2001 2002 2003
1990's: 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
1980's: 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1970's: 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1960's: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1950's: 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959



Noteworthy Storms



1780, The Great Hurricane, Martinique, St. Eustatious, Barbados
(October 10 to October 16, 1780)

It is estimated that about 22, 000 people died because of a hurricane that swept Martinique, St. Eustatious, and Barbados between October 10 and 16, 1780. Thousands of deaths also occurred offshore. The fatalities of this hurricane, known as the Great Hurricane of 1780, far exceed any other Atlantic hurricane. In fact, the fatalities from this storm exceed the cumulative fatalities in any other year and all other decades.



1869, The Saxby Gale, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
(October 4 to October 5, 1869)

The Saxby Gale of 1869 was named after Lieut. Saxby of the Royal Navy. A year earlier, he predicted that a severe storm accompanied by a very high tide would hit somewhere on the planet. Lieut. Saxby knew that on October 5, 1869, the moon would make its monthly passage closest to Earth (perigee) in combination with a new moon on the same day.

On the afternoon of October 4, in Saint John, New Brunswick, the wind had increased to a gale. Rain began falling at 6:00 PM. By 8:30 PM, the wind was blowing at hurricane force and reached its maximum velocity at about 9:00 PM. By 10:00 PM the wind began to subside and shifted to the southwest.

Most of this storm’s damage was due to the enormous storm surge that occurred. It was reported that in Moncton the tide rose nearly 2 metres above former records. Numerous people and farm animals drowned in the floods that followed and hundreds of boats were beached due to the high winds. Heavy damage was also reported in Calais, Maine and 121 boats were reported to be beached.



1900 Galveston, Texas
(August 27 to September 15, 1900)

The deadliest natural disaster in US history was a hurricane that passed through Galveston, Texas in 1900. This storm was a Cape Verde-type hurricane that entered the Gulf of Mexico on September 6, 1900. On September 8, 1900, it began to rain in Galveston and by September 9, it was reported that the water was calf deep close to the shore. Galveston is located on an island and citizens quickly began to move toward the centre of the island to seek shelter. At 5:00 PM, wind speeds of 164 kilometres per hour were reported. The tide reached 4.5 metres with breakers of 7.6 metres. The next morning, 6,000 residents of Galveston were dead. Most were either struck down by debris or drowned. More than 3,500 houses were destroyed, and a third of the city was leveled by the wind, waves, and wreckage. It is also estimated that 2,000 more people in the Galveston Bay area were killed.



1927A

This storm went through the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Newfoundland as a Saffir-Simpson Category 2 storm with winds of 90 knots. It was classified as an extratropical storm when it hit Newfoundland.



1935 Labour Day Hurricane
(August 29 to September 10, 1935)

The hurricane that hit the Florida Keys in 1935 was the strongest hurricane to ever hit the US. Along with Camille of 1969, it was the only other Category 5 hurricane to hit the US since storm records started being kept. Winds of up to 322 kilometres per hour (173 knots) were reported. The death toll was 423; 259 of the dead were World War I veterans living in three rehabilitation camps. Many of the victims drowned after being pulled into the Atlantic after a 4.5 metre wave passed.



How to Prepare for a Hurricane

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