1912 Atlantic hurricane season

1912 Atlantic hurricane season
Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formedApril 4, 1912
Last system dissipatedNovember 21, 1912
Strongest storm
NameSeven
 • Maximum winds115 mph (185 km/h)
(1-minute sustained)
 • Lowest pressure965 mbar (hPa; 28.5 inHg)
Seasonal statistics
Total depressions11
Total storms7
Hurricanes4
Major hurricanes
(Cat. 3+)
1
Total fatalities122
Total damage$1.6 million (1912 USD)
Related articles
Atlantic hurricane seasons
1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914

The 1912 Atlantic hurricane season was an average hurricane season that featured the first recorded November major hurricane (Category 3 or higher on the modern day Saffir–Simpson scale).[1] There were eleven tropical cyclones, seven of which became tropical storms; four of those strengthened into hurricanes, and one reached major hurricane intensity. The season's first cyclone developed on April 4, while the final dissipated on November 21. The season's most intense and most devastating tropical cyclone was the final storm, known as the Jamaica hurricane. It produced heavy rainfall on Jamaica, leading to at least 100 fatalities and about $1.5 million (1912 USD) in damage. The storm was also blamed for five deaths in Cuba.

Other tropical cyclones that left notable impact include the fourth and sixth hurricanes. The former brought rough seas and storm surge to portions of the Gulf Coast of the United States, leaving locally severe damage, particularly in Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida, totaling about $39,000. One fatality occurred after a barge capsized. The sixth hurricane brought rough seas and heavy precipitation to northeastern Mexico and south Texas, with flooding reported inland. The storm left 15 deaths and about $28,000 in damage. Overall, the tropical cyclones of this season collectively caused at least 122 fatalities and just under $1.6 million in damage.

The season's activity was reflected with an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 57,[2] near the 1911–1920 average of 58.7.[3] ACE is a metric used to express the energy used by a tropical cyclone during its lifetime. Therefore, a storm with a longer duration will have high values of ACE. It is only calculated at six-hour increments in which specific tropical and subtropical systems are either at or above sustained wind speeds of 39 mph (63 km/h), which is the threshold for tropical storm intensity. Thus, tropical depressions are not included here.[2]

  1. ^ "Late Season Major Hurricanes". Weather Underground. Archived from the original on March 3, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Atlantic basin Comparison of Original and Revised HURDAT. Hurricane Research Division; Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (Report). Miami, Florida: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. April 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  3. ^ Landsea, Christopher W.; et al. (May 15, 2008). "A Reanalysis of the 1911–20 Atlantic Hurricane Database" (PDF). Journal of Climate. 21 (10). Miami, Florida: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: 2146. Bibcode:2008JCli...21.2138L. doi:10.1175/2007JCLI1119.1. S2CID 1785238. Retrieved September 6, 2021.