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. Remove this parameter; the article title is used as the name by default.Meteorological history | |
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Formed | August 1, 1918[a] |
Dissipated | August 7, 1918 |
Category 3 major hurricane | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Highest winds | 120 mph (195 km/h) |
Lowest pressure | 955 mbar (hPa); 28.20 inHg |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 34 |
Damage | $5 million[b] |
Areas affected | Louisiana, Texas |
Part of the 1918 Atlantic hurricane season |
The 1918 Louisiana hurricane was a tropical cyclone that struck southwestern Louisiana as a major hurricane in August 1918. The first tropical cyclone of the 1918 Atlantic hurricane season, it was first detected south of Barbados on August 1. Moving west-northwest, the storm traversed the Caribbean Sea and gradually strengthened, though the sparse observations available did not sample the storm's intensity. On August 5, the storm attained hurricane intensity after moving through the Yucatán Channel into the Gulf of Mexico. The hurricane strengthened further into a major hurricane before making landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, on August 6 with maximum sustained winds of around 120 mph (195 km/h). The storm quickly moved north-northwest into Texas and Oklahoma while rapidly weakening, and eventually dissipated on August 7 over eastern Oklahoma.
Due to a lack of observations and the hurricane's small size, the major hurricane struck Louisiana with little advance warning. The hurricane quickly moved through southwestern Louisiana, limiting rainfall accumulations in the storm's path. However, the hurricane produced damaging winds with gusts reaching about 125 mph (201 km/h) in Sulphur and exceeding 100 mph (160 km/h) in Lake Charles. The most severe damage occurred in those areas, with many buildings destroyed. Corn and cotton crops also suffered from the strong winds. Along the coast, buildings in Grand Chenier and Creole were swept by storm surge. The hurricane killed 34 people in Louisiana, and the Weather Bureau estimated the total damage toll to be around $5 million.[b]
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