1921 Atlantic hurricane season

1921 Atlantic hurricane season
Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formedJune 1, 1921
Last system dissipatedNovember 25, 1921
Strongest storm
NameSix
 • Maximum winds140 mph (220 km/h)
(1-minute sustained)
 • Lowest pressure941 mbar (hPa; 27.79 inHg)
Seasonal statistics
Total depressions12
Total storms7
Hurricanes5
Major hurricanes
(Cat. 3+)
2
Total fatalities306
Total damage$3 million (1921 USD)
Related articles
Atlantic hurricane seasons
1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923

The 1921 Atlantic hurricane season was an active hurricane season, with 12 tropical cyclones forming. Among them, seven became tropical storms, of which five strengthened into hurricanes. Furthermore, two of these strengthened into a major hurricane, Category 3 or higher on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale, the most since the 1917 season.[1] The first system, a tropical depression, developed on June 1, while the last, a tropical storm, dissipated on November 25. Of note, three tropical cyclones co-existed with another during the season.

The strongest hurricane of the season, Hurricane Six, peaked as a low-end Category 4 with winds of 140 mph (225 km/h), before weakening as it approached the Tampa Bay area where it made landfall. Across Florida, it left about $10 million (1921 USD) in damage and eight deaths. Two other cyclones left extensive impacts. Although not a tropical cyclone at the time, the remnants of the second hurricane contributed to a devastating flood in the Greater San Antonio area of Texas, which resulted in $19 million in damage and 215 fatalities. The third hurricane left thousands homeless in the Lesser Antilles and caused at least 81 deaths.

The season's activity was reflected with an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 87,[1] above the 1921–1930 average of 76.6.[2] 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.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Atlantic basin Comparison of Original and Revised HURDAT. Hurricane Research Division; Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (Report). Miami, Florida: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. September 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  2. ^ Christopher W. Landsea; et al. (February 1, 2012). "A Reanalysis of the 1921–30 Atlantic Hurricane Database" (PDF). Journal of Climate. 25 (3). Miami, Florida: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: 869. Bibcode:2012JCli...25..865L. doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00026.1. Retrieved September 6, 2021.