1924 Atlantic hurricane season | |
---|---|
Seasonal boundaries | |
First system formed | June 18, 1924 |
Last system dissipated | November 24, 1924 |
Strongest storm | |
Name | "Cuba" |
• Maximum winds | 165 mph (270 km/h) (1-minute sustained) |
• Lowest pressure | 910 mbar (hPa; 26.87 inHg) |
Seasonal statistics | |
Total storms | 11 |
Hurricanes | 5 |
Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+) | 2 |
Total fatalities | 179 |
Total damage | Unknown |
Related articles | |
The 1924 Atlantic hurricane season featured the first officially recorded Category 5 hurricane, a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds exceeding 155 mph (249 km/h) on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson scale. The first system, Tropical Storm One, was first detected in the northwestern Caribbean Sea on June 18. The final system, an unnumbered tropical depression, dissipated on November 24. These dates fall within the period with the most tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic. Of the 13 tropical cyclones of the season, six existed simultaneously. The season was average with 11 tropical storms, five of which strengthened into hurricanes. Further, two of those five intensified into major hurricanes, which are Category 3 or higher on the Saffir–Simpson scale.
The most significant storm of the season was Hurricane Ten, nicknamed the 1924 Cuba hurricane. It struck western Cuba as a Category 5 hurricane, before weakening and making landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane. Severe damage and 90 fatalities were collectively reported at both locations. Another system, Hurricane Four, brought strong winds and flooding to the Leeward Islands. The storm left 59 deaths, 30 of which were on Montserrat alone. Several other tropical cyclones impacted land, including Tropical Storms One, Eight, and Ten, as well as Hurricanes Three and Five, and the remnants of Hurricane Three and Four. Overall, the storms of the 1924 Atlantic hurricane season collectively caused at least 179 fatalities.
The season's activity was reflected with an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 100,[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]