| 1937 Atlantic hurricane season | |
|---|---|
 Season summary map | |
| Seasonal boundaries | |
| First system formed | July 29, 1937 |
| Last system dissipated | October 21, 1937 |
| Strongest storm | |
| Name | Six |
| • Maximum winds | 125 mph (205 km/h) |
| • Lowest pressure | 951 mbar (hPa; 28.08 inHg) |
| Seasonal statistics | |
| Total depressions | 16 |
| Total storms | 11 |
| Hurricanes | 4 |
| Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+) | 1 |
| Total fatalities | 20 |
| Total damage | ≥ $1.56 million (1937 USD) |
| Related articles | |
The 1937 Atlantic hurricane season was a below-average hurricane season, featuring eleven tropical storms; of these, four became hurricanes. One hurricane reached major hurricane intensity, equivalent to a Category 3 or higher on the modern Saffir–Simpson scale. The United States Weather Bureau defined the season as officially lasting from June 16 to October 16.[1][2] Tropical cyclones that did not approach populated areas or shipping lanes, especially if they were relatively weak and of short duration, may have remained undetected. Because technologies such as satellite monitoring were not available until the 1960s, historical data on tropical cyclones from this period are often not reliable. As a result of a reanalysis project which analyzed the season in 2012, a tropical storm and a hurricane were added to the Atlantic hurricane database (HURDAT). The official intensities and tracks of all storms were also revised by the reanalysis. The year's first storm formed on July 29 in the Gulf of Mexico, and the final system, a hurricane, dissipated over open ocean on October 21.
Most of the season's storms arose from the subtropics. Nova Scotia was a focus for storm activity with four storms reaching the Canadian province as extratropical cyclones. Two of these were the remnants of hurricanes; the first inflicted $1.5 million in damage on the apple crop in the Annapolis Valley, and the second tore up four breakwaters and sank or grounded several ships. The year's deadliest tropical cyclone was a tropical storm that struck Florida at the end of August. A squall associated with the storm caused the sinking of the SS Tarpon, killing 18 people. A short-lived tropical storm in October caused the wettest 48-hour period in the history of New Orleans, Louisiana, with 16.65 in (423 mm) of rainfall, causing the city's most destructive flood since the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. A tropical storm striking parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast caused two deaths, but otherwise did minor damage. The season's strongest storm was estimated to have produced maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (201 km/h)and remained over the more central longitudes of the Atlantic.
The season's activity was reflected with an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 66 units,[3] below the 1931–1943 average of 91.2.[4] 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.[3]
- ^ "Florida Storm Service Begins on Wednesday". Miami Daily News. Vol. 42, no. 185. Miami, Florida. Associated Press. June 14, 1934. p. 5. Retrieved March 25, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Storm Warning Hook-Up Starts". The Austin Statesman. Vol. 65, no. 315. Austin, Texas. United Press. June 15, 1934. p. 7. Retrieved March 25, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Comparison of Original and Revised HURDAT". Hurricane Research Division. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. September 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ^ Christopher W. Landsea; et al. (August 15, 2014). "A Reanalysis of the 1931–43 Atlantic Hurricane Database" (PDF). Journal of Climate. 27 (16). Miami, Florida: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: 6111. Bibcode:2014JCli...27.6093L. doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00503.1. S2CID 1785238. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
