 Surface weather analysis of the hurricane striking the Texas Coastal Bend on September 14 | |
| Category 3 major hurricane | |
|---|---|
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 115 mph (185 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 950 mbar (hPa); 28.05 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 284 (official toll), up to 1,000 (estimated) |
| Damage | ≥$20.3 million (1919 USD) |
| Areas affected | Southeast Texas, Texas Coastal Bend (especially Corpus Christi), South Texas |
Part of the 1919 Atlantic hurricane season | |
The effects of the 1919 Florida Keys hurricane in Texas were the deadliest of any tropical cyclone in the Texas Coastal Bend, killing at least 284 people. The hurricane produced a widespread swath of devastation across the region, exacerbated by the large extent of its winds. The city of Corpus Christi bore the brunt of the hurricane's impacts, contributing to the largest portion of the damage toll in Texas; nearly all of the confirmed fatalities were residents of the city. The storm originated from the Leeward Islands early in September 1919 and took a generally west-northwestward course, devastating the Florida Keys en route to the Gulf of Mexico. On the afternoon of September 14, the center of the hurricane made landfall upon the Texas coast at Baffin Bay. The storm's winds were estimated at 115 mph (185 km/h) at landfall, making it a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. After slowly moving ashore, it weakened and straddled the Rio Grande before dissipating on September 16 over West Texas.