 Surface weather analysis of the hurricane on July 26 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | July 22, 1926 |
| Extratropical | July 31 |
| Dissipated | August 2, 1926 |
| Category 4 major hurricane | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 140 mph (220 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | <955 mbar (hPa); <28.20 inHg (lowest directly measured) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 344–54+ direct (estimates of up to 486) |
| Damage | $18.5 million (1926 USD) ($318 million in 2024 USD) |
| Areas affected | |
Part of the 1926 Atlantic hurricane season | |
The Great Nassau hurricane, also known as the second San Liborio hurricane,[nb 1] was an unusually powerful Atlantic hurricane for the month of July that caused catastrophic damage and tremendous casualties in The Bahamas, particularly in and near the capital Nassau, as well as additional fatalities and damages from the Greater Antilles to the Southeastern United States. The first named storm and hurricane of the busy 1926 Atlantic hurricane season, it developed a short distance east of the Lesser Antilles on July 22, becoming a hurricane the following day. On July 24 it struck southwestern Puerto Rico as a moderate hurricane, then weakened as it paralleled the northeastern coast of Hispaniola. As it neared the Turks and Caicos Islands, on July 25, it began to re-intensify, and by the time it reached The Bahamas a day later, it was a potent Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 mph (220 km/h)—the strongest such observed in the month of July until 2005. After passing over or near Nassau, the cyclone began to lose intensity, and on July 28 impacted the First Coast of Florida with winds of 105 mph (165 km/h). Once inland, the storm quickly degenerated over the Southeastern United States, and became extratropical on July 31; it dissipated near the Great Lakes region a couple of days later.
The hurricane was at its deadliest and most destructive in the Caribbean and Bahamas, claiming as many as 347 lives there, though some estimates of the dead were higher. Heavy rainfall in Puerto Rico led to flash flooding that killed 25 people and caused $5 million in losses. Similar phenomena led to 54 fatalities, along with $3 million in damages, in the neighboring Dominican Republic. The worst to impact New Providence and the city of Nassau since 1866, the cyclone ravaged the Bahaman archipelago, destroying roughly 20% of the sponge fleet there, flattening entire communities on many of the islands, and causing as many as 400 fatalities. The impacts were so severe that many Bahamians were temporarily forced to migrate to the United States. Damage from the Miami and Havana–Bermuda hurricanes subsequently compounded recovery, adding over a hundred additional casualties. In the United States, particularly Florida, the storm caused comparatively modest damage, mainly to coastal structures, though heavy rainfall and tornadoes also attended the storm. Seven deaths were reported in the state of Florida, though high tides and prolific rains extended farther north, along the Southeastern coastline. In all, the storm killed as many as 486 people and inflicted at least $18.5 million in damages.
- ^ "Definitions & Storm Names: How Are Hurricanes Named?". Hurricane FAQ. Miami, Florida: Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Hurricane Research Division. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ Neely 2019, p. 260.
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