Hurricane Hazel 1954
One of the Worst Storms of the 20th Century in Eastern North America
Jun 6, 2008
Hurricanes build up strength when traveling over water and then weaken once they hit landfall. Hazel was an exception and it spread farther inland than any other hurricane in recorded history.
The Formation of Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane hunter planes discovered a tropical storm on the afternoon of October 5, 1954 approximately 50 miles east of Grenada in the Windward Islands. They named the storm Hazel. By the end of the day, the storm gained strength and it was upgraded to a hurricane status.
Hurricane Hazel headed westward and hovered a few hundred miles from the Venezuela coast. At this point, the wind speed was calculated to be 115 knots (132.5 mph). On October 9th, Hazel turned to the northeast. Hazel escalated to a Category 4 hurricane.
Hurricane Hazel Strikes the Caribbean
On October 12 1954, Hurricane Hazel struck Haiti in the early morning. Winds were clocked at 120 knots (138.2 mph). It destroyed several towns. The death toll was estimated at 1,000 people. In addition to loss of life and property, Haiti lost almost half of its cacao and coffee tree plantations.
Hurricane Hazel continued northward and struck the southeastern portion of the Bahamas on October 13, 1954. The worst hit was Great Inagua Island. Six people died in the Bahamas. Hazel then turned northwestward and headed directly for the Carolinas on the east coast of the United States.
While traveling over the Atlantic Ocean, Hurricane Hazel gained more strength and the wind speeds were measured at 130 knots (150 mph). Not only had the wind speed increased, the general movement of the storm was quite rapid at 30 mph.
Hurricane Hazel Hits the Carolinas
At 11:00am on October 14 1954, Hurricane Hazel made landfall at the border of North and South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane. The areas most affected stretched from Myrtle Beach South Carolina to Topsail North Carolina.
The storm surge from Hurricane Hazel ranged from 14 to 18 feet high and it was worsened by the fact that this was the period where it was the highest lunar tide of the year. Beaches and coastal towns were destroyed by severe winds, flooding and heavy rainfall.
In the Carolinas, there were 19 deaths and over 39,000 buildings were damaged and an additional 15,000 buildings destroyed. The estimated property damage was 136 million (1954 prices).
Hurricane Hazel Moves Inland
Hurricane Hazel passed through the Carolinas in six hours proceeded northward to central Virginia where winds were still ranging from 68 knots (126 mph) to 85 knots (158 mph). There were 13 deaths in Virginia and over 18,000 buildings destroyed or damaged.
Hurricane Hazel then tore through West Virginia, Pennsylvania and western New York State before blowing across Lake Ontario. Although it was downgraded, the winds were still at 60 knots (69 mph).
Just before midnight on October 15 1954, Hurricane Hazel struck Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The area had already sustained heavy rains for several days and heavy rainfall from Hazel caused extensive flash flooding. There were over 93 people who died in the Toronto area.
Hurricane Hazel finally lost strength and headed northward to the Arctic Circle and crossed over to Scandinavia.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Hazel was responsible for 95 deaths and $281 million in damage in the United States, 100 deaths and $100 million in damage in Canada, and an estimated 400 to 1000 deaths in Haiti.
Related Articles on Hurricanes:
Hurricane Freida 1962Hurricane Juan 2003
Sources:
- Hurricane Hazel 1954: NOAA Coastal Services
- Hurricane Hazel 1954: NOAA National Hurricane Center History
- Weather Almanac for October 2004: The Weather Doctor, Keith C. Heidorn
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