The Great Lakes Storm of 1913
The White Hurricane That Sunk Twelve Ships and Stranded Many More
Jul 2, 2008
Winter storms are quite common on the Great Lakes because the polar air from the north collides with the warm moist air heading up from the Gulf of Mexico. November is an extremely active month because the water on the Great Lakes is still relatively warm and this can fuel storms.
In addition, polar storms become more frequent and intense. The jet stream is more active during the winter it quickly carries storm fronts. In 1913, the typical November gale became a deadly mega storm.
Formation of the 1913 Great Lakes Storm
On November 6th to 8th 1913, a weak storm was moving eastward across the southern U.S. An Arctic front was moving southward through Canada and hit the northern Great Lakes on November 7th. This brisk front brought extremely cold air and the temperatures quickly plunged. Ahead of the Arctic front, there were strong southwest winds and then they changed to the northwest as the front passed over.
Gale force winds whipped the Great Lakes and Lake Superior was hit hard with gusts of 50 knots (57 mph) along with snow squalls and blizzard conditions. The Arctic front continued southeast through the Ohio Valley and collided with the warm air front over Virginia on November 9th.
As the cold air began to feed the warm air front, it started to move northwest towards the Great Lakes again. The mixture of the cold Arctic air and the moist warm air from the south created this monstrous storm.
Progress of the 1913 Great Lakes Storm
Heavy snowfall started in all areas surrounding the Great Lakes. On the eastern shores, where lake effect snow is prevalent, there were record snowfalls. Cleveland received two feet of snow with drifts of four to five feet and the same with Port Huron.
Power lines went down due to the heavy snow, ice and severe winds. In Chicago, construction of a breakwater had just been completed and it was washed away in a matter of hours. In Milwaukee, the south breakwater was destroyed. Trees and telephone poles snapped like dry twigs.
Winds were stronger when the storm hit the second time around and the waters of the Great Lakes became treacherous. The average wind speed was averaging 40 to 50 mph and by the evening of November 9th, there were gusts as high at 70 mph.
Some of the waves were recorded at 35 feet high and they were occurring in rapid succession. Hard hitting waves and wind slammed freighters that were transporting goods to various ports in the Great Lakes. In 1913, the autumn weather remained warm so the shipping season had not closed down when the storm hit.
Deaths and Financial Losses from the 1913 Great Lakes Storm
Twelve ships sank in the Great Lakes and 235 people lost their lives. Eight freighters sank in Lake Huron, two sank in Lake Superior, and one sank in Lake Michigan and one in Lake Erie. Bodies and wreckage from the ships started to wash ashore. The final number of ships lost in the waters was not determined until they failed to appear at their destinations.
The following is a list of ships lost in the Great Lakes:
Lake Michigan
- Plymouth – 7 victims
Lake Erie
- Lightship LV 82, Buffalo – 6 victims
Lake Superior
- Leafield – 18 victims
- Henry B. Smith – 25 victims
Lake Huron
- Argus – 28 victims
- James Carruthers – 22 victims
- Hydrus – 25 Victims
- John A. McGean – 28 victims
- Charles S. Prince – 28 victims
- Regina – 20 victims
- Isaac M. Scott – 28 victims
- Wexford – 20 victims
Of the twelve ships lost on the Great Lakes, only seven have been found. The wreckages of the Plymouth, Hydrus, James C. Carruthers, Leafield and Henry B. Smith have not been located. The Wexford was found in 2000. There were numerous freighters damaged and some were beyond the point of repair and were scrapped.
There were several deaths on land so the final toll was 273 people in this Great Lakes storm.
According to NOAA:
“The final tally of financial losses included $2,332,000 for vessels totally lost, $830,900 for vessels that became constructive total losses, $620,000 for vessels stranded but returned to service, and approximately $1,000,000 in lost cargoes. “ (This figure does not include damage sustained by cities from high winds, deep snow and sleet).
Lessons Learned From the 1913 Great Lakes Storm
Complaints were lodged against the U.S. Weather Bureau for inaccurate weather forecasting and slow communication of storm warnings. As a result, there were improvements made in performance and technology.
Ship builders started to design freighters with greater stability and strength.
Sources:
- The Great Lakes White Hurricane November 1913: William Deedler, WFO Pontiac/Detroit MI.
- Isaac M. Scott: Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, National Ocean Atmospheric Administration
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