 The dawn of the 20th century ushered in many dramatic changes in the United States. The Wright Brothers conducted flight experiments in North Carolina. The U.S. population was 76 million in 1900, as compared to 270 million in the year 2000.
Galveston, Texas, was a thriving coastal port community located on the sub-tropical sands of a barrier island just off the Texas coast. Texas - the new frontier for most of the 19th century, had come of age, and Galveston competed with nearby New Orleans as the dominant port destination in the Gulf of Mexico.
As 1899 turned into the year 1900, ushering in a new century, Galveston was alive with growth and prosperity. In early September that year, the storm came.
There were many memorable events in the United States throughout the 20th century. The Galveston hurricane of 1900 remains the worst disaster in American history. More than 8,000 people perished September 8, 1900 when the category 4 hurricane barreled into Galveston, where many people were on vacation.
But Galveston hasn't been the only target for major tropical systems on the Texas coast. The following is a compilation of storms recorded in Texas down through the years.
 August 21-23rd, 1999 (Bret): On the 16th, an area of disturbed weather was noted off the coast of Nicaragua. The area moved northwest, becoming a broad low pressure system over the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico on the 16th and 17th. It formed into a tropical depression as it emerged into the Bay of Campeche the morning of the 18th. By noon, ship reports indicated that is strengthened into a tropical storm.
Peaking in intensity as a dangerous category four hurricane as it made its turn towards Texas, the storm began encountering much cooler sea surface temperatures near the coast. Weakening fast, the system made landfall in sparsely-populated Kenedy county around 7 p.m. CDT on the 22nd (satellite picture above provided courtesy of NCDC). The cyclone became a tropical storm on the morning of the 23rd, and a tropical depression that evening as it crossed the Rio Grande near Laredo, into Mexico. This hurricane ended the longest hurricane-free period experienced in the Lone Star state since 1829.
Highest sustained winds reached 73 mph from the northwest before equipment failed at Rincon Del San Jose. Gusts to hurricane force raked that location, as well as Port Mansfield and Falfurrias. Falfurrias measured gusts to 98 mph at 11:30 p.m. CDT on the 22nd before their power failed. Gale-force winds only extended from Corpus Christi to Brownsville. The lowest pressure was measured at Falfurrias...28.84".
More Texas Hurricanes:
June 26th, 1902: A tropical storm was noticed off the northern coast of Nicaragua on the 18th of June. It moved west-northwest into the Southern Gulf of Mexico, before turning to the northwest on the 22nd. The storm became a hurricane about 100 miles off the coast of Tampico on the 24th. It then took a more northerly course, grazing the length of Padre Island before it stuck Port Lavaca. Texas had gone 6 weeks without rainfall, and area crops were beginning to fail. For the corn crop, it was too late. Withered stalks were easily blown down by the wind. Cotton and rice, in general, were helped out greatly by the storm, to the tune of several million dollars.
1909: A storm was noted entering the Eastern Caribbean on the 13th of July. It moved towards the west-northwest, passing over the Isle of Pines on the 17/18th. This motion continued, and on the 21st it made landfall near Velasco. One-half of the town was destroyed. The calm of the eye passed over the city for 45 minutes. The storm surge was as high as 20 feet. At Bay City, the pressure fell to 29.00" at 2:30 P.M.. Property damage was estimated at 2 million dollars and 41 lives were lost. The storm surge at Galveston was 10 feet; five of the people perished there.
1909: On August 21st, a storm was seen east of the Virgin Islands. It tracked westward just south of the Greater Antilles. Many houses were wrecked at Mole St. Nicholas, Haiti by the high easterly gales. Havana had northeast winds of 60 m.p.h. on the 24th. As the storm passed through the Yucatan Channel, the captain of the ship S.S. Cartago sent a wireless message to New Orleans, giving an account of the estimated 100 m.p.h. winds he had sailed through. This was the first wireless message to be used real time from a ship at sea from a tropical cyclone.
As the system approached the Mexican coast, gales and tremendous seas were experienced along the south Texas coast; some sites experiencing their highest tides in many years. At Tarpon Beach, every building except the lighthouse and quarantine station were destroyed by the storm surge. Wreckage washed ashore Point Island, 3 miles away. Point Isabel was underwater. About 1500 people perished in Mexico as a result of floods caused by the storm. There were no reported deaths in Texas.
October 16th, 1912: Winds of 55 mph howled through Brownsville as a hurricane made landfall between there and Corpus Christi. Heavy rain was accompanied with the storm. The steamship Nicaragua was wrecked 80 miles down Padre Island. Two of the ship's boilers can still be seen there.
August 16th, 1915: A monstrous hurricane formed near the Cape Verde Islands on August 4th and moved just south of the Greater Antilles, to reach the Texas coast near Galveston on the 16th. It was a storm of great diameter. In Galveston, many people with memories of the 1900 hurricane still fresh in their mind, fled for the hills. Storm surges of 12 feet were seen at Galveston, inundating the business district to a depth of 5 or 6 feet. Many houses were demolished and all beach front bathhouses were washed away.
1933: The year when the Atlantic Basin woke up. After 1929 and 1930, which had 5 storms combined, subsequent hurricane seasons began picking up the statistical slack. This culminated in the 1933 season, where 21 storms formed. Only 1995 and 1969 come close to this amount of activity during a single season. Also noteworthy, seven of the systems made landfall between Corpus Christi and Tampico in 1933.
August 26-27th, 1945: An intense hurricane struck Matagorda. It was the worst along the Lower Coast since the September 1933 hurricane. Two-thirds of the Texas coast saw winds of hurricane force. Winds were in excess of 100 mph from Port Aransas to Port O'Connor. The highest gust was 135 mph at Collegeport. The pressure fell to 28.57" at Palacios.
Tides were as high as 15.0 feet at Port Lavaca. Rainfall amounts of 30" were seen along sections of the coast. A tornado 8 miles north-northeast of Houston killed one. Heavy damage was seen across Nueces, San Patricio, Aransas, Calhoun, Matagorda, and Wharton counties. Severe crop and livestock losses were suffered along nearly all Middle and Upper Texas coast locations. Three were killed; damage estimates were near $20.1 million.
In 1950, the U.S. Military began using the phonetic alphabet to name storms in the Atlantic Ocean. This was supposed to clear up confusion when multiple storms existed in the basin at the same time. The public became aware of naming in 1954, when lists of women's names became used worldwide.
October 4th, 1950 (How): Hurricane How hit the Mexican coast 150 miles south of Brownsville. Damage was reported as far north as Port Aransas. Corpus Christi had gusts to 39 mph. Tides rose to 4' at Padre Island. Sections of highway on North Padre Island at Gulf Park were washed away.
June 26th, 1954 (Alice): This storm quickly developed off Brownsville. It made landfall within 24 hours of formation. Most residents did not know about it until it was upon them. Heavy rains near Langtry resulted in 27.10" of rain at Pandale. This caused the greatest rise on the Rio Grande since 1865. The river rose 30 to 60 feet at Eagle Pass and Laredo. An 86' wall of water rushed down the Pecos River; this washed out a bridge normally 50' above it. The International Bridge at Laredo was also washed out. Most of the death and destruction occurred in Mexico (Ellis 38).
September 5-7th, 1955 (Gladys): Gladys struck 140 miles south of Brownsville as a category 1 hurricane on the 5th. The rainfall total at Flour Bluff was 17.02". Corpus Christi saw 7.6" of rain in 24 hours. Tides rose to 4.5'. A circulation center rotating around the eastern periphery of the storm moved onshore on the 7th south of Baffin Bay. Locals to the area named it "Glasscock", after the oil platform 15 miles east of Port Aransas that recorded winds of 83 mph. Winds of 60 mph were seen at Flour Bluff. Damage was confined to the coast.
September 14th, 1961 (Carla): No list of Texas hurricanes would be complete without the mention of Carla, which made landfall near Port Lavaca. Carla was among the largest hurricanes of historical record (number 2 behind the Great New England Hurricane of 1938). The storm produced many tornadoes, gusts estimated to 175 m.p.h., torrential rains, and a 22 foot storm surge at Port O'Connor. Hurricane force gusts were seen along almost the entire Texas Coast. Winds gusted to 86 mph at Corpus Christi. Her path of devastation inland extended from Victoria to Dallas. The death toll of only 34 in Texas can be attributed in part to what was the largest peace time evacuation of an area in history. A quarter million people fled the middle and upper Texas coasts to move inland to safety.
September 20th, 1967 (Beulah): Hurricane Beulah was the third largest hurricane on record, after Carla in 1961 (see above for details on Carla) and the Great New England Hurricane of 1938. The storm traversed the Caribbean Sea from the 8th through mid month. It struck the coast near Brownsville on the 20th, then recurved, paralleling the coastline to the southwest thereafter.
Lowest pressure on land was 28.07" in Brownsville. Winds gusted to 136 m.p.h. on the S. S. Shirley Lykes, located in the Port of Brownsville. Hurricane force winds extended up the coast to Corpus Christi, which received gusts to 86 m.p.h. at 8:35 P.M. on the 20th. Winds gusted to 110 mph at the local Army Corp of Engineers office. The storm surge reached 20 feet along lower sections of Padre Island. Beulah made 31 cuts completely through the island. At Port Isabel, only the new back and the lighthouse escaped any damage. Citrus fruit and tree damage totaled $15 million in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
August 3rd, 1970 (Celia): Hurricane Celia hit Corpus Christi. The system was spawned by a tropical depression which formed in the Northwest Caribbean on July 30th and moved on a west-northwest heading. Celia became a hurricane on the 1st of August, when centered about midway between Tampa, FL and Merida, MX. Evacuations of the upper Texas coast began at 11 am on the 2nd and hurricane warnings were extended southward to Corpus Christi at 5 am on the 3rd.
Celia made landfall between Corpus Christi and Port Aransas by 3 P.M. and moved across Mathis, Fowlerton, Cotulla, Eagle Pass, and Del Rio. Gusts estimated to 180 m.p.h. blew down the anemometer at Aransas Pass.
August 10th, 1980 (Allen): Allen formed 1100 miles east of Barbados on August 1st. It moved westward through the Atlantic and became a hurricane on the 3rd, when about 120 miles east of Barbados. The storm became the strongest hurricane ever in the Caribbean on the 7th, with winds of 185 m.p.h. sustained and higher gusts, and a pressure of 899 mb (26.55"). It began to weaken as it entered the Gulf of Mexico on the 8th as it moved west-northwest. Dry air began to intrude into the system which caused weakening. As it slowed to a crawl off of Brownsville, dry air continued to be entrained and it kept weakening. Allen made landfall as a category 3 hurricane near Port Mansfield on August 10th. Highest wind gust reported was from Port Mansfield, 138 m.p.h.. Storm surges reached 12 feet at Port Mansfield.
Hurricanes will continue to be a fact of life each summer and fall for Texas coastal residents. Texas has been fortunate in recent years in being spared by a direct hit of a major hurricane. This fortune will not continue indefinitely. Even though it had been 27 years since Miami had been hit by a severe hurricane, the impact of Andrew erased any doubts about whether or not it could happen again.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
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Rio Grande Valley