1912 Jamaica hurricane

rdf:langString 1912 Jamaica hurricane

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rdf:langString Surface weather analysis of the hurricane skirting Jamaica on November 18

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rdf:langString The 1912 Jamaica hurricane was a slow-moving tropical cyclone that meandered about the island of Jamaica, causing torrential rainfall and severe flooding in November 1912. The strongest hurricane in the Atlantic that year, the cyclone formed from a low pressure area in the southwestern Caribbean Sea early on November 11. Initially, the storm tracked slowly to northwest, before eventually curving north-northeastward. Late on November 13, the cyclone became a hurricane. After reaching hurricane status, further deepening was slow, though after recurving toward northeastward, the storm began to quicken its rate of intensification. Early on November 17, the system peaked as a 115 mph (185 km/h) Category 3 hurricane on the modern day Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. It continued north-northeastward and made landfall near Negril, Jamaica, on November 18. The storm weakened continually after landfall and reentry into the Caribbean Sea. On November 20, the hurricane weakened to a tropical storm north of Jamaica. The system tracked westward across the Caribbean, before dissipating on November 22 to the southwest of Grand Cayman. Heavy rainfall was reported in Jamaica, with as much as 36 inches (910 mm) of precipitation recorded in some areas. Several bridges were severely damaged in the northern and eastern portions of the island. Strong winds generated by the storm destroyed approximately 25% of banana trees, while telegraph lines were downed in a number of places. Railway lines were also heavily damaged by the winds and rain. Rough seas also lashed the island, with Savanna-la-Mar suffering near complete destruction and 42 deaths in that city alone. Across western Jamaica, roughly a hundred homes were destroyed, while 5,000 buildings were damaged or demolished. About 100 fatalities and $1.5 million (1912 USD) in damage occurred in Jamaica. Extensive flooding and five fatalities occurred in Cuba in the Guantánamo Bay area.