Indianola Hurricane Of 1886

[Ptarmigan]

If thought Hurricane Katrina could destroy the city of New Orleans or the Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900 did to Galveston. There was another strong hurricane that hit Texas in 1886. This hurricane hit the town of Indianola, which is located on the Gulf Coast. It was a thriving port town, second to Galveston. Indianola was established in 1846 in Calhoun County. It was hit by a hurricane on September 15, 1875, which claimed hundreds of lives. However, it quickly rebuilt, but on a smaller scale. Sometimes in early August, a cluster of thunderstorms moved off the coast of Africa and became a tropical wave. Then on August 12th, somewhere east of the Antilles, it develops into a tropical depression. It encounters favorable conditions and becomes a tropical storm and eventually hurricane. It hits Dominican Republic and Cuba as a Category 2 hurricane. It kills a total of 74 people. Than the hurricane weakens and heads for the Gulf of Mexico. The Loop Current helps strenghten the hurricane. The hurricane likely explodes into a Category 5 hurricane with more than 155 mph sustained winds, with gusts up to 185 mph. Then it hits Indianola, which is in the daytime. The hurricane levels the town and fire erupts. Only eight buildings are undamaged. Hundreds of people died, one estimate puts it around 275. Indianola was abandoned as a result and today it is a unincorporated fishing village. All shippng was diverted to Galveston, which would also meet the same fate in 1900. The hurricane at landfall had a pressure of 925 millibars, making it the fifth most intense hurricane to make landfall on America, only to be topped by 1935 Labor Day, Camille, Katrina, and Andrew. The hurricane help end a severe drought plaguing Texas, by giving beneficial rains. Also, that year, Texas was hit by four hurricanes, which would happen to Florida in 2004.

Handbook of Texas Online-Indianola Hurricanes
NWS Corpus Christi-Indianola Hurricanes
Indianola's Destruction Takes One of Our Families
Weather Underground-Indianola Hurricane
Legends of America-Indianola