The hurricane warnings weren’t issued until late on the night of Oct. 3, as a team of hurricane scientists observed later, thus “people had very little time to rush their preparations to completion.". Three of the five costliest October storms have had impacts on the Philadelphia region: Sandy, Hazel, and a nameless predecessor in 1944. [3], After entering the Caribbean Sea, Hazel continued to present a small eye and wind diameter. At the time he was a meteorologist for a Gulf Coast TV station and the newsroom was abuzz — not about Opal, but O.J., who had just been acquitted. New Jersey escaped major flooding as the high tide was low enough, but to the south in Chesapeake Bay, the majority of crab pots were destroyed. This was the first week in October 25 years ago, and no major hurricane had made landfall on the Florida Panhandle in October in more than 100 years. As mentioned, Hurricane Hazel was the farthest north Category 4 hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. Hazel Eventually it is expected to become a remnant rainstorm whose moisture could reach as far north as the Philadelphia region [9] After the storm had turned northward, tropical cyclone warnings were posted for Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the waters of the Mona Passage. The United States Weather Bureau promptly classified the system as Hurricane Hazel. For example, in Long Beach, North Carolina, only five of the 357 buildings were left standing. [3], The eye of Hazel was tracked across several towns in North Carolina as the system continued northward. The 1957 Braves roster bore the names … A “hurricane watch” was up, and the weather segment was to get all of a minute. [19] Hazel destroyed about 40 percent of the coffee trees and 50 percent of the cacao crop, affecting the country's economy for several years. With existing infrastructure already poor, the recovery was very slow since many of the few existing roads were blocked, and communications equipment was either out, damaged, or destroyed. [15], There had been significant rainfall in the Toronto area in the two weeks prior to Hazel, so the ground was already saturated. And while the United States never has experienced a death toll that high in any disaster, it has endured deadly and destructive late-season storms originating in the tropics. Never mind that more than a fifth of all named storms in the Atlantic Basin have formed in October. Originally, it was estimated that Hazel attained these winds the day prior. [32] Brunswick County, North Carolina, suffered the heaviest damage, where most coastal dwellings were either destroyed or severely damaged. [6][16] Not built to withstand heavy flooding, Toronto's infrastructure took a heavy hit: over 50 bridges, many parts of important highways, as well as numerous roads and railways were destroyed when the high water washed them out or carried debris and smashed them. To help with the cleanup, 800 members of the military were summoned, and a Hurricane Relief Fund was established that distributed $5.1 million (2019: $48.6 million) in aid. 1306-000-000 #1889. Although the Hurricane Hunters observed hurricane-force winds, the storm had a small eye 5 mi (8 km) in diameter and a central barometric pressure of 1,002 mbar (29.6 inHg). With Myrtle Beach a popular tourist destination, the Chamber of Commerce began an information campaign to inform the public, which might have erroneously concluded from the massive media coverage that the city had been destroyed, that the city would be ready for the coming summer. Wind gusts throughout the area reached 160 km/h (99 mph). It was on Friday, Oct. 15, 1954 that Hurricane Hazel made its presence known and felt … The effects of Hazel were particularly unprecedented in Toronto due to a combination of heavy rainfall during the preceding weeks, a lack of experience in dealing with tropical storms, and the storm's unexpected retention of power despite traveling 1,100 km (680 mi) over land. "[17], On October 8, two crew members on reconnaissance aircraft were injured due to turbulence while observing Hazel; one was severely enough injured to require hospitalisation. [3][6] The storm slowed and turned northward, passing over James Bay early on October 17. It then traveled north along the Atlantic coast. [48] The Etobicoke Creek also overflowed its banks at the village of Long Branch, killing seven people after many dwellings were swept into Lake Ontario. [61], As a result of the catastrophic damage and severe death tolls in the Caribbean, United States and Canada, the name Hazel was retired, and will never again be used for an Atlantic hurricane. [6] In contrast, the U.S. Hurricane Research Division later assessed the circulation as becoming elongated but continuous. Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest, second costliest, and most intense hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. It made landfall on the Florida Gulf Coast and ripped through South Florida. [22], In South Carolina, the storm produced 10–11 ft (3.0–3.4 m) tides along the coast. Like the anonymous October 1944 storm, in any other season Wilma would have been a major national story. [6] Toronto Hydro had called in standby crews as heavy winds were forecast, although they were almost sent home at one point due to a lull in the storm. Hurricane Hazel Big Building Historical Photos Sketches World Philadelphia Anniversary Painting Illustrations Photos: Horticultural Hall, Once the Biggest Building in the World Looking back at the iconic building, 140 years later On August 29th at 8 am the tropical wave had formed into a tropical storm named Tropical Storm Danielle with 40-mph winds and a central low pressure of 1000mb. [34] With such high winds state-wide, heavy damage was caused to forests, and to property as a result of falling trees. When it hit Ontario as an extratropical storm, rivers and streams in and around Toronto overflowed their banks, which caused severe flooding. [12], Then, on October 14, the United States Weather Bureau issued a warning for the Carolinas, with the caveat that the worst of the hurricane was expected to stay offshore. As a result of the high storm surge, the low-lying sandy barrier islands were completely flooded. [35] Damages in the Carolinas amounted to $163 million, with $61 million incurred by beachfront property. Simpson. Few people in Canada had any experience with hurricanes, since it was unheard of for them to travel as far north and inland as Toronto. Based on the pressure, a larger than average size, and the fast forward movement, the landfall intensity was estimated at 130 mph (215 km/h), or a Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. This was the unknown, the unfamiliar, the totally unexpected crisis. [3] A fisherman on the eastern tip of Cuba was killed by rough seas while trying to secure his boats. [58], The army sent about 800 soldiers to Toronto to assist with the cleanup, providing blankets and mattresses. At the same time, Hazel made landfall on Grenada with winds of 75 mph (120 km/h). The eye of Hurricane Hazel tracked just to the west of Philadelphia, thus the region was caught in the dangerous right quadrant as Hazel’s remnants sped all the way to Toronto. Hurricane Hazel — A category four hurricane that smashed North Carolina in October, 1954, and then brought hurricane force winds as far inland as Canada. Despite widespread observations across the eastern United States, there continues to be uncertainty in the track of Hazel as an extratropical storm. [27][28] Objects from Haiti, such as bowls, were reported to have been transported by the hurricane to the Carolinian coast. On the mainland it was a horrendous wind storm, knocking out power to 2.5 million electricity customers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Click an entity to go directly to the entity box. Delaware Public Archives. It also was a dramatic reminder that the hurricane season doesn’t end with September. The storm stalled over the Toronto area, and although it was now extratropical, it remained as powerful as a category 1 hurricane. 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