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1942 Matagorda hurricane
Surface weather analysis of the storm on August 28
Meteorological history
Formed
August 21, 1942 (1942-08-21)
Dissipated
August 31, 1942 (1942-09-01)
Category 3 major hurricane
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS)
Highest winds
115 mph (185 km/h)
Lowest pressure
950 mbar (hPa); 28.05 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities
8
Damage
$26.5 million (1942 USD)
Areas affected
Mexico, Texas
IBTrACS
Part of the 1942 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1942 Matagorda hurricane was the most intense and costliest tropical cyclone of the 1942 Atlantic hurricane season. The second tropical storm and hurricane, as well as the first major hurricane of the year,[nb 1] it originated from a tropical wave near the island of St. Lucia on August 21. Moving generally westward across the Caribbean Sea, the storm remained weak for much of its early existence. However, it gradually intensified, and reached hurricane strength south of Jamaica on August 25 before coming ashore on the Yucatán Peninsula late on August 27. Once in the Gulf of Mexico, the hurricane quickly strengthened, and attained its peak intensity on August 29 as a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h). However, nearing the Texas Gulf Coast, the storm waned in intensity, and was only a Category 1 hurricane by the time it made a final landfall near Matagorda, Texas on August 30. Continuing inland, the hurricane weakened, and dissipated into a remnant low on August 31.
At the hurricane's first landfall near the northeastern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula, little information was documented on the storm's impacts. However, as the storm approached the Texas coast, widespread evacuations took place, including the evacuation of roughly 50,000 people from Galveston, Texas alone. Upon making landfall, the hurricane caused extensive damage in coastal regions. In Matagorda, storm surge peaking at 14.7 ft (4.5 m) inundated the city and damaged many others. Strong winds from the storm wreaked havoc as far inland as San Antonio, Texas. The winds leveled numerous buildings and uprooted trees, in addition to causing widespread power outages. Crops in the areas affected saw large losses, particularly the rice crop. Rainfall associated with the storm was relatively light, due to the hurricane's rapid forward motion once inland, peaking at 9.3 in (0.24 m) in Woodsboro, Texas. Overall, the storm caused $26.5 million in damages and eight deaths.[nb 2]
^Goldenberg, Sten; Atlantic Oceanic Meteorological Laboratory. "Subject: A3) What is a super-typhoon? What is a major hurricane ? What is an intense hurricane ?". A: Basic Definitions. United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Hurricane Research Division. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
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