Hurricanes have a long history of wreaking havoc in the US, and hurricane season can last well in to the Fall. Before the beginning of the satellite era – in the late 1960s – storms were noted either when they made landfall or when they crossed shipping lanes. General naming of storms didn’t begin until the 1950s. Still, they did occur and the first two days of October mark the anniversary of two such catastrophic storms. On October 1, 1893 the second great storm of the season struck the Mississippi Delta. More than 1000 people drown in the floods and storm surge. Five years later, on October 2, 1898, the 7th major storm of the season struck the coast of Georgia. It made landfall on Cumberland Island, killing at least 179 people. Campbell Island was totally erased by the event.
Mary Knapp, Weather Data Library
mknapp@ksu.edu