1933 Tampico hurricane
The 1933 Tampico hurricane was a deadly tropical cyclone late in the 1933 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the second system of the season to reach Category 5‑equivalent intensity on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale. It developed on September 16 near the Lesser Antilles, and slowly intensified while moving across the Caribbean Sea. Becoming a hurricane on September 19, its strengthening rate increased while passing south of Jamaica. Two days later, the hurricane reached peak winds, estimated at 160 mph (260 km/h). After weakening, it made landfall on the Yucatán Peninsula, destroying several houses. One person was killed offshore Progreso, Yucatán during the storm.
Surface weather analysis of the hurricane on September 21 | |
Meteorological history | |
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Formed | September 16, 1933 |
Dissipated | September 25, 1933 |
Category 5 major hurricane | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Highest winds | 160 mph (260 km/h) |
Lowest pressure | 929 mbar (hPa); 27.43 inHg |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | ~184 |
Damage | $5 million (1933 USD) |
Areas affected | Jamaica, Yucatán Peninsula, Tamaulipas |
IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1933 Atlantic hurricane season |
Over land, the hurricane weakened to a tropical storm, although it re-intensified slightly in the Gulf of Mexico. On September 25, it made a second landfall just south of Tampico, Tamaulipas with winds at around 110 mph (180 km/h), and it quickly dissipated over land. Damage was heaviest there, estimated at $5 million (1933 USD) and there were hundreds of deaths. About 75% of the houses in Tampico were damaged, including about 50% of houses that had severe to total destruction to their roofs. The destruction prompted the declaration of martial law, and there was a curfew instated.