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414
MU.NT.fcLL I WiiA iMiiK KJliVlJUW
October. 1926
DISTRIBUTION OF WARNINGS OF SEVERE STORMS
General distribution.—Hurricane and other warnings of severe storms are telegraphed or cabled from the Central Office of the Weather Bureau in Washington direct to officials in charge of principal and substations of the Bureau in the districts affected; also to the radio broadcast stations at Brownsville, Tex., New Orleans, La., and Key West, Fla., for radio broadcast at those points.
The Navy Department (Communications Office for Arlington) also receives a copy of warnings of all severe storms. The weather bulletin broadcast daily by the Arlington station (NAA) includes in addition to the weather data warnings of severe storms as issued by the Weather Bureau.
Press associations are also supplied with telegraphic advices of storm warnings.
Advices of the coming of the hurricane, in the present :ase, were perhaps as widely, if not more widely distributed than ever before due to the multiplication of -adio broadcasting stations. The radio service at New Orleans, in particular, was especially effective, one station broadcasting hourly bulletins.
Space does not permit mention of the valuable services >f individuals and organizations in spreading the warn-ngs and the subsequent advices as issued.
Below is given copies of the more important warnings ssued; the arrangement is chronological.
September IB, 10:02 a. m.—Tropical disturbance reported northeast of St. Kitts Tuesday morning has moved directly westward. Sow centered short distance north St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. This storm has already attained considerable intensity.
September 16, S p. m.—Center of hurricane of great intensity Massing near Turks Island which reports wind one hundred miles 'rom northwest. Hurricane center will pass near or slightly north of Crooked Island, Bahama group, Friday forenoon. Greatest -aution advised vessels bound for Bahama group and adjacent waters.
September 16, 9:80 p. m.—Third tropical storm has passed Turks Island moving west-northwestward attended by dangerous shifting :ales. Caution advised vessels bound for Florida Straits, Bahamas ind adjacent waters.
September 17, 10:210 a. m.—Hoist northeast storm warning :welve noon Jupiter Inlet to Key West. Hurricane central about ' wenty-three north seventy-four west moving west-northwestward attended by winds hurricane force near center. This is a very «evere storm. Its center will likely pass near Nassau early tonight. Great caution advised all vessels bound Florida Straits, Bahama Islands, and east Florida coast. Every precaution should be taken for destructive winds Saturday morning especially Jupiter ijo Miami.
To the Governor General, Nassau, Bahamas, the following message was sent:
September 17, 10:02 a. m.—Please send special observations every two hours to-day. Hurricane central near and north Crooked Island and its center will likely pass near Nassau early :o-night. This is a destructive storm.
September 18,1:S0 p. m.—Hoist northeast storm warning 4 p m north of Jacksonville to Charleston and west of Mobile to mon*L of Mississippi River. Hurricane center noon over extreme southern Florida, Fort Myers reporting barometer 29.04, wind fifty-two miles north. Hurricane will' pass into Gulf of Mexico this after noon and continue to move west-northwestward for the present This is a very severe storm. Greatest caution advised vessel* in its path.
September 18, 9:45 p. m.—Chance to hurricane warning li p w Apalachicola, Fla., to Bun-wood, La. Hurricane central between twenty-sis and twenty-seven north and about eighty-three wegfc moving west-northwestward attended by winds of hurricane force. This is a very severe storm. Unless course changes hurricane center will move inland, most likely between Pensacola and mouth of Mississippi River Sunday night. Emergency. Ever* precaution should be taken against destructive winds.
September 19,10 a. m.—Advisory 10 a. m. Hurricane apparently central between twenty-seven and twenty-eight north and about eighty-five west moving west-northwestward attended by dangerous shifting gales. Unless course changes hurricane center will move inland late to-night between Pensacola and mouth of Mississippi River, probably nearer the latter. Further advices this afternoon. Meanwhile every precaution should be taken against destructive east and northeast winds beginning to-night all points where hurricane warnings are displayed.
September 19, S.SO p. m.—At 2:30 p. m. of the 19th the following advisory warning was sent to all stations from Apalachicola to Burrwood, inclusive, and hurricane warnings were ordered continued at 11 p. m. at all display stations within this area:
Noon specials indicate hurricatie center near twenty-eight north eighty-six west moving west-northwestward. This is a hurricane of great intensity and magnitude and emphasis should be placed on need of every possible preparation for destructive wind*, especially Pensacola to mouth of Mississippi River. Hurricane center will likely pass inland late to-night or Monday morning.
Then the final advisory before the hurricane center approached the coast was as follows:
September 19, 9:80 p. m.—Advisory 9:30 p. m. Hurricane central about twenty-nine north eighty-seven west_ apparently moving northwestward. Hurricane center will pass inland early Monday morning, probably not far from the Pensacola-Mobile section.
The local distrih'uiion.—Each local Weather Bureau station in the storm area distributes the warnings by telephone directly to all persons and organizations that have vital interests to be served. In urgent cases such other means of quick personal distribution as are available are utilized. In the present case the Tampa official enlisted the services of the local Boy Scout organization. Other officials took advantage of such means as were at hand, but in the main chief reliance is placed on the telephone, the radio, and the daily local press.
Special acknowledgement is made to the Mobile Register for issuing a special edition on Sunday, September 19, giving the latest information respecting the hurricane. Space does not permit a recital of the details of the local distribution at the various Weather Bureau stations in the storm-stricken area ; suffice it to say that each and every employee was faithful to the trust imposed in him, and made the widest distribution humanly possible.
AN INTERPRETATION OF THE WIND VELOCITY RECORD AT MIAMI BEACH, FLA., SEPTEMBER 17-18, 1926
By Benjamin C. Kadel, in charge of Instrument Division ITT. S. Weather Bureau, Washington, D. CJ
Dr. Scott R. Edwards, superintendent of Allison Hospital, Miami Beach, Fla., has kindly furnished to the Weather Bureau, through R. W. Gray of the Miami office of the Weather Bureau, a record of the wind movement at Miami Beach about 4 miles east of the city of Miami during the hurricane of September 17 and 18, 1926. The hospital is three-fourths of a mile north of the northern limit of the center of the hurricane. The anemometer, a 3-cup Robinson anemometer, cups 5 inches in diameter on arms 6.29 inches long, factor 2.50,
was exposed 19 feet above the roof and 40 feet above thfc ground, the ground being 5 feet above mean sea level. It was on the eastern or ocean side of the hospital roof, about 1,200 feet from the ocean, and freely exposed to wind from all directions. The anemometer was equipped to close an electrical circuit for each mile of travel of the wind, the 9th and 10th miles being connected together to aid in identification of the record.
The record was made on a standard Weather Bureau pattern meteorograph, variously called triple register or