1926 Louisiana hurricane
| Category 3 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Surface weather analysis of the storm on August 25, near peak intensity
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| Formed | August 20, 1926 |
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| Dissipated | August 27, 1926 |
| Highest winds |
1-minute sustained: 115 mph (185 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 955 mbar (hPa); 28.2 inHg |
| Fatalities | 25 |
| Damage | $6 million (1926 USD) |
| Areas affected | Cuba, Louisiana |
| Part of the 1926 Atlantic hurricane season | |
The 1926 Louisiana hurricane caused widespread devastation to the United States Gulf Coast, particularly in Louisiana. The third tropical cyclone and hurricane of the 1926 Atlantic hurricane season, it formed from a broad area of low pressure in the central Caribbean Sea on August 20. Moving to the northwest, the storm slowly intensified, reaching tropical storm strength on August 21 and subsequently attaining hurricane strength after passing through the Yucatán Channel. The hurricane steadily intensified as it recurved northwards in the Gulf of Mexico, before reaching peak intensity just prior to landfall near Houma, Louisiana on August 25 with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h). After moving inland, the tropical cyclone moved to the west and quickly weakened, before dissipating on August 27.
The hurricane's strong storm surge at landfall caused extensive damage to coastal regions, especially lighthouses. Strong winds caused severe infrastructural and crop damage, destroying homes and disrupting communications. Heavy rainfall, peaking at 14.5 in (370 mm) in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, also helped to damage crops. Widespread power outages also occurred in areas along the Gulf Coast. 25 deaths were reported as a result of the hurricane, with damages estimates totaling $6 million.
A tropical depression first formed on August 20 in the central Caribbean Sea from a broad area of low pressure, based on weather reports from weather stations and ships in the vicinity. Moving steadily to the west-northwest towards the western Caribbean, the disturbance slowly intensified, attaining tropical storm strength by 1200 UTC the next day. Prior to the Atlantic hurricane reanalysis project, however, the system was analyzed to be an open trough up until August 22. The tropical storm began to move more towards the west in the Gulf of Mexico after clipping the Guanahacabibes Peninsula—the westernmost region of Cuba—late on August 22.
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