Mataafa Storm
Weather map of an extratropical cyclone approaching the Great Lakes on the morning of November 28, 1905
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| Type | Extratropical cyclone |
|---|---|
| Formed | November 25, 1905 |
| Dissipated | November 29, 1905 |
| Lowest pressure | <991 mbar (hPa) |
| Damage | $3,567,000 |
| Areas affected | Plains, Great Lakes |
The Mataafa Storm, or Mataafa Storm of 1905, is the name of a storm that occurred on the Great Lakes on November 27-28, 1905. The system moved across the Great Basin with moderate depth on November 26 and November 27, then east-northeastward across the Great Lakes on November 28. Fresh east winds were forecast for the afternoon and evening of November 27, with storm warnings in effect by the morning of November 28. Storm-force winds and heavy snows accompanied the cyclone's passage. The storm, named after the steamship Mataafa, ended up destroying or damaging about 29 vessels, killing 36 seamen, and causing shipping losses of $3.567 million (1905 dollars) on Lake Superior.
A storm system moving through the Great Basin on November 26 and 27 was forecast to bring "fresh easterly winds" to the Great Lakes during the afternoon and evening on November 27 by the United States Weather Bureau. At 6 p.m., winds at Duluth, Minnesota, had reached 44 miles per hour (71 km/h). Storm warning flags were flying by the morning of November 28 as the cyclone moved into southern Minnesota. At this time, easterly gales and heavy snows had spread across Lake Superior, Lake Huron, and Lake Erie. Five-minute winds reached 68 miles per hour (109 km/h) at Duluth during the early morning of November 28, before dropping below gale force by noon. At Duluth Harbor, lake levels peaked at 2.3 feet (0.70 m) above normal during the storm. The system brought heavy snows within its northern and western side across the northern Great Lakes on November 28 and November 29, with storm warnings continuing for the lower Great Lakes on the morning of November 29.
At five o'clock in the afternoon on November 27, 1905, the bulk carrier SS Mataafa was on her way out of Duluth, loaded with iron ore and towing the barge James Nasmyth. She was hit by the storm, and though she struggled on for a short time, by the time she had reached Two Harbors, Minnesota, at 4:00 p.m. the next day, it was clear to her master, Captain R. F. Humble, that she could not make the run. He gave the order to turn about, and she turned her prow toward Duluth.
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