Dear Tom,
In 1932 a tidal wave struck the Cuban coastal town of Santa Cruz del Sur. What caused that wave, and did it affect the U.S. mainland?
Jose Reyes
Dear Jose,
That tidal wave was actually a storm surge associated with Category 4 Hurricane 10 (tropical cyclones were not named then) that made landfall on Nov. 9, 1932, on Cuba’s south coast at the town of Santa Cruz del Sur. The hurricane, packing top winds up to 150 m.p.h., pushed a wall of water more than 21 feet high inland, inundating the town while claiming the lives of more than 3,500 people and causing more than $40 million in damage. Many consider it the worst natural disaster ever to hit Cuba. The United States was not affected. After sweeping across Cuba, the weakening hurricane moved northeast through the Bahamas and then out into the Atlantic Ocean, where it eventually dissipated on Nov. 14.
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
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