Book review: White Hurricane by David Brown

In the book, White Hurricane, David Brown weaves together stories from several vessels caught in the Great Lakes Storm of 1913. The phenomenon has become known as the White Hurricane Due to its unprecedented severity in the Great Lakes region.

The storm ravaged ships on the lakes from November 7th through the 10th, 1913. Seventy or more

barges were damaged by the storm, and of those 12 were foundered and 31 were stranded on rocky beaches. Over the course of three days, 253 sailors lost their lives on the water, with the most devastation on Lake Huron.

Although the phenomenon of  the “November gale” is common on the Great Lakes due to warm water temperatures and meeting of cold and warm air masses above the water, additional forces made the storm in November 1913 more powerful. At that time, the convergence of two low pressure systems on Lake Huron, combined with whiteout blizzard conditions, made passages unnavigable and the White Hurricane particularly deadly. Winds raged with tropical cyclone level intensity, with recorded gale forces of 70 and 90 miles an hour. Deceptive intermittent lulls, in tandem with the slow and conflicting weather reports, contributed to the overall damage caused by the storm.

The personal narratives which frame the events of the storm humanize the devastation caused by the storm. It was the deadliest event in Great Lakes maritime history, and caused millions of dollars in damage, with personal and economic losses echoing for years in the region. Brown also describes the reaction and aftermath of the Weather Bureau at the time, the rebuilding, and consequences stemming from the lack of predictive meteorological data.

For further information on the White Hurricane visit:

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/weatherreadynation/news/131107_white.html#.VGEJFckmuEo

For historical images of the storm:

http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/oct13/great_lakes_legendary_storm.asp