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The 1918 Atlantic hurricane season was an inactive season, with a total of six tropical storms developing, four of which intensified into hurricanes. Two of the season's hurricanes made Landfall in the United States, and one became a major hurricane, which is Category 3 or higher on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson scale. ACE is a metric used to express the energy used by a tropical cyclone during its lifetime. Therefore, a storm with a longer duration will have high values of ACE. It is only calculated at six-hour increments in which specific tropical and subtropical systems are either at or above sustained wind speeds of 39 mph (63 km/h), which is the threshold for tropical storm intensity. Thus, tropical depressions are not included here.
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Timeline
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Systems
Hurricane One
A tropical storm was first noted in cable reports from Bridgetown, Barbados, on August 1. Moving west-northwestward, the storm soon passed through the Grenadines before entering the Caribbean Sea. The cyclone gradually curved northwestward over the Caribbean and strengthened slowly. While approaching the Yucatán Channel late on August 4, the system began to intensify significantly. After reaching the Gulf of Mexico, the storm strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane on the modern day Saffir–Simpson scale at 12:00 UTC on August 5. On the following day, the cyclone became a major hurricane and peaked as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of . Around 18:00 UTC on August 6, the hurricane made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana. The system quickly weakened after moving inland, dissipating over Oklahoma about 24 hours later.
Along the coast of Louisiana, storm surge swept away homes in Creole and Grand Chenier. Strong winds were observed in southwestern Louisiana, with gusts up to at Sulphur. Very few businesses in the town remained standing, with the Union Sulphur Mines suffering $3 million in damage. Three pilots were killed at Gerstner Field near Holmwood, while 7 hangars and 96 airplanes were destroyed. Only its Big Lake Gunnery School survived, though it required extensive repairs. In Lake Charles, debris from destroyed homes and downed electrical wires left nearly all streets impassable. Several buildings were also severely damaged or destroyed, including a synagogue, two churches, an oil corporation building, and a number of sawmills. In the Goosport Milling District, fires broke out, causing additional damage. Most of the buildings in DeQuincy and Westlake were leveled, with the latter described as "a scene of desolation." Overall, there were 34 deaths and $5 million in damage in Louisiana. It was estimated that damage did not exceed $15,000. Early on September 5, the hurricane peaked with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure .
Tropical Storm Six
A tropical wave developed into a tropical storm just north of Barbados early on September 9.
Tropical depressions
In addition to the six officially recognized tropical storms and hurricanes, four tropical depressions in the 1918 season have been identified. The first developed in June from a trough of low pressure in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and moved east across Florida. Although it is possible that the system attained tropical storm intensity, a lack of supporting evidence precludes its designation as such. It is thought that the tropical depression developed on June 20 and dissipated on June 23. The second depression evolved from a tropical wave on September 13 in the eastern Atlantic. It persisted until September 17, when the system was lost over the open ocean, although it is possible that the system persisted thereafter. On September 25, the third tropical depression formed in the northwestern Caribbean. It tracked northward into the eastern Gulf of Mexico and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone before dissipating on September 30. The final depression of the 1918 season developed on October 14 while situated in the southern Gulf of Mexico. While tracking northwestward, the depression experienced little change in intensity and made landfall in Louisiana three days after formation. It dissipated over land on October 19.