Hurricane Baker (1950)
Hurricane Baker was a Category 2 hurricane that affected the Leeward Islands, Greater Antilles, and the Gulf Coast of the United States. The tropical cyclone was the second tropical storm and second hurricane of the 1950 Atlantic hurricane season. Originating as a tropical depression east of the Windward Islands on August 18, Baker became a tropical storm on August 19, and further intensified into a hurricane on August 21. It attained an initial peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of on August 22 before weakening to a tropical storm as it made landfall on the island of Antigua. Baker weakened to a tropical depression late on August 23 while southwest of Puerto Rico. By the following morning, it had restrengthened into a tropical storm, though a landfall in Cuba caused it to weaken once again. Entering the Gulf of Mexico, Baker began to strengthen once more, regaining hurricane strength on August 29 and reaching its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of early the following day. The cyclone weakened before making its final landfall in the United States near Gulf Shores, Alabama, with winds of . Hurricane Baker produced extensive damage in the Lesser Antilles and Cuba, but impacts were minimal in the United States. Meteorological history On the morning of August 20, a strong tropical storm developed about east of Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe. The tropical storm deepened to hurricane intensity. On August 21, it rapidly attained maximum sustained winds of , equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane. The hurricane passed over Antigua during the evening, while still producing winds of . On August 22, it lost intensity and weakened to a tropical storm. On August 23, Baker made landfall near the Puerto Rican town of Guánica as a minimal tropical storm. The highest winds on the island of Puerto Rico were . The storm then degenerated into an easterly tropical wave, and moved west-northwestward over northeastern Hispaniola. On August 24, it re-entered the Atlantic Ocean, and Tropical Depression Baker crossed the coast of eastern Cuba early on the next day. On August 25, Baker redeveloped a center over the Caribbean Sea off southern Cuba, and re-intensified to tropical storm status. On August 27, Baker affected the Pinar del Río Province with winds, and then turned northward over the southern Gulf of Mexico. On August 28, Baker re-strengthened to hurricane intensity; reconnaissance and ship reports suggest the hurricane attained a second peak intensity of on August 30. The minimum central pressure was on this date. The cyclone diminished in intensity prior to landfall. On August 31, the hurricane struck Gulf Shores, Alabama as a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds estimated near . The estimated central pressure at landfall was . Baker moved inland over Alabama and dissipated over southeastern Missouri on September 1. Impact On Antigua, the Pan American Airways station's power failed when winds reached around midnight on August 22. Unofficial estimates placed winds between at the location, although damages and casualties were unknown. Subsequent reports indicated light damage