Hurricanes and the Making of Caribbean History
The 1899 San Ciriaco hurricane1899 San Ciriaco hurricane hit Puerto Rico, whose economy relied on coffee. The crop had already been facing problems with a decrease in prices and competing countries, but the hurricane wiped out any chance of rebounding from the losses of the previous years. The winds stripped the berries from the trees and the coffee exports of 1899 were only 10 percent of the average export. The losses amounted to 12 million dollars in revenue from 1899 to 1901. This left a dismal outlook on the future for farmers. Sugar was also affected by the storm, although the results were not as drastic. Only a third of the sugar crop could be harvested in 1899, but the soil was reinvigorated. The storm only affected the older haciendas, which would have been retired soon regardless of the hurricane. This allowed for newer technologies to be introduced to the sugar system and U.S. involvement increased. Overall, San Ciriaco helped and hurt the agriculture of Puerto Rico.
Hurricane Ingrid
Afterward Ingrid reached peak winds, shear increased and began to weaken the hurricane as it approached the Mexican coast. The center became displaced to the edge of the convection, and NHC forecaster Daniel Brown noted that Ingrid "[did] not resemble a classic hurricane in satellite pictures." At around 1115 UTC on September 16, Ingrid made landfall just south of La Pesca, Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico, after having weakened into a strong tropical storm with 100 km/h (65 mph) winds. Near landfall, the Hurricane Hunters reported flight-level winds of 120 km/h (75 mph) which, after adjusting to surface winds, confirmed the weakening. The storm moved ashore less than 24 hours after Tropical Storm Manuel struck the Pacific coast of Mexico on Michoacán, making it the first time since 1958 that tropical cyclones struck both coasts of the country within one day. Ingrid rapidly weakened into a tropical depression over land, and although convection temporarily reorganized, the circulation dissipated on September 17.