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 Willa
Afterward, Willa underwent rapid intensification, strengthening into a strong tropical storm by 03:00 UTC on October 21. Six hours later, at 09:00 UTC, Willa became a Category 1 hurricane. Further rapid intensification ensued; by 15:00 UTC on the same day, Willa had attained Category 2 status, while turning northward. Subsequently, the storm strengthened into a Category 3 major hurricane at 21:00 UTC, becoming the tenth major hurricane of the season. At 22:30 UTC, Willa intensified further into a Category 4 hurricane. Willa reached Category 5 status at 15:00 UTC on the next day, becoming the third Category 5 hurricane of the season, and the storm achieved its peak intensity, with a minimum central pressure of and maximum 1-minute sustained winds of . Around the same time, microwave satellite imagery detected the presence of an outer eyewall, indicating that Willa was beginning to undergo an eyewall replacement cycle. Willa also began to interact with the smaller Tropical Storm Vicente to the southeast at about this time. Several hours later, Willa's eyewall replacement cycle took a toll on the storm, and the system weakened to a high-end Category 4 hurricane at 21:00 UTC, with its smaller eye becoming cloud-filled. Afterward, Willa encountered increasing wind shear and weakened further to Category 3 intensity, by 15:00 UTC on October 23, while turning northeastward. Soon afterward, Hurricane Willa absorbed the remnants of Tropical Storm Vicente into its circulation. At 18:00 UTC, the center of Willa passed over the Islas Marías, at Category 3 intensity. A few hours later, Willa completed its eyewall replacement cycle, and the storm's intensity stabilized, while gradually accelerating towards the northeast. At 01:00 UTC on October 24 (7:00 pm on October 23, local time), Willa made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane in , in the municipality of Escuinapa, Sinaloa, with 1-minute sustained winds of 120 mph (195 km/h). Following landfall, mountainous terrain and southwesterly wind shear took a toll on the storm's strength, and Willa rapidly weakened, degenerating into a tropical storm by 06:00 UTC on October 24. Willa continued to weaken as it accelerated northeastward, and the storm dissipated at 15:00 UTC over northeastern Mexico, as the storm's surface circulation had dissipated.