Français
Cyclones leave their mark on generations. And the phenomena that become ingrained in the memories of the inhabitants of the same island differ according to the era. But which cyclones hit Saint-Barth a hundred years ago, two hundred years ago or even in the 18th century? The Atlas des cyclones des Antilles françaises website provides answers to these questions. Founded by three cyclone enthusiasts, Roland Mazurie, François Borel and Jean-Claude Huc, this online encyclopedia contains prolific documentation on cyclonic phenomena in the Lesser Antilles since 1635. A total of 239 phenomena are listed, with precise meteorological data for the most recent ones, such as rainfall and wind intensity.and wind intensity, as well as the reconstruction of satellite imagery at thirty-minute intervals for post-1979 events. And for each cyclone since 1635, the three enthusiasts have written an entire dossier listing the impact and effects of the phenomenon on the French islands, and then on the other Caribbean islands.
"We didn't know what we were getting into".
"If you go to the Atlas and have fun reading it, you're not going to take a vacation for three years," sums up François Borel. We didn't know what we were getting into, but the more we got into it, the more exciting it became, and the more we understood the contribution it could make. "This project is driven by one desire: to share knowledge about cyclones. The same objective that led to the creation of the Amicale des Cyclones in 1996. This association was founded by the famous weather presenter Alain Gillot-Pétré, meteorological engineer Roland Mazurie and "cyclonologue", as Jean-Claude Huc calls himself. François Borel joined them shortly afterwards. These enthusiasts are seeking to make up for the lack of "educational work" on cyclonic phenomena. A computer scientist by profession, François Borel embarked on a "frantic quest" to reconstruct satellite imagery sequences of cyclones. "We set out to create the behavior of all the cyclones that have affected the Lesser Antilles," explains the Guadeloupe native. Director of the Météo France station in Guadeloupe for several years, Roland Mazurie proposes to add station data.
Lack of data for Saint-Barth
After Hurricane Maria hit in 2017, the three partners created an analysis report "to share with the population the particular behavior of this phenomenon and to include educational information". They then came up with the idea of creating an Atlas of Guadeloupe, listing all the phenomena that had an impact on the archipelago in terms of wind or rain, or those of "educational interest". The three enthusiasts even presented the result to Météo France, who encouraged them to extend their research to include Martinique, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barth. But for the Northern Isles, the work was not easy. These are the least well-informed territories," regrets François Borel. The Northern Islands have not been well treated in terms of archiving and conservation. "In particular, the Guadeloupean cites the passage of Lenny, which damaged the paper archives. More simply, he refers to the absence of any mention of these islands in the press or in governors' reports.
Proposed trajectory
For the periods from 1635 to 1850, and from 1851 to 1959, the site's authors relied on the local press and authorities' reports. In terms of knowledge of this history, there's nothing," says François Borel. There are two or three cyclones that have been the subject of books, but for the most part, we have lists with dates, and that's it. "The Atlas des cyclones des Antilles françaises compiles all the information relating to the passage of these phenomena over the Lesser Antilles, while proposing a trajectory. "It's something that doesn't exist," François Borel points out. For example, there is mention of a cyclone that hit the Lesser Antilles between August 30 and 31, 1772. In the case of Saint-Barth, "many houses (mostly huts) were destroyed, as were virtually all the plantations". A never-ending well of information, as the Atlas creators update their site with new phenomena.
