In 1559, the Spanish attempted to settle a colony near Pensacola, Fla. This was not the last time the Spanish dealt with a hurricane. In 1502, Christopher Columbus was on his fourth and final voyage to the New World when he ran into a hurricane off the coast of Hispaniola. HURRICANES: FROM EXPLORATION TO REVOLUTIONĪlmost from the day Europeans began to explore the New World hurricanes became a hazard to fear. So in this installment of This Week in Weather History, we will look at some of the tropical systems that brought significant impacts to parts of the Midwest. How? Well although they are no longer hurricanes they still move ashore as remnant tropical systems that can dump heavy rain, bring gusty wind, or even spawn a few tornadoes. However, tropical systems have had impacts in parts of the Midwest. Hurricanes and other tropical systems are a problem in the Gulf Coast or East Coast of the United States, or very rarely the West Coast. When you think of Nebraska, Iowa, or Missouri weather, you typically do not think of Hurricanes. Part 3 will zoom into the Heartland to look at some of the more notable storms to impact the area. Part 1 outlines the background information on hurricanes, while Part 2 will outline some of the major hurricanes that have impacted the United States throughout its history. This is Part 2 of 3 on the hurricanes of Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri.