The decade of the 1800s featured the 1800s Atlantic hurricane seasons. While data is not available for every storm that occurred, some parts of the coastline were populated enough to give data of hurricane occurrences. Each season was an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation in the Atlantic basin . Most tropical cyclone formation occurs between June 1 and November 30.
| Atlantic hurricane seasons |
August 10–18. A minimal hurricane that passed through the Leeward Islands on August 10 moved through the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico to strike southeast Louisiana on August 18. [1]
August 27–28. A hurricane struck Exuma in the Bahamas during August 27 and 28. [2]
September 9–10. A hurricane impacted Bermuda during September 9 and 10. [3] The storm dismasted the brig Eliza sailing from Savannah to New York, causing the loss of two lives from those swept overboard. [4]
October 2–5. A hurricane lingered over South Carolina during October 2 to the 5th. Twelve ships foundered at Charleston. The cyclone spawned a tornado which moved across the northwest section of the city. Its storm surge swept across much of Sullivan's Island. One died in Charleston. [5] [6] [7]
October 9. The ship, Galgo, was sunk during a hurricane on October 9 over the southwest Atlantic. All 25 crew members were rescued.
October 31-November 5. On October 31, a hurricane struck Jamaica before moving onward to Cuba and the southwest Atlantic. During November 4 and November 5, Bermuda experienced this hurricane. A lighthouse begun in 1795 on Wreck Hill was abandoned after this storm, as it was then determined to be an unsuitable site (from Beware the Hurricane.) [8]
July 22–25. Nassau, Bahamas experienced a hurricane on July 22. 120 sails were wrecked onshore. The system moved westward into the Gulf of Mexico. [9]
August 15–16. This hurricane made landfall near Mobile, Alabama during August 15 and 16,. [10] [7]
A hurricane was spotted west of Jamaica between October 6 and October 10. [11]
A hurricane was reported in Jackson, (Adams) New Hampshire. There were so many trees blown down, the town could not perform survey. Recorded in Vol 7 page 185 of NH legislature.
In August, a hurricane hit the West Indies. It continued through Jamaica, moved northward, and eventually hit England later in the month. It caused 121 deaths.
August 29. A hurricane hit near the Chesapeake Bay on August 29, causing at least one death.
The Carolina Hurricane of 1803 August 31-September 1. A minimal hurricane right on its heels of the prior one hit near New Bern, North Carolina on August 31 and September 1. This type of tropical cyclone succession up the coast is similar to the Connie/Diane East coast landfalls of 1955. [12] [13]
The Norfolk Storm of 1803 October 2–3. A hurricane reportedly impacted Norfolk, Virginia during October 2 and 3. [14]
August 18–19. During August 18 and 19, a hurricane was noted east of Bermuda, sinking the ship Alexander. [4]
August 18–19. During August 18 and August 19, a hurricane struck Jamaica [15]
August 29. A violent hurricane was noted in Jamaica on August 29. [4]
1804 Antigua–Charleston hurricane, The Great Charleston Gale of 1804, or Hurricane Santa Rosalía of 1804
September 3–12. A hurricane was first spotted near the Leeward Islands on September 3. Most ships at harbor in St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Bartholomew, and Dominica were destroyed. Reported strongest hurricane to hit St. Kitts since 1772 one. It moved west-northwestward across western Puerto Rico and Turks Island on September 4. The storm turned northwest, negatively impacting September 6–7. It then moved northwest to hit Georgia as a major hurricane on September 7. It continued slowly through South Carolina and North Carolina, leaving the mainland on September 9 before striking New England on September 12. Reported strongest hurricane to hit Charleston since 1752 one. The hurricane caused 500 deaths. Damages to crops on St. Simons Island totaled $100,000 (1804 USD). Overall damages from Savannah totaled $500,000 (1804 USD), while Charleston incurred $1,000,000 in damages (1804 USD). Part of cluster of hurricanes struck Charleston area in 1804, 1811, 1813, 1820, and 1822. [16] [17]
September 22–24. A tropical storm tracked from Cuba northward to South Carolina during September 22 and September 24. [18]
The Snow Hurricane of 1804
October 4–10. Later in the season, a major hurricane moved northwestward across the Western Atlantic to the north of Puerto Rico. It hit near Atlantic City, New Jersey on October 9, and turned northeastward. As it crossed New England, cool air was entrained in the circulation, and it became extratropical. The storm brought heavy snow across the Northeast, in some areas up to 2–3 feet, and killed 8 people. This was the first observation of snow from a landfalling hurricane, but not the last. [19] [20]
Between July 27 and August 1, a hurricane tracked through the southwest Atlantic east of Bermuda. [21]
On September 30, a hurricane struck Mantanzas, Cuba then moved northward into Maine by October 3. [22]
The Great Coastal Hurricane of 1806
August 17–24. tropical cyclone was noted near the northeastern Lesser Antilles on August 17. Moving west-northwest, the cyclone strengthened into a major hurricane. As it moved offshore Georgia, coastal flooding occurred on Jekyll Island on August 22. The schooner L. T. was wrecked offshore St. Mary's, Georgia. Charleston, South Carolina experienced heavy rains and high winds which uprooted trees. Georgetown, South Carolina's lighthouse was leveled during the storm. The hurricane hit the southern North Carolina coast on August 23 and led to 42 deaths. It moved out to sea, disrupting British and French ships involved in the Napoleonic Wars. [23] After struggling against the storm offshore the Mid-Atlantic coastline, the Rose in Bloom capsized offshore New Jersey on August 24, with a loss of 23 passengers. [24] [25]
A hurricane moved through the Mona Passage on August 26 before moving just offshore the East Coast of the United States through September 3. [26]
A tropical storm caused damage in Vera Cruz, Mexico on September 8. [27]
Hurricane San Vicente of 1806 September 8–18. A hurricane hit Dominica on September 9, resulting in 457 casualties. The hurricane subsequently moved through the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, striking New Orleans on September 17 and Mississippi by September 18. [28] [29]
On September 15, a hurricane hit northeast Florida, destroying several houses but leading to no deaths. [30]
On September 20, another hurricane hit Dominica, causing an additional 165 deaths.
Between September 27–29, a minimal hurricane hit South Carolina, the Outer Banks of North Carolina destroying one ship on the 28th, and Virginia. [30] [31]
During October 2, a tropical storm was witnessed at Jamaica. Moving northward, it struck South Carolina by October 9. [30] [32]
A tropical storm moved through the Lesser Antilles on July 25. [33]
Hurricane San Jacinto of 1807 impacted Puerto Rico from August 17 to 19. [34] It was a slow moving hurricane, affecting the island for 50 hours. The excessive rain caused all rivers to overflow causing great floods that destroyed crops. Many lives and livestock were lost. It crossed Puerto Rico from Humacao in the east to Aguadilla in the west and later continued to the Dominican Republic and Cuba. [34]
On September 1, another tropical storm moved through the Lesser Antilles, striking Trinidad de Cuba on September 5. [35]
Between October 16 and October 20, this hurricane moved from the extreme southeastern Caribbean Sea near Tobago and Curacaoto the west of Jamaica. [36]
A tropical storm struck Puerto Rico this year. [37]
A minimal hurricane hit the Outer Banks on September 12, damaging the lighthouse there.
A tropical storm struck Dominica, Guadeloupe, Tortola, and Montserrat between August 1 and August 3, killing 62 people. [38]
A tropical storm affected the northern Leeward Islands between October 9 and October 13. [39]
The Great Hurricane of 1780 was the deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record, as well as the deadliest tropical cyclone in the Western Hemisphere. An estimated 22,000 people died throughout the Lesser Antilles when the storm passed through the islands from October 10 to October 16. Specifics on the hurricane's track and strength are unknown, as the official Atlantic hurricane database only goes back to 1851.
The decade of the 1820s featured the 1820s Atlantic hurricane seasons. While data is not available for every storm that occurred, some parts of the coastline were populated enough to give data of hurricane occurrences. Each season was an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation in the Atlantic basin. Most tropical cyclone formation occurs between June 1 and November 30.
The decade of the 1830s featured the 1830s Atlantic hurricane seasons. While data is not available for every storm that occurred, some parts of the coastline were populated enough to give data of hurricane occurrences. Each season was an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation in the Atlantic basin. Most tropical cyclone formation occurs between June 1 and November 30.
This article encompasses the 1840–1849 Atlantic hurricane seasons. While data is not available for every storm that occurred, some parts of the coastline were populated enough to give data of hurricane occurrences. Each season was an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation in the Atlantic basin. Most tropical cyclone formation occurs between June 1 and November 30.
The decade of the 1810s featured the 1810s Atlantic hurricane seasons. While data is not available for every storm that occurred, some parts of the coastline were populated enough to give data of hurricane occurrences. Each season was an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation in the Atlantic basin. Most tropical cyclone formation occurs between June 1 and November 30.
The 1821 Norfolk and Long Island Hurricane was one of four known tropical cyclones that have made landfall in New York City. Another, even more intense hurricane in pre-Columbian times left evidence that was detected in South Jersey by paleotempestological research. The third was the 1893 New York hurricane, and the fourth was Hurricane Irene in 2011.
The 1780 Atlantic hurricane season ran through the summer and fall in 1780. The 1780 season was extraordinarily destructive, and was the deadliest Atlantic hurricane season in recorded history, with over 28,000 deaths. Four different hurricanes, one in June and three in October, caused at least 1,000 deaths each; this event has never been repeated, and only in the 1893 and 2005 seasons were there two such hurricanes. The season also had the deadliest Atlantic hurricane of all time, the Great Hurricane of 1780. Only one of the known storms was not a hurricane.
The Atlantic hurricane reanalysis project of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration seeks to correct and add new information about past North Atlantic hurricanes. It was started around 2000 to update HURDAT, the official hurricane database for the Atlantic Basin, which has become outdated since its creation due to various systematic errors introduced into the database over time. This effort has involved reanalyses of ship observations from the International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) as well as reanalyses done by other researchers over the years. It has been ongoing as of 2024.
The 1851 Atlantic hurricane season was the first Atlantic hurricane season to be included in the official Atlantic tropical cyclone record. Six known tropical cyclones occurred during the season, the earliest of which formed on June 25 and the latest of which dissipated on October 19. These dates fall within the range of most Atlantic tropical cyclone activity. None of the cyclones existed simultaneously with another. Three of the six storms only have a single point in their track known.
The 1852 Atlantic hurricane season was one of only three Atlantic hurricane seasons in which every known tropical cyclone attained hurricane status. Five tropical cyclones were reported during the season, which lasted from late August through the middle of October; these dates fall within the range of most Atlantic tropical cyclone activity, and none of the cyclones coexisted with another. Though there were officially five tropical cyclones in the season, hurricane scholar Michael Chenoweth assessed two of the cyclones as being the same storm. There may have been other unconfirmed tropical cyclones during the season, as meteorologist Christopher Landsea estimated that up to six storms were missed each year from the official database; this estimate was due to small tropical cyclone size, sparse ship reports, and relatively unpopulated coastlines.
The 1854 Atlantic hurricane season featured five known tropical cyclones, three of which made landfall in the United States. At one time, another was believed to have existed near Galveston, Texas in September, but HURDAT – the official Atlantic hurricane database – now excludes this system. The first system, Hurricane One, was initially observed on June 25. The final storm, Hurricane Five, was last observed on October 22. These dates fall within the period with the most tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic. No tropical cyclones during this season existed simultaneously. One tropical cyclone has a single known point in its track due to a sparsity of data.
The 1863 Atlantic hurricane season featured five landfalling tropical cyclones. In the absence of modern satellite and other remote-sensing technologies, only storms that affected populated land areas or encountered ships at sea were recorded, so the actual total could be higher. An undercount bias of zero to six tropical cyclones per year between 1851 and 1885 has been estimated. There were seven recorded hurricanes and no major hurricanes, which are Category 3 or higher on the modern day Saffir–Simpson scale. Of the known 1863 cyclones, seven were first documented in 1995 by José Fernández-Partagás and Henry Diaz, while the ninth tropical storm was first documented in 2003. These changes were largely adopted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Atlantic hurricane reanalysis in their updates to the Atlantic hurricane database (HURDAT), with some adjustments.
The 1857 Atlantic hurricane season was the earliest season documented by HURDAT – the official Atlantic hurricane database – to feature no major hurricanes. A total of four tropical cyclones were observed during the season, three of which strengthened into hurricanes. However, in the absence of modern satellite and other remote-sensing technologies, only storms that affected populated land areas or encountered ships at sea are known, so the actual total could be higher. An undercount bias of zero to six tropical cyclones per year between 1851 and 1885 has been estimated. Additionally, documentation by Jose Fernandez-Partagas and Henry Diaz included a fifth tropical cyclone near Port Isabel, Texas; this storm has since been removed from HURDAT as it was likely the same system as the fourth tropical cyclone.
The 1806 Great Coastal hurricane was a severe and damaging storm along the East Coast of the United States which produced upwards of 36 in (91 cm) of rainfall in parts of Massachusetts. First observed east of the Lesser Antilles on 17 August, the hurricane arrived at the Bahamas by 19 August. The disturbance continued to drift northward and made landfall at the mouth of the Cape Fear River in North Carolina on 22 August. The storm soon moved out to sea as a Category 2-equivalent hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale, persisting off of New England before dissipating south of Nova Scotia on 25 August as a markedly weaker storm. Several French and British warships were damaged out at sea.
The 1815 North Carolina hurricane caused the most severe flooding in New Bern, North Carolina since 1795. First detected east of the Lesser Antilles on 26 August, the disturbance drifted toward the northwestern Leeward Islands, arriving by 29 August. The hurricane soon approached Charleston, South Carolina, on 1 September, and subsequently made landfall near Cape Lookout in North Carolina on 3 September. The gale reached New England by 5 September, departing the region on 6 September. The hurricane caused significant impact even before coming ashore: many vessels were damaged, grounded, capsized, or destroyed offshore throughout the course of the storm. Extensive damage to corn, cotton, and rice crops was also noted. Flood waters brought rivers as much as 8 ft (2.4 m) above normal, inundating streets and structures. Overall, the hurricane inflicted at least 15 deaths throughout its existence, and more than $60,000 (1815 USD) in property damage.
The 1850 Atlantic hurricane season was the last season excluded from the scope of the official Atlantic hurricane database. Although meteorological records are sparse and generally incomplete, they indicate that three significant tropical cyclones affected land, each causing some degree of damage. The first system struck North Carolina on July 18, causing significant damage before battering the Mid-Atlantic states with high tides, strong winds, and heavy rainfall. Torrential rainfall caused river flooding from Baltimore to Philadelphia, particularly along the Schuylkill River, which took the lives of 20 people in various incidents. Strong winds damaged property and public facilities in and around New York City, and damaging floods extended into central and northern New England. Crops and railroad infrastructure suffered throughout the entire region.
The 1842 Atlantic hurricane season featured several maritime catastrophes in the Gulf of Mexico and along the U.S. East Coast, and produced one of the only known tropical cyclones to directly affect the Iberian Peninsula. As the season falls outside the scope of the Atlantic hurricane database, records of most storms in 1842 are scarce, and only approximate tracks are known. The first documented storm of the season battered the coast of North Carolina in mid-July, wrecking dozens of ships and destroying homes along the Outer Banks. A little over a month later, another storm impacted the same region and caused several more shipwrecks that killed at least 12 men. This storm later doused the Mid-Atlantic states with flooding rains. In early September, a powerful storm known as "Antje's Hurricane"—named after a ship that it dismasted—tracked generally westward after first being spotted over the Leeward Islands. After yielding widespread destruction across the Bahamas, the storm traversed the Florida Straits, causing severe damage in both northern Cuba and the lower Florida Keys. Many ships and their crews were lost to the storm as it crossed the Gulf of Mexico; it finally struck northern Mexico on September 8.
Racer's hurricane was a destructive tropical cyclone that had severe effects in northeastern Mexico, the Republic of Texas, and the Gulf Coast of the United States in early October 1837. It was named after the Royal Navy ship HMS Racer, which encountered the cyclone in the northwestern Caribbean. Termed "one of the most famous and destructive hurricanes of the century" by meteorology historian David Ludlum, the storm first affected Jamaica with flooding rainfall and strong winds on September 26 and 27, before entering the Gulf of Mexico by October 1. As the hurricane struck northern Tamaulipas and southern Texas, it slowed to a crawl and turned sharply northeastward. The storm battered the Gulf Coast from Texas to the Florida Panhandle between October 3 and 7. After crossing the Southeastern United States, it emerged into the Atlantic shipping lanes off the Carolinas by October 9.
