The List of Atlantic hurricanes in the 18th century encompasses all known Atlantic tropical cyclones from 1700 to 1799. Although not all of the data for every storm that occurred are available, some parts of the coastline were populated enough to provide data of hurricane occurrences.
| Atlantic hurricane seasons |
|
| Year | Area(s) affected | Date | Deaths | Damage/notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1700 | Charleston, South Carolina to Virginia | September 13–14 [ O.S. September 2–3] | 98 | Rising-Sun Hurricane of 1700. A hurricane struck the South Carolina coastline while the Rising-Sun, a Scottish warship, was prevented from entering Charleston Bay from the Atlantic by a sandbar across the mouth. It had already been badly damaged by a storm in the Gulf of Mexico, being dismasted, and was seeking repairs. The ship, passengers and crew were returning to Scotland from a failed Scottish attempt to establish a colony at Darien (what we now call Panama). The crew was in the process of 'lightening the ship', to gain entry to the bay, and as part of that, 15 passengers were taken ashore in a small boat. In the ensuing hurricane, the ship was thrust up on the beach, broken up, and all left aboard were drowned. The only survivors from the ship were those who had gone ashore earlier and ended up having to bury the dead on the beach the next day. Ships docked in the harbor at Charleston were also wrecked. Charleston was devastated and flooded by this ferocious hurricane. [1] [2] [3] |
| 1700 | Barbados | September 20 [ O.S. September 9] | N/A [4] | |
| 1702 | Barbados | September 24–26 [ O.S. September 13–15] | N/A [5] | |
| 1703 | Virginia, Maryland to New England coastline | October 18–19 [ O.S. October 7–8] | N/A | Great wind and flood damage; many ships were lost. [6] [7] |
| 1703 | England, British Isles | December 7–8 [ O.S. November 26–27] | Many thousands | The Great Storm of 1703 . This was the most powerful wind force ever experienced in modern English history, causing more death and destruction than any known storm before or after. One-third of the British Navy fleet sunk during this storm, which likely originated from an Atlantic-based hurricane. [6] |
| 1705 | Havana Cuba to southeast coast of Florida | August 16–18 [ O.S. August 5–7] | Many were lost | 4 ships lost [8] |
| 1706 | Barbados to New York to Connecticut | October 5–15 [ O.S. September 24-October 4] | Strong wind and heavy rains were reported in NY (14th) and CT (16th). Unusual and heavy flooding occurred in many areas in NY and CT. [9] [10] | |
| 1706 | Offshore of Virginia coast | November 6–7 [ O.S. October 26–27] | N/A | A hurricane at sea - an England-bound fleet of ships from America was scattered by a raging hurricane at sea. Many ships had to return to Virginia for repairs after the hurricane while other ships were lost at sea. No landfall is believed to be known. [9] |
| 1707 | St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua, Montserrat to St. Thomas | September 9–11 [ O.S. August 30-September 1] | N/A | Nevis was "nearly ruined" and several ships were wrecked off the coast of St. Kitts. [11] |
| 1707 | St. Augustine, Florida | September 30 [ O.S. September 19] | N/A | Heavy flooding and damage [12] |
| 1708 | Veracruz | N/A | 578 | N/A |
| 1712 | Barbados to Cuba and Jamaica | September 6–10 [ O.S. August 26–31] | 400 | Many houses destroyed [13] |
| 1712 | Barbados | September 19 [ O.S. September 8] | N/A [14] | |
| 1713 | Lesser Antilles, Martinique, Guadeloupe to St. Thomas to Puerto Rico | September 4–6 [ O.S. August 24–26] | 100 in Martinique | San Zacarias Hurricane of 1713. Caused a storm surge in southern Puerto Rico. [15] [16] |
| 1713 | North of Antigua to Charleston, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia | September 10–17 [ O.S. August 31-September 6] | Many | Carolina Hurricane of 1713. Charleston was once again inundated by the sea (see 1700). The death toll was reportedly significant and resulted from the high storm surge that washed in with the storm. On Sullivan's Island, "The new lookout made of wood, built eight square and eighty feet high, was blown down." In Charleston's harbor, all but one of the vessels were driven ashore and "all the front wall and mud parapet before Charlestown [were] undermined and washed away." The two rivers on both sides of the town were connected for a period of unknown time during the storm. The storm was reportedly more violent in the north of Charleston, suggesting that landfall was made north of the town. The effects were most prominent in Currituck County, North Carolina, near the Virginia-North Carolina border, where the storm surge breached the Outer Banks and opened several inlets into the Currituck Sound. William Byrd, one of the commissioners who established the Virginia-North Carolina boundary, stated: "There was no tide in Currituck until 1713 when a violent storm opened a new inlet five miles south of the old one. One of the new inlets carved out by the storm became the location where the Virginia-North Carolina line begins on the Atlantic coast." [17] [18] |
| 1713 | Puerto Rico | October 14 [ O.S. October 3] | Hurricane San Cándido of 1713. Caused a lot of storm damage in the south coast. [19] | |
| 1713 | Jamaica to Bermuda | October 24–26 [ O.S. October 13–15] | N/A [20] | |
| 1714 | Florida Keys | Late June | Many drowned | Many ships sank |
| 1714 | Guadeloupe | August 13–14 [ O.S. August 2–3] | N/A [21] | |
| 1714 | Barbados to Jamaica | September 5–9 [ O.S. August 25–29] | Tropical storm [22] | |
| 1715 | Bahamas, Florida East Coast | July 31 [ O.S. July 20] | 1000–2500 | Florida Treasure Coast Hurricane of 1715. Occurred near southeastern Bahamas and straits of Florida. Due to numerous delays, the fleet of twelve ships did not depart from Havana, Cuba, until late. Once the heavy-laden treasure ships turned into the Bahamas channel, they encountered northeasterly winds. The hurricane overtook the fleet as it emerged from the Bahamas channel. Three ships sank in deep water; the remainder were driven to the Florida coast wrecked on the rocks and reefs just north of present-day Vero Beach. The fleet captain Spanish Admiral Don Juan de Ubilla drowned in the storm along with more than a thousand other sailors. See 1715 Treasure Fleet and Florida Treasure Coast. The surviving sailors tried to live on the uninhabited Florida coast where their ships had wrecked. After the sinking of the ships, the Spanish government tried to recover some of the treasure, some of which they were able to, though most remains unclaimed to this day. This area off of the Florida coast would be named the "Treasure Coast" for the millions in gold, silver, and jewels these ships from this fleet took down with them from this storm. See List of deadliest Atlantic hurricanes. [23] [24] |
| 1715 | Tampico, Mexico | August 26 [ O.S. August 15] | Hurricane made landfall in Tampico, Mexico [25] [26] | |
| 1715 | West of Jamaica to Dauphin Island, Alabama and Mobile, Alabama | October 14–20 [ O.S. October 4–10] | Pelican Harbor on Dauphin Island was destroyed by the shifting sands on October 20. [27] [28] [29] [30] Note: Chenoweth and Ludlum list this hurricane in 1715, reference web article in 1717. | |
| 1716 | Bermuda | August 20 [ O.S. August 9] | N/A [31] | |
| 1716 | Massachusetts, Boston, Martha's Vineyard | October 24–25 [ O.S. October 13–14] | The New England Hurricane of 1716 was a hurricane with strong winds and rains affecting Eastern Massachusetts, Boston, and Martha's Vineyard. May have made no direct landfall. [32] [33] | |
| 1718 | Antigua to Puerto Rico | September 6–7 [ O.S. August 26–27] | N/A [34] | |
| 1718 | Martinique | September 19–21 [ O.S. September 8–10] | N/A [35] | |
| 1720 | North of Puerto Rico to Florida | N/A | 500 | N/A [36] |
| 1722 | Puerto Rico to Jamaica to Carolinas | August 28–September 3 | 280 | Passed south of Port Royal, which was devastated by a 16–18-foot storm surge. [37] [38] 400 [37] |
| 1722 | Jamaica to Louisiana to South Carolina | September 6–12 [ O.S. August 26-September 1] | 400 | Great Louisiana Hurricane of 1722. Moved through the Lesser Antilles on September 11. This hurricane is the first tropical storm to strike the region for which there are adequate first-hand accounts and almost completely destroyed the city's fragile existing infrastructure. The storm made landfall in Louisiana on September 23 with 15 hours of hurricane winds and an 8-foot storm surge flooding. Hurricane force winds lasted 15 hours. In 1718, 3 feet (0.91 m) high levees protected New Orleans from both river and tidal overflow (today they are 17 feet (5.2 m) high). The buildings in New Orleans suffered extensive destruction, but they were not of high-grade construction; instead, they had been hastily constructed when New Orleans was initially selected to be the capital of the Louisiana Company in 1717-18. The bayou between New Orleans and Biloxi was filled with 2 to 3 feet (0.61 to 0.91 m) of water as a result of the storm, and all ships at the port were destroyed. Rainfall and flooding were reported to have lasted for five days. The French occupied Spanish settlement at Santa Rosa Island, Florida offshore from Pensacola was swept away by storm surge. [39] This storm was responsible for moving Mobile from its old site 27 miles (43 km) north of the mouth of the Mobile River to its present-day site. This same storm likely re-curved northeast and headed into South Carolina as they reported three days of flooding rains in South Carolina around the 27th. [40] [41] |
| 1722 | Charleston, South Carolina | September 18–23 [ O.S. September 7–12] | Tropical storm [42] | |
| 1723 | North of Antigua to New York City | August 4–9 [ O.S. July 24–29] | N/A [43] | |
| 1723 | Rhode Island | November 10 [ O.S. October 30] | N/A [44] [45] | |
| 1724 | Virginia, Maryland and Chesapeake Bay | August 23 [ O.S. August 12] | N/A | The Great Gust of 1724. Almost all tobacco crops and much of the corn crops were destroyed by this violent tropical storm, which struck the Chesapeake Bay. Violent floods of rain and prodigious gusts of wind were seen upon the James River. Some homes were wrecked, and several vessels were driven ashore. The storm was likely followed by a second hurricane just five days later, which caused rain for many straight days that caused the Virginia floods of 1724. [46] |
| 1724 | South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania | August 22–30 [ O.S. August 11–19] | Second of two hurricanes that passed through the area within five days. Another violent storm system came through affecting Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania with violent winds, flooding, and rain. This system and the Great Gust of 1724 systems are among the most significant tropical storms to affect the Mid-Atlantic during the colonial period of the late 1600s and 1700s. [46] [47] | |
| 1724 | Hispaniola | September 12 | 121 | Caused the sinking of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Samaná Bay. |
| Year | Area(s) affected | Date | Deaths | Damage/notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1725 | Martinique | September 23–24 [ O.S. September 12–13] | N/A [48] | |
| 1726 | North of Antigua to Bermuda | September 11–19 [ O.S. September 1–8] | N/A [49] | |
| 1726 | Jamaica | November 1–2 [ O.S. October 21–22] | 18+ | This storm devastated Port Royal, sinking some 50 ships. Based on damage information, it was observed to be a small yet powerful hurricane. [50] [51] |
| 1726 | Bermuda | No date | N/A [52] | |
| 1727 | Rhode Island, Connecticut, eastern Massachusetts, Boston | September 27 [ O.S. September 16] | The New England Hurricane of 1727 was a strong hurricane that caused considerable damage, uprooted many trees, damaged property, and washed ships in port ashore. Center of the storm likely past over eastern Massachusetts. Severe destruction noted in Essex County. [53] [54] | |
| 1728 | North Carolina, South Carolina | August 13–14 [ O.S. August 2–3] | The Carolina Hurricane of 1728 was the fourth major hurricane to hit Charleston area. [55] [56] | |
| 1728 | Antigua to Saint Thomas to Hispaniola | August 28-September 2 [ O.S. August 17–22] | N/A [57] | |
| 1728 | North of Leeward Islands to Bermuda | August 31-September 8 [ O.S. August 20–29] | N/A [58] | |
| 1728 | Antigua to west of offshore Bermuda | September 21–30 [ O.S. September 10–19] | N/A [59] | |
| 1729 | Nassau, Bahamas | first week of August | The Woodes Rodgers Hurricane of 1729 was the first report of major storm damage at a settlement in the Bahamas. Dated occurrence three weeks prior to the arrival of the first royal governor of the Bahamas, Woodes Rodgers on August 25, 1729. Storm blew down greatest parts of the houses on the island. The Royal Assembly on the island was not able to conduct business of the colony because of the extensive damage done to the island. [60] | |
| 1729 | Northern Leeward Islands to Puerto Rico to South Carolina | August 14–19 [ O.S. August 3–8] | Hurricane made landfall in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico [61] [26] [62] | |
| 1730 | Puerto Rico to Jamaica | August 31-September 1 | N/A | Hurricane Santa Rosa of 1730 was a storm that passed south of Puerto Rico on August 31 and caused damage to houses and plantations. It made its way to Jamaica on September 1. One ship holding including the ex-president of Panama, was lost at sea during this storm. |
| 1730 | Barbados to South Carolina | August 26-September 7 [ O.S. August 15–28] | N/A [63] | |
| 1730 | Havana, Cuba | unknown | This hurricane struck Havana and Matanzas, destroying many buildings. [64] | |
| 1730 | Jamaica, Cuba | October 15–20 [ O.S. October 4–9] | N/A [65] | |
| 1730 | Caribbean Sea | unknown | Nuestra Senora del Carmen sank in a hurricane south of Jamaica. [66] | |
| 1731 | Windward Passage | June 24 | 1+ | This hurricane destroyed two ships. |
| 1731 | Cayman Islands | September | First recorded tropical cyclone that affected Cayman Islands. [67] | |
| 1731 | Barbados to Windward Passage to offshore South Carolina | August 24-September 5 [ O.S. August 13–26] | N/A [68] | |
| 1733 | Saint Kitts to Cuba to Bahamas, Florida Keys | July 10–16 [ O.S. June 30-July 5] | Several | This hurricane wrecked at least one ship in St.Kitts on July 10 (O.S. June 30). On July 15–16, a 22-ship Spanish treasure fleet was struck by a hurricane as the ships tried to cross the Bahamas Channel. The storm left 13 ships sunk or grounded between Elliott Key and Key Vaca. One of the sunken ships, the Pedro, is located in 20 feet of water off the Indian Key in the Florida Keys. The sinking was one of the greatest maritime disasters. The event was unknown until diver Art McKee began an underwater archival investigation in 1938. [64] [69] |
| 1733 | Florida Keys to Alabama | August | N/A [70] | |
| 1734 | Barbados to Jamaica | September 9–12 | Barbados on September 9, Jamaica on September 12. [71] | |
| 1735 | Cayman Islands | September | N/A [67] | |
| 1736 | West of Cayman Islands to Pensacola, Florida, Santa Rosa Island, Florida | September 16–19 | The Spanish settlement at Santa Rosa Island, Florida was swept away by storm surge. [72] [73] | |
| 1737 | Antigua, Saint Kitts, Montserrat to Dominican Republic | September 7–10 [ O.S. August 28–31] | Several people drowned | This storm destroyed many ships. [74] |
| 1738 | Guadeloupe, St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic | August 28–31 [ O.S. August 17–20] | N/A | Hurricane Santa Rosa of 1738 was a hurricane caused damage to agriculture and to many homes in Puerto Rico. It is estimated that it entered Puerto Rico in the east and crossed over the entire island, then passed on to the Dominican Republic. [15] [75] |
| 1738 | Puerto Rico | September 12 | N/A | Hurricane San Leoncio of 1738 was a hurricane caused damage to agriculture and to many homes on the south side of Puerto Rico. There was no reported damage from San Juan. The hurricane headed to Hispaniola on September 13. |
| 1740 | Puerto Rico to Dominican Republic | August 3 | Hurricane San Esteban of 1740. This hurricane passed close to the south of the island and then later affected the northeast Dominican Republic. The city of Ponce reported the most damage. This was the first of two hurricanes that impacted Puerto Rico in 1740. [26] | |
| 1740 | Puerto Rico | September 11–12 | N/A | Hurricane San Vicente of 1740 [76] Affected San Juan, Puerto Rico on the northern side of the island. Two ships were destroyed by the hurricane. The hurricane was not strong. [38] [26] [77] |
| 1740 | Antigua to Nassau, Bahamas to Mobile, Alabama, Louisiana | September 8–22 [ O.S. August 28-September 11] | N/A | Twin Mobile Hurricanes of 1740. On September 22 to 23, a hurricane destroyed the town of La Balize. [78] [79] |
| 1740 | Mobile, Alabama | September 29 [ O.S. September 18] | N/A | Twin Mobile Hurricanes of 1740. [78] [80] |
| 1741 | Santa Rosa Island, Pensacola Florida | Unknown | A hurricane hits northwest Florida Santa Rosa island. Santa Rosa was settled by Spain on November 25, 1722. [81] | |
| 1742 | Virgin Islands to Puerto Rico to Hispaniola | October 27–31 [ O.S. October 14–20] | N/A | Hurricane San Judas Tadeo of 1742 On October 27 to 28, a hurricane passed at some distance on the north side of Puerto Rico affecting St. Thomas. Strong winds caused high seas, which damaged ships. Hispaniola on October 31. [82] |
| 1743 | Jamaica to offshore South Carolina coast | September 10 [ O.S. August 30] | N/A [83] | |
| 1743 | Jamaica | October 20 | "Great number" | N/A |
| 1743 | Jamaica to off U.S. East Coast, Philadelphia, Boston | October 28-November 4 [ O.S. October 17–25] | Ben Franklin's 'Eclipse Hurricane'. On November 1 to 2 (O.S. October 21–22), this storm so-called as it occurred during the night of a total lunar eclipse. First tropical storm in American history to be accurately measured with scientific instruments. Ben Franklin noted the difference in the start times the storms that started in Philadelphia and Boston and rationalized that it must have been the same storm traveling northward. This is referred to as the first tangible progress towards understanding the "law of storms". Jamaica on October 28. [84] [85] | |
| 1744 | Offshore South Carolina | September 8 [ O.S. August 29] | N/A [86] [87] | |
| 1744 | Jamaica to Cuba | October 31-November 1 [ O.S. October 20–21] | 182 | N/A [88] |
| 1745 | Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti | October 16–19 [ O.S. October 5–8] | Tropical storm [89] | |
| 1746 | Barbados to Florida Keys to U.S. Gulf Coast | September 10–14 [ O.S. August 31-September 3] | N/A [90] | |
| 1746 | Caribbean Sea | N/A | N/A | Thirteen ships were destroyed by the storm. |
| 1747 | Virginia | September 15 | 50+ | An indentured servant ship was destroyed by the storm. |
| 1747 | North Atlantic | September 26–27 [ O.S. September 15–16] | N/A [91] | |
| 1747 | Leeward Islands, Saint Kitts to North Atlantic | September 29-October 6 [ O.S. September 18–26] | St. Kitts and Leeward Islands on October 2. [92] | |
| 1747 | North Carolina to Massachusetts | October 8 | "Many" | Seven ships were destroyed by the storm |
| 1747 | Bermuda | October 10 | The storm was called a "Violent gale of wind" | |
| 1747 | Jamaica to Nassau, Bahamas to Bermuda | October 13–18 [ O.S. October 2–7] | Jamaica on October 13, Bermuda on October 18. [93] | |
| 1747 | St. Kitts | November 3–6 [ O.S. October 23–26] | St. Kitts on November 4. "Upwards of 20 sail of vessels lost" [94] | |
| 1748 | Off Virginia Capes | September 11 | "Dispersed fleet" | |
| 1748 | Bermuda | October 13 | Up to £20,000 damage | |
| 1749 | Dominica to Gulf of Honduras | September 16–21 [ O.S. September 5–10] | Bay of Honduras on September 21 [95] | |
| 1749 | Jamaica to North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware | October 14–21 [ O.S. October 3–10] | During October 18 to 19, The Coastal Hurricane of 1749 caused severe flooding, high tides, and tree damage. Wind effects were also recorded in New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston. It was estimated to be one of the strongest hurricanes to hit the Mid-Atlantic region. This hurricane produced a huge tidal surge of 15 feet. Responsible for creating Willoughby Spit, a small area of land near Norfolk that was inside the Chesapeake Bay. Ben Franklin had this storm under watch and it helped confirm his hypothesis from the 1743 hurricane he observed that coastal storms moved from the southwest and were preceded by northeasterly winds. [96] Jamaica on October 14. [97] |
| Year | Date | Area(s) affected | Deaths | Damage/notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1750 | August 28–30 [ O.S. August 17–19] | Bahamas to Offshore North Carolina, Cape Hatteras | N/A | Bahamas Channel on August 28. Four ships lost off coast of North Carolina [98] [26] [99] |
| 1751 | July 24 | St. Kitts | Entire crew | One ship lost |
| 1751 | July 24 [ O.S. July 13] | Havana, Cuba | N/A [100] | |
| 1751 | August | Cayman Islands | unknown | N/A [67] |
| 1751 | September 2 | Jamaica | unknown | [101] |
| 1751 | September 18–28 [ O.S. September 7–17] | Antigua to Jamaica to Florida | Florida on September 28. [102] | |
| 1751 | October | Jamaica to Havana, Cuba | N/A [103] | |
| 1751 | October 6–7 [ O.S. September 25–26] | Jamaica | Tropical Storm [104] | |
| 1752 | September 8–16 | Saint Kitts to South Carolina | Great Hurricane of 1752 On September 15, One of the most severe hurricanes to hit the Charlestown area in colonial times. Rated similar to hurricanes that hit the area in 1804 and 1893. [105] [106] | |
| 1752 | September 23–26 | Bahamas to Cuba | N/A | Sixteen ships lost off the north shore of Havana. Struck the Bahamas on the 23rd and Cuba on the 26th. Likely the same hurricane as Second Great Hurricane of 1752 in the Carolinas. |
| 1752 | September 26-October 2 | Havana, Cuba to South Carolina, North Carolina to Nova Scotia | The Second Hurricane of 1752 On September 30 to October 1, One of the most severe hurricanes to hit the Charlestown area in colonial times. Rated similar to hurricanes that hit the area in 1804 and 1893. Began moving northward up the Carolina coast to Wilmington, North Carolina. [107] [108] | |
| 1752 | October 22 | Offshore Florida, Gulf of Mexico | 7+ | Over 30 shipwrecks in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico attributed to this hurricane. 12 ships lost in Gulf of Florida. [72] |
| 1752 | October 28-November 3 | Havana, Cuba to Pensacola, Florida, Santa Rosa Island | Cuba on October 28. On November 3, a large hurricane hits northwest Florida at Pensacola and Santa Rosa Island destroying all but 2 buildings and all of the island's dunes and village were washed away. The Spanish settlement is abandoned and moved across the bay to what is now Pensacola. [72] [28] [109] [81] | |
| 1753 | August 24–25 | Cumberland Island, Georgia | Tropical Storm [110] | |
| 1754 | September 12–26 | Lesser Antilles to Santo Domingo to offshore North Carolina | Twelve ships lost off Santo Domingo [111] | |
| 1755 | October 8 | Jamaica | Tropical Storm [112] | |
| 1756 | September 12–17 | Leeward Islands, Martinique to Jamaica | N/A [113] | |
| 1756 | October 1–3 | Cayman Islands to Havana, Cuba | On October 2 to 3, a hurricane with heavy rains struck Havana, Cuba. [64] [114] | |
| 1757 | August 11 | Florida to Boston, Massachusetts | Rain for 3 days; great SW-NW-N gusts | |
| 1757 | September 22–25 | Eastern New England to Nova Scotia | N/A [115] | |
| 1758 | August 22–24 | Barbados and Lesser Antilles | Barbados on August 23 [116] | |
| 1758 | October 17–24 | West of Jamaica to Florida to New Jersey coast | N/A [117] | |
| 1758 | November 10 | St. Kitts | 200 | N/A |
| 1758 | N/A | Saint Marks, Florida | 40 | N/A |
| 1759 | September 12–15 | Jamaica to Havana, Cuba to Southwest Florida, Florida Keys | A fierce hurricane impeded the Florida Current and that water backed up causing the Dry Tortugas to disappear. Storm surge also washed over every bit of land of the Florida Keys from Key West to Key Largo. [72] [64] [118] | |
| 1760 | July 6 | Charleston, South Carolina | Tropical Storm [119] | |
| 1760 | August 12 | Pensacola, Florida | N/A [28] [120] | |
| 1760 | September 7–8 | Veracruz, Mexico | Hurricane made landfall in Veracruz, Mexico [121] [26] | |
| 1760 | October 1–6 | Jamaica to South Carolina | N/A [122] | |
| 1760 | October 25 | Barbuda | 50 | N/A |
| 1761 | September 20–23 | Outer Banks, North Carolina | N/A | A "severe equinoctial storm" made a breach through the Outer Banks of North Carolina, eight miles above its present entrance near Haulover, and it was named New Inlet. This inlet was subsequently closed in 1881, costing $600,000 in that year's dollars. [123] [124] |
| 1761 | September 22–23 | West of Jamaica | Tropical Storm [125] | |
| 1761 | October 19–25 | Hispaniola to Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts to Quebec | The Southeastern New England Hurricane of 1761 was a major hurricane that lasted overnight on October 22 to 23. Strong wind damage. Said to be the worst storm in Boston since the great hurricane of 1727. Many buildings were destroyed and bridges washed out from Providence to Newport, Rhode Island and north to Boston and across Cape Cod. Quebec on October 25. [126] [127] | |
| 1761 | November 9–10 | Cartagena, Colombia | N/A [128] | |
| 1762 | October 4–5 | Southwest of Jamaica | Tropical Storm [129] | |
| 1762 | Santa Rosa Island, Pensacola Florida | Unknown | A hurricane destroys the remaining settlement remnants at Santa Rosa Island. [130] [131] | |
| 1763 | June 16 | West of Jamaica | Tropical Storm [132] | |
| 1763 | November 5–6 | South of Jamaica | Tropical Storm [133] | |
| 1763 | November 16 | Apalachicola, Florida | Unknown | Hurricane struck Spanish garrison in Apalachicola just before midnight on November 16. Storm eye moved ashore. Same hurricane may have sunk Spanish ship Perdido drowning all of the crew near mouth of the now called Perdido River between Florida and Alabama borders [134] |
| 1764 | October 2–3 | Near West Jamaica | N/A [135] | |
| 1764 | November 16–20 | Apalachee Bay, western Carolinas | N/A [136] | |
| 1765 | July 30–31 | Martinique, Sint Eustatius, Guadeloupe | N/A [137] | |
| 1765 | August 7–16 | Lesser Antilles to Hispaniola to offshore New England coast | Tropical Storm [138] | |
| 1765 | October 17 | South Carolina | N/A [139] | |
| 1765 | November 13–14 | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | N/A [140] | |
| 1766 | July 17 | Bahamas | First of many hurricanes produced during the 1766 season. Hurricane passed through the Bahamas Channel. [26] | |
| 1766 | August 13–16 | Martinique to south of Jamaica | 440 | Martinique on August 13 and Jamaica on August 16 [141] |
| 1766 | September 1–4 | Gulf of Mexico to Galveston, Texas | N/A | The Gulf Hurricane of 1766 On September 4, a strong storm struck Galveston. The next strong storm to hit Galveston wouldn't be until 1818. Five Spanish treasure fleet ships en route from Vera Cruz to Havana were destroyed, but the crew and items were saved. A Spanish mission named Nuestra Senora De la Luz and the Presidio San Augustine de Ahumado on the lower Trinity River was destroyed. Constance Bayou in Louisiana was named after one of the wrecked ships from this storm. [78] [142] [143] |
| 1766 | September 8–13 | Offshore Virginia coast to west of New York City | Tropical Storm. Off Virginia on September 11 and off New York City on September 13 [144] [26] [145] | |
| 1766 | September 17–24 | Saint Kitts, Montserrat to Puerto Rico to Azores | N/A | Hurricane San Genaro of 1766 On September 19, this was a severe hurricane that impacted Puerto Rico. It destroyed half the town and many ships. [146] |
| 1766 | October 5–13 | Guadeloupe, Martinique to Puerto Rico to offshore South Carolina coast | N/A | Hurricane San Marcos of 1766 passed first across Guadalupe on October 5. There it sank twelve slave ships, killing all aboard. This hurricane also devastated the French-owned Caribbean island Martinique, ruining its sugarcane business there. One of the families affected was that of Joseph Tascher who was financially ruined from the hurricane. Distressed about the well-being of his family following the storm, he sent his daughter Rose Tascher to live in France. Rose later married Napoleon Bonaparte who rechristened his new bride as Josephine. [147] Later it crossed Puerto Rico from south east to north west, it affected the entire island on October 7 to 8. [76] [148] |
| 1766 | October 14–24 | South of Haiti to Jamaica to Pensacola, Florida | N/A | Florida on October 23. This sunk one ship, killing the entire crew except for three. The tide at St. Marks, Florida rose 12 feet. [134] [149] |
| 1766 | October | Texas coast to New Orleans | Unknown | Hurricane went through the Gulf of Mexico and sunk a Spanish treasure fleet off of the coast of Texas, and then curved eastward to New Orleans, Louisiana [134] |
| 1766 | October 29-November 1 | Havana, Cuba to offshore East of Florida coast | Hurricane made landfall in Havana on October 29 [26] [150] | |
| 1767 | August 5–10 | Martinique to Puerto Rico to offshore South Carolina | 1,600 drowned | 1,600 people drowned on the island of Martinique on August 5 from storm surge.Hurricane San Cayetano of 1767 on Puerto Rico was "[a] powerful hurricane". Caused big flooding and crop damage on August 7. See the list of deadliest Atlantic hurricanes. [151] |
| 1767 | September 21–24 | Coastal North Carolina, Virginia to southeast Massachusetts | N/A | This hurricane caused a number of vessels to be lost off North Carolina and floods struck Virginia with a mill entirely destroyed in Warwick County during September 21–22. Massachusetts on September 24. [152] [153] |
| 1767 | October 13–18 | Gulf of Mexico to offshore South Carolina, North Carolina | N/A | N/A [154] [155] |
| 1768 | August 8–10 | Barbados to Grenada | Barbados on August 8. [156] [38] | |
| 1768 | October 15 | Havana, Cuba | 1000 | This hurricane destroyed 96 public buildings and 4,048 houses, 69 ships were wrecked. It appeared to pass over the island from west to east. [64] See List of deadliest Atlantic hurricanes. [157] [158] [38] |
| 1769 | August 7–9 | South of Jamaica | Tropical Storm [159] | |
| 1769 | September 4–9 | North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey to New England coast | At least 6 | The Great Chesapeake Bay Hurricane of 1769 . It made landfall near New Bern, North Carolina on September 6 and laid that town in ruin as tides rose 12 feet above normal. The eye of the hurricane passed close to Williamsburg. Many old houses in eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia were destroyed, particularly around Williamsburg, York, Hampton, and Norfolk due to 13 hours of high winds from the northeast to northwest. Most notably, it caused widespread damage to the Stratford Hall plantation which belonged to the family of the famous Confederate General Robert E. Lee. [160] [161] |
| 1769 | September 25–29 | Northeast Florida to Charleston, South Carolina | N/A | This hurricane approached Florida and may have hit St. Augustine, Florida on the 25th, but it turned northeastward, and hit near Charleston on the 28th. Damage was minimal in the Carolinas, but crop damage occurred in northeast Florida. [162] |
| 1769 | October 29 | Florida East Coast | [86] |
| Year | Date | Area(s) affected | Deaths | Damage/notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1770 | June 6 | Charleston, South Carolina | Tropical Storm [163] | |
| 1770 | October 19–20 | New England coast, Connecticut to Maine | This hurricane caused strong winds, hail, high tides that caused major flooding. These tides were the highest tides reported since the 1723 area harbor flooding. [164] [165] | |
| 1771 | May 23–24 | Jamaica to Cuba | Tropical Storm [166] | |
| 1771 | September 30-October 4 | Florida Keys to offshore South Carolina | N/A [167] | |
| 1771 | November 30-December 1 | Veracruz, Mexico | Hurricane made landfall in Veracruz, Mexico [26] | |
| 1772 | August 2–6 | Antigua to Hispaniola to Cuba | Landfall at Bayamo, Cuba on August 6 [103] [168] | |
| 1772 | August 27–29 | north of Antigua | N/A [169] | |
| 1772 | August 27-September 4 | Greater Antilles including Saint Kitts and Nevis to Puerto Rico to Jamaica to Mobile, Alabama, New Orleans, Louisiana | At least 280 | Hurricane San Agustin of 1772 or Bernard Roman's Gulf Coast Hurricane of 1772. This strong hurricane passed through the Leeward Islands on August 27. Nevis was left with very little houses standing after the storm. The hurricane next crossed Puerto Rico on August 28 and damage there to Puerto Rico was severe. The hurricane hit Hispaniola next on August 30 then moving past West Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico making landfall near Mobile, Alabama on September 4. Many ships were destroyed in Alabama. Mobile got severely flooded. At least 280 died from the storm surge and hurricane affects. The storm impact in the Mobile area was detailed in Bernard Romans' book published in 1776. In Pensacola, Florida it destroyed most of the wharves, and drove all the ships at the mouth of Mississippi River into the marshes. [170] [171] [172] |
| 1772 | August 29-September 5 | Barbados to Antigua, Saint Kitts and Nevis to Saint Croix, St. Thomas to Puerto Rico to west Cuba | Hurricane San Ramón of 1772 or The Alexander Hamilton Hurricane of 1772 The hurricane first impacted Barbados on August 29 and moved next to Antigua and other Leeward Islands on August 30. St. Kitts and Nevis were struck early on August 31. On St. Kitts, the damage was considerable from this hurricane leaving many houses flattened. St. Croix and St. Thomas were impacted later that night on August 31. The eye of the hurricane moved over St. Croix at night between 10pm and 11pm, per Hamilton below. Puerto Rico was hit late on August 31 into September 1, and it was the second hurricane to hit Puerto Rico within three days as the last one struck back on August 28. The northeast side of Puerto Rico has lesser damage than the one a few days before. Alexander Hamilton famously wrote an account on this storm that struck Saint Croix late on August 31, which was later published in the American colonies; community planters in St. Kitts were impressed by his writings, and they raised a fund for Hamilton to receive an education in the colonies, launching him into his service as an American Founding Father. By 1774, Hamilton was a student at King's College (now Columbia University) in New York City. It is also talked about in multiple songs from the hit musical Hamilton . [173] [174] | |
| 1772 | August 30-September 3 | Offshore North Carolina to Cape Henlopen, Delaware | 50 | 14 vessels were forced ashore off North Carolina on September 1. [175] |
| 1772 | September 3 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | "Several" | Three successive hurricanes hit the island group during the year in 1772. The first on August 27, the second on August 31, and the third on September 3. St. Kitts was impacted twice in three days. This storm was the third one of the three. [171] |
| 1773 | June 21 | Tobago to Grenada | Tropical Storm [176] | |
| 1773 | July 20–21 | Bahamas to Cuba | N/A [177] | |
| 1773 | August 26 | North Carolina to Virginia | Unknown | This hurricane caused damage to ships in the area. [178] |
| 1773 | September 10–19 | Tobago to Venezuela, Colombia, to offshore Western Cuba | Venezuela and Columbia on September 13–14. Western Cuba on September 19 [26] [179] | |
| 1773 | September 30-October 2 | Virginia | Unknown | It caused three days of rainfall across the region. |
| 1774 | August 24–25 | Virginia | Unknown | This hurricane was an "August nor'easter" that caused two days of heavy rainfall. |
| 1774 | October | Havana, Cuba | N/A [103] | |
| 1774 | November 1–3 | Havana, Cuba to North of Bahamas | Cuba on November 1 [180] | |
| 1775 | July 30-August 1 | Martinique to Puerto Rico | Unknown | Tropical Storm San Pedro of 1775 This tropical storm passed close to the southwest corner of Puerto Rico and then over the Dominican Republic on August 1. The effects of this storm are unknown. [181] |
| 1775 | August 24-September 3 | Barbados to Annapolis, Maryland | Unknown | The Maryland capitol building in Annapolis saw roof damage from a hurricane that began on September 3 and lasted about 24 hours. [182] A "stormy" northeast wind was seen in Westmoreland County, Virginia, along with a "flood of rain." [183] [184] |
| 1775 | August 28–29 | Havana, Cuba | Hurricane made landfall in Havana, Cuba [26] | |
| 1775 | August 29-September 9 | Outer Banks, North Carolina to Virginia to Newfoundland | 4,163 | The Newfoundland Hurricane of 1775 or Independence Hurricane of 1775. This was the deadliest known Atlantic hurricane at the time, until it was passed a year later by the Guadeloupe Hurricane of 1776 and the San Calixto Hurricane of 1780. See List of deadliest Atlantic hurricanes. Eighth known deadliest Atlantic hurricane in history. This hurricane moved onshore in North Carolina and traveled up through Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. It also traveled up through New England. A localized, storm surge is reported to have reached heights of between 20 and 30 feet in Newfoundland, destroying many English and Irish ships. Because of the destruction, many sailors drowned. Over 4,000 people died off of Newfoundland, mainly from storm surge. This storm still is Canada's deadliest natural disaster. [164] [171] [185] |
| 1775 | September 12–14 | Antigua to Cuba | Tropical Storm [186] | |
| 1775 | October 16–19 | north and central Leeward Islands | Tropical Storm [187] | |
| 1775 | November 2 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 11 | Hurricane hit the Turks and Caicos islands. Several English warships were lost in the Windward Passage near Caicos islands. [188] |
| 1776 | June | South coast of Cuba | N/A [103] | |
| 1776 | June | New Orleans, Louisiana | N/A [103] | |
| 1776 | July 10 | Virginia | Unknown | Affected a Revolutionary War battle in Virginia; it caused supply ships to sink in the Chesapeake Bay area, and resulted in moderate damage to the area. |
| 1776 | August | Offshore northern coast of Cuba | N/A [103] | |
| 1776 | September 5 to 12 | Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, Antigua, Martinique to Louisiana | 6,000+ | The Pointe-à-Pitre Guadeloupe Hurricane of 1776 On Guadeloupe, the hurricane killed over 6,000 people, more than any known hurricane before it. See List of deadliest Atlantic hurricanes. The hurricane hit Martinique on September 5 and hit Pointe-à-Pitre Bay in Guadeloupe the next day killing over 6,000 from storm surge and other causes. Seventh known deadliest Atlantic hurricane in history. An analysis by hurricane scholar Michael Chenoweth indicated that the tropical cyclone was of at least hurricane strength, or with maximum sustained winds of at least 74 mph (119 km/h), when it struck Guadeloupe. The same analysis indicated the storm also affected Antigua and Martinique early in its duration. [189] The storm struck a large convoy of French and Dutch merchant ships, sinking or running aground 60% of the vessels. The ships were transporting goods to Europe. The hurricane made final landfall at Louisiana on September 12. [190] [191] |
| 1777 | June | Florida | Several | One ship sunk; no one recovered |
| 1777 | August 26 | Chesapeake Bay | Unknown | This storm hampered General Howe's march on Philadelphia. It also caused Washington to seek refuge at Hermitage in Elkton, Maryland. |
| 1777 | September 10–16 | Central Atlantic to Pennsylvania | September 10 - The Ariadne, Ruffel, from Dominica to London sunk, all hands saved. 5 others of the fleet missing. September 16 - Preempted Battle of the Clouds in Chester County, PA. | |
| 1777 | October 23–31 | Saint-Domingue to eastern Oriente Province Cuba | Hurricane made landfall near Santiago de Cuba around October 31. [103] [26] [192] | |
| 1777 | November 22–23 | Western Haiti to offshore southeast of Jamaica | Tropical Storm [193] | |
| 1778 | June 5 | Jamaica | Tropical Storm [194] | |
| 1778 | August 7–13 | Bahamas to North Carolina to New England coastline | Ordering of Providence Hurricane of 1778 Prevented a naval battle between the British and French in the Revolutionary War, causing them to separate as the hurricane moved up the coast. [195] [196] | |
| 1778 | September 16–17 | Jamaica | N/A [197] | |
| 1778 | August–September | Havana, Cuba | N/A [103] | |
| 1778 | September 29-October 10 | Tobago to Pensacola, Florida and Louisiana | October of 1778 Storm. The Gulf Coast was struck by hurricanes in three successive years during the Revolutionary War. Hurricane hit near Pensacola, Florida on October 9. Sank over 14 British Navy ships and caused extensive destruction to wharves and buildings in Pensacola. [198] The resulting tidal surge from the storm also impacted the Louisiana delta, destroying Belize, Bayou St. John, and Tigouyou. [199] [200] | |
| 1778 | October 28 | Cuba | Several | N/A |
| 1778 | November 1 | Massachusetts, Cape Cod | 50-70 | This storm was possibly related to the previous storm |
| 1779 | May 25–26 | West of Jamaica | N/A | N/A [201] |
| 1779 | August 18 | Havana, Cuba to Louisiana | Unknown | Dunbar's New Orleans Hurricane. All but one warship in a Spanish fleet were sunk off the coast. Ships in the New Orleans harbor were pushed well inland, causing heavy damage. Many houses in New Orleans were destroyed, many ships were sunk and trees knocked down. William Dunbar, who happened to be in New Orleans at this time, estimated that the center of the hurricane passed directly over New Orleans. Dunbar wrote that nearly half of the houses in New Orleans were either blown down or lost roofs and that every boat on the Mississippi river had disappeared from the storm. [202] [198] From this hurricane experience in 1779, Dunbar first uncovered the true nature of tropical storms and hurricanes that a hurricane revolves around a vortex in the center and had progressive forward movement. He presented his findings to the American Philosophical Society in 1801. [203] [204] [205] |
| 1779 | August 28-September 3 | Martinique to offshore South Carolina | "Many" | Martinique on August 3 [206] |
| 1779 | December 3 | Atlantic coast | 120 | N/A |
The 1780 Atlantic hurricane season was extraordinarily destructive and was the deadliest Atlantic hurricane season in recorded history with over 25,000 deaths. Four different hurricanes, three in October and one in June, 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 held the deadliest Atlantic tropical cyclone of all time.
Additionally, 1780 was a turning point in Caribbean habitation and trade, marking the end of a long period of economic boom that started in the early 1500s and marked the beginning of an economic decline for the region as news of the devastating hurricanes spread. Eight different storms battered the West Indies including three killer storms in the month of October alone. Tens of thousands were killed across the Caribbean onshore from storm surge, powerful winds and many thousands more killed offshore on sunken ships. The hurricanes struck the Caribbean in the midst of the American Revolutionary War as British and French navies were vying for control over the region and the hurricanes did considerable damage to both fleets wrecking numerous ships and drowning many. [207]
| Year | Date | Area(s) affected | Deaths | Damage/notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780 | June 13 | Saint Lucia to Puerto Rico to Dominican Republic | 4000-5000 | San Antonio Hurricane of 1780 or The St. Lucia Hurricane of 1780. The hurricane first struck St. Lucia where it killed between 4,000 to 5,000. The hurricane moved on to Puerto Rico on June 13 where it "caused deaths and losses". It moved on next to the Dominican Republic. See List of deadliest Atlantic hurricanes. |
| 1780 | August 24 | Louisiana | 25 | The Louisiana Hurricane of 1780 New Orleans experienced a powerful hurricane on August 24, with winds gusting over 160 mph, completely destroying 39 of the 43 buildings in Grand Isle, Louisiana. Then, the eye passed over New Orleans that night, severely damaging structures in what is now known as the French Quarter, causing harvest-ruining crop damage, severe flooding, and tornadoes. [208] |
| 1780 | August 25 | Saint Kitts | Tropical storm or hurricane [209] | |
| 1780 | October 1–8 | Montego Bay, Jamaica to Cuba to Bahamas | 3,000 | The Savanna-la-Mar Hurricane of 1780 Early on, it sank the British transport ship Monarch, killing several hundred Spanish prisoners and the ship's entire crew. The hurricane began to move northwest towards Jamaica, where it destroyed the port and settlement of Savanna-la-Mar on October 3. As many of the town's residents gathered at the coast to see the large waves coming in, a 20-foot surge came in engulfed the onlookers, docked ships, and many of the town's buildings. In the nearby port village of Lucea, 400 people and all but two structures perished, with 360 people also killed in the nearby town of Montego Bay. It would go on to sink the British frigate Phoenix (killing 200 of its crew), the Monarch with its crew and several hundred Spanish prisoners onboard, and ships-of-the-line Victor, Barbadoes, and Scarborough and crippled many others. It continued its direction, and hit Cuba on October 4, followed by a pass over the Bahamas. See List of deadliest Atlantic hurricanes. [210] [211] [212] |
| 1780 | October 10–20 | Barbados to Lesser Antilles, Sint Eustatius, Martinique to Puerto Rico, to Eastern Hispaniola to offshore east of Bermuda | 20,000 - 27,500 | Great Hurricane of 1780 , San Calixto Hurricane of 1780, or Great Hurricane of the Antilles. This is the deadliest known hurricane on record in the Atlantic. The record still stands today. It killed over 20,000 people and estimates as high as 27,500 people including 4,326 people in Barbados, 4,000-5,000 people on St. Eustatius, 9,000 people on Martinique, and 1,000 people in St. Pierre which had all of its homes destroyed, Many of the deaths were due to the storm surge drowning. [213] See List of deadliest Atlantic hurricanes. On October 10, the hurricane destroyed the island of Barbados with winds possibly exceeding 320 km/h (200 mph) which would make it an extreme category 5 strength hurricane, leaving the island completely decimated with nearly all its buildings and plantations destroyed. The town of Bridgetown in Barbados was completely destroyed. The force of the winds was so intense that most of the island's trees were knocked down and the ones that remained standing had their bark stripped off. [214] It also severely affected St. Vincent and Grenada. The hurricane then moved to Saint Lucia, Martinique, and St. Eustatius. Coming in the midst of the American Revolution, the storm caused heavy losses to British and French fleets in conflict in the area. The hurricane later passed near Puerto Rico and over the eastern portion of Hispaniola. There, it caused heavy damage near the coastlines and then sank 50 ships in Bermuda. It ultimately turned to the northeast without striking the United States. [215] [216] |
| 1780 | October 15–26 | Havana, Cuba to Gulf of Mexico to Pensacola, Florida | 2000+ | Solano's Hurricane A powerful hurricane in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico struck a Spanish war fleet of 64 vessels under José Solano en route from Havana, Cuba to attack Pensacola, Florida, then the capital of British West Florida. The ships had 4,000 men aboard under the military command of Bernardo de Gálvez, and 2,000 died. The slow-moving hurricane was first noted near Jamaica on October 15. Progressing northwestwards, it likely crossed the western end of Cuba near Havana on October 17, before shifting northeast-wards towards Apalachee Bay. It struck Solano's fleet in the Gulf of Mexico on October 20. The hurricane made landfall near Pensacola, Florida around October 21. [26] See List of deadliest Atlantic hurricanes. [217] [218] [219] |
| 1780 | October 23 | Barbados to Saint Lucia | Lesser Antilles Hurricane | |
| 1780 | November 17 | New England | A tropical cyclone moved up the east coast of the United States, disrupting the British blockade of the New England states. | |
| 1781 | August 1–2 | Jamaica | N/A | Many ships washed ashore [220] |
| 1781 | August 9–11 | South Carolina, North Carolina | N/A | The Occupation of Charleston Storm [221] [222] |
| 1781 | August 16–23 | West of Jamaica to New Orleans | N/A | New Orleans on August 23 [223] |
| 1781 | September 3–7 | Saint Lucia to southwest of Jamaica | N/A | Tropical Storm [224] |
| 1781 | November 2–3 | West of Jamaica | N/A | Tropical Storm [225] |
| 1781 | Unknown | Offshore Florida | 2000 | See List of deadliest Atlantic hurricanes. |
| 1782 | June 30 | Southwest of Western Jamaica | N/A | Tropical Storm [226] |
| 1782 | July | Havana, Cuba | N/A [103] | |
| 1782 | August 15 | Straits of Florida | N/A [227] | |
| 1782 | September 16 | Central Atlantic | 3,000 | The Central Atlantic hurricane of 1782 was a hurricane that hit the fleet of Admiral Thomas Graves as it sailed across the North Atlantic in September 1782. It is believed to have killed some 3,000 people. See List of deadliest Atlantic hurricanes. [228] |
| 1783 | September 15–20 | Off U.S. East Coast, North Carolina, South Carolina | N/A | 3 ships sunk off North Carolina on September 19 [229] |
| 1783 | October 5–9 | West of Jamaica to South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia | N/A | The Charleston Hurricane of 1783 Charleston saw excessive rain and wind with the cyclone on October 7. Strongest reported tropical storm in Charleston since 1752. Winds shifted from northwest to northeast as the storm passed offshore. Extensive damage was also seen in North Carolina. Richmond saw violent northeast gusts for 24 hours, but no damage. Norfolk and Portsmouth reported a "25-foot tide" which caused damage. [221] [230] |
| 1783 | October 18–19 | New Jersey to Rhode Island, Connecticut | Heavy rains and winds in New Brunswick, NJ and New Haven, CT. Brought snowfall to western Connecticut and Vermont. [231] | |
| 1784 | June | Florida Straits | N/A | |
| 1784 | July 10–17 | Grenada to Curaçao to Honduras | Many ships damaged or destroyed in Curaçao. [232] | |
| 1784 | July 27-August 5 | Dominica to Jamaica to Pensacola, Florida | 9 | Hurricane at Jamaica on July 30. "Captain [Paul] Cox got in here from St. Ann's the 30th ult[ima] but a few hours before a most violent hurricane came on, which began about 8 at night, and at nine the brig parted her cables and was drove on shore. Captain Rice, in a brig from Salem, and a ship belonging to Bristol, are also on shore. The ship Britannia, of between 4 and 500 tons rode it out—In consequence of the calamity occasioned by this hurricane, it is expected the ports of this island will be opened for six months. Captain Rice, with six of his people, taking to their boat, were lost. It is said, he had between 4 and 5000 dollars with him. Scarce a vessel in the harbour of Kingston but was either lost or drove on shore. St. Thomas's in the east has received the greatest damage. Scare a house or plantation but has suffered. Captain Gray in a brig belonging to Salem, lay at Morant Bay, have heard nothing from him in particular; but the report is, that every vessel that lay there, except one ship, is either lost or drove on shore. No perfect account of the damage is yet come to hand." [233] Hurricane at Pensacola, Florida on August 5. [234] |
| 1785 | August 23–31 | Saint Croix to Puerto Rico to Cuba, Jamaica and Cayman Islands to Belize | 142 | An eastward moving hurricane struck St. Croix on August 24. It next moved on to Puerto Rico, Cuba and Jamaica. There was heavy damaged sustained in Havana, Cuba. 4 ships sunk in harbor. Caused 142 deaths. [235] [64] Also the first Cayman Islands tropical cyclone that is recorded in detail. [67] [236] |
| 1785 | September 1 | Delaware | 181 | One of the few hurricanes on record in the state. It wrecked the ship Faithful Steward. |
| 1785 | September 10 | Charleston, South Carolina | Tropical Storm [237] | |
| 1785 | September 23–24 | Mid-Atlantic states | N/A | The Equinoctial Storm. Impacted the coastline shortly after the Sept 23 equinox. Led to the "highest tide ever before known in Norfolk." It struck the lower Chesapeake Bay. Portsmouth experienced a strong northeast to northwest gale for 3 days. The storm in Virginia was noted in both the Virginia Gazette of October 1 and the New Jersey Gazette of October 1 (from Ludlum 1963 p. 30). The Annual Register the next year reported that several ships had been driven ashore by the tide and the wind, with a total damage estimated at around £30,000. The two parallel track storms of 1785 led to the building of the lighthouse in Cape Henry which opened seven years later in 1792. |
| 1785 | September 25 | Puerto Rico | N/A | San Lupo Hurricane of 1785 devastated agricultural fields. Governor Juan Dabán visited the island's affected area to inspect and help with the damages; it was the first time a governor of Puerto Rico did that after a hurricane. [238] |
| 1786 | June 5 | Western Jamaica | Tropical Storm [239] | |
| 1786 | August 29 | Offshore U.S. East Coast, North Carolina | North Carolina per Ludlum [240] [241] | |
| 1786 | September 2–10 | Barbados to Nassau, Bahamas to offshore South Carolina | "Several" | Several houses destroyed in Barbados on September 2 [242] |
| 1786 | September 28 | Charleston, South Carolina | Tropical Storm [243] | |
| 1786 | October 5 | Eastern Virginia | N/A | Heavy rainfall accompanied the storm. According to George Washington, tides were "occasionally high" at Mount Vernon, with "high freshes." James Madison at Montpelier saw the Rapidan River overflow its banks. The center may have passed very near his location, as the winds shifted from southeast to southwest. |
| 1786 | October 19–23 | Jamaica to Havana, Cuba to Bahamas | 7 | N/A [244] |
| 1787 | August 2–7 | Dominica to Turks and Caicos Islands | Tropical Storm [245] | |
| 1787 | August 6–11 | Grenada to Jamaica to Bahamas | Tropical Storm [246] | |
| 1787 | August 15–16 | Southern tip of Florida | N/A [247] | |
| 1787 | August 23–28 | Leeward Islands to Bahamas to South Carolina | N/A [248] | |
| 1787 | August 29-September 4 | Dominica to Belize to Veracruz, Mexico | 100 | A hurricane struck Dominica on August 29 and then Belize around September 2. It has been identified as 'Event 6' in Belizean sedimentary records by McCloskey and Keller. [249] Two articles in the Georgia State Gazette or Independent Register (Augusta, GA) provide a vivid and detailed description of the storm in Belize, with estimates of more than 100 casualties and more than 500 houses destroyed. [250] [251] Several injuries were caused by this hurricane in Veracruz. [252] [253] |
| 1787 | September 16 (19) | Georgia to South Carolina | 23 | A storm moved just offshore the Georgia and South Carolina coastline to lead to a storm surge that caused 23 people to perish, as well as flooding and crop damage between Savannah and Georgetown. [254] Ludlum/Redfield date this storm as September 19, Chenoweth updated to September 16. [255] |
| 1787 | September 23 | Honduras | 100 | N/A |
| 1787 | October 24 | Saint Croix, Tortola, Virgin Islands | N/A | "Savannah, November 22. By Captain McLean, who arrived here on Saturday last from the Windward Islands, we have advice, that a hurricane happened there on the 24th of last month; he was then off St. Eustatia, and afterwards went into the Danish Island of St. John, where he learnt that all the shipping at St. Croix were driven ashore, except one brig that foundered at her anchors; that a great many houses and other buildings were thrown down, and numbers of lives lost; and that the sugar canes had suffered much. He also heard that the hurricane had done considerable damage at Tortola, and thinks it must have been severely felt at St. Christopher's." [256] |
| 1788 | June 4 | Western Jamaica | Tropical Storm [257] | |
| 1788 | July 22–24 | Mid-Atlantic States | N/A | George Washington's Hurricane. George Washington reported from Mount Vernon a "very high northeast wind" the previous night, which sank ships and blew down trees. A "more violent and severe a hurricane than for many years." Madison at Montpelier reports a "great wind and rain." According to the Philadelphia Independent Gazette on August 8, the storm in Norfolk began from the northeast at 5 p.m. on the 23rd, then blew a "perfect hurricane" from the south at 12:30 a.m. The tide was lower than in 1785. Alexandria also saw the winds switch from east-northeast to south, which caused the highest known tide in the Potomac. [258] |
| 1788 | July | Mississippi | N/A | Landfalling hurricane in Mississippi caused the Mississippi river to flood in July 1788. [259] |
| 1788 | August 14–19 | Martinique, Dominica to Puerto Rico to Bahamas to New England | 600-700 | Hurricane San Roque of 1788. Martinique was hit by a hurricane on August 14. It moved on to Dominica, and then to Puerto Rico on August 16. The storm curved northward to the Bahamas and moved further northward to end up in New England on August 19. The hurricane caused 600-700 reported deaths. [260] Additional details given in an article on pages 2 and 3 of The Georgia State Gazette, or Independent Register. (Augusta, GA), November 8, 1788. [261] |
| 1788 | September 8–9 | Jamaica | Tropical Storm [262] | |
| 1788 | September 19–23 | U.S. East Coast to Newfoundland, Canada | Newfoundland September 23. Tropical Storm [263] | |
| 1788 | September 29-October 6 | South of Jamaica to Cayman Islands to South Carolina | South Carolina on October 6. Tropical Storm [264] | |
| 1789 | August 17–18 | New Orleans | Hurricane made landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana [26] [265] | |
| 1789 | August 19 | New Jersey to New England | N/A | Heavy damage |
| Year | Date | Location | Deaths | Damage/notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | August 10–12 | Tobago to Curacao | N/A [266] | |
| 1790 | August 29-September 2 | Barbados to Jamaica | N/A [267] | |
| 1791 | June 18–23 | Cuba to Florida Panhandle | 3,000 | The Great Cuba Hurricane of 1791. During June 21–22, a powerful storm impacted Havana killing at least 3,000 people and 11,700 cattle perished on the island, mainly due to storm surge. See List of deadliest Atlantic hurricanes. [64] [268] [269] |
| 1791 | September 27-October 4 | Jamaica to Bahamas | N/A [270] | |
| 1791 | October 25 | Saint Croix, near Puerto Rico | Hurricane affected St. Croix and offshore near Puerto Rico on October 25 [271] [26] | |
| 1791 | Unknown | Southern Texas | N/A | This storm flooded Padre Island and the mainland nearby. A herd of 50,000 cattle belonging to a Spanish cattle baron drowned in the storm surge. |
| 1792 | July 14 | Sint Eustatius, Saint Kitts | Tropical storm [272] | |
| 1792 | August 1–12 | Lesser Antilles to Caicos island | N/A | Several ships were destroyed in Lesser Antilles. [273] |
| 1792 | October 29–31 | Havana, Cuba to South Carolina | Cuba on October 29. South Carolina on October 31. [103] [274] | |
| 1793 | August 13 | Virgin Islands | 28 | This hurricane moved slowly through the area. |
| 1793 | August 12–18 | Leeward Islands to Bahamas to Louisiana | N/A | This hurricane made landfall and caused crop damage and minor flooding in Louisiana on August 18. [275] [26] [276] |
| 1793 | October 21–23 | Jamaica, Cayman Islands to Bermuda | unknown | Likely devastated Cayman Islands, as there are records that states population was still struggling to recover in February 1794. [67] [277] |
| 1794 | May 28 | West of Jamaica | N/A | Tropical storm [278] |
| 1794 | June 27 | Jamaica | N/A | One ship was destroyed in this tropical storm. |
| 1794 | July 4 | Mid-Atlantic states | N/A | Reported at Annapolis by William Faris in his diary. On the night of the 5th, it "raind and Blowd very Hard" (sic) all night. It finally cleared out between 10 and 11 am on the 6th. |
| 1794 | Late July | Jamaica | "Heavy deaths" | N/A |
| 1794 | August 9–10 | Havana, Cuba | Hurricane made landfall near Havana, Cuba [26] | |
| 1794 | August 10–11 | Louisiana, New Orleans | Hurricane made landfall in Louisiana. Affected Baton Rouge and New Orleans around August 10 and 11. [26] [279] | |
| 1794 | August 25–September 1 | Havana, Cuba to Louisiana | 100+ | Hurricane struck Havana on August 25. 100 bodies were recovered in the harbor the day after. It also struck Florida Keys and the crew of the vessel Vigilant stayed on their damaged ship for two days. [64] On August 31, in Louisiana, heavy flooding, high winds, crop damage, and unusually large hail occurred. [280] |
| 1794 | Early October | Northeastern Florida | N/A | Caused beach erosion and damage |
| 1794 | October 26 | Mid-Atlantic states | N/A | Caused 3.5 inches (89 mm) of rain at Madison's Montpelier estate. While the wind there was "brisk" on the morning on the 26th, Annapolis reported that "it Blow'd very Hard a near Hurrican[ sic ] and rained all night" from the 26th into the 27th. |
| 1795 | July 20 | Louisiana, New Orleans | Hurricane made landfall near mouth of the Mississippi River in Louisiana. [26] [281] | |
| 1795 | July 27-August 3 | Leeward Islands to North Carolina, Virginia | Twin North Carolina Hurricanes of 1795. North Carolina and Virginia on August 2–3. First of two parallel track hurricanes that occurred ten days apart. Several Spanish ships lost; brought heavy rain through the mid-Atlantic, disrupting mail service and damaging crops; at Annapolis, rain set it on the afternoon of the 2nd, before it escalated later in the day, when it "Blow'd a Harrican." Trees were levelled and the tide was so high that "one could not get to the Market House without a Boat." Vessels were driven ashore by the tempest (from the diary of William Faris). Thomas Jefferson recorded this hurricane in his journal as his plantation at Monticello suffered heavy crop losses. [282] [283] | |
| 1795 | August 2–13 | North of Puerto Rico to North of Hispaniola to North Carolina, Virginia | Twin North Carolina Hurricanes of 1795. North Carolina and Virginia on August 12–13. Considered a major hurricane, caused additional flooding and crop damage after the previous storm; the damage could be "Modestly estimated at a year's rent", quoted by Thomas Jefferson. The "powerful torrent" of rain in Petersburg caused creeks to rise higher than noted in the previous 70 years (North Carolina Journal). Winds were gusty at Farmville, where a "great fresh" was reported. Annapolis reported strong winds and rains on August 13 as well. Thomas Jefferson recorded this hurricane in his journal as his plantation at Monticello suffered heavy crop losses. The two storms caused the Appomattox river to crest more than 12 feet above flood stage. [282] [284] | |
| 1795 | August 18–21 | Leeward Islands to Turks and Caicos Islands | N/A [285] | |
| 1795 | October 10 | South Carolina | Tropical Storm [286] | |
| 1796 | August 25–27 | Straits of Florida to New Orleans | Hurricane made landfall in Louisiana. Affected New Orleans on August 26 and 27. [26] [287] | |
| 1796 | Early September | Havana, Cuba to Bahamas to Florida coast | Bahamian wreckers reported this severe gale off the coast of Florida. The Bahamas were also struck by this hurricane. [64] | |
| 1796 | October 2–4 | Pinar del Río, Cuba to Bahamas | N/A | This hurricane caused shipping delays. [288] |
| 1797 | September 5 | North Carolina | N/A | One ship sunk |
| 1797 | October 17–21 | Bahamas to South Carolina | "Many" | The Charleston Hurricane of 1797 Charleston saw excessive rain and wind with the cyclone. Strongest reported tropical storm in Charleston since 1783 and 1752 ones. Several ships lost. [289] [290] |
| 1799 | June 2–9 | Central Cuba to U.S. Coast | Cuba on June 2. [291] | |
| 1799 | September 17 | St. George Island, Florida, Apalachicola, Florida | Hurricane sank HMS Fox off St. George Island near what is now known as Fox point. The storm lasted for 3 days and covered island in 2 feet of water. William Augustus Bowles was on the ship and survived the hurricane on the island. Bowles went on to create the State of Muskogee in Florida in 1799. [292] | |
| 1799 | September 23 | Jamaica | 27 | This hurricane remained offshore, but rain, flooding, and winds were severe |
| 1799 | September 25 | Charleston, South Carolina | Tropical storm [293] | |
| 1799 | October | Oriente, Cuba | N/A [103] |
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 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.
This is a list of all known or suspected Atlantic hurricanes up to 1599. Although most storms likely went unrecorded, and many records have been lost, recollections of hurricane occurrences survive from some sufficiently populated coastal areas, and rarely, ships at sea that survived the tempests.
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 1848 Tampa Bay hurricane was the strongest known hurricane to impact the Tampa Bay area of the U.S. state of Florida. Along with the 1921 Tampa Bay hurricane, it is one of only two major hurricanes to make landfall along Central Florida's west coast since Florida became a United States territory in 1821.
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 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 1869 Atlantic hurricane season was the earliest season in the Atlantic hurricane database in which there were at least ten tropical cyclones. Initially there were only three known storms in the year, but additional research uncovered the additional storms. Meteorologist Christopher Landsea estimates up to six storms may remain missing from the official database for each season in this era, due to small tropical cyclone size, sparse ship reports, and relatively unpopulated coastlines. All activity occurred in a three-month period between the middle of August and early October.
The 1855 Atlantic hurricane season featured tropical cyclone landfalls in the Gulf Coast of the United States, the Greater Antilles, and Mexico, but none along the East Coast of the United States. It was inactive, with only five known tropical cyclones. Another tropical storm was believed to have existed offshore Atlantic Canada in late August and early September, but HURDAT – the official Atlantic hurricane database – now excludes this system. The first known system was initially observed on August 5, while the final known storm was last noted on September 17. These dates fall within the period with the most tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic. At one point during the season, two tropical cyclones existed simultaneously. Two of the cyclones only have a single known point in their tracks due to a sparsity of data.
The 1856 Atlantic hurricane season featured six tropical cyclones, five of which made landfall. The first system, Hurricane One, was first observed in the Gulf of Mexico on August 9. The final storm, Hurricane Six, was last observed on September 22. These dates fall within the period with the most tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic. Only two tropical cyclones during the season existed simultaneously. One of the cyclones has only a single known point in its track due to a sparsity of data. Operationally, another tropical cyclone was believed to have existed in the Wilmington, North Carolina area in September, but HURDAT – the official Atlantic hurricane database – excludes this system. Another tropical cyclone that existed over the Northeastern United States in mid-August was later added to HURDAT.
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 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.
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