List of Atlantic hurricanes in the 18th century
While information for every storm that happened is not available, some parts of the coastline had enough people to give information of hurricane happenings. Each season was an event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation in the Atlantic basin. Most tropical cyclone formation occurs between June 1 and November 30.
1700–1719
Although not listed below, the Great Storm of 1703 that struck the Kingdom of England may have been a hurricane.
Year | Location | Date | Deaths | Damage/Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1700 | Charleston, South Carolina | September 14 | 98 | N/A |
1703 | Virginia, Maryland, New England | October 18 | N/A | Great wind and flood damage; many ships were lost |
1705 | Havana, Cuba | N/A | Many were lost | 4 ships lost |
1706 | Virginia | November 6 | N/A | 14 ships lost |
1707 | St. Kitts and Nevis | September 2 | N/A | Nevis was "nearly ruined", and several ships were wrecked off the coast of St. Kitts |
1707 | St. Augustine, Florida | September 30 | N/A | Heavy flooding and damage |
1708 | Veracruz | N/A | 578 | N/A |
1712 | Jamaica | September 8 | 400 | Many houses destroyed |
1713 | Martinique | September 4 – 5 September | 100 | N/A |
1713 | South Carolina | September 16 | 70 | Heavy flooding, created new inlets |
1714 | Florida Keys | Late June | Many drowned | Many ships sank |
1715 | Bahamas, Florida Keys | July 31 | 1000–2500 | 4 ships lost |
1720–1739
Year | Location | Date | Deaths | Damage/Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1720 | Puerto Rico | N/A | 500 | N/A |
1722 | Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Carolinas | August 28 – 3 September | 280 | N/A |
1722 | Jamaica, Louisiana, South Carolina | 10 September – 28 September | 400 | * Moved through Lesser Antilles 11 September.
|
1723 | Massachusetts | February 23 – February 24 | 0 | |
1724 | Chesapeake Bay | August 23 | N/A | Severe crop damage, one ship lost |
1724 | Hispaniola | September 12 | 121 | N/A |
1726 | Jamaica | November 2 | 18+ | N/A |
1728 | Carolinas | August | N/A | N/A |
1730 | Jamaica | September 1 | N/A | One ship, including the ex-president of Panama, lost. |
1731 | Windward Passage | June 24 | 1+ | two ships destroyed |
1733 | St. Kitts | June 30 | Several | At least one ship wrecked |
1733 | Bahamas, Florida Keys | July 15 | 56 | N/A |
1737 | Dominican Republic | September 9 | Several people drowned | Many ships destroyed |
1740–1759
Year | Location | Date | Deaths | Damage/Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1740 | Puerto Rico | September 11 – 12 September | N/A | Two ships destroyed |
1740 | Louisiana | September 23 | N/A | Destroyed town of La Balize |
1742 | Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico | October 27 – October 28 | N/A | Two ships lost |
1743 | Jamaica | October 20 | "Great number" | N/A |
1744 | Jamaica | October 31 – November 1 | 182 | N/A |
1746 | Caribbean Sea | N/A | N/A | Thirteen ships destroyed |
1747 | Virginia | September 15 | 50+ | Indentured servant ship destroyed |
1747 | North Carolina, Massachusetts | October 8 | "Many" | Seven ships destroyed |
1747 | Bermuda | October 10 | "Violent gale of wind" | |
1747 | St. Kitts | October 24 | "Upwards of 20 sail of vessels lost" | |
1748 | Off Virginia Capes | September 11 | "Dispersed fleet" | |
1748 | Bermuda | October 13 | Up to £20,000 damage | |
1749 | North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland | October 12 | One family | £30,000, flood and tree damage |
1750 | Offshore North Carolina | August 17 | N/A | Four ships lost |
1751 | St. Kitts | July 24 | Entire crew | one ship lost |
1752 | South Carolina | September 15 | 103 | N/A |
1752 | Cuba | September 26 | N/A | Sixteen ships lost |
1752 | Offshore Florida | October 22 | 7+ | twelve ships lost |
1754 | Santo Domingo | September | N/A | twelve ships lost |
1757 | Virginia | August 11 | Rain for 3 days; great SW-NW-N gusts | |
1758 | St. Kitts | November 10 | 200 | N/A |
1758 | St. Marks, Florida | N/A | 40 | N/A |
1760–1769
Year | Location | Date | Deaths | Damage/Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1740 | Puerto Rico | September 11 – 12 September | N/A | Two ships destroyed |
1740 | Louisiana | September 23 | N/A | Destroyed town of La Balize |
1742 | Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico | October 27 – October 28 | N/A | Two ships lost |
1743 | Jamaica | October 20 | "Great number" | N/A |
1744 | Jamaica | October 31 – November 1 | 182 | N/A |
1746 | Caribbean Sea | N/A | N/A | Thirteen ships destroyed |
1747 | Virginia | September 15 | 50+ | Indentured servant ship destroyed |
1747 | North Carolina, Massachusetts | October 8 | "Many" | Seven ships destroyed |
1747 | Bermuda | October 10 | "Violent gale of wind" | |
1747 | St. Kitts | October 24 | "Upwards of 20 sail of vessels lost" | |
1748 | Off Virginia Capes | September 11 | "Dispersed fleet" | |
1748 | Bermuda | October 13 | Up to £20,000 damage | |
1749 | North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland | October 12 | One family | £30,000, flood and tree damage |
1750 | Offshore North Carolina | August 17 | N/A | Four ships lost |
1751 | St. Kitts | July 24 | Entire crew | one ship lost |
1752 | South Carolina | September 15 | 103 | N/A |
1752 | Cuba | September 26 | N/A | Sixteen ships lost |
1752 | Offshore Florida | October 22 | 7+ | twelve ships lost |
1754 | Santo Domingo | September | N/A | twelve ships lost |
1757 | Virginia | August 11 | Rain for 3 days; great SW-NW-N gusts | |
1758 | St. Kitts | November 10 | 200 | N/A |
1758 | St. Marks, Florida | N/A | 40 | N/A |
1770–1779
Year | Date | Location | Deaths | Damage/Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1771[1] | May 23–24 | Jamaica and Cuba | N/A | N/A |
1771 | November 30 – December 1 | Vera Cruz, Mexico[2] | ||
1772 | August 1–7 | Hispaniola, Cuba[3] | ||
1772 | 28 August – 4 September | Greater Antilles including Puerto Rico and Jamaica; Mobile, Alabama; New Orleans, Louisiana | At least 280 | A westward moving hurricane hit Puerto Rico on August 28. It continued through the Greater Antilles, hitting Hispaniola on the 30th and later Jamaica. It moved northwestward through the Gulf of Mexico, and hit just west of Mobile, Alabama on the 4th. Many ships were destroyed in the Mobile area, and its death toll is at least 280 deaths. This storm was famously described by Alexander Hamilton, who was living on Saint Croix at the time, and wrote a letter about it to his father.[4] |
1772 | September 1 | North Carolina | 50 | 14 vessels forced ashore |
1772 | Various | Saint Kitts and Nevis | "Several" | Three hurricanes hit the island group during the year, one of which is mentioned above. On St. Kitts, the damage was considerable. Many houses were flattened, and there were several fatalities and many more injuries. Total damage from the storm was estimated at 500,000 pound sterling on St. Kitts. The second storm struck just three days later. |
1773 | August 26 | Virginia | Unknown | Damage to ships in the area.[5] |
1773 | September 13–14 | Colombia[2] | ||
1773 | September 30 – October 2 | Virginia | Unknown | Three days of rainfall across the region |
1774 | August 24–25 | Virginia | Unknown | "August nor'easter" that caused two days of heavy rainfall.[6] |
1774 | September 3 | 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.[7] A "stormy" northeast wind was seen in Westmoreland County Virginia, along with a "flood of rain."[6] |
1774 | October | Havana, Cuba[3] | ||
1775 | Late July | Caribbean Sea | Unknown | N/A |
1775 | August 28–29 | Havana[2] | ||
1775 | August 29 – September 9 | Outer Banks, Virginia, Newfoundland | 4163 | A hurricane hit the Outer Banks of North Carolina on August 29. It turned northeastward and left the state on the 2nd, bringing heavy wind and rain to southeastern Virginia. The hurricane stuck the eastern coast of Newfoundland on September 9, 1775. Approximately 4000 sailors, mostly from England and Ireland, were reported to have been drowned; a localized, storm surge is reported to have reached heights of between 20 and 30 feet. The hurricane, also known as the Independence Hurricane, is Canada's deadliest natural disaster, as well as the eighth deadliest hurricane in history. |
1775 | November 2 | Caicos Islands | 11 | Several English warships lost |
1776 | June | South coast of Cuba[3] | ||
1776 | June | New Orleans, Louisiana[3] | ||
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 | Off northern coast of Cuba[3] | ||
1776 | September 5 | Guadeloupe | 6,000 | Seventh deadliest Atlantic hurricane in history |
1777 | June | Florida | Several | One ship sunk; no one recovered |
1777 | August 26 | Chesapeake Bay | Unknown | Hampered General Howe's march on Philadelphia. Caused Washington to seek refuge at Hermitage in Elkton, MD |
1777 | September 10 to 16 | Central Atlantic, Pennsylvania | Unknown | Five ships were lost in a hurricane that moved across the Central Atlantic on September 10. |
1777 | October | Oriente, Cuba and St. Dominigue[3] | ||
1778 | August 12 | Virginia | Unknown | Prevented a naval battle between the British and French in the Revolutionary War, causing them to separate as the hurricane moved up the coast. |
1778 | August–September | Havana, Cuba[3] | ||
1778 | October 28 | Cuba | Several | Most lives lost due to drowning. |
1778 | November 1 | Cape Cod, Massachusetts | 50–70 | Possibly related to the previous storm |
1779[1] | May 25–26 | Jamaica | N/A | N/A |
1779 | August 18 | Havana, Cuba, Louisiana | Unknown | All but one warship in a Spanish fleet were sunk off the coast. When it hit New Orleans, Louisiana on the 18th, it pushed the ships in the harbor well inland, causing heavy damage. William Dunbar first theorized from this system that a hurricane revolved around a vortex in the center. |
1779 | August 28 | Martinique | "Many" | N/A |
1779 | December 3 | Atlantic coast | 120 | N/A |
1780–1789
The 1780 Atlantic hurricane season was a very deadly hurricane season. About 25,000 people died mainly due to three storms in October.
- A hurricane affected Puerto Rico on June 19, 1780.
- The second hurricane seen hit New Orleans, causing a lot of damage.
- A hurricane hit Jamaica on October 5, it also hit Cuba. The storm killed about 1115 people. This was also known as the Savanna-la-Mar Hurricane.[8]
- The Great Hurricane of 1780 killed 22,000 people in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Making it the deadliest Atlantic hurricane ever seen.
- A powerful hurricane in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico from October 17 to the 21st killed 2,000 people. Also known as Solano's Hurricane.
- During late October, a storm hit Barbados and St. Lucia.
- A storm moved along the East Coast of the United States on November 17.
Year | Date | Location | Deaths | Damage/Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1781 | August 1 | Jamaica | N/A | Many ships were sunk and pushed ashore. |
1781 | August 23 | New Orleans, Louisiana | N/A | N/A |
1781 | Unknown | Offshore Florida | 2000 | N/A |
1782 | July | Havana, Cuba[3] | ||
1782 | September 16 | Central Atlantic coast | 3000 | 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 3,500 people. |
1783 | September 19 | North Carolina | N/A | Three ships sunk |
1783 | October 7 | South Carolina, North Carolina | N/A | Charleston saw excessive rain and wind with the cyclone. Winds shifted from northwest to northeast as the storm passed offshore.[9] Extensive damage was 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.[10] |
1784 | June | Florida Straits | ||
1784 | July 30 | Jamaica | 2 | N/A |
1784 | Unknown | Curaçao | N/A | Many ships damaged or destroyed |
1785 | August 24–29 | Greater Antilles including Jamaica | 142 | Westward moving hurricane hit St. Croix, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Cuba. |
1785 | September 1 | Delaware | 181 | One of the few hurricanes on record in the state of Delaware. |
1785 | September 23–24 | Mid-Atlantic states | N/A | 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.[11] 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. |
1785 | September 25 | Puerto Rico | N/A | San Lupo Hurricane – devastated agricultural fields. Governor Juan Dabán visited the islands affected area to inspect and help with the damages; it was the first time a governor of Puerto Rico did that after a Hurricane.[12] |
1786 | September 2 | Barbados | "Several" | Several houses destroyed |
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 20 | Jamaica | 7 | N/A |
1787 | September 2–4 | Belize, Vera Cruz, Mexico | 100 | It has been named "Event 6" in Belizean records by McCloskey and Keller.[13] Several injuries were caused by this hurricane in Vera Cruz.[14] |
1787 | September 19 | Georgia, South Carolina | 23 | |
1787 | September 23 | Honduras | 100 | N/A |
1788 | July 24 | Mid-Atlantic States | N/A | George Washington reported from Mount Vernon a "very high northeast wind" the previous night, which sank ships and blew down tree. 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.[15] |
1788 | August 14–19 | Martinique, Dominica, Bahamas, New England | 600–700 | N/A |
1789 | August 19 | New Jersey, New England | N/A | Heavy damage |
1790–1790
Year | Date | Location | Deaths | Damage/Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1791 | June 21–22 | Cuba | 3000 | Caused crop damage and animal deaths |
1791 | Unknown | Southern Texas | N/A | |
1791 | October 25 | Puerto Rico[2] | ||
1792 | August 1 | Lesser Antilles | N/A | Several ships destroyed |
1792 | October | Havana, Cuba[3] | ||
1793 | August 13 | Virgin Islands | 28 | Moved slowly through the area |
1793 | August | Louisiana[2] | N/A | Caused crop damage and minor flooding |
1794[1] | May 28 | Jamaica | N/A | N/A |
1794 | June 27 | Jamaica | N/A | One ship destroyed in a tropical storm |
1794 | Late July | Jamaica | "Heavy deaths" | N/A |
1794 | August 9–10 | Havana[2] | ||
1794 | August 27–31 | Cuba and Louisiana | 100+ | In Louisiana, heavy flooding, high winds, crop damage, and unusually large hail occurred |
1794 | Early October | Northeastern Florida | N/A | Caused beach erosion and damage |
1794 | October 26 | Mid-Atlantic states | N/A | |
1795 | July 20 | New Orleans[2] | ||
1795 | August 2 | North Carolina | N/A | Several Spanish ships lost; brought heavy rain through the mid-Atlantic, disrupting mail service and damaging crops. "A fleet of eighteen Spanish ships, sailing from Havana to Spain, was struck off Cape Hatteras; an undisclosed number of these ships were lost." 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 with out a Boat." Vessels were driven ashore by the tempest (from the diary of William Faris). |
1795 | August 12 | North Carolina | N/A | 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 13th as well. |
1796 | August 26–27 | New Orleans[2] | ||
1796 | October 2 | Pinar del Río, Cuba, Bahamas | N/A | Caused shipping delays |
1797 | September 5 | North Carolina | N/A | One ship sunk |
1797 | October 15–19 | Bahamas and South Carolina | "Many" | Several ships lost |
1799 | September 23 | Jamaica | 27 | Remained offshore, but rain, flooding, and winds were very strong |
1799 | October | Oriente, Cuba[3] |
Related pages
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chenoweth (2006). "A Reassessment of Historical Atlantic Basin Tropical Cyclone Activity, 1700–1855" (PDF). NOAA. Retrieved 2007-07-02.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Ricardo Garcia-Herrera; Luis Gimeno; Pedro Ribera; Emiliano Hernandez (2004-11-29). "New records of Atlantic hurricanes from Spanish documentary sources". Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Johnson, Sherry (2011). Climate & Catastrophe in Cuba and the Atlantic World in the Age of Revolution. University of North Carolina Press. pp. 203–206. ISBN 978-0-8078-3493-0.
- ↑ A Few of Hamilton's Letters Including His Description of the Great West Indian Hurricane of 1772 pp. 261 ISBN 1-4374-8474-3
- ↑ Virginia Gazette from September 2, 1773
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Philip Vickers Fithian (December 1, 1978). Journal & Letters of Philip Vickers Fithian. University of Virginia Press. pp. 177, 183–184. ISBN 978-0-8139-0079-7.
- ↑ Anderson, Elizabeth B. (October 2003). Annapolis: A Walk Through History. Cornell Maritime Press/Tidewater Publications. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-87033-546-4.
- ↑ "The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492-1996". www.nhc.noaa.gov.
- ↑ Walter J. Fraser, Jr. (2006). Lowcountry Hurricanes: Three Centuries of Storms at Sea and Ashore. University of Georgia Press. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-8203-2866-9.
- ↑ Pennsylvania Gazette October 29, 1783 and Ludlum 1963 p. 29
- ↑ Ludlum 1963 p. 30
- ↑ Mújica-Baker, Frank. "Huracanes y Tormentas que han afectadi a Puerto Rico". : 9Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, Agencia Estatal para el manejo de Emergencias y Administracion de Desastres. Retrieved on August 30, 2010.
- ↑ McCloskey, T. A.; Keller, G. (2009). "5000 year sedimentary record of hurricane strikes on the central coast of Belize". Quaternary International. 195 (1–2): 53–68. Bibcode:2009QuInt.195...53M. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2008.03.003.
- ↑ Alavarez, Humberto Bravo; Rodolfo Sosa Echeverria; Pablo Sanchez Alavarez; Arturo Butron Silva (2006-06-22). "Riesgo Quimico Asociado a Fenominos Hidrometeorologicos en el Estado de Verzacruz" (PDF). Universidad Veracruzana. p. 317. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
- ↑ Ludlum 1963, p. 30–31