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1882 Atlantic hurricane season

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1882 Atlantic hurricane season
Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formedAugust 24, 1882
Last system dissipatedOctober 15, 1882
Strongest storm
NameSix
 • Maximum winds140 mph (220 km/h)
(1-minute sustained)
Seasonal statistics
Total storms6
Hurricanes4
Major hurricanes
(Cat. 3+)
2
Total fatalities140+
Total damageUnknown
Atlantic hurricane seasons
1880, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884

The 1882 Atlantic hurricane season ran through the summer and early fall of 1882. This is the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. In the 1882 Atlantic season there were two tropical storms, two Category 1 hurricanes, and two major hurricanes (Category 3+). However, in the absence of modern satellite and other remote-sensing technologies, only storms that affected populated land areas or encountered ships at sea were recorded, so the actual total could be higher. An undercount bias of zero to six tropical cyclones per year between 1851 and 1885 and zero to four per year between 1886 and 1910 has been estimated.[1] Of the known 1882 cyclones, Hurricane One and Hurricane Five were both first documented in 1996 by Jose Fernandez-Partagas and Henry Diaz,[2] while Tropical Storm Three was first recognized in 1997 and added to HURDAT in 2003.[3] Partagas and Diaz also proposed large changes to the known track of Hurricane Two while further re-analysis, in 2000, led to the peak strengths of both Hurricane Two and Hurricane Six being increased.[3] In 2011 the third storm of the year was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm.[4]

Season summary

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The Atlantic hurricane database (HURDAT)[5] recognizes six tropical cyclones for the 1882 season. In the 1882 Atlantic season there were two tropical storms, two Category 1 hurricanes, and two major hurricanes. Hurricane One is known, from ship reports, to have been active in the north Atlantic on August 24 and 25. Early in September, Hurricane Two impacted Cuba, Florida, Georgia and both South and North Carolina. The storm caused flooding and damaged property but is not known to have caused any loss of life. Tropical Storm Three formed in the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall near the Texas/Louisiana border on September 15. Tropical Storm Four formed north of the Bahamas and caused extensive flooding from North Carolina to Massachusetts. It eventually dissipated near Long Island on September 23. A tropical storm developed into a hurricane on September 25 but Hurricane Five remained at sea and did not make landfall. As a Category 4 hurricane, Hurricane Six was the strongest storm of 1882. The storm hit Cuba at that intensity but quickly weakened over the island and hit Florida as a tropical storm. The storm caused some considerable damage in Florida before moving out to sea. It dissipated on October 15.

Timeline

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Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale

Systems

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Hurricane One

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Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS)
 
DurationAugust 24 – August 25
Peak intensity80 mph (130 km/h) (1-min);

Based on reports from two ships, the Will W. Case and Ida, a hurricane was active on August 24 in the North Atlantic.[2] Consequently, the Atlantic hurricane database begins the official track about 600 mi (965 km) southeast of Sable Island, Nova Scotia, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 km/h). Its prior track is unknown, but the storm continued to the north-northeast and was last noted on August 25 approximately 225 mi (360 km) southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland.[5]

Hurricane Two

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Category 3 hurricane (SSHWS)
 
DurationSeptember 2 – September 12
Peak intensity125 mph (205 km/h) (1-min);
949 mbar (hPa)

The Turks and Caicos Islands first reported this storm on September 2,[2] with the official track initiated about 70 mi (115 km) northwest of Puerto Rico. Moving west-northward, the cyclone struck the Turks and Caicos Islands as a strong tropical storm early the next day, shortly before strengthening into a hurricane.[5] The storm intensified into a Category 2 hurricane on the present-day Saffir–Simpson scale as it crossed through the southern Bahamas on September 4. Several hours later, the cyclone struck Cuba near Cayo Romano in Camagüey Province. The system weakened but maintained hurricane intensity as it moved westward across the island and emerged into the Gulf of Mexico on September 6. Turning northwestward on the next day, the cyclone slowly re-intensified. By September 10, the storm turned northeastward and strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 125 mph (205 km/h),[5] based on the bark Cato recording a barometric pressure of 949 mbar (28.0 inHg).[2][3] The hurricane made landfall near Navarre, Florida, around 02:00 UTC and weakened to a tropical storm about 10 hours later. Early on September 12, the cyclone emerged into the Atlantic at the Delmarva Peninsula, but became extratropical several hours later near the east end of Nova Scotia.[5]

In Cuba, the cities of Batabanó, Cienfuegos, and Havana observed high winds, including a sustained wind speed of 70 mph (110 km/h) at Cienfuegos.[6] Santa Clara Province experienced "great damage", while newspapers including the Savannah Morning News described the "extremely gloomy reports published by several papers" about other locations on the island as exaggerations. Sugarcane fields suffered mostly minor damage.[7] The hurricane drove an American bark and a British schooner ashore at Cienfuegos.[8] Along the Gulf Coast of the United States, the hurricane devastated docks and warehouses from Louisiana to Apalachee Bay in Florida. In Louisiana, floodwaters destroyed approximately half of the rice crop in Plaquemines Parish, while the community of Quarantine also experienced flooding.[9] The storm caused losses to cotton and timber crops and toppled fences in parts of Alabama and Georgia.[2][10] Within Florida, shipping and buildings in Pensacola suffered damage.[9] Tallahassee reported that the storm unroofed a new hotel and some other buildings while also downing fences, outhouses, and trees.[2] Approximately $100,000 in damage occurred in Cedar Key. Throughout many northern counties, the hurricane caused extensive crop losses. A tornado at Darbyville demolished a number of homes, cause one deaths, and injured many other people.[11] Along the coast of North Carolina, agricultural and property damage, including the destruction of two homes in Topsail Beach.[12] Heavy rains in Virginia washed out a portion of the Norfolk and Western Railway and damaged several Alexandria and Fredericksburg bridges.[13] The cyclone toppled chimneys and trees as far north as Eastport, Maine.[2]

Tropical Storm Three

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Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationSeptember 14 – September 16
Peak intensity60 mph (95 km/h) (1-min);

This storm, added to HURDAT in 2003, was first observed at Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Sabine Pass, Texas, on September 14.[3] A tropical depression, it quickly strengthened into a tropical storm while moving northwestward. At 05:00 UTC on September 15, the storm made landfall just east of the Louisiana–Texas state line with maximum sustained winds estimated at 60 mph (95 km/h). Early the next day, the cyclone weakened to a tropical depression and dissipated near Grapeland, Texas.[5]

Port Eads, Louisiana, recorded winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) and a pressure of 29.38 inHg (995 mb).[9] The storm brought a 3-foot (0.91 m) storm surge to Sabine Pass, causing moderate damage, and injured one person.[14]

Tropical Storm Four

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Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationSeptember 21 – September 24
Peak intensity60 mph (95 km/h) (1-min);
1005 mbar (hPa)

The Signal Service (the present-day National Weather Service) first detected this system northwest of the Bahamas on September 21.[2] Moving generally northward, the cyclone struck near Emerald Isle, North Carolina, around 22:00 UTC the next day with winds of 60 mph (95 km/h). Early on September 23, the storm's pressure fell to 1,005 mbar (29.7 inHg) as it moved northeastward over northeastern North Carolina. Between later that day and early on September 24, the system crossed the Delmarva Peninsula, Delaware Bay, and New Jersey before re-emerging into the Atlantic. The cyclone then made landfall near Mastic Beach, New York, with winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) at 05:00 UTC on September 24 and was last observed crossing Long Island.[5]

Near Wares Wharf on the Lower Rappahannock four mills were destroyed.[13] Extensive flooding was reported from North Carolina to Massachusetts. In North Carolina bridges were swept away and railroads badly damaged.[12] The storm moved over the mid-Atlantic coast, bringing heavy rain to Washington, D.C., and around 11 inches (280 mm) of rain to Philadelphia. This storm brought a total of 10.62 inches (270 mm) rain to Central Park on September 22–23, setting both two- and one-day extremes there (1869–2023 being the period of record)—the one-day record was 8.28 inches (210 mm) on September 23.[13]

Hurricane Five

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Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS)
 
DurationSeptember 24 – September 28
Peak intensity80 mph (130 km/h) (1-min);

The brig Belle of the Bay encountered a severe gale north of the Bahamas on September 24.[2] Consequently, the track listed in HURDAT begins that day as a tropical storm approximately 275 mi (445 km) east of Jacksonville, Florida. The storm moved slowly northeastward and intensified into a hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) on September 25,[5] based on reports from the ships R.A. Allen and Sedmi Dubrovacki.[3] By September 27, the hurricane curved east-northeastward and was last seen on the following day roughly 555 mi (895 km) to the southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland.[5]

Hurricane Six

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Category 4 hurricane (SSHWS)
 
DurationOctober 5 – October 15
Peak intensity140 mph (220 km/h) (1-min);

This storm was first observed on October 5 over the southwestern Caribbean.[2] Trekking slowly north-northwestward, the cyclone is estimated to have intensified into a hurricane on October 7,[5] one day before the barks Tamora and Sadie reported hurricane conditions.[2] The storm strengthened into a major hurricane later on October 8,[5] based on land-based observations from western Cuba.[2] Early the next day, the cyclone made landfall in the country near Boca de Galafre in Pinar del Río Province.[5] A reanalysis by meteorologist Ramón Pérez Suárez estimated sustained winds at 140 mph (220 km/h), making it a Category 4 hurricane.[3] The cyclone weakened greatly over the island, quickly falling to Category 1 status and never recovering while moving northward over the Gulf of Mexico. It made landfall near Horseshoe Beach, Florida, with winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) at 04:00 UTC on October 11 and weakened to a tropical storm a few hours later while moving northeastward. The storm emerged into the Atlantic from the coast of Georgia late on October 11 and re-strengthened into a hurricane by the following day. However, the cyclone weakened back to a tropical storm on October 15 and was last noted several hours later about 350 mi (560 km) southeast of Nantucket, Massachusetts.[5]

The hurricane devastated western Cuba. Ivan Ray Tannehill noted in 1938 that the "Town of Pinar del Rio [was] all destroyed".[2] In addition to extensive losses to tobacco crops in the Vuelta Abajo region, the hurricane demolished about 750 dwellings in Consolación del Sur and 300 dwellings and huts in Herradura,[2] approximately 75% of residences in the former. According to the Monthly Weather Review, "equally great" impacts occurred at Ceja de Luna Vinale, Maraqua Galvez, and Pilotos. Around 1,500 warehouses and homes were destroyed in San Juan y Martínez, while another 2,000 homes and tobacco storage buildings suffered similar fates in Guane and approximately 300 homes were obliterated. Further, the storm swept away numerous homes in San Luis and drowned thousands of cattle.[15] By October 14, 36 bodies of people who drowned due to overflowing rivers at San Cristóbal had been recovered.[2] In Florida, winds reached 44 mph (71 km/h) at Jacksonville and 56 mph (90 km/h) at Cedar Key. The storm caused considerable damage in North Florida to telegraph lines, wharves and small boats, totaling about $5,000-$6,000.[11] Charleston, South Carolina, reported downed chimneys, fences, and trees.[2] In North Carolina, the storm produced 4.3 in (110 mm) of precipitation in Wilmington and sustained winds up to 42 mph (68 km/h) at Fort Macon, both a Signal Service wire between the two locations.[12] Throughout its path, the storm caused 140 deaths.[16]

Other storms

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Climate researcher Michael Chenoweth proposed four storms not currently listed in HURDAT:[17]

  • July 31 to August 3, peaked as a tropical storm
  • September 2 to September 7, peaked as a Category 1 hurricane
  • October 14 to October 17, peaked as a tropical storm
  • October 24 to October 27, peaked as a Category 2 hurricane

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Landsea, C. W. (2004). "The Atlantic hurricane database re-analysis project: Documentation for the 1851–1910 alterations and additions to the HURDAT database". In Murname, R. J.; Liu, K.-B. (eds.). Hurricanes and Typhoons: Past, Present and Future. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 177–221. ISBN 0-231-12388-4.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Partagas, J.F. and H.F. Diaz, 1996a "A reconstruction of historical tropical cyclone frequency in the Atlantic from documentary and other historical sources Part III: 1881-1890" Climate Diagnostics Center, NOAA, Boulder, CO
  3. ^ a b c d e f Landsea, Christopher W.; et al. (May 2015). Documentation of Atlantic Tropical Cyclones Changes in HURDAT. Hurricane Research Division (Report). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  4. ^ Hurricane Research Division (2012). "Archive of past updates to the Re-Analysis Project". Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. Retrieved 2012-10-23.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Atlantic hurricane best track (HURDAT version 2)" (Database). United States National Hurricane Center. April 5, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2024. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. ^ 1882 Storm 2 (.XLS). Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  7. ^ "The Late Storm in Cuba". Savannah Morning News. September 19, 1882. p. 1. Retrieved December 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  8. ^ "The Southern Cyclone". The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 9, 1882. p. 1. Retrieved December 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  9. ^ a b c Roth, David M. (January 13, 2010). Louisiana Hurricane History (PDF). National Weather Service Southern Region Headquarters. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  10. ^ "The Storm in Alabama". The Courier-Journal. September 15, 1882. p. 4. Retrieved December 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  11. ^ a b Sandrik, Al & Landsea, Christopher W. (2003). "Chronological Listing of Tropical Cyclones affecting North Florida and Coastal Georgia 1565-1899". Hurricane Research Division. Archived from the original on 6 December 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
  12. ^ a b c Hudgins, James E. (2000). "Tropical cyclones affecting North Carolina since 1586 - An Historical Perspective". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c David Roth & Hugh Cobb. "Virginia Hurricane History". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on January 8, 2008. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
  14. ^ David Roth (2010-02-04). "Texas Hurricane History" (PDF). National Weather Service. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  15. ^ "Barometric Pressure". Monthly Weather Review. October 1882. Bibcode:1882MWRv...10R...1.. doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1882)1010[1b:BPEIIA]2.0.CO;2. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  16. ^ Rappaport, Edward N. & Fernández-Partagás, José (1996). "The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492–1996: Cyclones with 25+ deaths". National Hurricane Center. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  17. ^ Chenoweth, Michael (December 2014). "A New Compilation of North Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1851–98". Journal of Climate. 27 (12). American Meteorological Society: 8682. Bibcode:2014JCli...27.8674C. doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00771.1. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
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