1879 Atlantic hurricane season
Encyclopedia
The 1879 Atlantic hurricane season ran from the summer to near the end of autumn in 1879. In 1879 there were two tropical storms, four hurricanes, and two major hurricane. Due to lack of technology there were possibly more cyclones.
.
. It passed to the north of the islands, and became a hurricane near the Bahamas on the 16th. It continued northward, and hit eastern North Carolina
on the morning of August 18 as a 115 mph (185.1 km/h) hurricane. At 6 a.m. the anemometer
cups were blown away when indicating 138 mph (222.1 km/h) and the wind was afterward estimated to have reached 168 mph (270.4 km/h). Anemometers were also destroyed at Hatteras, Fort Macon, Kitty Hawk, Portsmouth, and Cape Henry, Virginia, with speeds estimated at 100 mph (160.9 km/h) or more. After crossing the state it moved to into the northwestern Atlantic, crossing Cape Cod
and Nova Scotia
before becoming extratropical on the 20th. The hurricane was responsible for 46 deaths, as well as great damage in North Carolina and Virginia
.
as a tropical storm. On August 20, it made landfall in the Yucatan Peninsula
as a category 1 hurricane. The hurricane weakened to a tropical storm and restrengthened into a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico
. There it reached its peak intensity of 100 mph and a minimal pressure of 964. It made landfall east of Galveston, Texas
. The system rapidly weakened and dissipated on August 24.
on September 1 and dissipated the next day. Hurricane Four caused $500,000 in damage.
and Panama
. It grazed Cuba
and made landfall in Louisiana. Tropical Storm Five dissipated on October 7.
and Windward Islands
. Six moved across the Caribbean and passed near Jamaica on October 12. On October 13, Tropical Storm Six made landfall on Isla de la Juventud and on the Cuban main landfall shortly thereafter. Early on October 16, Tropical Storm Six made landfall on the Florida Panhandle
. It dissipated later on October 16.
in the Big Bend Area
as a 70 mph tropical storm. Later the storm paralleled the Eastern Seaboard
of the United States
and Atlantic Canada. It became a hurricane before it dissipated October 29.
. It reached its peak intensity of 100 mph winds, before becoming extratropical on November 20. The extratropical storm affected Atlantic Canada with winds equivalent to a category 1 hurricane.
Hurricane One
This was a hurricane that was first discovered on August 9, off shore of the Carolinas. It paralleled the North Carolina and moved out to sea, dissipating offshore Atlantic CanadaAtlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
.
Hurricane Two
Hurricane Two, also known as The Great Beaufort Hurricane was first seen on August 13 as tropical storm near the Windward IslandsWindward Islands
The Windward Islands are the southern islands of the Lesser Antilles, within the West Indies.-Name and geography:The Windward Islands are called such because they were more windward to sailing ships arriving in the New World than the Leeward Islands, given that the prevailing trade winds in the...
. It passed to the north of the islands, and became a hurricane near the Bahamas on the 16th. It continued northward, and hit eastern North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
on the morning of August 18 as a 115 mph (185.1 km/h) hurricane. At 6 a.m. the anemometer
Anemometer
An anemometer is a device for measuring wind speed, and is a common weather station instrument. The term is derived from the Greek word anemos, meaning wind, and is used to describe any airspeed measurement instrument used in meteorology or aerodynamics...
cups were blown away when indicating 138 mph (222.1 km/h) and the wind was afterward estimated to have reached 168 mph (270.4 km/h). Anemometers were also destroyed at Hatteras, Fort Macon, Kitty Hawk, Portsmouth, and Cape Henry, Virginia, with speeds estimated at 100 mph (160.9 km/h) or more. After crossing the state it moved to into the northwestern Atlantic, crossing Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
and Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
before becoming extratropical on the 20th. The hurricane was responsible for 46 deaths, as well as great damage in North Carolina and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Hurricane Three
Hurricane Three was first seen in the Western CaribbeanCaribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
as a tropical storm. On August 20, it made landfall in the Yucatan Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
as a category 1 hurricane. The hurricane weakened to a tropical storm and restrengthened into a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. There it reached its peak intensity of 100 mph and a minimal pressure of 964. It made landfall east of Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
. The system rapidly weakened and dissipated on August 24.
Hurricane Four
Hurricane Four was first seen on August 28. Four strengthened into a category 4 hurricane, with winds at 130 mph. Hurricane Four made landfall in LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
on September 1 and dissipated the next day. Hurricane Four caused $500,000 in damage.
Tropical Storm Five
Tropical Storm Five formed on October 2, about half way between JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. It grazed Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and made landfall in Louisiana. Tropical Storm Five dissipated on October 7.
Tropical Storm Six
Tropical Storm Six was first seen on October 8. On October 9 it moved through the LeewardLeeward Islands
The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the West Indies. They are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. As a group they start east of Puerto Rico and reach southward to Dominica. They are situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean...
and Windward Islands
Windward Islands
The Windward Islands are the southern islands of the Lesser Antilles, within the West Indies.-Name and geography:The Windward Islands are called such because they were more windward to sailing ships arriving in the New World than the Leeward Islands, given that the prevailing trade winds in the...
. Six moved across the Caribbean and passed near Jamaica on October 12. On October 13, Tropical Storm Six made landfall on Isla de la Juventud and on the Cuban main landfall shortly thereafter. Early on October 16, Tropical Storm Six made landfall on the Florida Panhandle
Florida Panhandle
The Florida Panhandle, an informal, unofficial term for the northwestern part of Florida, is a strip of land roughly 200 miles long and 50 to 100 miles wide , lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia also on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its eastern boundary is...
. It dissipated later on October 16.
Hurricane Seven
Hurricane Seven was discovered in the northwestern Caribbean Sea. It made landfall in FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in the Big Bend Area
Big Bend (Florida)
The Big Bend of Florida, U.S.A., is an informal region of the state with no official surveyed boundary. It includes part of the counties of the Florida Panhandle. Geologists prefer to characterize Florida’s Big Bend as the drowned karst section of the coast that occurs between the mouth of the...
as a 70 mph tropical storm. Later the storm paralleled the Eastern Seaboard
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Atlantic Canada. It became a hurricane before it dissipated October 29.
Hurricane Eight
Hurricane Eight was discovered on November 17 to the north of HispaniolaHispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
. It reached its peak intensity of 100 mph winds, before becoming extratropical on November 20. The extratropical storm affected Atlantic Canada with winds equivalent to a category 1 hurricane.