1869 Atlantic hurricane season
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/1869_Atlantic_hurricane_season_summary_map.png/300px-1869_Atlantic_hurricane_season_summary_map.png) Season summary map
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First system formed
| August 12, 1869
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Last system dissipated
| October 5, 1869
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Name
| Six
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? Maximum winds
| 115 mph (185 km/h)
(
1-minute sustained
)
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? Lowest pressure
| 950
mbar
(
hPa
; 28.05
inHg
)
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Total storms
| 10
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Hurricanes
| 7
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Major hurricanes
(
Cat. 3+
)
| 1
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Total fatalities
| 49
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Total damage
| $50,000 (1869
USD
)
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|
Atlantic hurricane seasons
1867
,
1868
,
1869
,
1870
,
1871
|
The
1869 Atlantic hurricane season
was the earliest season in the
Atlantic hurricane database
in which there were at least ten
tropical cyclones
.
[1]
Initially there were only three known storms in the year, but additional research uncovered the additional storms.
[2]
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.
[3]
All activity occurred in a three-month period between the middle of August and early October.
Out of the ten tropical storms, seven reached hurricane intensity, of which four made
landfall
on the United States. The strongest hurricane was a Category 3 on the modern-day
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
which struck
New England
at that intensity, one of four storms to do so. It left heavy damage, killing at least twelve people. The most notable hurricane of the season was the
Saxby Gale
, which was predicted nearly a year in advance. The hurricane was one of six to produce hurricane-force winds in Maine, where it left heavy damage and flooding. The Saxby Gale left 37 deaths along its path, with its destruction greatest along the
Bay of Fundy
; there, the hurricane produced a 70.9 ft (21.6 m) high tide near the head of the bay.
Timeline
[
edit
]
Systems
[
edit
]
Hurricane One
[
edit
]
|
|
Duration
| August 12 ? August 12
|
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Peak intensity
| 105 mph (165 km/h)
(1-min)
;
|
---|
The first tropical cyclone of the season was observed on August 12, about 500 mi (800 km) southeast of
Cape Race
,
Newfoundland
. Its entire track was unknown, and its existence was only confirmed for 24 hours, based on three ship reports. The second, a
barque
, the
Prinze Frederik Carl
, sustained damage to all of its sails. The
Hurricane Research Division
(HRD) assessed the storm to have moved northeastward in its limited duration, and based on the ship reports estimated peak winds of 105 mph (169 km/h); this would make it a Category 2 hurricane on the modern-day
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
.
[2]
[4]
Climate researcher Michael Chenoweth proposed the removal of this storm from HURDAT in a 2014 study, noting "Insufficient supporting evidence from other neighboring data sources".
[5]
Hurricane Two
[
edit
]
|
|
Duration
| August 16 ? August 17
|
---|
Peak intensity
| 105 mph (165 km/h)
(1-min)
;
969
mbar
(
hPa
)
|
---|
The Lower Texas Coast Hurricane of 1869
[6]
By August 16, a strong hurricane was located in the northwestern
Gulf of Mexico
south of
Louisiana
. With estimated winds of 105 mph (169 km/h), it tracked westward and struck
Texas
on
Matagorda Island
before passing near
Refugio
. The hurricane quickly weakened over land and dissipated late on August 17.
[4]
Damage from the hurricane was heaviest in Refugio and
Indianola
. In the latter city, strong waves damaged wharves and boats while the
storm surge
flooded the streets with about 1 ft (0.30 m) of water. Intense winds knocked down several houses as well as a church, and many buildings lost their roofs. In
Sabine Pass
, the winds ruined a variety of fruit crops.
[7]
Hurricane Three
[
edit
]
The third hurricane of the season was only known due to it affecting one ship. A vessel in the
Royal Mail Steam Packet Company
reported a hurricane on August 27, about halfway between Bermuda and the
Azores
. The storm was estimated to have been moving north-northwestward with winds of 80 mph (130 km/h), although its entire track is unknown.
[2]
Tropical Storm Four
[
edit
]
|
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Duration
| September 1 ? September 2
|
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Peak intensity
| 70 mph (110 km/h)
(1-min)
;
|
---|
A tropical storm was first observed on September 1 to the east of the Bahamas. There, it left heavy damage to a brig sailing from
Nassau
to
New York City
. The storm tracked generally northeastward, damaging another ship on September 2 near Bermuda.
[2]
Chenoweth proposed the removal of this system from HURDAT, noting that the timing coincided with a cold front that produced unseasonably cold temperatures across the East Coast of the United States.
[5]
Hurricane Five
[
edit
]
|
|
Duration
| September 4 ? September 6
|
---|
Peak intensity
| 80 mph (130 km/h)
(1-min)
;
985
mbar
(
hPa
)
|
---|
On September 4, a hurricane was located in the northern Gulf of Mexico, moving north-northwestward. The next day, it moved ashore in southeastern
Louisiana
with winds estimated at 80 mph (130 km/h), passing west of
New Orleans
. It dissipated early on September 6. The hurricane dropped heavy rainfall along its path that caused flooding. In addition, strong winds uprooted trees and damaged fences. High tides flooded
Grand Isle
with 2 ft (0.61 m) of water.
[2]
[4]
Hurricane Six
[
edit
]
|
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Duration
| September 7 ? September 9
|
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Peak intensity
| 115 mph (185 km/h)
(1-min)
;
950
mbar
(
hPa
)
|
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The New England Gale of 1869
On September 7, three ships observed hurricane-force winds over the western Atlantic Ocean, between the Bahamas and Bermuda. The storm moved northward, impacting several other ships as it paralleled the east coast of the United States; one of them reported a pressure of 956
mbar
(28.24
inHg
), which indicated the system was an intense hurricane.
[2]
Late on September 8, it reached a peak intensity of 115 mph (185 km/h) with a pressure of 950 mbar (28 inHg). After brushing
Long Island
, the hurricane weakened slightly and made landfall on southwestern
Rhode Island
at peak intensity.
[8]
It was one of three hurricanes, along with the
1938 New England hurricane
and
Hurricane Carol
in 1954, to strike New England as a major hurricane, or Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
[9]
At landfall, the hurricane was compact, estimated around 60 mi (97 km) wide.
[10]
However, less than 10 miles (16 km) west of the center, there were no strong winds.
[2]
The hurricane produced a
storm surge
of 8 ft (2.4 m),
[8]
which was lessened due to it moving ashore at low tide.
[10]
In
Providence, Rhode Island
, high waves damaged coastal wharves and left flooding.
[2]
The hurricane weakened quickly over land, passing just west of
Boston
early on September 9 as a minimal hurricane.
[8]
There, the winds downed many trees and left severe damage.
[2]
All telegraph lines between New York and Boston were cut, although the storm did produce beneficial heavy rainfall.
[11]
Shortly thereafter it dissipated over
Maine
.
[8]
There was one confirmed death in Massachusetts.
[12]
Offshore Maine, a schooner capsized, killing all but one of the twelve crew.
[13]
The storm also caused at least $50,000 (1869 USD) in damage in Maine alone.
[14]
[15]
Hurricane Seven
[
edit
]
|
|
Duration
| September 11 ? September 18
|
---|
Peak intensity
| 105 mph (165 km/h)
(1-min)
;
979
mbar
(
hPa
)
|
---|
A ship about halfway between South America and Cape Verde reported a hurricane on September 11. The storm tracked generally west-northwestward, affecting several other ships with damaging winds. On September 15, a ship traveling from
St. Thomas
to
England
encountered the hurricane and observed a minimum
barometric pressure
of 979 mbar (28.9 inHg);
[4]
[2]
this suggested peak winds of 105 mph (169 km/h).
[8]
By September 16 the hurricane had weakened slightly as its track turned to the north and northeast. It was last observed on September 18 to the west of the
Azores
as a tropical storm.
[4]
Tropical Storm Eight
[
edit
]
The only basis for identifying the eighth tropical cyclone of the season was from a report by the bark
Crescent Wave
. On September 14, the ship encountered strong winds and heavy rainfall about halfway between the Lesser Antilles and Cape Verde. At the time, the storm was at least 600 mi (970 km) east of the previous hurricane.
[2]
Chenoweth proposes the removal of this cyclone from HURDAT, with ship data instead associated with the previous storm.
[5]
Tropical Storm Nine
[
edit
]
On October 1, the brig
Jenny
observed "a revolting gale lasting 3 days" off the south coast of
Puerto Rico
, which indicated a tropical storm in the region. Despite being located near several islands in the Caribbean, no land stations experienced any effects from the storm.
[2]
Hurricane Ten
[
edit
]
|
|
Duration
| October 4 ? October 5
|
---|
Peak intensity
| 105 mph (165 km/h)
(1-min)
;
965
mbar
(
hPa
)
|
---|
Saxby Gale
The final hurricane of the season was first observed on October 4 by a ship off the southeast coast of North Carolina. With winds estimated at 105 mph (169 km/h), the storm tracked northeastward, passing just east of
Martha's Vineyard
before moving across
Cape Cod
late on October 4.
[2]
[8]
As it moved along the coast, the storm produced heavy precipitation, reaching 12.25 in (311 mm) in
Canton, Connecticut
.
[16]
The strongest winds did not affect Massachusetts, although a few hours later the hurricane struck just east of
Portland, Maine
at peak intensity.
[2]
[8]
This made it one of six storms to produce hurricane-force winds in Maine, along with
Hurricane Carol
in 1953,
Hurricane Edna
in 1954,
Hurricane Donna
in 1960,
Hurricane Gerda
in 1969, and
Hurricane Gloria
in 1985.
[9]
In Maine, the high rainfall caused widespread flooding, while the high winds destroyed at least 90 houses.
[16]
The hurricane quickly weakened over land, and after turning northeastward into
Atlantic Canada
dissipated on October 5 near the
Gulf of St. Lawrence
.
[8]
The hurricane was referred as Saxby's Gale after Lieutenant S.M. Saxby of the
Royal Navy
predicted in November 1868 that an unusually violent storm would produce very high tides on October 5; he did not specify the location, however. Although heavy damage occurred in New England, the devastation was greatest in Atlantic Canada along the
Bay of Fundy
. The hurricane produced a
storm surge
of around 7 ft (2.1 m),
[2]
[8]
which, in combination with the winds, the low pressure, and being in a region of naturally occurring high tides, produced a 70.9 ft (21.6 m) high tide near the head of the bay.
[17]
The high tides surpassed the
dykes
across New Brunswick and left widespread flooding, killing many cattle and sheep and washing away roads. In the
Cumberland Basin
, the floods washed two boats about 3 mi (4.8 km) inland. In
Moncton
, water levels rose about 6.6 ft (2.0 m) higher than the previous highest level.
[18]
There were 37 deaths between Maine, New Brunswick, and New York.
[19]
[20]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Hurricane Research Division (2011).
"Atlantic basin: Comparison of Original and Revised HURDAT"
. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
. Retrieved
2011-03-18
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
Jose Fernandez Partagas (2003).
"Year 1869"
(PDF)
. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
. Retrieved
2011-03-12
.
- ^
Chris Landsea
(2007-05-01).
"Counting Atlantic Tropical Cyclones Back to 1900"
(PDF)
.
Eos
.
88
(18). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: 197?208.
Bibcode
:
2007EOSTr..88..197L
.
doi
:
10.1029/2007EO180001
.
S2CID
128942012
.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 3 January 2011
. Retrieved
2011-01-18
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
"Atlantic hurricane best track (HURDAT version 2)"
(Database). United States
National Hurricane Center
. April 5, 2023
. Retrieved
June 15,
2024
.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
public domain
.
- ^
a
b
c
Chenoweth, Michael (December 2014).
"A New Compilation of North Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1851?98"
.
Journal of Climate
.
27
(12).
American Meteorological Society
.
Bibcode
:
2014JCli...27.8674C
.
doi
:
10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00771.1
. Retrieved
April 29,
2024
.
- ^
Early American hurricanes 1492-1870, David Ludlum, pg 182-183
- ^
David M. Roth (2010-04-08).
"Louisiana Hurricane History"
(PDF)
.
Hydrometeorological Prediction Center
. Retrieved
2010-12-01
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
Hurricane Research Division (2008).
"Documentation of Atlantic Tropical Cyclones Changes in HURDAT"
. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
. Retrieved
2011-03-14
.
- ^
a
b
Hurricane Research Division (December 2010).
"Chronological List of All Hurricanes which Affected the Continental United States: 1851?2010"
(TXT)
. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
. Retrieved
2011-03-13
.
- ^
a
b
"Commonwealth of Massachusetts"
. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 2011. Archived from
the original
on 13 March 2011
. Retrieved
2011-03-14
.
- ^
Staff Writer (1869-09-09).
"Great Storm East-Telegraphic Communication Interrupted"
(PDF)
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
2011-03-15
.
- ^
Edward N. Rappaport and Jose Fernandez-Partagas (1996).
"The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492?1996: Cyclones that may have 25+ deaths"
. National Hurricane Center
. Retrieved
2011-03-14
.
- ^
"Hurricanes & Tropical Storms Their Impact on Maine and Androscoggin County"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2016-04-01
. Retrieved
19 July
2017
.
- ^
"Hurricanes & Tropical Storms Their Impact on Maine and Androscoggin County"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2016-04-01
. Retrieved
19 July
2017
.
- ^
Early American hurricanes 1492-1870, David Ludlum, pg 103-107
- ^
a
b
Keith C. Heidorn (2010-10-01).
"The Saxby Gale: A Lucky Guess?"
. Islandnet.com. Archived from
the original
on 2016-03-04
. Retrieved
2011-03-17
.
- ^
Jon A. Percy (2001).
"Fundy's Minas Basin: Multiplying the Pluses of Minas"
. Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership. Archived from
the original
on 2012-03-21
. Retrieved
2011-03-17
.
- ^
Danika van Proosdij (2009-10-22).
"Assessment of Flooding Hazard along the Highway 101 corridor near Windsor, NS using LIDAR"
(PDF)
. Government of Nova Scotia. p. 16
. Retrieved
2011-03-17
.
- ^
Edward N. Rappaport and Jose Fernandez-Partagas (1996).
"The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492?1996: Cyclones with 25+ deaths"
. National Hurricane Center
. Retrieved
2011-03-14
.
- ^
Early American hurricanes 1492-1870, David Ludlum, pg 108-111
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