1873 Atlantic hurricane season
Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formedJune 1, 1873
Last system dissipatedOctober 9, 1873
Strongest storm
NameFive
 • Maximum winds115 mph (185 km/h)
(1-minute sustained)
 • Lowest pressure959 mbar (hPa; 28.32 inHg)
Seasonal statistics
Total storms5
Hurricanes3
Major hurricanes
(Cat. 3+)		2
Total fatalities626
Total damage$3.5 million (1873 USD)

The 1873 Atlantic hurricane season was quiet, with only two tropical storms and three hurricanes, two of which were major hurricanes (Category 3+), being recorded. 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 cyclones, large alterations were made to the tracks of Hurricane Two and Hurricane Five in 1995 by Jose Fernandez-Partagas and Henry Diaz, who also proposed smaller changes to the known track of Hurricane Three.[2] All of the tropical cyclones, other than Hurricane Two, made landfall in Florida.

Season summary

The Atlantic hurricane database, HURDAT, recognizes five tropical cyclones for the 1873 season. Three storms attained hurricane status, with winds of 75 mph (119 km/h) or greater. The second and fifth hurricanes of the season were the most intense, with maximum sustained winds up to 120 mph (190 km/h). The first storm of the season was a tropical storm that developed near the Bahamas on June 1 and made landfall near the Florida/Georgia border the next day before dissipating. The most notable storm of the season was Hurricane Two. It formed as a tropical storm on August 13 in the Atlantic and became a hurricane on August 17. It made landfall at Newfoundland on August 26 and became extratropical the next day. The hurricane caused a great deal of damage and great loss of life. Hurricane Three was first seen in the Gulf of Mexico on September 18. It struck Florida the next day and passed over Georgia and South Carolina before dissipating on September 20. The second tropical storm of the season traveled from the Gulf of Mexico across Florida between September 22 and September 24. The final hurricane of the season formed in the eastern Caribbean on September 26 before reaching Haiti. It weakened and restrengthened to a major hurricane before hitting Florida on October 7. The storm became extratropical on October 9 and dissipated the next day.

Timeline

Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale

Systems

Tropical Storm One

Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationJune 1 – June 2
Peak intensity45 mph (75 km/h) (1-min);

The first storm of the season developed on June 1 over the western Bahamas. It moved northward before turning and striking near the Florida/Georgia border on June 2. The storm quickly dissipated.[3] It produced 28 mph (45 km/h) wind gusts in Jacksonville, Florida.[4]

Hurricane Two

Category 3 hurricane (SSHWS)
 
DurationAugust 13 – August 27
Peak intensity115 mph (185 km/h) (1-min);
962 mbar (hPa)

The official track for this storm begins just south of the Cape Verde islands on August 13,[5] several hours before being encountered by the bark Crest of the Wave.[2] Following the track of a Cape Verde hurricane, the cyclone became hurricane on August 17. It recurved north-northwestward on August 21 and then north-northeastward by the next day. On August 23, the storm peaked with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h), equivalent to a minimal Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale. As it passed to the south of Nova Scotia, the storm turned northeastward, moving near Sable Island early on August 25.[5] The Atlantic hurricane reanalysis project estimated in 2011 that the cyclone attained a barometric pressure of 962 mbar (28.4 inHg) around this time,[6] although the storm had likely weakened to a Category 2 hurricane. By late on August 25, the system turned northward and decelerated, striking the Cape Shore region of Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula on the following day. Thereafter, the storm became extratropical on August 27 over eastern Newfoundland or just offshore. The extratropical remnants moved northeastward and dissipated over the Labrador Sea late on August 28.[5]

Although a bulletin issued by the Signal Service on August 23, 1873, is sometimes considered the first warning issued in relation to a hurricane,[7] this has been contested. Meteorologists José Fernández Partagás and Henry F. Diaz noted that the bulletin does not explicitly discuss a hurricane and argued that the agency likely issued the warning for high winds due to a weather pattern unrelated to the hurricane.[2] Also known as "The Lord's Day Gale" and "The Great Nova Scotia Hurricane of 1873,"[8] the storm generated gale-force winds at Halifax, Sydney, and Truro, and produced at least 2.0 in (50 mm) of rain at each of those locations.[9] Overall, the hurricane destroyed about 1,200 boats and 900 buildings in Nova Scotia.[9] Guysborough County and Cape Breton Island in particular suffered extensive impacts,[10] with a number of damaged or destroyed homes, businesses, and churches. Victoria County also reported massive crop losses.[11] At least 223 people died, mostly sailors who were lost at sea. This number is disputed, as the Monthly Weather Review recorded 223 fatalities but The New York Times published a death toll of 600.[12] Of those, approximately 100 occurred in Newfoundland,[8] while about 40 people died after two American vessels sank near Prince Edward Island.[11] The hurricane caused roughly $3.5 million in damage.[9]

Hurricane Three

Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS)
 
DurationSeptember 18 – September 20
Peak intensity80 mph (130 km/h) (1-min);
~982 mbar (hPa)

A hurricane was first observed in the south-central Gulf of Mexico on September 18. It moved quickly northeastward, striking St. Marks, Florida, around 15:00 UTC on September 19.[5] The Atlantic hurricane reanalysis project estimated in 2011 that the storm had a barometric pressure of 982 mbar (29.0 inHg) upon landfall.[6] Later on September 19, the system weakened to a tropical storm as it entered Georgia. The storm then crossed into South Carolina early the next day and soon emerged into the Atlantic.[5] Based on ship reports,[2] the cyclone likely re-intensified into a hurricane on September 20 but was last noted on that day about 300 mi (485 km) east of North Carolina.[5]

In Florida, only two homes remained standing at St. Marks, leaving twenty families homeless.[13] The storm demolished about 20 residences in Apalachicola and unroofed approximately twice as many, while also damaging about half of businesses and many vessels in the town. Damage in Apalachicola reached about $250,000.[14] Farther south, the hurricane destroyed 12 dwellings on Cedar Key.[15]: 491  Strong winds in Tallahassee unroofed several stores and demolished a number of gin houses. Additionally, the storm destroyed 30-40 homes and substantially damaged many others.[13] Among the many other structures suffering damage in Tallahassee was the Florida State Capitol, with floodwaters noted in several sections of the building.[15]: 493  Leon County alone recorded $100,000 to $200,000 in damage.[15]: 495  The New York Times reported three or four deaths occurring in the area.[13] Damage in neighboring Jefferson County was estimated at $200,000.[14] The eastern Florida Panhandle suffered a loss of about one-third of its cotton crops.[15]: 495  In Georgia, heavy rains fell as far north as Macon. This caused agricultural damage across southern Georgia and washed out railroad tracks, leading to some fatal train accidents.[15]: 489 

Tropical Storm Four

Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationSeptember 22 – September 24
Peak intensity60 mph (95 km/h) (1-min);

A few days after the previous storm, another storm was observed in the eastern Gulf of Mexico just north of the Yucatán Channel on September 22. Tracking northeastward, the storm reached sustained winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) before making landfall near present-day Madeira Beach, Florida, around 10:00 UTC on the following day.[5] Little impact occurred, with the Tampa Guardian only reporting "beating showers and driving winds."[15]: 486  The cyclone emerged into the Atlantic near Palm Coast late on September 23 and continued rapidly northeastward.[5] Presumably, the schooner H. Hulrburt made the last encounter with this storm on September 24,[2] with the official track ending about halfway between Bermuda and Long Island, New York, on that day.[5]

Hurricane Five

Category 3 hurricane (SSHWS)
 
DurationSeptember 26 – October 9
Peak intensity115 mph (185 km/h) (1-min);
959 mbar (hPa)

The Central Florida hurricane of 1873

A tropical storm was first seen in the eastern Caribbean Sea near Martinique on September 26. The storm moved west-northwestward and likely intensified into a hurricane by the following day. It then moved northwestward, hitting Haiti's Tiburon Peninsula just west of Jacmel on September 28 with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h). Briefly re-emerging into the Caribbean, the storm struck Cuba near Guantánamo Bay early the next day, possibly at a weaker intensity. The system then turned westward over southern Oriente Province and soon weakened to a tropical storm, before again re-entering the Caribbean early on September 30. By October 3, the cyclone re-strengthened into a hurricane over the northwest Caribbean. After curving northward a few days later, the system passed just offshore the Yucatán Peninsula as it entered the Gulf of Mexico on October 5. Thereafter, the hurricane accelerated northeastward and re-intensified to reach sustained winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) prior to making landfall near Punta Rassa, Florida, early on October 7. The system emerged into the Atlantic several hours later and continued northeastward until October 9, when it became an extratropical cyclone, which dissipated on the following day.[5]

In Haiti, severe damage occurred in the Jacmel area, while The New York Times reported a "considerable loss of life." The storm demolished some 200 homes and wrecked many vessels in the port. Additionally, Jacmel suffered the total loss of its prison and a church sustained major damage. Similar impacts occurred in the Guantánamo Bay area of Cuba, with a number of vessels beached and many homes being unroofed. The steamer Maisi capsized near Isla de la Juventud, drowning 24 people. After the storm entered the Gulf of Mexico, the Havana area reported high tides and strong winds on October 6 and October 7. Waves caused extensive damage to the interior of homes along San Lazaro street and flooded many other roads, reportedly drowning several people. Telegraph lines were downed throughout the island. In Florida, Key West reported sustained winds of 80 mph (130 km/h), while Punta Rassa observed sustained winds of 90 mph (140 km/h).[2] The latter also recorded a 14 ft (4.3 m) storm tide and a barometric pressure of 959 mbar (28.3 inHg).[6] Several vessels wrecked or became disabled by the storm,[2] including one along the then-isolated southeast coast of the state, with the crew not rescued for several days. This led to the establishment of the Houses of Refuge at the behest of Sumner Increase Kimball.[16] The hurricane may have also caused the schooner Missouri to capsize in the Bahamas at a reef near Bimini.[2] Overall, at least 26 deaths are attributed to the storm.[12]

See also

References

  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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Partagás, José Fernández; Diaz, Henry F. (1995). A Reconstruction of Historical Tropical Cyclone Frequency in the Atlantic from Documentary and other Historical Sources: 1851–1880 Part II: 1871–1880 (PDF) (Report). Climate Diagnostics Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  3. ↑ Hurricane Research Division (2008). "Easy to Read HURDAT". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 23, 2010.
  4. ↑ Al Sandrik & Chris Landsea (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.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Atlantic hurricane best track (HURDAT version 2)" (Database). United States National Hurricane Center. April 5, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2024. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. 1 2 3 Christopher W. Landsea; et al. Documentation of Atlantic Tropical Cyclones Changes in HURDAT. Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (Report). Miami, Florida: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Hurricane timeline: The 1800s". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on December 8, 2003. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Five Worst Storms to Hit the East Coast". CBC News. September 11, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 "The Climate of Nova Scotia". Atlantic Climate Center. Environment Canada. May 3, 2007. Archived from the original on May 26, 2008. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  10. ↑ MacDonald, Ken (October 6, 2020). "Great August Gale a deadly storm". Cape Breton Post. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  11. 1 2 "The Nova Scotia Gale". The New York Times. August 30, 1873. p. 1. Retrieved December 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  12. 1 2 Rappaport, Edward N. & Fernández-Partagás, José (1996). "The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492–1996: Cyclones with 25+ deaths". National Hurricane Center. Retrieved 2011-03-14.
  13. 1 2 3 "Disastorous Storm in Florida". The New York Times. September 23, 1873. p. 5. Retrieved December 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  14. 1 2 "Details of Recent Storm in Florida". The Boston Daily Globe. October 8, 1873. p. 5. Retrieved December 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Louise Ellis, Mary (April 1984). "North Florida and the Great Storm of 1873". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 62 (4). ISSN 0015-4113. JSTOR 30146596. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  16. ↑ Gilbert L. Voss (1968). "The Orange Grove House of Refuge No. 3". The Journal of the Historical Association of Southern Florida. 1 (28): 5. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
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