1855 Atlantic hurricane season

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1855 Atlantic hurricane season
Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formedAugust 5, 1855
Last system dissipatedSeptember 17, 1855
Strongest storm
NameFive
 • Maximum winds125 mph (205 km/h)
(1-minute sustained)
 • Lowest pressure945 mbar (hPa; 27.91 inHg)
Seasonal statistics
Total storms5
Hurricanes4
Major hurricanes
(Cat. 3+)		1
Total fatalities1
Total damageUnknown
Atlantic hurricane seasons
1853, 1854, 1855, 1856, 1857

The 1855 Atlantic hurricane season featured tropical cyclone landfalls in the Gulf Coast of the United States, the Greater Antilles, and Mexico, but none along the East Coast of the United States. It was inactive, with only five known tropical cyclones. Another tropical storm was believed to have existed offshore Atlantic Canada in late August and early September,[1] but HURDAT – the official Atlantic hurricane database – now excludes this system.[2] The first known system was initially observed on August 5, while the final known storm was last noted on September 17. These dates fall within the period with the most tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic. At one point during the season, two tropical cyclones existed simultaneously. Two of the cyclones only have a single known point in their tracks due to a sparsity of data.

Of the season's five tropical cyclones, four reached hurricane status. Furthermore, one of those four strengthened into a

Tampico, Tamaulipas, in Mexico in early August. Additionally, the fourth storm caused severe damage in the Lesser Antilles
.

Timeline

Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale

Systems

Hurricane One

Category 2 hurricane (SSHWS)
 
DurationAugust 6 – August 6
Peak intensity105 mph (165 km/h) (1-min);

Based on newspaper reports,

Tampico, Tamaulipas, on August 6. Maximum sustained winds were at 105 mph (165 km/h), indicating a Category 2 hurricane.[2] No further information is available on the meteorological history of this storm. However, it is possible that the storm developed in the Caribbean in late July, due to data obtained from the barque Bercaldine.[1] Torrential rainfall in the Tampico area caused disastrous flooding, with heavy damage to goods and property. Eleven vessels were docked at Tampico, some of which lost their cargo. At the mouth of the Pánuco River, a pilot station and a fort were swept away. The event was considered the worst inundation of Tampico over the last 30 years.[3]

Hurricane Two

Category 2 hurricane (SSHWS)
 
DurationAugust 10 – August 11
Peak intensity105 mph (165 km/h) (1-min);

The ship James Foster Jr. encountered a hurricane on August 10, while located about 575 mi (925 km) east-southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland. Sustained winds of 105 mph (165 km/h) were observed, equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane. Data from the James Foster Jr. and Rebecca indicate that the storm moved rapidly northeastward. This system was last noted about 560 mi (900 km) west of Ireland on August 11.[1][2]

Hurricane Three

Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS)
 
DurationAugust 11 – August 11
Peak intensity80 mph (130 km/h) (1-min);

HMS Walverine reported a hurricane at 12.5°N, 83.0°W, which is located about 15 mi (25 km) north of Nicaragua's Corn Islands.[1] A sustained wind speed of 80 mph (130 km/h) was observed.[2] Shortly thereafter, HMS Walverine was wrecked and no further information is known about this storm.[1]

Tropical Storm Four

Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationAugust 24 – August 27
Peak intensity70 mph (110 km/h) (1-min);
997 mbar (hPa)

Based on reports of a strong gale, a tropical storm was first tracked about 250 mi (400 km) east-southeast of Barbados early on August 24.[1] It initially headed westward, before re-curving west-northwestward early on the following day. Shortly thereafter, the storm passed through the Windward Islands between Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The storm peaked with winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) while moving northwestward across the Caribbean Sea. It weakened slightly before making landfall near San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic, with winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) early on August 27. The storm slowly weakened over Hispaniola and was last noted near Bombardopolis, Haiti, later that day.[2]

Considerable damage occurred in the

Saint Croix in the present-day United States Virgin Islands, at least one vessel was destroyed by the heavy gales. There were also strong gales reported in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.[1]

Hurricane Five

Category 3 hurricane (SSHWS)
 
DurationSeptember 15 – September 17
Peak intensity125 mph (205 km/h) (1-min);
945 mbar (hPa)

The Middle Gulf Shore Hurricane of 1855

The ship Orphan encountered a hurricane with winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) in the central Gulf of Mexico on September 15.[4] It strengthened quickly while moving northward, becoming a Category 2 hurricane later that day. By 00:00 UTC on September 16, the storm peaked as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (205 km/h), making it the strongest tropical cyclone of the season. Shortly thereafter, the hurricane made landfall near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana, at the same intensity.[2] Based on the pressure-wind relationship, the storm had a minimum barometric pressure of approximately 945 mbar (27.9 inHg) upon striking the coast.[5] It weakened after moving inland, decreasing to Category 1 intensity later on September 16. Early on the following day, the system weakened to a tropical storm, several hours before dissipating over central Alabama.[2]

This was regarded as the worst hurricane in the region since

Biloxi Lighthouse was endangered due to erosion from this storm.[7] Additionally, locals described the Cat Island Lighthouse as being left in "severe peril". Several ships were damaged or capsized in the Mississippi River, including Atchafalaya, J.S. Chenoweth, Ship Shoal, and Venice.[6][8] One death occurred in Mississippi City after winds unroofed some lodging at the Teagarden Hotel,[9] while two women may have drowned along the coast of the state.[10]

Other systems

In addition to the five tropical systems, another storm was operationally believed to have existed in late August and early September. The ship Atlantic encountered a very heavy gale while located west of Sable Island, Nova Scotia, on August 31. The storm moved rapidly east-northeastward offshore Atlantic Canada. It was last noted on September 2 and was thought to have transitioned into an extratropical cyclone.[1] However, HURDAT no longer includes this system in its database.[2]

Season effects

This is a table of all of the known storms that formed in the 1855 Atlantic hurricane season. It includes their duration (within the basin), areas affected, damages, and death totals. Deaths in parentheses are additional and indirect (an example of an indirect death would be a traffic accident), but were still related to that storm. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical, a wave, or a low, and all of the damage figures are in 1855 USD.

Saffir–Simpson scale
TD TS C1 C2 C3 C4 C5
1855
North Atlantic tropical cyclone
season statistics
Storm
name 		Dates active Storm category
at peak intensity 		Max 1-min
wind
mph (km/h) 		Min.
press.
(mbar) 		Areas affected Damage
(USD) 		Deaths Ref(s)
One August 6 Category 2 hurricane 105 (165) Unknown Mexico (Tamaulipas) Unknown Unknown
Two August 10–11 Category 2 hurricane 105 (165) Unknown None None None
Three August 11 Category 1 hurricane 80 (130) Unknown Nicaragua Unknown Unknown
Four August 24–27 Tropical storm 70 (110) 997 Lesser Antilles, Hispaniola (Dominican Republic) Unknown Unknown
Five September 15–17 Category 3 hurricane 125 (205) 945 Gulf Coast of the United States (Louisiana) Unknown 1 [9]
Season aggregates
5 systems August 6 – September 17   125 (205) 945 Unknown 1  

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h José Fernández Partagás; Henry F. Diaz (1996). Year 1855 (PDF). Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (Report). Miami, Florida: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. pp. 32–36. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Atlantic hurricane best track (HURDAT version 2)" (Database). United States National Hurricane Center. April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2024. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^
    The Times-Picayune
    . August 20, 1855. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  4. ^ "Marine Intelligence" (PDF). The New York Times. October 3, 1855. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  5. ^ Chronological List of All Hurricanes: 1851 – 2022. Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (Report). Miami, Florida: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. April 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  6. ^ a b David M. Roth (April 8, 2010). Louisiana Hurricane History (PDF). Weather Prediction Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. p. 17. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  7. ^ Charles S. Sullivan (1986). Hurricanes of the Mississippi Gulf Coast: 1717 to Present. Gulf Publishing Company, Inc. p. 21.
  8. ISBN 9780933876163
    . Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Death of An Estimable Young Man". The Daily Picayune. New Orleans, Louisiana. September 18, 1855. p. 1. Retrieved February 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  10. ^ "The Storm on The Lake". The Daily Picayune. New Orleans, Louisiana. September 18, 1855. p. 1. Retrieved February 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
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