Great Hurricane of 1780

Great Hurricane of 1780
Hurricane San Calixto[1]
Great Hurricane of the Antilles[1]
A map showing most of the Lesser Antillies in red. Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic is also red.

Areas affected by the hurricane (excluding Bermuda)
Formed October 9, 1780 (1780-10-09)
Dissipated October 20, 1780 (1780-10-21)
Highest
winds
Gusts:
200 mph (320 km/h)
Lowest pressure Unknown
Fatalities 22,000+ direct, 27,500 total
Damage Unknown
Areas
affected		 Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Bermuda, possibly East Florida and some U. S. states
Part of the
1780 Atlantic hurricane season

The Great Hurricane of 1780, also known as the Hurricane San Calixto and the Great Hurricane of the Antilles,[1][2] is the deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record. Over 27,500 people died when the storm passed through the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean between October 10 and October 16.[3] Specifics on the hurricane's track and strength are unknown since the official Atlantic hurricane database only goes back to 1851.[4]

The hurricane struck Barbados with winds possibly exceeding 320 km/h (200 mph), before moving past Martinique, Saint Lucia, and Saint Eustatius; thousands of deaths were reported on each island. Coming in the midst of the American Revolution, the storm caused heavy losses to British and French fleets contesting for control of the area. The hurricane later passed near Puerto Rico and over the eastern portion of Hispaniola (then Santo Domingo, now the Dominican Republic). There, it caused heavy damage near the coastlines; it ultimately turned to the northeast before being last observed on October 20 southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland.

The death toll from the Great Hurricane alone exceeds that of any other entire decade of Atlantic hurricanes, and is substantially higher than that of the second-deadliest Atlantic storm, Hurricane Mitch. The hurricane was part of the disastrous 1780 Atlantic hurricane season, with two other deadly storms occurring in the month of October.[3]

Contents

Meteorological history

A beach with mainly palm trees and destroyed buildings
The warehouses on the beach of St. Eustatius were heavily damaged by the hurricane.

The exact origin of the hurricane is unknown, though modern historians estimated it developed near the Cape Verde Islands in early October. The system strengthened and grew in size as it tracked slowly westward and first began affecting Barbados late on October 9. Late on October 10, the worst of the hurricane passed over the island. Early on October 11, the hurricane turned north-northwest about 90 kilometres (56 mi) east of Saint Lucia, and later that night it neared the island of Martinique. The cyclone gradually weakened as it passed to the southwest of Dominica early on October 12 and subsequently struck the island of Guadeloupe.[2]

After hitting Guadeloupe, the hurricane turned west-northwest, passing about 145 kilometres (90 mi) southwest of Saint Kitts. The hurricane steadily neared Puerto Rico as it paralleled the southern coastline, and made its closest point of approach on October 14 to the southwest portion of the island. It subsequently turned to the northwest, hitting the island of Mona in the Mona Passage before making landfall near the present-day Dominican Republic province of Samaná. Late on October 15 it reached the Atlantic Ocean and after passing about 260 kilometres (160 mi) east of Grand Turk Island, it is estimated to have recurved to the northeast. The hurricane passed 240 kilometres (150 mi) southeast of Bermuda on October 18,[2] and was last observed two days later about 475 kilometres (295 mi) southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland.[5]

On October 19, strong winds and high tides were reported in the British province of East Florida (the northeastern portion of present-day Florida). One modern historian suggested the hurricane passed much closer to the province than previously thought. Another possibility considered was an extension to a hurricane in the western Caribbean Sea. Because of lack of data, the exact track of the Great Hurricane is unknown.[6]

Impact

Deadliest Atlantic hurricanes
Rank Hurricane Season Fatalities
1 "Great Hurricane" 1780 22,000
2 Mitch 1998 19,325+
3 "Galveston" 1900 8,000 – 12,000
4 Fifi 1974 8,000 – 10,000
5 "Dominican Republic" 1930 2,000 – 8,000
6 Flora 1963 7,186 – 8,000
7 "Pointe-à-Pitre" 1776 6,000+
8 "Newfoundland" 1775 4,000 – 4,163
9 "Okeechobee" 1928 4,075+
10 "Monterrey" 1909 4,000
See also: List of deadliest Atlantic hurricanes

The Great Hurricane persisted near Barbados for about two days, producing violent winds which were described as "so deafening that people could not hear their own voices." The winds stripped the bark off trees before the hurricane downed every tree on the island.[2] This phenomenon has not been observed in any of the strongest modern-day tropical cyclones, so, according to meteorologist Dr. Jose Millas, for it to have been done by winds and rain alone would require winds over 200 mph (320 km/h).[7] The winds also destroyed every house on Barbados. Most ships at the bay broke free of their moorings from the hurricane's rough surf and all forts on the island were destroyed.[2] The winds and seas moved heavy cannons about 100 feet (30 m). About 4,500 people died on the island.[7]

In Saint Vincent, the hurricane destroyed 584 of the 600 houses in Kingstown. At Grenada, 19 Dutch ships were wrecked. On Saint Lucia, rough waves and a strong storm tide destroyed the fleet of British Admiral Rodney at Port Castries, with one ship destroying the city's hospital by being lifted on top of it. The hurricane destroyed all but two houses at Port Castries, and throughout the island about 6,000 perished.[2]

A fleet of 40 French ships involved in the American Revolutionary War capsized as a result of the hurricane off Martinique; about 4,000 soldiers drowned. The hurricane produced a 25-foot (7.6 m) storm surge on Martinique, destroying all houses in Saint-Pierre; 9,000 died on the island. Severe damage was reported on Dominica, Guadeloupe, Antigua, and Saint Kitts, though it is unknown if any died on those islands. Additionally, many ships were washed ashore on Saint Kitts. A powerful storm surge affected the island of Sint Eustatius, causing 4,000 to 5,000 fatalities.[2]

Heavy damage was reported in southern Puerto Rico, primarily in Cabo Rojo and Lajas. Severe damage also occurred in the eastern region of Santo Domingo. The hurricane later grounded 50 ships near Bermuda. Throughout its path, the hurricane killed over 27,500 people, making it the deadliest hurricane in Atlantic hurricane history.[2]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mújica-Baker, Frank. "Huracanes y Tormentas que han afectadi a Puerto Rico". Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, Agencia Estatal para el manejo de Emergencias y Administracion de Desastres. pp. 11. http://www.gobierno.pr/NR/rdonlyres/49EA64D0-305B-4881-8B85-04B518004BD5/0/Ciclones_en_PR.pdf. Retrieved august 30, 2010. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Orlando Férez (1970). "Notes on the Tropical Cyclones of Puerto Rico". San Juan, Puerto Rico National Weather Service. http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/data_sub/perez_11_20.pdf. Retrieved 2007-02-12. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Edward N. Rappaport, Jose Fernandez-Partagas, and Jack Beven (1997). "The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492-1996". NOAA. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastdeadlyapp1.shtml?. Retrieved 2007-01-02. 
  4. ↑ Hurricane Research Division (2006). "Re-Analysis Project". NOAA. http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/data_sub/re_anal.html. Retrieved 2007-04-30. 
  5. ↑ Michael Chenoweth (2006). "A Re-assessment of Historical Atlantic Basin Tropical Cyclone Activity, 1700-1855". NOAA. http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/Chenoweth/chenoweth06.pdf. Retrieved 2007-02-12. 
  6. ↑ Al Sandrik and Chris Landsea (2003). "Chronological Listing of Tropical Cyclones affecting North Florida and Coastal Georgia 1565-1899". Hurricane Research Division. http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/Landsea/history/index.html. Retrieved 2007-02-12. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (2005). "NEMO remembers the great hurricane of 1780". http://www.cdera.org/cunews/news/saint_lucia/article_1314.php. Retrieved 2007-02-12. 

Sources