The decade of the 1800s featured the 1800–1809 Atlantic hurricane seasons. While data is not available for every storm that occurred, some parts of the coastline were populated enough to give data of hurricane occurrences. Each season was an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation in the Atlantic basin. Most tropical cyclone formation occurs between June 1 and November 30.
I. A minimal hurricane that passed through the Leeward Islands on August 10 moved through the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico to strike southeast Louisiana on August 18.
II. On August 27 and August 28, a hurricane struck Exuma in the Bahamas.
III. During September 9 and September 10 a hurricane impacted Bermuda.[1] The storm dismasted the brig Eliza sailing from Savannah to New York, causing the loss of two lives from those swept aboard.[2]
IV. Between October 2 and October 5, a hurricane lingered across South Carolina.[3] Twelve ships foundered at Charleston. The cyclone spawned a tornado which moved across the northwest section of the city. Its storm surge swept across much of Sullivan's Island. One died in Charleston.[2]
V. The ship, Galgo, was sunk during a hurricane on October 9 over the southwest Atlantic. All 25 crew members were rescued.
VI. On October 31, a hurricane struck Jamaica before moving onward to Cuba and the southwest Atlantic. During November 4 and November 5, Bermuda experienced this hurricane. A lighthouse begun in 1795 on Wreck Hill was abandoned after this storm, as it was then determined to be an unsuitable site. (from Beware the Hurricane)
I. Nassau, Bahamas experienced a hurricane on July 22. 120 sails were wrecked onshore. The system moved westward into the Gulf of Mexico.
II. On August 15 and August 16, this hurricane made landfall near Mobile, Alabama.[3]
A hurricane was spotted west of Jamaica between October 6 and October 10.
I. In August, a hurricane hit the West Indies. It continued through Jamaica, moved northward, and eventually hit England later in the month. It caused 121 deaths.
II. A hurricane hit near the Chesapeake Bay on August 29, causing at least one death.
III. In addition, a minimal hurricane right on its heels hit near New Bern, North Carolina on August 31 and September 1. This type of tropical cyclone succession up the coast is similar to the Connie/Diane East coast landfalls of 1955.
IV. During October 2 and October 3, a hurricane reportedly impacted Norfolk, Virginia.[3]
I. During August 18 and August 19, a hurricane was noted east of Bermuda, sinking the ship Alexander.[2]
II. On August 29, a violent hurricane was noted in Jamaica.[2]
III. A hurricane was first spotted near the Leeward Islands on September 3. Most ships at harbor in St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Bartholomew, and Dominica were destroyed. It moved west-northwestward across western Puerto Rico and Turks Island on September 4. The storm turned northwest, negatively impacting September 6-7. It then moved northwest to hit Georgia as a major hurricane on September 7. It continued slowly through South Carolina and North Carolina, leaving the mainland on September 9 before striking New England on September 12. The hurricane caused 500 deaths. Damages to crops on St. Simons Island totaled $100,000 (1804 USD). Overall damages from Savannah totaled $500,000 (1804 USD), while Charleston incurred $1,000,000 in damages (1804 USD).[2]
IV. Between September 22 and September 24, a tropical storm tracked from Cuba northward to South Carolina.[3]
V. Later in the season, a major hurricane moved northwestward across the Western Atlantic to the north of Puerto Rico. It hit near Atlantic City, New Jersey on October 9, and turned northeastward. As it crossed New England, cool air was entrained in the circulation, and it became extratropical. The storm brought heavy snow across the Northeast, in some areas up to 2–3 feet, and killed 8 people. This was the first observation of snow from a landfalling hurricane, but not the last.
I. Between July 27 and August 1, a hurricane tracked through the southwest Atlantic east of Bermuda.
II. On September 30, a hurricane struck Mantanzas, Cuba then moved northward into Maine by October 3.[3]
I. A tropical cyclone was noted near the northeastern Lesser Antilles on August 17. Moving west-northwest, the cyclone strengthened into a major hurricane. As it moved offshore Georgia, coastal flooding occurred on Jekyll Island on August 22. The schooner L. T. was wrecked offshore St. Mary's, Georgia. Charleston, South Carolina experienced heavy rains and high winds which uprooted trees. Georgetown, South Carolina's lighthouse was leveled during the storm.[2] The hurricane hit the southern North Carolina coast on August 23 and led to 42 deaths. It moved out to sea, disrupting British and French ships involved in the Napoleonic Wars.[4] After struggling against the storm offshore the Mid-Atlantic coastline, the Rose in Bloom capsized offshore New Jersey on August 24, with a loss of 23 passengers.[2]
II. A tropical cyclone moved through the Mona Passage on August 26 before moving just offshore the East Coast of the United States through September 3.
III. A hurricane hit Dominica on September 9, resulting in 457 casualties. The cyclone subsequently moved through the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, striking Mississippi by September 18.
IV. On September 15, a hurricane hit northeast Florida, destroying several houses but leading to no deaths.
V. On September 20, another hurricane hit Dominica, causing an additional 165 deaths.
VI. On September 28, a minimal hurricane hit the Outer Banks of North Carolina, destroying one ship.
VII. During October 2, a tropical cyclone was witnessed at Jamaica. Moving northward, it struck South Carolina by October 9.[3]
A minimal hurricane hit the Outer Banks on September 12, damaging the lighthouse there.
I. A tropical cyclone struck Dominica, Guadeloupe, Tortola, and Montserrat between August 1 and August 3, killing 62 people.
II. Another hurricane hit Puerto Rico on August 17. It drifted over the island, and caused a "Great death toll".
III. A tropical storm affected the northern Leeward Islands between October 9 and October 13.[3]