| Category 1 hurricane (SSHS) | |
|---|---|
| Formed | September 1858 |
| Dissipated | October 2, 1858 |
| Highest winds | 1-minute sustained: 140 km/h (85 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 994 mbar[1] hPa (mbar) |
| Fatalities | Unknown |
| Areas affected | Extreme Southern California, northwestern Mexico |
| Part of the pre-1900 Pacific hurricane seasons | |
The 1858 San Diego hurricane was a very rare California hurricane. It is the only known tropical cyclone to impact California as a hurricane, although other systems impacted California as tropical storms.
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Late in September, a hurricane formed in the East Pacific Ocean. Unlike most east Pacific storms, this one accelerated towards the north-northeast. On October 2, it neared Southern California while weakening due to cool water and strong wind shear. It just missed making landfall, while it turned to the west-northwest. It approached Santa Catalina Island in the Channel Islands and dissipated. There is some uncertainty to this reconstructed path.[1]
In San Diego, the rain was very heavy, and the property damage was great; many homes lost their roofs, while a few homes even collapsed. In addition, trees were uprooted, and fences destroyed. A recently constructed windmill was also blown away completely. Three schooners, the Plutus, the Lovely Flora, and the X.L. were blown ashore, though only the X.L. suffered major damage.[1]
Rainfall in San Pedro was also heavy, but high winds were not reported. Parts of the embankment in the city were washed away, causing only around $100 ($2530 today) in damage.[2] The yacht Medora was washed ashore. Many reports claimed that the yacht was irreparable, but it was later claimed that the damage wasn't actually that great and could be repaired. A barge was destroyed, as was a large portion of the San Pedro wharf.[1]
El Monte was buffeted by high winds, damaging corn crops and trees. Los Angeles and Visalia noted large amounts of rain, as much as 7 inches (180 mm), but low winds.[1]
Michael Chenoweth and Christopher Landsea estimated that if the storm hit today, it would cause around $500 million in damage.[3]
Using newspaper accounts, two researchers with NOAA, Christopher Landsea and Michael Chenoweth, reconstructed this hurricane. Its strong winds were mentioned in the folklore of the region.