1810–1819 Atlantic hurricane seasons facts for kids

The 1810s were a time when many strong storms, called tropical cyclones or hurricanes, formed in the Atlantic Ocean. While we don't have perfect records for every single storm from 1810 to 1819, people living along the coastlines kept good notes about the biggest ones.

Every year, from June 1 to November 30, is known as the Atlantic hurricane season. This is when most of these powerful storms are expected to form. Let's look at some of the most notable hurricanes from each year in the 1810s.

The 1810 Hurricane Season

• July 30-31: A tropical storm hit Jamaica.
• August 12: A hurricane struck Trinidad, causing a lot of damage. It then seemed to move towards Jamaica by August 15.
• September 11-13: A tropical storm passed near Charleston, South Carolina. It caused only minor damage.
• September 28: A tropical cyclone affected eastern Cuba.
• October 24-25: The "Salty Storm" hit Cuba. It then moved into the southwest Atlantic Ocean. The air pressure in Havana dropped quite a bit during this storm.

The 1811 Hurricane Season

• September 10: A small hurricane that had already hit Cuba moved on to Charleston, South Carolina. This storm was very dangerous. It caused many deaths, brought tornadoes, and damaged crops across the state.
• October 4: A major hurricane struck near St. Augustine, Florida. Many homes were destroyed. Sadly, 35 people drowned when a U.S. Gunboat sank.
• October 11: A hurricane impacted Pensacola, Florida and Fort Stoddard, Alabama.
• October 20-25: A hurricane traveled through the western Caribbean Sea, west of Jamaica, and then to Cuba. On October 26, a Spanish ship was lost near Elliot Key because of this hurricane.

The 1812 Hurricane Season

• June 5-11: A tropical storm moved through the northwest Caribbean Sea.
• July 23: A tropical cyclone impacted Puerto Rico.
• August 8: A tropical storm moved into South Carolina.

The Great Louisiana Hurricane of 1812

• August 14-19: This powerful storm was first seen east of Jamaica. It moved through the Caribbean Islands. By August 19, it hit southeast Louisiana as a major hurricane. It passed just west of New Orleans. The hurricane almost destroyed the levee, which is a wall that holds back water, north of the city. It caused severe flooding and damaged 53 boats. This storm was very costly, causing about $6 million in damage. It also led to 100 deaths. The British fleet, which was involved in the War of 1812, was also affected by this hurricane.
• August 21: Another hurricane was recorded affecting Puerto Rico.
• October 12-17: A hurricane hit Jamaica from October 12 to 14. It then moved northwest, hitting Cuba on the 14th. The storm continued into the southwest Atlantic Ocean, east of Bermuda, by October 17. It destroyed 500 houses and many ships.

The 1813 Hurricane Season

• July 22-29: A hurricane struck Barbados on July 22, killing 18 people there. It continued through the islands, affecting Puerto Rico on the 23rd. This storm likely hit Bahamas as a major hurricane on July 26. It then curved west of Bermuda by July 29.
• July 29 - August 3: After moving through the Leeward Islands, this storm hit Jamaica from July 31 to August 1. Many lives were lost. The hurricane was last seen moving into Belize on August 3.
• August 3-7: A tropical cyclone passed near Bermuda. The worst part of the storm was on August 4 and early August 5. It was the strongest hurricane to hit the island since 1793. It caused more than 30 ships to be pushed onto the shore. This storm led to the building of a breakwater to protect the harbor. Winds were estimated to be around 90 miles per hour (145 km/h).
• August 25-28: A very powerful hurricane hit Dominica and Martinique starting August 25. This storm was incredibly deadly, causing 3,000 deaths. The cyclone moved south of Jamaica by August 28.
• August 24-29: A storm that affected the Caicos Islands on August 24 moved northwest. It hit near Charleston, South Carolina as a strong, compact major hurricane on August 27. Many people died due to drowning. The storm then moved northward through the Mid-Atlantic States by August 29.
• September 16: Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia were hit by a major hurricane. It caused a strong storm surge and led to 50 deaths.

The 1814 Hurricane Season

• July 1: A small hurricane hit South Carolina, causing one tornado.
• July 22-24: A hurricane impacted Dominica and Puerto Rico.
• August 24: A hurricane made landfall near Washington, D.C.. It included a tornado that "tore through the center" of the city. This storm actually helped stop the Burning of Washington by the British forces.
• October 10: A hurricane affected Bermuda for four days around October 10.

The 1815 Hurricane Season

• September 3: Cape Lookout, North Carolina was hit by a major hurricane. It moved northeast across the state, reaching the Atlantic Ocean near Maryland. It weakened over land but still brought strong winds to New England. This storm caused at least 4 deaths.

The Great September Gale of 1815

• September 23: Three weeks later, another major hurricane was off the coast of Virginia, moving north. It hit Long Island, New York on September 23. This storm caused a lot of damage and destruction throughout New England. At least 20 deaths occurred. Newspapers reported that there wasn't enough space to list all the details of the ship disasters because so many lives were lost.
• September 28: A tropical storm was off the coast of South Carolina but did not make landfall.
• October 17-19: Jamaica was hit by a hurricane. It stayed over the island for a while, causing 100 deaths.
• October 18-24: A small hurricane hit Saint Bartholomew on October 18. It then turned northwest and moved up the Chesapeake Bay on October 24, delaying ships.

The 1816 Hurricane Season

Records from ship logs show that both 1815 and 1816 were very active hurricane seasons. At least 12 tropical cyclones were recorded in 1816 alone! Some evidence suggests that a northward shift in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (an area where winds meet near the equator) might have caused more tropical cyclone activity in 1816.

• June 5-8: A hurricane passed close to the Florida Keys. It caused 5 ships to be lost. Interestingly, it seemed to be pulled northward by an unusual June snowstorm in New England.
• August 18: Haiti, especially around Port-au-Prince, was struck by a hurricane.
• September 3-11: Martinique, eastern Cuba, and South Carolina were impacted by a hurricane.
• September 18: A tropical storm affected Virginia before moving northeast into New York. This storm caused heavy flooding in the James River area.
• September 15-25: A hurricane moved by Dominica and Barbados on September 15. It then devastated Puerto Rico on September 18. The cyclone then curved between the United States East coast and Bermuda by September 25.
• October 16-17: A severe gale (strong wind storm) was experienced in Dominica and Martinique. During the storm, an earthquake also shook the region.

The 1817 Hurricane Season

• August 1-9: A hurricane was first seen near Tobago on August 1. It continued through the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico by August 6. It crossed over Florida. When it reached the western Atlantic Ocean, it moved along the coastlines of Georgia and South Carolina. It moved inland over southern North Carolina. The storm brought heavy rain to the Norfolk, Virginia area, causing mail delays and flooding through the Mid-Atlantic as it moved northward into Pennsylvania by August 9. Its path was similar to that of Hurricane Charley in August 2004.
• October 21-26: Barbados was struck by a hurricane on October 21. This storm was very deadly, causing 250 deaths as it moved through the Lesser Antilles. The hurricane then moved into Nicaragua by October 26.

The 1818 Hurricane Season

• August 26 - September 5: A hurricane passed through the central Atlantic Ocean, east of Bermuda, and then south and east of the Azores. It reportedly caused a lot of silt (mud and sand) to build up in Hamilton Harbor on Bermuda.
• Early September: A hurricane passed by the Cayman Islands. It crossed the Yucatán Peninsula and turned northwest when it reached the Bay of Campeche. The hurricane grew stronger, becoming a Category 2 or 3 storm. It hit Galveston, Texas on September 12 and continued onward to Mississippi. This hurricane was "quite severe," destroying all but six houses on Galveston Island.
• September 22-29: A tropical cyclone seriously affected Puerto Rico on September 22. It possibly curved sharply away from the Eastern Seaboard. A ship called the frigate Macedonian encountered a hurricane on September 26 and 27, east-northeast of Bermuda. The storm caused huge waves, up to 40 feet (12 meters) high. The ship's masts cracked, and seawater poured in. One man fell overboard and drowned. The ship barely survived the storm.
• October 12-14: A hurricane affected Jamaica and the central Bahamas.
• November 6-13: Another hurricane moved across the southwest Caribbean Sea into Jamaica and Cuba.

The 1819 Hurricane Season

The Bay St. Louis Hurricane of 1819

We don't know exactly where this hurricane started, but it probably formed off the coast of Cuba. It then moved west-northwest towards the Gulf Coast. This was a small but very powerful hurricane, reaching an estimated Category 3 or 4 strength. It made landfall on July 27 in southeastern Louisiana. It brought strong winds and a 5–6 foot (1.5–1.8 meter) storm surge. The hurricane continued northeast, making a second landfall in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, before weakening inland.

The Bay St. Louis Hurricane was one of the most destructive hurricanes to hit the United States in the first half of the 1800s. It caused severe damage across Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Buildings were shattered, and trees were uprooted. Several boats, from small ones to large 60-ton ships, were pushed ashore by the storm surge. One U.S. warship, the Firebrand, capsized, and 39 sailors drowned. Several U.S. soldiers were also caught by surprise and died in the storm. The floodwaters even brought dangerous animals like alligators, snapping turtles, and snakes into populated areas, which added to the danger. The hurricane caused over $100,000 in damage (in 1819 U.S. dollars). Between 43 and 175 people lost their lives, some of whom were later found washed up along the Gulf Coast.

Other Storms of 1819

• September: A tropical storm hit between New Orleans and Apalachicola.
• September 19-26: A hurricane tracked through the northeast Lesser Antilles and southwest of Bermuda. On September 21 and 22, this hurricane hit the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. It caused heavy damage and many lives were lost.
• October 13-15: A hurricane passed through the Leeward Islands.
• October 27-28: A hurricane was recorded impacting Cuba on October 27. It then moved onward to Bahamas on October 28.

More About Hurricanes

• List of Atlantic hurricane seasons

Online Resources

Books to Read

• David Longshore. "Bay St. Louis Hurricane." Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons and Cyclones. New York: Facts on File, 1998, p. 33-34.
• James Tertius De Kay. Chronicles of the Frigate Macedonian 1809-1922. New York: W. W. Norton, 2000, p. 129-139.
• Terry Tucker. Beware the Hurricane! The Story of the Gyratory Tropical Storms That Have Struck Bermuda. Bermuda: Hamilton Press, 1966, p. 77-87.