1830–1839 Atlantic hurricane seasons facts for kids

The 1830s were a time when many strong storms, called tropical cyclones or hurricanes, formed in the Atlantic Ocean. These storms happen every year, usually between June 1 and November 30. Even though we don't have records for every single storm from this time, people living along the coast did record some of the bigger ones. This article tells you about the most important hurricanes that happened during the 1830s.

Atlantic Hurricane Seasons in the 1830s

1830 Hurricane Season

• A hurricane traveled from Trinidad to western Cuba between August 3 and August 9.

Atlantic Coast Hurricane

• This hurricane was first seen near the Leeward Islands on August 11. It moved towards Florida, getting close to Daytona Beach on August 15.
• It then turned northeast, hitting land near Cape Fear on August 16. The storm helped end a three-month dry spell but badly damaged crops.

• Another hurricane moved north of the Leeward Islands from August 19 to August 26.
• A hurricane traveled from north of Puerto Rico on September 29 to northeast of Bermuda by October 1.
• A tropical storm hit South Carolina on October 6.

1831 Hurricane Season

• A tropical storm made landfall in northeast Florida on June 10.
• A hurricane moved from south of Barbados to the Yucatán Peninsula between June 22 and June 28.

The Great Barbados Hurricane

• The Great Barbados Hurricane was a very strong Category 4 hurricane. It caused huge damage across the Caribbean and in Louisiana in 1831.
• This powerful storm killed about 2,500 people and caused $7 million in damage (that's a lot of money for 1831!).

• A strong tropical storm or hurricane hit western Louisiana between August 27 and August 30.
• A hurricane hit near the mouth of the Rio Grande, bringing heavy rain to Texas and Mexico.

1832 Hurricane Season

• Early in the season, a hurricane moved through the Bahamas around June 5, causing 52 deaths.
• This storm also affected Bermuda on June 6 and 7, damaging two ships.

• On August 12, a hurricane was seen near Key West. It moved across the eastern Gulf of Mexico, hitting northwest Florida. It then curved through the Southeast, reaching South Carolina by August 18.
• On August 21, a tropical storm was seen west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands in the eastern Atlantic.
• Between August 23 and August 27, a hurricane moved from the central Leeward Islands to the east of Jamaica.
• On October 14, a tropical storm moved into South Carolina.

1833 Hurricane Season

• A hurricane passed offshore of Norfolk in late August. It kept ships in the harbor but did not cause any damage on land.

1834 Hurricane Season

• On September 4, a hurricane hit South Carolina, killing 37 people. It moved through North Carolina and Virginia, sinking a ship called the E. Pluribus Unum. Luckily, the crew made it to shore safely.

• Another hurricane struck the island of Dominica on September 20. It brought very strong winds and a 12-foot storm surge (a rise in sea level) that destroyed the capital city of Roseau. About 230 people died there.
• The hurricane then made landfall in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on September 23. About 170 sailors died when their ships sank in the Ozama River. In total, this hurricane killed about 400 people.

• Also in September, a hurricane hit south Texas, causing a lot of damage.

1835 Hurricane Season

Antigua Hurricane

• This hurricane was first noticed near Antigua on August 12. It moved over Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba, causing at least 3 deaths.
• It then crossed the Florida Straits and the Gulf of Mexico, hitting near the mouth of the Rio Grande on August 18. There, it destroyed small villages, caused a strong storm surge, and killed 18 people.

• This storm might have been the same one that hit Cape Florida and Key Biscayne, creating a new waterway called Norris Cut. It also knocked over the Ponce de Leon lighthouse. The storm then moved into the Gulf of Mexico, turned northeast, and caused damage in Tampa, Florida. It continued north into Georgia, the Carolinas, and even reached New England.

1836 Hurricane Season

• A hurricane hit the Cayman Islands during this season.

1837 Hurricane Season

• On July 26, a storm hit Martinique, causing 57 deaths.
• On August 2, a hurricane hit Puerto Rico, causing 141 deaths.

• A tropical storm was seen east of the West Indies on August 13. It moved through the islands and passed the Bahamas on August 16.
• As it curved, it hit the North Carolina coast on August 18. It moved slowly over land, bringing strong winds for 48 hours, before moving back out to sea on August 20. This storm is known as the Calypso Hurricane.

Racer's Storm

• This storm, nicknamed Racer's Storm, was the tenth known tropical storm of the 1837 season. It was first seen in the Western Caribbean in late September.
• It moved across the Yucatán Peninsula and the western Gulf of Mexico, hitting Brownsville, Texas on October 2.
• The storm stayed over land for three days before turning east, hitting near Louisiana and Pensacola before moving out to sea. This hurricane caused 105 deaths.

1838 Hurricane Season

• On September 7, a hurricane hit near Cape Florida, causing 38 deaths.
• A late-season hurricane hit the east coast of Mexico on November 1, sinking two U.S. ships.

1839 Hurricane Season

• A hurricane hit Charleston, South Carolina on August 28. It passed over North Carolina and Virginia before going out to sea on August 30.

Reid's Hurricane

• This storm is known as Reid's Hurricane. It moved from east of the West Indies into the southwest Atlantic.
• Big waves were noticed as early as September 9 in Bermuda. Late on September 11 and early on September 12, this hurricane struck Bermuda.
• The storm surge was measured at 11 feet (3.3 meters). Thousands of trees were knocked down, and a tower on Tower Hill was destroyed. Damage to private property cost about 8,000 pounds sterling (a lot of money in 1839).
• This hurricane later swept across western Ireland as a very strong storm, which they called The Great Wind of 1839.
• This was one of the first hurricanes studied by William Reid in person. He was the governor of Bermuda at the time and had just published his book "The Law of Storms."

• In the middle of September, a hurricane approached the coast of Louisiana. It struck near Lake Charles, which was then known as Charley's Lake, on September 15.
• A late-season hurricane hit Galveston, Texas on November 5.

Related pages

• List of Atlantic hurricane seasons

Images for kids

• 

  The Loss of the Pennsylvania New York Packet Ship- the Lockwoods Emigrant Ship; the Saint Andrew Packet Ship, and the Victoria from Charleston, near Liverpool during the Hurricane on Monday and Tuesday 7-8th January 1839. The storm had reached Hurricane force over Ireland on the 6th of January