The San Felipe Hurricane was the second tropical cyclone of the

1876 Atlantic hurricane season The 1876 Atlantic hurricane season lasted from mid-summer to late-fall. Records show that 1876 featured a relatively inactive hurricane season. There were five tropical storms, four became hurricanes, two of which became major hurricanes (Catego ...

. The storm was first observed east of the Leeward Islands on September 12, later intensifying to a category 3 hurricane while approaching

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

. In the upcoming days, the storm would make landfall on Hispaniola and

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, while also at hurricane intensity. Weakening to a tropical storm, it crossed the island until emerging over central Cuba, and passing just east of Florida. The storm re-intensified into a hurricane and struck near

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is t ...

as a minimal hurricane. Continuing inland, the San Felipe Hurricane gradually weakened over the United States, reaching near

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

before dissipation on September 19. The San Felipe Hurricane was the only tropical cyclone in the season to result in fatalities, according to records of the season.

Meteorological history

A hurricane was first observed east of the Leeward Islands on September 12, hitting the islands that night. It first passed through Antigua, St. Kitts, and the

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Cro ...

. It strengthened on the next day to become a Category 3 hurricane, and hit

at that intensity on September 13; it entered by Yabucoa and Humacao at about seven in the morning and left the island through Mayagüez at 1:30 local time in the afternoon. The minimum pressure that was measured in San Juan was about in the morning on September 14, with winds up to about 60 mph and rain at around . The hurricane maintained this intensity and made landfall on the eastern side of

. Shortly after landfall, the hurricane rapidly weakened to a Category 2 hurricane, then to a Category 1 hurricane after reemerging in the Atlantic. Again maintaining strength, the hurricane made landfall on the eastern tip of

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

with winds of 80 mph.

Impact

The scientist and scholar Benito Viñes went to Puerto Rico from Cuba to conduct a study to calculate the damages of the hurricane. It was the first hurricane in which a

rain gauge A rain gauge (also known as udometer, pluvia metior, pluviometer, ombrometer, and hyetometer) is an instrument used by meteorologists and hydrologists to gather and measure the amount of liquid precipitation over a predefined area, over a period o ...

was used. San Felipe affected Puerto Rico for ten hours, killing nineteen people. Although there were 19 deaths reported, historians suspected the

Spanish Government gl, Goberno de España eu, Espainiako Gobernua , image = , caption = Logo of the Government of Spain , headerstyle = background-color: #efefef , label1 = Role , data1 = Executive power , label2 = Established , da ...

withheld the actual damage and death toll data for Puerto Rico. At least two drownings occurred in

Onslow County, North Carolina Onslow County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 204,576. Its county seat is Jacksonville. The county was created in 1734 as Onslow Precinct and gained county status in 1739. Onslo ...

. Flooding, damage to buildings, and uprooted trees were reported from Wilmington. A bridge across Market Street there was washed away. The storm was called the "San Felipe Hurricane" because it struck on September 13, the feast day of

Saint Philip Saint Philip, São Filipe, or San Felipe may refer to: People * Saint Philip the Apostle * Saint Philip the Evangelist also known as Philip the Deacon * Saint Philip Neri * Saint Philip Benizi de Damiani also known as Saint Philip Benitius or Fili ...

. Exactly 52 years later, Puerto Rico was struck by

Hurricane San Felipe Segundo The Okeechobee hurricane of 1928, also known as the San Felipe Segundo hurricane, was one of the deadliest hurricanes in the recorded history of the North Atlantic basin, and the fourth deadliest hurricane in the United States, only behind the ...

References

{{reflist, colwidth=30em San Felipe Hurricane, 1876 Category 3 Atlantic hurricanes Hurricanes in Puerto Rico San Felipe Hurricane, 1876 San Felipe Hurricane, 1876 San Felipe Hurricane, 1876

Gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ).Gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ).

Meteorological history

Impact

See also

References