The 1877 Atlantic hurricane season lasted from mid-summer to late-fall. Records show that in 1877 there were eight cyclones, of which five were tropical storms and three were hurricanes, one of which became a major hurricane (Category 3+). However, in the absence of modern satellite and other remote-sensing technologies, only storms that affected populated land areas or encountered ships at sea were recorded, so the actual total could be higher. An undercount bias of zero to six tropical cyclones per year between 1851 and 1885 and zero to four per year between 1886 and 1910 has been estimated. __TOC__

Season summary

ImageSize = width:800 height:200 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:80 right:20 left:20 Legend = columns:3 left:30 top:58 columnwidth:270 AlignBars = early DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/08/1877 till:01/01/1878 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMinor = grid:black unit:month increment:1 start:01/08/1877 Colors = id:canvas value:gray(0.88) id:GP value:red id:TD value:rgb(0.43,0.76,0.92) legend:Tropical_Depression_=_≤38_mph_(≤62_km/h) id:TS value:rgb(0.3,1,1) legend:Tropical_Storm_=_39–73_mph_(63–117_km/h) id:C1 value:rgb(1,1,0.85) legend:Category_1_=_74–95_mph_(118–153_km/h) id:C2 value:rgb(1,0.85,0.55) legend:Category_2_=_96–110_mph_(154–177_km/h) id:C3 value:rgb(1,0.62,0.35) legend:Category_3_=_111–129_mph_(178–208_km/h) id:C4 value:rgb(1,0.45,0.54) legend:Category_4_=_130–156_mph_(209–251_km/h) id:C5 value:rgb(0.55,0.46,0.90) legend:Category_5_=_≥157_mph_(≥252_km/h) Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas BarData = barset:Hurricane bar:Month PlotData= barset:Hurricane width:10 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till from:01/08/1877 till:05/08/1877 color:TS text:"One (TS)" from:14/09/1877 till:21/09/1877 color:C1 text:"Two (C1)" from:16/09/1877 till:22/09/1877 color:C1 text:"Three (C1)" from:21/09/1877 till:04/10/1877 color:C3 text:"Four (C3)" from:24/09/1877 till:29/09/1877 color:TS text:"Five (TS)" from:13/10/1877 till:16/10/1877 color:TS text:"Six (TS)" from:24/10/1877 till:28/10/1877 color:TS text:"Seven (TS)" barset:break from:28/11/1877 till:29/11/1877 color:TS text:"Eight (TS)" bar:Month width:15 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas from:01/08/1877 till:01/09/1877 text:August from:01/09/1877 till:01/10/1877 text:September from:01/10/1877 till:01/11/1877 text:October from:01/11/1877 till:01/12/1877 text:November from:01/12/1877 till:01/01/1878 text:December TextData = pos:(570,30) text:"(From the" pos:(617,30) text:" Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale)"

The Atlantic hurricane database (

HURDAT The Hurricane Databases (HURDAT), managed by the National Hurricane Center, are two separate databases that contain details on tropical cyclones, that have occurred within the Atlantic Ocean and Eastern Pacific Ocean since 1851 and 1949 respectiv ...

) recognizes eight tropical cyclones for the 1877 season. Five were tropical storms and three were hurricanes, with winds of 75 mph (119 km/h) or greater. The first storm was a tropical storm which formed near the Turks & Caicos Islands on August 1. It traveled parallel to the US east coast to make landfall in New Brunswick on August 5. The second storm of the season formed as a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico on September 14. It developed into a Category 1 hurricane which first struck Louisiana on September 18, then Florida the next day before dissipating in the Atlantic on September 21. Hurricane Three was a Category 1 hurricane that existed between September 16 and 22 without making landfall. Hurricane Four was the strongest and most destructive storm of the season and impacted both Venezuela and Florida. Most notably, Hurricane Four caused 84 fatalities in the United States. Tropical Storm Five existed between September 24 and September 29 in which period it traveled from north of Hispaniola to a point off the south-east coast of the United States. Tropical Storm Six existed for a few days in mid-October without making landfall. Tropical Storm Seven formed in the western Gulf of Mexico, tracked parallel to the US Gulf coast and crossed the Florida peninsula between October 24 and October 28. The last storm of the season was known to have existed for two days in November. It dissipated off the Newfoundland coast on November 29.

Systems

Tropical Storm One

A tropical storm was first observed to the north of

Turks and Caicos Islands The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and n ...

on August 1. It tracked along the eastern edge of the

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

, before paralleling the east coast of the United States. By August 2, the tropical storm was nearly a hurricane, though records show that winds never exceeded 70 mph (113 km/h). It gradually weakened as it headed generally north. The storm finally made landfall in

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

as a 60 mph (96 km/h) tropical storm on August 5. Later it dissipated as it emerged into the

Gulf of St. Lawrence The Gulf of St. Lawrence () is the outlet of the North American Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean. The gulf is a semi-enclosed sea, covering an area of about and containing about of water, at an average depth of . ...

Hurricane Two

A tropical storm formed in the Gulf of Mexico on September 14. On September 16 it reached peak intensity as an 80 mph (129 km/h) hurricane while it was within 120 miles (193 km) of the

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

coast. Although heavy rain and high tides were seen all along the Texas coast, the hurricane veered eastward, so avoiding a landfall in Texas. However, on September 18 it made landfall in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

while at the same strength. On September 19 the hurricane made another landfall at

Fort Walton Beach, Florida Fort Walton Beach is a city in southern Okaloosa County, Florida. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 20,922, up from 19,507 in 2010. It is the principal city of the Fort Walton Beach− Crestview− Destin Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

. It quickly weakened back to a tropical storm while still in the state of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. It emerged into the Atlantic on September 20. The storm dissipated about 200 miles south of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

on September 21.

Hurricane Three

A Category 1 hurricane was first discovered on September 16 in the mid-North Atlantic. It moved generally to the northwest for a few days then passed safely to the northeast of Bermuda between September 18 and 19th. It weakened to a tropical storm as it was moving toward

Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (french: provinces de l'Atlantique), is the region of Eastern Canada comprising the provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec. The four provinces are New Brunswick, Newfoundlan ...

. It dissipated while just offshore of southern

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. The storm is known to have reached hurricane strength from ship reports, most notably from the ''Harley John'', and wind reports from St. Paul Island, Canada

Hurricane Four

On September 21, a tropical storm was first observed east of the

Leeward Islands french: Îles-Sous-le-Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Leeward Islands. Clockwise: Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Saint kitts and Nevis. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean SeaNorth Atlantic Ocean , coor ...

. It moved west at a low latitude, hugging the coast of South America while strengthening. It crossed over northern

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

on the September 23, becoming one of just a few tropical systems to hit that country. The island of

Curaçao Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...

was devastated. The hurricane turned northward, weakening to a minimal Category 1 storm. It crossed the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

Sea and the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

, where it strengthened to a 115 mph (185 km/h) major hurricane just before landfall at

Panama City Beach, Florida Panama City Beach is a resort town in Bay County, Florida, Bay County, Florida, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico coast. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census it had a population of 12,018. The city is often referred to under the u ...

, on October 3. It caused a storm tide of at

St. Marks, Florida St. Marks is a city in Wakulla County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Tallahassee metropolitan area. The population was 293 at the 2010 census. As of 2018, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 319. Geography St. Marks ...

. The storm became extratropical over the

Carolinas The Carolinas are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina, considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east. Combining Nort ...

on October 4. The storm caused heavy rain and flooding throughout North Carolina. Numerous ships were wrecked along the United States Atlantic coast. Overall, the hurricane was responsible for 84 deaths.

Tropical Storm Five

On September 24 a tropical storm was discovered north of

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...

. It tracked through the

over the next few days. After passing the Bahamas, it moved parallel to the southeastern coast of the United States.The storm reached peak intensity on September 28. It apparently dissipated on September 29.

Tropical Storm Six

A tropical storm was discovered roughly halfway between Bermuda and the

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

Islands on October 13. It headed generally northward and did not strengthen. It became extratropical to the southeast of Cape Race on October 16. This extratropical storm lasted until October 18.

Tropical Storm Seven

A tropical storm was first discovered on October 24 in the Gulf of Mexico. It paralleled the states of the Gulf Coast for a few days before ultimately making landfall near

Cedar Key, Florida Cedar Key is a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. The population was 702 at the 2010 census. The Cedar Keys are a cluster of islands near the mainland. Most of the developed area of the city has been on Way Key since the end of the 19th ...

, as a tropical storm. The storm later strengthened slightly but dissipated on October 28.

Tropical Storm Eight

A tropical storm was discovered in the vicinity of the Bahamas on November 28. It reached peak intensity on November 29. The storm became extratropical by November 30 and affected many areas of Atlantic Canada.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1877 Atlantic Hurricane Season Atlantic Hurricane Season, 1877 Articles which contain graphical timelines 1877 natural disasters