The 1874 Atlantic hurricane season was a relatively inactive one, in which seven tropical cyclones developed. Four storms intensified into hurricanes, but none attained major hurricane (Category 3+) status. 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. The first storm of the season developed on July 2, and the final storm was last sighted on November 4, while situated just to the north of the Bahamas. Most of the systems directly impacted land. A tropical storm that developed in the

Bay of Campeche The Bay of Campeche ( es, Bahía de Campeche), or Campeche Sound, is a bight (geography), bight in the southern area of the Gulf of Mexico, forming the north side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. It is surrounded on three sides by the Mexico, Mexic ...

during the month of September destroyed the Brazos Santiago lighthouse. in the state of Texas. The sixth storm of the season, and also the third hurricane, made landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane before making a second landfall in South Carolina at the same intensity. The seventh, final, and strongest system of the season developed in 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 ...

on the last day of October, and made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 2 hurricane before weakening to a tropical storm by the time it made a second landfall in Eastern Cuba. The storm was last sighted to the north of the Bahamas on November 4, as a Category 1 hurricane.

Season summary

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 respective ...

) officially recognizes seven tropical cyclones from the 1874 season. Four storms attained hurricane status, with winds of or greater. The seventh hurricane of the season was the most intense, with

maximum sustained winds The maximum sustained wind associated with a tropical cyclone is a common indicator of the intensity of the storm. Within a mature tropical cyclone, it is found within the eyewall at a distance defined as the radius of maximum wind, or RMW. Unl ...

up to . The first storm of the season was a tropical storm that formed in the Gulf of Mexico during the month of July. The system made landfall near

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

on July 5, although it is unknown whether any damages or fatalities were caused as a result of the storm. The second and third systems of the season were both hurricanes, with winds up to respectively. The first system made landfall in

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 ...

as a tropical storm. In early September, another tropical system developed in the Bay of Campeche and made landfall in Northeast Mexico with winds up to . The fifth storm of the season formed northeast of the Bahamas on September 8, and moved northward before turning to the north-northeast. It was last sighted to the south of Newfoundland on September 11. The next system developed in the western Caribbean on the last day of October, before crossing over the Yucatan Peninsula and making landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane. The storm briefly weakened to a tropical storm over the state before restrengthening into a hurricane off the coast of Georgia. It made a second landfall in South Carolina on September 28, and became extratropical on September 30, while moving across the northeast. This was the first hurricane to ever be shown on a weather map. The seventh, and final, hurricane of the season was also the most intense of the year. It developed several hundred miles north of Panama on the last day of October, before striking Jamaica as a Category 2 hurricane. It weakened to a tropical storm before making landfall in Eastern Cuba, but later strengthened into a hurricane again while north of the Bahamas, where it was last sighted on November 4.

Timeline

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Systems

Tropical Storm One

On July 2, a tropical storm reportedly developed in the Gulf of Mexico, while located a couple of hundred miles to the south of the

Florida Panhandle The Florida Panhandle (also West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida; it is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia (U. ...

. Moving westward, the tropical storm steadily strengthened to reach a peak intensity of on July 3. Holding steady in strength, the tropical storm made landfall near Galveston, Texas on July 5, and then rapidly dissipated shortly after moving inland that same day. In Indianola, Texas, the storm blew down fledgling settlements and sank ships, seriously hindering coastal trade.

Hurricane Two

On August 3, a tropical storm developed in the open Atlantic, several hundred miles from any landmasses. Slowly gaining strength, the system reached hurricane status and a peak intensity of while located just northeast of the island of Bermuda on August 5. The system weakened back to a tropical storm on August 7, and made landfall on Newfoundland the same day, with maximum sustained winds up to . It dissipated shortly afterwards.

Hurricane Three

On August 29, a tropical storm developed a few hundred miles to the west of the Cape Verde Islands. Moving towards the west-northwest, the storm steadily gained strength, and reached hurricane strength at 0000 UTC September 2 (8 p.m. AST September 1). On September 6, the storm reached a peak intensity of . Moving just to the west of Bermuda, the storm began to turn more northerly, and transitioned into an extratropical system the following day. On September 8, the storm made landfall in Newfoundland as an extratropical storm.

Tropical Storm Four

On September 2, a tropical storm developed in the

. Moving generally towards the west-northwest, the storm reached a peak intensity of on September 4, while approaching landfall in northeastern Mexico. Shortly thereafter, the storm made landfall and quickly weakened into a tropical depression. Moving northward through Central Texas, the storm dissipated on September 7, while located to the southwest of the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area. The storm was responsible for destroying the Brazos Santiago lighthouse and for one fatality.

Tropical Storm Five

On September 8, a tropical storm was observed to the northeast of the Bahamas. Moving towards the west-northwest, the tropical storm held its intensity of as it passed between North Carolina and Bermuda. Turning towards the northeast, it was last observed to the south of Newfoundland on September 11.

Hurricane Six

On September 25, a tropical storm developed in the western Caribbean, north of

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

. Upon making landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula shortly afterwards, the storm briefly weakened into a tropical depression. However, when it emerged into the Gulf of Mexico, it attained tropical storm status once again. Steadily gaining strength, the storm reached hurricane status on September 28, after reports from the ship "Emma D. Finney" indicated such. It made 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 ...

several hours later, with an estimated minimum central pressure of . The storm was briefly downgraded into a tropical storm over the central portion of the state, but strengthened into a hurricane again after exiting near Jacksonville, Florida and crossing the

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Current, North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida a ...

. It hit South Carolina as a hurricane that same day, with the centre passing just east of Charleston and west of Wilmington. In North Carolina, Virginia, and several other states to the north, there were reports of trees being brought down, and shipping disrupted. At Smithville(Southport) several houses, warehouses, telegraph lines and railroad bridges were destroyed. The storm lost hurricane status for a final time over eastern North Carolina. Moving on a north-northeast track, it moved into the northeast United States and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on September 30, while over the state of Maine. On October 1, it dissipated over eastern Canada. This was also the first hurricane ever to be recorded on a weather map by the U.S. Weather Bureau.Greatest and Deadliest Hurricanes of the Caribbean and the Americas, Neely 2017, pg 228

Hurricane Seven

On October 31, a tropical storm developed to the north of Panama. Moving towards the east-northeast, the storm attained hurricane status on November 1, while situated just south of Jamaica. Upon making landfall in the island nation on November 2, the storm strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane with winds, becoming the strongest system of the 1874 season. Reports from

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inter ...

spoke of 17 vessels being wrecked or destroyed by the storm.Partagas, J.F. and H.F. Diaz, 1995b "A Reconstruction of Historical Tropical Cyclone Frequency in the Atlantic from Documentary and other Historical Sources : 1851-1880 Part II: 1871-1880" Climate Diagnostics Center, NOAA, Boulder, CO After crossing Jamaica, the system weakened into a Category 1 hurricane and then further into a tropical storm upon making landfall in eastern Cuba. On November 3, the system emerged in the Bahamas, and strengthened into a hurricane once again the following day. On November 4, the storm was last sighted to the northeast of the Bahamas.

References

External links

Monthly Weather Review

{{DEFAULTSORT:1874 Atlantic Hurricane Season Atlantic hurricane seasons Articles which contain graphical timelines Atlantic Atlantic