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1876 San Felipe hurricane
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Category 3 Atlantic hurricane in 1876
San Felipe hurricane the San Felipe II hurricane 1928 Okeechobee hurricane
March 2012
San Felipe hurricane weather map 9-17-1876 (330219).jpg Weather map of the hurricane nearing landfall in North Carolina on September 17 1876 9 12 1876 9 19 105 980 1876 21 Antigua, St. Kitts, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Carolinas 1876 Atlantic hurricane season
The San Felipe Hurricane was the second tropical cyclone of the 1876 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm was first observed east of the Leeward Islands on September 12, later intensifying to a Category 3 hurricane on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson scale while approaching Puerto Rico. In the upcoming days, the storm would make landfall on Hispaniola and Cuba, 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, as Category 1 hurricane. Continuing inland, the San Felipe Hurricane gradually weakened over the United States, reaching near Cape Cod before dissipation on September 19.
Many homes on Saint Thomas lost their roofs and fences, but impact from this storm was less than during comparable ones. Saint Croix, however, reportedly experienced its worst hurricane in 50 years, while Saint Kitts also suffered considerably. The storm was among the worst on Puerto Rico during the 19th century. In San Juan, the storm left few homes undamaged. Overflowing rivers and the storm itself carried away many bridges and caused significant losses to coffee, rice, and sugarcane estates. A total of 19 deaths were reported. At least 13 drownings occurred in North Carolina, two in Onslow County and eleven others after a ship sank at Portsmouth. Many other ships capsized along the coast of North Carolina. Flooding, damage to buildings, and uprooted trees were reported in Wilmington. The cyclone impacted several other states, particularly New Jersey, where the barrier islands in Cape May County alone tallied about $30,000 in damage.
Meteorological history
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The Atlantic hurricane best track begins the track of this system about 215 mi km on 5 east of Barbuda early on September 12, the first day when the Lesser Antilles observed strong winds and decreasing atmospheric pressures. However, the bark Mary M. Williams reportedly encountered this storm before that day.Fernández-Partagás José Díaz, Henry F. A reconstruction of historical tropical cyclone frequency in the Atlantic from documentary and other historical sources 1851 to 1880, Part II: 1871-1880 1995 https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/Landsea/Partagas/1871-1876/1876.pdf Climate Diagnostics Center Boulder, Colorado October 13, 2024 An unofficial study by Michael Chenoweth in 2014 found that the storm originated between West Africa and the Lesser Antilles on October 10.Chenoweth Michael A New Compilation of North Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1851–98 Journal of Climate December 2014 27 12 8674–8685 10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00771.1 American Meteorological Society https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/clim/27/23/jcli-d-13-00771.1.xml?tab_body=supplementary-materials 2014JCli...27.8674C free March 16, 2024 subscription Considered a Category 1 hurricane on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson scale at the beginning of its track, the storm moved generally westward and passed either or over Anguilla, Saint Barthélemy, and Saint Martin late on September 12. By early the next day, the cyclone briefly intensified into a Category 3 hurricane, peaking with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h), several hours before striking Puerto Rico between Yabucoa and Humacao. A 2003 reanalysis by the Atlantic hurricane reanalysis project estimated this intensity based on the damage that occurred in Puerto Rico.https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/metadata_1876.htm May 2015 Documentation of Atlantic Tropical Cyclones Changes in HURDAT Landsea, Christopher W. Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration October 13, 2024 Miami, Florida etal Also according to a study of impacts on the island, Father Benito Viñes calculated that the cyclone had a small diameter of about 185 mi km on 5. Humacao recorded an atmospheric pressure of 979 mbar inHg on, the lowest in relation to the storm.
The system moved west-northwestward across the Mona Passage and struck the Dominican Republic, weakening to a tropical storm on September 14 as it traversed Hispaniola. The storm briefly re-attained Category 1 hurricane status while crossing the Windward Passage early on September 15, based on a 2000 re-analysis by meteorologist Louis A. Pérez Jr., and soon made landfall in Cuba near San Antonio del Sur. Weakening to a tropical storm, the cyclone continued west-northwestward until turning northward over the central part Cuba early on September 16, several hours before emerging into the far southwestern Atlantic. At 18:00 UTC, the system passed about 30 mi km on west of Grand Bahama and about 40 mi km on east of present-day Palm Beach, Florida. Based on land and ship observations, the storm re-intensified into a hurricane on September 17, though Chenoweth's study found that it had remained a hurricane over the past three days. The hurricane made landfall in North Carolina between Surf City and Topsail Beach around 14:00 UTC with winds of 90 mph (150 km/h). Moving parabolically across the interior of the United States, the cyclone weakened to a tropical storm over Virginia early on September 18 and to a tropical depression about 24 hours later over New York. Late on September 19, the depression dissipated near Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Impact
A newspaper on Saint Thomas noted that many homes lost their roofs and fences, but that impact from this storm was less than during other cyclones, such as in 1867 and 1871. Saint Croix, however, reportedly experienced its worst hurricane in 50 years, while Saint Kitts also suffered considerably.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times/143199436/ Queenstown, Oct. 4 October 5, 1876 The Times London, England 6 March 12, 2024 Newspapers.com In the former, the hurricane's impact in Christiansted was "not so great as might have been expected from the fury of the storm". Outside of Christiansted, however, particularly between Kingshill and Recovery Hill, the cyclone damaged a fort, a hospital, a schoolhouse, and 63 homes to some degree, destroying 22.https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-croix-avis/157033963/ The Hurricane of The 12-13th September September 16, 1876 St. Croix Avis 3 Christiansted, United States Virgin Islands October 12, 2024 Newspapers.com Both Saint Kitts and Saint Thomas observed sustained windspeeds up to 81 mph km/h on.https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/centerdata1871-1880.htm Center fix data: 1871-1880 National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Research Division October 12, 2024 Although the storm also lashed Tortola with high winds, little impact occurred aside from one or two sloops being beached.https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-croix-avis/157033357/ The Hurricane Saint Thomas Tidende September 20, 1876 St. Croix Avis 3 Christiansted, United States Virgin Islands October 12, 2024 Newspapers.com
Although considered one of the most severe 19th century tropical cyclones on Puerto Rico, it caused less impact than the Santa Ana hurricane of 1825, San Narciso hurricane of 1867, or San Ciriaco hurricane of 1899. Scientist and scholar Benito Viñes went to Puerto Rico from Cuba to conduct a study to calculate the damages of the hurricane. A more recent study, published in 2004, determined that impacts on the island in some cases reached the equivalency of an F3 tornado, although F2-level damage was widespread. The 1876 San Felipe hurricane became the first in which rainfall on Puerto Rico was measured using a rain gauge.Frank Mújica-Baker Huracanes y Tormentas Tropicales que han afectado a Puerto Rico Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, Agencia Estatal para el manejo de Emergencias y Administracion de Desastres http://www.gobierno.pr/NR/rdonlyres/49EA64D0-305B-4881-8B85-04B518004BD5/0/Ciclones_en_PR.pdf 10 August 30, 2010 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150924022947/http://www.gobierno.pr/NR/rdonlyres/49EA64D0-305B-4881-8B85-04B518004BD5/0/Ciclones_en_PR.pdf September 24, 2015 San Felipe affected Puerto Rico for 10 hours, killing 19 people.Edward N. Rappaport and Jose Fernandez-Partagas The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492–1996: Cyclones with 25+ deaths National Hurricane Center 1996 2011-03-14 http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastdeadlyapp1.shtml? However, historians suspected the Spanish Government withheld the actual damage and death toll data for Puerto Rico, due to the potential for commerce to suffer negative impacts.https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/7632/47802f778a053698388872411912bf8f7d27.pdf May 2004 2 74 Ecological Monographs Emery R. Boose Mayra I. Serrano David R. Foster Landscape and Regional Impacts of Hurricane in Puerto Rico 344-345 October 15, 2024 In San Juan, rainfall reached 4.71 in mm on over a 24 hour period.José Colón Notes on the Tropical Cyclones of Puerto Rico, 1508–1970 1970 http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/data_sub/perez_11_20.pdf September 27, 2012 Orlando Pérez 26 National Weather Service Pre-printed In the city, the storm left few homes undamaged. Overflowing rivers and the storm itself carried away many bridges and caused significant losses to coffee, rice, and sugarcane estates.https://www.newspapers.com/article/knoxville-daily-tribune/143200037/ Knoxville Daily Tribune 1 Porto [sic] Rico October 1, 1876 March 12, 2024 Newspapers.com After the storm, authorities designated Junta Local de Beneficienca, or local groups to collect donations for storm victims in each town. The storm was called the "San Felipe hurricane" because it struck on September 13, the feast day of Saint Philip, father of Saint Eugenia of Rome. Exactly 52 years later, Puerto Rico was struck by Hurricane San Felipe Segundo.
Weather stations on Cuba reported decreasing atmospheric pressures, including 999 mbar inHg on in Sagua La Grande. Winds in the Bahamas reached 88 mph km/h on at Cay Sal during the storm.
thumb|Weather map of the storm over the Mid-Atlantic in the afternoon on September 17
North Carolina observed sustained winds of 73 mph km/h on at Cape Hatteras before the anemometer was disabled. At least two drownings occurred in Onslow.Jay Barnes North Carolina's Hurricane History 1995 University of North Carolina Press Chapel Hill, North Carolina 202 Flooding, damage to buildings, and uprooted trees were reported from Wilmington. A bridge across Market Street there was washed away. Many ships capsized, including one at Wrightsville Beach that contained 1,400 terrapin.James E. Hudgins 2000 Tropical cyclones affecting North Carolina since 1586-An Historical Perspective National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/6403 13-14 October 12, 2024 Cape Henry in Virginia observed 5-minute sustained windspeeds of 78 mph km/h on and up to 8.32 in mm on of rainfall. Of that, 7.18 in mm on of precipitation fell on September 16, the highest daily total in the month of September. High tides impacted Washington, D.C., peaking at 7.9 ft m on above low water datum.David M. Roth Hugh Cobb July 16, 2001 Virginia Hurricane History Late Nineteenth Century Virginia Hurricanes National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Prediction Center September 24, 2024 http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/research/roth/valate19hur.htm
In Pennsylvania, gale-force winds impacted Philadelphia, downing many trees in the city, especially along east-to-west roads. Damage to awnings, chimneys, and signs was also common. At least six stores partially lost their roofs. Winds also toppled some signs and sheds at the Centennial Exposition fairgrounds, though few large buildings suffered serious damage, with the exception of a hotel and restaurant.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-evening-express/156892330/ September 18, 1876 The Daily Evening Express The Storm King 2 October 12, 2024 Lancaster, Pennsylvania Newspapers.com The New York Times declared the cyclone "one of the most severe ever known along the coast of New Jersey." Damage on the barrier islands of Cape May County reached $30,000.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-new-york-times/143201350/ The September Gale September 19, 1876 The New York Times 5 March 12, 2024 In New York, rainfall flooded many basements and several streets in New York City, while winds felled trees that blocked other roads. Abnormally high tides capsized several small boats along the coast, especially at Staten Island, and about 250 bathhouses at Rockaway and many others at Coney Island were swept away. Additionally, The Sun reported that Hog Island "is a thing of the past" because "the storm made a clean sweep" of that island. Overall, however, The Sun noted that "New York City gained more than she lost by the storm" due to rainfall replenishing nearby waterways, with up to 2.4 in mm on of precipitation at the New Croton Dam.https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-globe-democrat/156943118/ The Equinoctial Storm The Sun September 23, 1876 St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat 3 October 12, 2024
See also
Tropical cyclones Puerto Rico
Tropical cyclone
1876 Atlantic hurricane season
References
30em
San Felipe Hurricane, 1876
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Category:September 1876 in the United States
San Felipe Hurricane, 1876
Category:Category 3 Atlantic hurricanes
Category:Hurricanes in Puerto Rico
San Felipe Hurricane, 1876
San Felipe Hurricane, 1876
Category:September 1876 in North America