| 1859 Atlantic hurricane season | |
|---|---|
 Season summary map | |
| Seasonal boundaries | |
| First system formed | July 1, 1859 |
| Last system dissipated | October 29, 1859 |
| Strongest storm | |
| Name | Six |
| • Maximum winds | 125 mph (205 km/h) (1-minute sustained) |
| • Lowest pressure | 938 mbar (hPa; 27.7 inHg) |
| Seasonal statistics | |
| Total depressions | 8 |
| Total storms | 8 |
| Hurricanes | 7 |
| Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+) | 1 |
| Total fatalities | Numerous at sea |
| Total damage | Unknown |
The 1859 Atlantic hurricane season featured seven hurricanes, the most recorded during an Atlantic hurricane season until 1870.[1] 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 has been estimated.[2] Of the eight known 1859 cyclones, five were first documented in 1995 by Jose Fernandez-Partagás and Henry Diaz, which was largely adopted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Atlantic hurricane reanalysis in their updates to the Atlantic hurricane database (HURDAT), with some adjustments. HURDAT is the official source for hurricane data such as track and intensity, although due to sparse records, listings on some storms are incomplete.
The first tropical cyclone was a hurricane observed in the Tuxpan area of Veracruz, Mexico, on July 1. Hurricane conditions were observed along the coast and several vessels were lost. On September 2, another hurricane struck Saint Kitts and Saint Croix, damaging ships on the former. The fifth storm of the season, possibly the most devastating of the season, brought storm surge and hurricane-force winds to the Florida Panhandle and Mobile, Alabama, as well as flooding and wind damage to some areas of the Mid-Atlantic. In early October, the sixth cyclone brought damage to Inagua in the Bahamas. At least 25 boats sunk, with several people drowning after one vessel capsized. Two ships capsized in the Bahamas due to the seventh storm. A ship in the Gulf of Mexico capsized during the eighth and final cyclone, drowning an unknown number of people. The storm became extratropical offshore the Southeastern United States on October 29.
The season's activity was reflected with an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 56.[1] ACE is, broadly speaking, a measure of the power of the hurricane multiplied by the length of time it existed, so storms that last a long time, as well as particularly strong hurricanes, have high ACEs. It is only calculated for full advisories on tropical systems at or exceeding 39 mph (63 km/h), which is tropical storm strength.[3]
- ^ a b Atlantic basin Comparison of Original and Revised HURDAT. Hurricane Research Division; Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (Report). Miami, Florida: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. February 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
- ^ Christopher W. Landsea (2004). "The Atlantic hurricane database re-analysis project: Documentation for the 1851–1910 alterations and additions to the HURDAT database". Hurricanes and Typhoons: Past, Present and Future. New York City, New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 177–221. ISBN 0-231-12388-4.
- ^ David Levinson (August 20, 2008). 2005 Atlantic Ocean Tropical Cyclones. National Climatic Data Center (Report). Asheville, North Carolina: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on December 1, 2005. Retrieved July 13, 2014.