1855 Atlantic hurricane season | |
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Seasonal boundaries | |
First system formed | August 5, 1855 |
Last system dissipated | September 17, 1855 |
Strongest storm | |
Name | Five |
• Maximum winds | 125 mph (205 km/h) (1-minute sustained) |
• Lowest pressure | 945 mbar (hPa; 27.91 inHg) |
Seasonal statistics | |
Total storms | 5 |
Hurricanes | 4 |
Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+) | 1 |
Total fatalities | 1 |
Total damage | Unknown |
The 1855 Atlantic hurricane season featured tropical cyclone landfalls in the Gulf Coast of the United States, the Greater Antilles, and Mexico, but none along the East Coast of the United States. It was inactive, with only five known tropical cyclones. Another tropical storm was believed to have existed offshore Atlantic Canada in late August and early September,[1] but HURDAT – the official Atlantic hurricane database – now excludes this system.[2] The first known system was initially observed on August 5, while the final known storm was last noted on September 17. These dates fall within the period with the most tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic. At one point during the season, two tropical cyclones existed simultaneously. Two of the cyclones only have a single known point in their tracks due to a sparsity of data.
Of the season's five tropical cyclones, four reached hurricane status. Furthermore, one of those four strengthened into a major hurricane, which are Category 3 or higher on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson scale. The strongest cyclone of the season, the fifth system, peaked at Category 3 strength with 125 mph (205 km/h) winds. It reportedly produced some of the worst impacts in Louisiana and Mississippi since 1819 and killed at least one person in the latter. The first storm of the season brought locally severe impact to Tampico, Tamaulipas, in Mexico in early August. Additionally, the fourth storm caused severe damage in the Lesser Antilles.