1866 Atlantic hurricane season

1866 Atlantic hurricane season
Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formed	July 11, 1866
Last system dissipated	October 30, 1866
Strongest storm
Name	Six
• Maximum winds	140 mph (220 km/h) (1-minute sustained)
• Lowest pressure	938 mbar (hPa; 27.7 inHg)
Seasonal statistics
Total depressions	7
Total storms	7
Hurricanes	6
Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+)	1
Total fatalities	391
Total damage	Unknown
Atlantic hurricane seasons 1864, 1865, 1866, 1867, 1868

The 1866 Atlantic hurricane season was originally one of only four Atlantic hurricane seasons in which every known tropical cyclone attained hurricane status, along with 1852, 1858, and 1884.^[1] Initially, there were three known storms during the season, but a re-analysis confirmed the increased activity.^[2] There were also two other systems that were included as tropical cyclones at one time, although both were considered to have been other storms already in the database. All tropical activity occurred between the middle of July and the end of October. There may have been additional unconfirmed tropical cyclones during the season. Meteorologist Christopher Landsea estimates that up to six storms were missed from the official database, due to small tropical cyclone size, sparse ship reports, and relatively unpopulated coastlines.^[3]

Every storm but the fourth hurricane affected land during the season. The first hurricane hit Matagorda, Texas in July, the only one of the season to hit the United States as a hurricane. A month later a hurricane made two landfalls in Mexico. The third hurricane of the season formed near Bermuda and was last observed along the southern coast of Newfoundland. A few weeks later another storm executed a similar track, although it struck Newfoundland as a hurricane and caused damage. The most notable storm of the season was the Great Nassau Hurricane, which killed at least 383 people in the Turks and Caicos, Bahamas, and the western Atlantic Ocean. It attained winds of 140 mph (220 km/h), which is a Category 4 on the modern-day Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. The final hurricane developed over the Bahamas and later struck New Jersey, producing strong winds and high tides across New England.