 Weather Bureau surface weather analysis of the hurricane after moving inland over Texas on September 17, 1875 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | September 8, 1875 |
| Dissipated | September 18, 1875 |
| Category 3 major hurricane | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 115 mph (185 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 955 mbar (hPa); 28.20 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 800 |
| Damage | More than $4 million (1875 USD) |
| Areas affected | Lesser Antilles, Greater Antilles (Cuba landfall), Florida, Louisiana, Texas (landfall) |
Part of the 1875 Atlantic hurricane season | |
The 1875 Indianola hurricane brought a devastating and deadly storm surge to the coast of Texas. The third known system of the 1875 Atlantic hurricane season, the storm was first considered a tropical cyclone while located east of the Lesser Antilles on September 8. After passing through the Windward Islands and entering the Caribbean Sea, the cyclone gradually began to move more northwestward and brushed the Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti late on September 12. On the following day, the storm made a few landfalls on the southern coast of Cuba before moving inland over Sancti Spíritus Province. The system emerged into the Gulf of Mexico near Havana and briefly weakened to a tropical storm. Thereafter, the storm slowly re-intensified and gradually turned westward. On September 16, the hurricane peaked as a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h). Later that day, the hurricane made landfall near Indianola, Texas. The storm quickly weakened and turned northeastward, before dissipating over Mississippi on September 18.
The hurricane brought heavy rainfall to several islands of the Lesser Antilles, especially on Barbados and Saint Vincent. The latter reported significant damage and loss of life, including a ship that sunk with the loss of 20 crew members. Flooding and landslides caused severe damage to crops and roads, while two bridges and several homes were swept away, including more than 30 homes in total from the towns of Hopewell and Mesopotamia. Another 20 people died after the ship Codfish sank offshore Martinique. Navassa Island experienced strong winds, heavy rainfall, and very large waves, downing many trees and destroying several homes. Strong winds and above normal tides in Cuba left damage across the island, especially in Júcaro (close to Venezuela, Cuba) and Santa Cruz del Sur. In Texas, the storm completely destroyed Velasco and nearly destroyed the town of Indianola. In the latter, storm surge washed away three-quarters of the buildings and significantly damaged the structures that remained standing. Only eight buildings in the town were undamaged. Four people drowned after the two lighthouses at Pass Cavallo were swept away. At Galveston, several houses and a railroad bridge were destroyed, and a ship, the Beardstown, sank in Galveston Bay. The town suffered about $4 million (equivalent to $111 million in 2023) in damage and 30 deaths. Overall, the hurricane caused approximately 800 deaths, with at least 300 in Indianola alone.