1883 Atlantic hurricane season in Encyclopedia

The 1883 Atlantic hurricane season ran through the summer and the first half of fall in 1883. Due to inactivity of the season, there were no storms in June, July and November. Tropical cyclones that did not approach populated areas or shipping lanes, especially if they were relatively weak and of short duration, may have been undetected. Because technologies such as satellite monitoring were not available until the 1960s, historical data on tropical cyclones from this period are often unreliable.

Season summary

The 1883 Atlantic hurricane season was a very inactive one with activity being confined from August 18 to October 24, well inside the hurricane season. Only four storms formed, three reaching hurricane strength and two reaching major hurricane status (Category 3+). Only one storm did not affect land, which was Hurricane One.

Storms

Hurricane One

The first storm of the season was first seen on August 18 in the tropical Atlantic. It moved to the west-northwest, becoming a hurricane before turning to the northeast. It moved past Newfoundland on August 26, causing 80 deaths from swells.

Hurricane Two

The second storm followed a similar track to the first one. It was first identified as a hurricane on August 24 to the northeast of the Lesser Antilles. Resembling a Cape Verde-type hurricane, it moved to the northwest, and reached major hurricane status on the 28th. On the 29th, the hurricane peaked at , but turned to the northeast where unfavorable conditions caused it to weaken. It passed south of the Canadian Maritimes, and became extratropical on August 30 to the east of Newfoundland. The extratropical storm persisted until September 2 when it lost its identity over East Anglia.

Hurricane Three

A major hurricane moved through the Lesser Antilles on September 4. It crossed Hispanola, weakening to a minimal hurricane. It restrengthened as it passed the Bahamas, and struck North Carolina as a Category 2 hurricane on the 11th. It dissipated over Virginia on the 13th, after causing 156 deaths. The rains from this storm helped end a summer-long drought, though the sleek rails caused a train wreck, derailing 10 freight cars. Crop damage was little, but this was because the peanut crop had already failed from the lack of rain.

Tropical Storm Four

The 4th and final tropical storm of the season formed on October 22 over the Bahamas. It moved to the north, then turned to the northeast while off the North Carolina coastline. The storm peaked at on the 24th before becoming extratropical that night, but as an extratropical cyclone it strengthened to an storm.