1892 Atlantic hurricane season
| 1892 Atlantic hurricane season | |
|---|---|
 Season summary map | |
| Seasonal boundaries | |
| First system formed | June 9, 1892 |
| Last system dissipated | October 29, 1892 |
| Strongest storm | |
| Name | Three, Five, and Seven |
| • Maximum winds | 100 mph (155 km/h) (1-minute sustained) |
| Seasonal statistics | |
| Total storms | 9 |
| Hurricanes | 5 |
| Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+) | 0 |
| Total fatalities | 33 |
| Total damage | $1.5 million (1892 USD) |
| Related article | |
The 1892 Atlantic hurricane season included the last tropical cyclone on record to pass through the Cabo Verde Islands at hurricane intensity until 2015. A total of nine tropical storms developed, five of which strengthened into a hurricane, though none of them became a major hurricane.[nb 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 and zero to four per year between 1886 and 1910 has been estimated.[2] Three tropical storms made landfall on the United States.
Neither meteorologists José Fernández-Partagás and Henry F. Diaz in 1996 nor the Atlantic hurricane reanalysis project in the early 21st century added or removed any storms during their reanalysis of the season, though the latter upgraded the eighth storm to a hurricane. A reanalysis study by climate researcher Michael Chenoweth, published in 2014, concluded that 11 cyclones formed in the Atlantic in 1892. Chenoweth proposed the removal of the ninth system from the official hurricane database (HURDAT) and the addition of three storms. However, the changes suggested in Chenoweth's study have yet to be included in HURDAT.
On June 9, the first storm of the season developed over the northwestern Caribbean Sea. Striking Cuba and Florida, the cyclone dropped heavy precipitation in both regions. Flooding in the former rendered approximately $1.5 million (1892 USD) in damage and at least 16 deaths.[nb 2] Two other systems struck the United States in 1892, though neither caused much impact. In October, a hurricane passed near Tobago and moved across Venezuela, Colombia, Honduras, British Honduras, and Mexico, leaving damage in several regions and 17 fatalities, 16 of which occurred when a schooner capsized near Cabo Gracias a Dios. The ninth and final system was last noted on October 29. Collectively, the storms of the 1892 season inflicted at least 33 deaths and more than $1.5 million in damage.
Season summary
[edit]
The Atlantic hurricane database (HURDAT) officially recognizes that nine tropical cyclones formed during the 1892 season, five of which strengthened into a hurricane, but none of those intensified into a major hurricane.[1] The Atlantic hurricane reanalysis project in the early 21st century did not add or remove any storms from the 1996 reanalysis of the season by meteorologists José Fernández-Partagás and Henry F. Diaz, although the former upgraded the eighth system from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane.[3] However, a more recent reanalysis by climate researcher Michael Chenoweth, published in 2014, adds three storms and removes one – the ninth system – for a net gain of two cyclones, although these proposed changes have yet to be approved for inclusion to HURDAT. Chenoweth's study utilizes a more extensive collection of newspapers and ship logs, as well as late 19th century weather maps for the first time, in comparison to previous reanalysis projects.[4] Chenoweth's proposals have yet to be incorporated into HURDAT, however.[5]
The season's first known cyclone was initially detected over the northwestern Caribbean Sea on June 9. Striking Cuba and Florida,[5] the storm caused about $1.5 million in damage and at least 16 deaths in the former.[6] After this system was last noted offshore North Carolina on June 16, seasonal activity went dormant for nearly two months,[5] until a steamship encountered the second cyclone on August 15.[7] September featured the most activity, with four systems, two tropical storms and two Category 2 hurricanes on the present-day Saffir–Simpson scale that peaked with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 km/h). Three other cyclones formed in October, one tropical storm and two hurricanes. The season's seventh system moved on a low-latitude path that brought it over or near the Windward Islands, the ABC islands, and the Guajira Peninsula before turning northwestward and striking Nicaragua, British Honduras, and Mexico. Seventeen fatalities occurred, one on Trinidad and sixteen after a schooner capsized near Cabo Gracias a Dios. The season's ninth and final cyclone was last noted offshore the Northeastern United States on October 29.[5]
The season's activity was reflected with an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 116, tied with the previous season for the fifth-highest total of the decade. ACE is a metric used to express the energy used by a tropical cyclone during its lifetime. Therefore, a storm with a longer duration will have higher values of ACE. It is only calculated at six-hour increments in which specific tropical and subtropical systems are either at or above sustained wind speeds of 39 mph (63 km/h), which is the threshold for tropical storm intensity. Thus, tropical depressions are not included here.[1]
Systems
[edit]Tropical Storm One
[edit]| Tropical storm (SSHWS) | |
  | |
| Duration | June 9 – June 16 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 50 mph (85 km/h) (1-min); ≤1005 mbar (hPa) |
The first tropical storm developed about 45 mi (70 km) south of Isla de la Juventud on June 9. Initially moving northwestward, the storm made landfall later that day on the south coast of Pinar del Río Province in Cuba. The storm recurved northward and entered the Gulf of Mexico early the following morning, where it intensified and peaked with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 km/h). Around that time, it turned to the northeast and made landfall at 23:00 UTC on June 10 in northern