The 1880 Atlantic hurricane season included four hurricanes striking or producing hurricane-force winds in the United States, tied with 1852 and 1869 for the most in one season before 1886. In the 1880 season, there were two tropical storms, seven hurricanes, and two major hurricanes. 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.
The track of the season's first cyclone begins over the east-central Gulf of Mexico on June 21. Striking Texas on June 24, the storm dissipated by the following day after causing little impact. No additional activity occurred until August. That month, the season's second and third cyclones each caused about 30 deaths, with the former causing about $1 million (1880 USD) in damage in northern Tamaulipas and southern Texas and the latter inflicting $50,000 in damage at Up-Park Camp in Jamaica alone. Near the end of August, 68 people drowned after the fourth system wrecked the City of Vera Cruz steamship as the hurricane approached landfall in Florida. Another late August storm, the season's fifth cyclone, caused approximately $48,000 in damage on Bermuda and drowned one person after being swept overboard a ship near the island. Several other storms impacted land or mariners, but to a lesser extent. Overall, the storms of the 1880 season collectively caused more than $1.098 million in damage and over 129 fatalities.
Of the known 1880 cyclones, the sixth was first documented in 1995 by José Fernández-Partagás and Henry F. Diaz. They also proposed large changes to the known tracks of several other storms for this year and re-instated the tenth system in the hurricane database (HURDAT). In the early 21st century, the Atlantic hurricane reanalysis project did not add or remove any cyclones and only made significant modifications to the fourth storm, shortening its duration by one day. A preliminary reanalysis by Michael Chenoweth, published in 2014, found 13 storms, 9 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes. Chenoweth also proposed some alterations to the track and intensity of each storm, but these changes have yet to be incorporated into HURDAT.
Seasonal summary
The Atlantic hurricane database (HURDAT) recognizes 11 tropical cyclones for the 1880 season. In the 1880, there were two known tropical storms, seven hurricanes, and two major hurricanes in the Atlantic basin. Four of these hurricanes either made landfall in the United States or produced hurricane-force winds in the country, tied with 1852 and 1869 for the most in one season prior to 1886. Meteorologists José Fernández-Partagás and Henry F. Diaz first documented the season's sixth system in 1995 and added the tenth storm back into HURDAT,Fernández-Partagás (1995), p. 77. after it had been excluded from the 1993 reanalysis led by meteorologist C. J. Neumann, despite being discussed in the November 1880 edition of the Monthly Weather Review.Fernández-Partagás (1995), p. 78. They also modified the tracks of all cyclones except the first and the eleventh. The Atlantic hurricane reanalysis project in the early 21st century did not add or remove any cyclones and only made significant modifications to the fourth storm, shortening its duration by one day after determining that the system decayed faster over the Southern United States than previous reassessments of the season showed. A reanalysis by climate researcher Michael Chenoweth, published in 2014, adds four storms and removes two, the first and eleventh systems. 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. However, Chenoweth's proposals have yet to be incorporated into HURDAT.
The first cyclone of the season was first detected over the east-central Gulf of Mexico on June 21. Striking Texas on June 24, the storm dissipated by the following day after causing little impact. No additional known activity occurred until August 4, the day that the season's second storm began producing winds, rains, and decreasing atmospheric pressures over the Lesser Antilles.Monthly Weather Review (August 1880), p. 3. Later, the cyclone struck the Yucatán Peninsula as a Category 2 hurricane on the present-day Saffir–Simpson scale and then northern Tamaulipas as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 150 mph (240 km/h), the highest sustained wind speed in the Atlantic basin in 1880. In addition to causing about $1 million in damage in Tamaulipas and Texas,Monthly Weather Review (August 1880), p. 4. at least 30 deaths occurred, primarily at sea. The season's third cyclone made landfall on Jamaica as a Category 1 hurricane, causing 30 fatalities and $50,000 in damage at Up-Park Camp alone.Monthly Weather Review (August 1880), p. 4. Near the end of August, 68 people drowned after the fourth system wrecked the City of Vera Cruz steamship as the hurricane approached landfall in Florida. Another late August storm, the season's fifth cyclone, caused approximately $48,000 in damage on Bermuda and drowned one person after being swept overboard a ship near the island. Three systems developed in September, all of which intensified into hurricanes. The last of the three, the season's eighth storm, peaked as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 km/h) and a minimum atmospheric pressure of , the lowest recorded in the basin in 1880. October also featured three storms, including the eleventh and final of the season, which transitioned into an extratropical cyclone while approaching coastal Massachusetts on October 23. Overall, the storms of the 1880 season collectively caused more than $1.098 million in damage and over 129 fatalities.
The season generated an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) of 131 units, above the 1981–2010 median of 92, as well as the second-highest total prior to 1886, behind only 1878. 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 , which is the threshold for tropical storm intensity. Thus, tropical depressions are not included here.
Systems Tropical Storm One
The first tropical storm of the season formed early on June 21, about south-southwest of Cape San Blas, Florida. On the same date, the schooner James Andrew registered a small area of severe winds and squalls.Fernández-Partagás (1995), p. 60. Over the next few days, the system moved generally westward to west-northwestward, maintaining winds of 45 mph (75 km/h). At 15:00 UTC on June 25, the slow-moving cyclone made landfall southwest of present-day Bay City, Texas. The system then weakened rapidly as it headed inland, dissipating 18 hours later. A weather station in Galveston recorded of rain in an eight-hour period. A preliminary reanalysis by climate researcher Michael Chenoweth in 2014 concluded that the system did not qualify as an organized tropical system.
Hurricane Two
The second tropical cyclone of the season originated about east of Guadeloupe at 00:00 UTC on August 4. The cyclone tracked westward through the southernmost Leeward Islands, generating southeast winds, rain, and sea-level pressures of . Gradually strengthening, it reached hurricane intensity on August 6, and passed south of Jamaica. The storm attained winds of 105 mph (165 km/h) at 12:00 UTC on August 7—an intensity it maintained over the next few days while turning west-northwestward. On August 9, the hurricane struck the Yucatán Peninsula near Puerto Morelos, and weakened significantly as it headed inland. Reaching the southern Gulf of Mexico as a tropical storm on August 10, the cyclone then underwent steady intensification: 48 hours later, it became a major hurricane, and peaked at early on August 13. At 01:00 UTC, the strong Category 4 hurricane struck northern Tamaulipas, south of Port Isabel, Texas, with a minimum pressure determined to be at the time, based on a reading of coincident with hurricane-force winds at Brownsville.Monthly Weather Review (August 1880), p. 4. The cyclone then passed over Matamoros and Brownsville and weakened as it paralleled the Rio Grande, curved into South Texas, and dissipated on August 14. Chenoweth mainly proposed a slightly more southerly track for this storm, while also delaying the system's intensification into a hurricane until August 9.
In Jamaica, Kingston reported unsettled weather and falling barometers.Monthly Weather Review (August 1880), p. 3-4. Hurricane-force winds occurred offshore of western Cuba. The storm caused several ships to be lost or stranded in or near the Yucatán Channel. In the Mexican state of Yucatán, winds and heavy rains in the Mérida area uprooted trees and destroyed huts, while boats were lost. Hitting close to the Mexico–United States border, the powerful cyclone severely impacted both nations. The pressure in the storm was In Tamaulipas, the hurricane destroyed many homes at Matamoros, causing about 200,000 pesos in damage and leaving about 1,000 families homeless, while similar impacts occurred in Allende de Bravo and Bagdad. Extensive crop losses were also reported in this region of Tamaulipas. The cyclone destroyed 300 homes in Matamoros and downed buildings and fences in Brownsville. At the latter place, debris covered streets.Fernández-Partagás (1995), p. 61. Strong winds destroyed 20 structures at Fort Brown, the barracks sustained damage, and 35 horses and mules died. Ten vessels sank in the Rio Grande and at Port Isabel, resulting in three deaths. The storm levelled buildings, killed domestic pigs, and generated a storm surge of on Padre Island. The storm also ruined of track bed in Texas. Seven deaths took place on land: two in Matamoros, "at least" five in Brownsville. The Monthly Weather Review noted that damage estimates at Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Tamaulipas, as well as areas in the vicinity reached approximately $1 million. Total fatalities in the storm numbered 30 or more, primarily at sea.
Hurricane Three
The third tropical cyclone of the season developed northeast of Barbados early on August 15. Pursuing a parabolic path, it headed west-southwest across Saint Lucia, and a ship noted heavy squalls near Guadeloupe.Monthly Weather Review (August 1880), p. 5. On August 16, the fast-moving tropical storm, then nearing hurricane intensity, turned westward over the eastern Caribbean Sea. At 00:00 UTC on August 18, upon reaching hurricane status, it commenced a northwestward course toward Jamaica. On the same date, the ship Nith registered a pressure of in the storm.Fernández-Partagás (1995), p. 62. At 00:00 UTC on August 19, the cyclone peaked with winds of 90 mph (150 km/h), and shortly afterward struck Kingston, Jamaica. While traversing eastern Jamaica, the cyclone weakened, and turned northward to strike Pilón, Cuba, with winds of . The storm lost hurricane intensity after landfall, turned to the north-northeast, and swiftly crossed the Bahamas on August 20. The storm was last identifiable at 18:00 UTC, over the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, with winds of 45 mph (75 km/h).