1889 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1889 Atlantic hurricane season ran through the summer and the first half of fall in 1889. In the 1889 Atlantic season there were nine tropical storms and six hurricanes. However, due to scarce technology and the fact that only storms that affected populated land or ships were recorded, the actual total could be higher.
| 1889 Atlantic hurricane season | |
|---|---|
 Season summary map | |
| Seasonal boundaries | |
| First system formed | May 16, 1889 |
| Last system dissipated | October 7, 1889 |
| Strongest storm | |
| Name | Six |
| • Maximum winds | 110 mph (175 km/h) (1-minute sustained) |
| Seasonal statistics | |
| Total storms | 9 |
| Hurricanes | 6 |
| Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+) | 0 |
| Total fatalities | 40 |
| Total damage | Unknown |
Timeline
Systems
Hurricane One
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
 | |
| Duration | May 16 – May 21 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 80 mph (130 km/h) (1-min); |
A tropical storm formed on May 16, north of the British Virgin Islands. It strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane, over 400 miles from the coast of Georgia, on May 20. It reached a maximum wind speed of 80 mph/130 km/h that evening then curved away from the mainland and dissipated on May 21. This hurricane did not affect land, but was the first May hurricane on record in the Atlantic basin, and remains one of only four such systems known today.
Hurricane Two
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
 | |
| Duration | June 15 – June 20 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 75 mph (120 km/h) (1-min); |
A tropical storm formed near Cuba on June 15. Later that day it grazed western Cuba as a minimal hurricane, with a maximum wind speed of 75 mph/120 km/h. The storm weakened and made landfall in Florida as a tropical storm on June 17. It then paralleled the Georgia and North and South Carolina coasts before dissipating on June 20 in the open Atlantic.
Hurricane Three
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
 | |
| Duration | August 19 – August 28 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 80 mph (130 km/h) (1-min); ≤996 mbar (hPa) |
On August 19, Hurricane Three formed to the southwest of Haiti, impacting the Caribbean with heavy rain and a five foot storm surge. Three then moved away from the south by a high pressure system and strengthened to a category 1 hurricane to the east of Virginia. The storm took a course 70 miles away from New England and dissipated on August 28. The remnants passed over New York and Maine, dropping rainfall on the area.
Hurricane Four
| Category 2 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
 | |
| Duration | September 1 – September 12 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 105 mph (165 km/h) (1-min); ≤981 mbar (hPa) |
Hurricane San Martín of 1889
A hurricane formed on September 1 east of Barbados. It moved northwestward, becoming a 100 mph storm while crossing near Puerto Rico on September 3-4th. Winds of 48 mph were measured on the island. From September 9 to the 12th it caused flooding and storm surge to the mid Atlantic as it stalled off the coast, causing 40 deaths.
Hurricane Five
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
 | |
| Duration | September 2 – September 11 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 80 mph (130 km/h) (1-min); |
A tropical storm formed on September 2 in the mid-Atlantic. The storm travelled to the northwest and increased in strength, reaching wind speeds of 60 mph/ 95 km/h by September 4. The storm continued at that intensity on the same track for a further two days. The storm became a category 1 hurricane on September 7 and began curving eastward. Five caused the deaths of four people on a ship on September 8. The storm continued as a hurricane travelling over open ocean until September 10 and dissipated the following day. Hurricane five reached its maximum intensity over the north Atlantic at 70 knots.
Hurricane Six
| Category 2 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
 | |
| Duration | September 12 – September 25 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 110 mph (175 km/h) (1-min); 985 mbar (hPa) |
On September 12, a tropical storm formed over the northern Lesser Antilles. It moved westward across the northern Caribbean, and on the 18th, hit the eastern Yucatán Peninsula as a Category 2 hurricane. After weakening over land, it turned northward, where it again strengthened to a Category 2. While moving northeastward over the Gulf of Mexico, it weakened, and hit near Pensacola, Florida on the 23rd. Its minimal intensity at its U.S. landfall resulted in little damage, but Yucatán fared a little worse. No damage was severe.
Tropical Storm Seven
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) | |
 | |
| Duration | September 12 – September 19 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 60 mph (95 km/h) (1-min); |
This storm formed near the Cape Verde islands and wiggled its way to the open Atlantic where the cold water and wind shear made the storm dissipate on September 19. This system had winds of 50 knots.
Tropical Storm Eight
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) | |
 | |
| Duration | September 29 – October 6 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 70 mph (110 km/h) (1-min); |
This storm never touched land and took a sharp turn from land and dissipated on October 6. The system was a borderline hurricane at 60 knots.
Tropical Storm Nine
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) | |
 | |
| Duration | October 5 – October 7 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 60 mph (95 km/h) (1-min); ≤1002 mbar (hPa) |
A tropical storm formed south of Cuba on October 5 and then made landfall in both Cuba and Florida. It transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on October 7 just before making landfall in Nova Scotia.