1821 Norfolk and Long Island hurricane
| Category 4 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Estimated track of the hurricane
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| Formed | September 1, 1821 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | September 4, 1821 |
| Highest winds |
1-minute sustained: 135 mph (215 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | < 995 mbar (hPa); 29.38 inHg (≤965 mbar estimated) |
| Fatalities | ≥22 direct |
| Damage | $200,000 (1821 USD) |
| Areas affected | North Carolina, Mid-Atlantic States, New England |
| Part of the 1821 Atlantic hurricane season | |
The 1821 Norfolk and Long Island Hurricane was one of four known tropical cyclones that have made landfall in New York City. Another, even more intense hurricane in pre-Columbian times (sometime between 1278 and 1438) left evidence that was detected in southern New Jersey by paleotempestological research. The third was the 1893 New York hurricane, and the fourth was Hurricane Irene in 2011.
The first of three recorded tropical cyclones recorded in the 1821 Atlantic hurricane season, the storm that would eventually strike New York was first observed off the southeast United States coast on September 1, with winds estimated in excess of 135 mph (215 km/h). It moved ashore near Wilmington, North Carolina, and passed near Norfolk, Virginia before moving through the Delmarva Peninsula and New Jersey just inland. On September 3, the hurricane struck approximately near Jamaica Bay, which later became part of New York City, and on September 4 it was observed over New England. This was just 6 years after the destructive Great September Gale of 1815.
A tropical cyclone was first observed on September 1 off the southeast coast of the United States. Initially, it was believed to be the same storm that struck Guadeloupe on the same day, though subsequent research indicated there were two separate storms. The hurricane tracked by the Bahamas while tracking generally northward, and it attained major hurricane status over the western Atlantic Ocean. As it approached the United States coastline, the hurricane was very intense, with winds estimated at over 135 mph (215 km/h) and potentially as strong as 160 mph (260 km/h), or a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale. Late on September 2, the hurricane made landfall near Wilmington, North Carolina and later turned to the northeast to cross the Pamlico Sound.
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