1855 Atlantic hurricane season
| 1855 Atlantic hurricane season | |
|---|---|
Season summary map
|
|
| Seasonal boundaries | |
| First system formed | August 5, 1855 |
| Last system dissipated | September 17, 1855 |
| Strongest storm | |
| Name | Five |
| • Maximum winds | 125 mph (205 km/h) (1-minute sustained) |
| Seasonal statistics | |
| Total storms | 5 |
| Hurricanes | 4 |
| Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+) |
1 |
| Total fatalities | Unknown |
| Total damage | Unknown |
| Category 2 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
 |
|
| Duration | August 6 – August 6 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 105 mph (165 km/h) (1-min) |
| Category 2 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
 |
|
| Duration | August 10 – August 11 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 105 mph (165 km/h) (1-min) |
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
 |
|
| Duration | August 11 – August 11 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 80 mph (130 km/h) (1-min) |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) | |
 |
|
| Duration | August 24 – August 27 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 70 mph (110 km/h) (1-min) 997 mbar (hPa) |
| Category 3 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
 |
|
| Duration | September 15 – September 17 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 125 mph (205 km/h) (1-min) |
The 1855 Atlantic hurricane season featured tropical cyclone landfalls in the Gulf Coast of the United States, the Greater Antilles, and Mexico, but none along the East Coast of the United States. It was inactive, with only five known tropical cyclones. Operationally, another tropical storm was believed to have existed offshore Atlantic Canada in late August and early September, but HURDAT – the official Atlantic hurricane database – now excludes this system. The first system, Hurricane One, was initially observed on August 6. The final storm, Hurricane Five, was last observed on September 17. These dates fall within the period with the most tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic. At one point during the season, two tropical cyclones existed simultaneously. Two of the cyclones only have a single known point in their tracks due to a sparsity of data, so storm summaries for those systems are unavailable.
Of the season's five tropical cyclones, four reached hurricane status. Furthermore, one of those four strengthened into a major hurricane, which are Category 3 or higher on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. The strongest cyclone of the season, Hurricane Five, peaked at Category 3 strength with 125 mph (205 km/h) winds. It brought only minor impact to Louisiana and Mississippi. The first storm of the season brought locally severe impact to Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico in early August. Tropical Storm Four caused severe damage in the Lesser Antilles.
The season's activity was reflected with a low accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 18. This was the lowest value on record until a rating of 13 during the 1907 season. ACE is, broadly speaking, a measure of the power of the hurricane multiplied by the length of time it existed, so storms that last a long time, as well as particularly strong hurricanes, have high ACEs. ACE is only calculated for full advisories on tropical systems at or exceeding 34 knots (39 mph, 63 km/h) or tropical storm strength.
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Wikipedia