1864 Atlantic hurricane season

1864 Atlantic hurricane season
Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formed	July 16, 1864
Last system dissipated	October 24, 1864
Strongest storm
Name	One, Three, and Five
• Maximum winds	80 mph (130 km/h)
Seasonal statistics
Total storms	5
Total fatalities	0
Total damage	Unknown
Atlantic hurricane seasons 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865, 1866

Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS)
Duration	July 16 – July 18
Peak intensity	80 mph (130 km/h) (1-min)

Tropical storm (SSHWS)
Duration	July 25 – July 25
Peak intensity	70 mph (110 km/h) (1-min)

Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS)
Duration	August 26 – September 1
Peak intensity	80 mph (130 km/h) (1-min)

Tropical storm (SSHWS)
Duration	September 5 – September 8
Peak intensity	60 mph (95 km/h) (1-min)

Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS)
Duration	October 22 – October 24
Peak intensity	80 mph (130 km/h) (1-min)

The 1864 Atlantic hurricane season was the third consecutive Atlantic hurricane season with no hurricane landfall in the United States – the longest period on record. Of the five known 1864 cyclones, four were first documented in 1995 by Jose Fernandez-Partagas and Henry Diaz. 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 has been estimated. The first system was initially observed offshore the Southeastern United States on July 16. It peaked as a Category 1 hurricane on the modern day Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. Moving rapidly northeastward, the storm was last noted well east of Newfoundland on July 18.

The next system was observed in the south-central Gulf of Mexico on July 25. Because the cyclone was not tracked further, only a single-point storm path exists. After tropical cyclogenesis was dormant for over a month, another hurricane was spotted on August 26 to the east of Lesser Antilles. Early on the following day, the hurricane crossed the islands between Dominica and Martinique. After traversing the Caribbean Sea, the storm made landfall in Belize late on August 31, before dissipating the next day. Offshore Belize, several ships encountered the storm. Along the coast, storm surge flooded some areas. The fourth tropical storm was observed off the East Coast of the United States between September 5 and September 9. A number of ships sailing in the vicinity of the storm encountered heavy gales. The fifth and final known tropical cyclone was also tracked offshore the East Coast of the United States. Similarly, many vessels experienced rough seas and severe thunderstorms.