1780 Atlantic hurricane season
1780 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1780 season ran through the summer and fall of 1780. It was extraordinarily deadly, with more than 28,000 people killed — the deadliest Atlantic hurricane season on record. Of the storms known this year, eight or more formed, seven became hurricanes, and four reached major hurricane strength. The strongest storm was the Great Hurricane, with winds around 200 mph.
Most storms affected the Caribbean and nearby coasts. Landfalls and impacts occurred in the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Cuba, Bermuda, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, and the New England states. It’s believed war at sea during the American Revolution increased exposure to dangerous weather and helped drive the very high loss of life in October.
Key storms
- The San Antonio Hurricane (St. Lucia) began in June 1780, striking St. Lucia and killing roughly 4,000–5,000 people. It then affected Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
- August 24: A powerful hurricane hit New Orleans area, with gusts over 160 mph. Grand Isle was nearly wiped out; the storm damaged the French Quarter and agricultural land, with about 25 deaths.
- Early October: A hurricane formed in the southern Caribbean, sank the British transport Monarch, and then moved toward Jamaica, destroying Savanna-la-Mar and killing hundreds in Lucea and Montego Bay. It then passed Cuba and the Bahamas, with about 3,000 deaths in total.
- October 9–18: The Great Hurricane of the Antilles (San Calixto) struck the eastern Caribbean. Barbados faced an estimated 4,300 deaths; St. Vincent and St. Lucia suffered huge losses, and Martinique’s capital St. Pierre was almost wiped out. It also devastated Puerto Rico, Dominica, and Bermuda. In total, about 22,000 people died in the eastern Caribbean from this single storm, making it the deadliest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded.
- Solano’s hurricane (Eastern Gulf of Mexico): A slow-moving storm that damaged a Spanish fleet of 64 ships under José Solano, with about 2,000 sailors killed. It began near Jamaica in mid-October and tracked toward Apalachee Bay, with some disagreement about exactly where it ended.
- Late October: A tropical cyclone struck Barbados and St. Lucia around October 23.
- November 17: A tropical cyclone moved up the U.S. East Coast, disrupting the British blockade of New England. It is unclear whether this storm was fully tropical.
Overall, only one known storm that year did not become a hurricane. The season’s immense death toll and wide area of impact reflect both the storms’ strength and the wartime context of the era. Exact total damage remains unknown.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:36 (CET).