Hurricane Klaus (1984)

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Hurricane Klaus formed from a broad area of low pressure in the southeastern Caribbean on November 5, 1984. It moved northeast, strengthened to a hurricane with peak winds of 90 mph, and reached its strongest intensity late on November 8. Klaus moved toward the Leeward Islands from the west, passing north of them and making landfall on extreme eastern Puerto Rico as a tropical storm on November 7. It weakened over cooler waters and became extratropical on November 13, about 440 miles south-southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland, before being absorbed by another system two days later.

The storm dumped very heavy rain in Puerto Rico, with a peak of 25.69 inches at Guavate Camp and widespread flooding. Strong winds remained mostly offshore on Puerto Rico, with gusts up to 37 mph at Roosevelt Roads. In the Leeward Islands and the Virgin Islands, Klaus caused strong winds and rough seas that damaged ships and coastal areas. In Anguilla, several ships were wrecked or damaged, and a cruise ship was driven ashore near Saint Martin, though all 60 passengers and 23 crew members were rescued with one hospitalization.

Dominica reported two fatalities and about $2 million in damage. Antigua and Barbuda experienced beach erosion and coastal damage, and Saint Kitts and Nevis saw damage to the Sandy Point port. The overall damage from Klaus was about $152 million (1984 USD). Two people died as a direct result of the storm. Afterward, the U.S. Virgin Islands were declared a major disaster to enable federal recovery aid.