| 1889 Atlantic hurricane season | |
|---|---|
 Season summary map | |
| Seasonal boundaries | |
| First system formed | May 16, 1889 |
| Last system dissipated | October 7, 1889 |
| Strongest storm | |
| Name | Six |
| • Maximum winds | 110 mph (175 km/h) (1-minute sustained) |
| Seasonal statistics | |
| Total storms | 9 |
| Hurricanes | 6 |
| Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+) | 0 |
| Total fatalities | 40 |
| Total damage | Unknown |
The 1889 Atlantic hurricane season featured the first known tropical cyclone in the basin to attain hurricane status in the month of May. Of those nine tropical storms, six intensified into hurricanes, but none of those strengthened into a major hurricane.[nb 1] However, 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. Therefore, an undercount bias of zero to six tropical cyclones per year between 1851 and 1885 and zero to four per year between 1886 and 1910 has been estimated.[2] The first system was initially over the western Atlantic Ocean on May 16, while the ninth and final storm transitioned into an extratropical cyclone just prior to striking Nova Scotia on October 7.
Neither meteorologists José Fernández-Partagás and Henry F. Diaz in 1996 nor the Atlantic hurricane reanalysis project in the early 21st century added or removed any previously undocumented storms from the official hurricane database (HURDAT). However, both modified the tracks of several cyclones. Additionally, a damage study conducted by Cuban meteorologist Ramón Pérez Suárez in 2000 led to the second system being reclassified from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane on the present-day Saffir–Simpson scale. More recently, a 2014 reanalysis study by climate researcher Michael Chenoweth recommended the removal of the ninth storm and the addition of four cyclones not currently listed in HURDAT. However, these proposals have not yet been approved.
The most intense tropical cyclone of the season, the six system, peaked as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 km/h) in September. Passing through the Leeward Islands and then striking Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and the Gulf Coast of the United States, the storm left destruction in many places, including about $40,000 (1889 USD) in damage and one death in the Jacksonville area of Florida.[nb 2] Also that month, the season's fourth system, which also peaked as a Category 2 hurricane, severely impacted the Lesser Antilles and the Northeastern United States, despite not making landfall in the latter. The United States reported almost $2.36 million in damage and 40 deaths. In June, the second cyclone of the season may have also caused fatalities in Cuba.
- ^ North Atlantic Hurricane Basin (1851-2023) Comparison of Original and Revised HURDAT. Hurricane Research Division; Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (Report). Miami, Florida: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. May 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
- ^ Landsea, Christopher W. (2004). "The Atlantic hurricane database re-analysis project: Documentation for the 1851–1910 alterations and additions to the HURDAT database". In Murname, Richard J.; Liu, Kam-biu (eds.). Hurricanes and Typhoons: Past, Present and Future. New York City, New York: Columbia University Press. p. 195. ISBN 0-231-12388-4. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
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