October 10, 1780 - Deadliest Hurricane On Record
The Great Hurricane of 1780 is still, to this day, the deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record.
The Great Hurricane of 1780 is still, to this day, the deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record. Photo: Pixabay.
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The Great Hurricane of 1780, also known as Huracán San Calixto, the Great Hurricane of the Antilles and the 1780 Disaster. Regardless of whatever name it is called, it is still the deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record.
Because of how far back in history it occurred, the actual specifics on the hurricane's track and strength are unknown because the official Atlantic hurricane database goes back only to 1851, so with this happening 70 years prior to this, we can only go by whatever might have been written down at the time.
Accounts suggest that the hurricane likely struck the sugar cane-rich island of Barbados as a Category 5 hurricane, with at least one estimate that wind speeds were as high as 200 m.p.h. (320 km/h). If this holds true, this would be the highest wind speed greater in recorded Atlantic basin history.
It is estimated, through census and other early documents, that between 22,000 and 27,501 people died throughout the Lesser Antilles when the storm passed through from Oct. 10-16.
On today's podcast, Chris Mei talks about the historical records of the Great Hurricane of 1780, timeline and track, strength and aftermath of the deadliest Atlantic hurricane ever.
"This Day In Weather History” is a daily podcast by The Weather Network that features unique and informative stories from host Chris Mei.
