1867 San Narciso hurricane

On or before 27 October 1867, a tropical storm developed east of the northern Lesser Antilles, and the mail steamer Principe Alfonso skillfully avoided the storm on that day. This tropical storm moved westward or west-southwestward, intensifying into a hurricane on or before 28 October 1867. Intensifying into a major hurricane on 29 October, this tempest hit Sombrero, Anguilla. The northeasterly or northerly wind intensified from 1 am through 6 am; after 8 am, a barometric pressure of 28.65 inches of mercury (97.0 kPa) accompanied a half-hour of relative calm. The wind then shifted to a violent easterly until 11 am and then diminished through 1 pm. The hurricane reached its peak intensity of 110 knots (130 mph; 200 km/h) at 1200 UTC near the island.

From 1:30 pm to 2:00 pm, its eye passed over Sankt Thomas, Danish West Indies.[1]

The hurricane weakened slightly before reaching Captaincy General of Puerto Rico later on 29 October, the memorial of Saint Narcissus of Jerusalem; following the Puerto Rican convention of naming hurricanes after the saint of the day on which a hurricane strikes the island, the storm acquired the name San Narciso. The hurricane made landfall in Puerto Rico, and its winds decreased further over the island. Despite its small size, it ranks among the most intense hurricanes recorded on the island. It passed near the city of Fajardo, between 5 pm and 6 pm and later passed near Caguas. People sensed tremors in the towns of Humacao, Luquillo, and Peñuelas. The storm affected all of the towns in the island of Puerto Rico.[1] San Narciso hit the island of Hispaniola on 30 October 1867. The storm probably dissipated that day over the high mountains of the island.

Wrecks in the Harbor of Saint Thomas

The hurricane caused at least 811 deaths in total: 600 in Sankt Thomas (Danish West Indies - now Saint Thomas, the United States Virgin Islands) and 211 on Puerto Rico.

On Tortola (British Virgin Islands), the storm reached its peak fury from noon to 2 pm and blew down one-third of the "miserable tenements." Deaths numbered 22 at Road Town, 2 on Peter Island, and 2 on Westland (now Soper's Hole).

On Saint Thomas, the hurricane drove ashore or otherwise wrecked 80 ships[2] including the RMS Rhone and the barometric pressure reached 28.50 inches of mercury (96.5 kPa) with winds of 74 miles per hour (119 km/h); about 600 people drowned.[1]

It caused 211 deaths in Puerto Rico, and the damages were calculated at 13 million Spanish escudos.[1] The hurricane ruined agriculture of the island of Puerto Rico, causing a great economic crisis.[3] The hurricane and various other factors contributed to the discontent on the island that erupted into the Grito de Lares of 1868.[3]

It almost destroyed the city of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, Dominican Republic, where 200 persons died on that day.

• Tropical cyclone
• List of Atlantic hurricanes
• 1867 Virgin Islands earthquake and tsunami – Devastating event that struck the same region 20 days later