******************************************************************************* 1851/01 - 2003 ADDITION: 00001 06/25/1851 M= 1 1 SNBR= 1 NOT NAMED XING=1 SSS=1 00002 06/25* 0 0 0 0* 0 0 0 0*285 965 70 0* 0 0 0 0 00003 HRBTX1 Ellis' (1988) Hurricane History of the Texas Coast (and mirrored in Roth's (1997b) Texas Hurricane History website) includes the following description: "June 25th, 1851: A short but severe storm which passed over Matagorda Bay and was described as the most disastrous experienced there to date. Caused widespread damage at Saluria on Matagorda Island where saltwater contaminated the fresh water cisterns. Wind damage at Port Lavaca was widespread and every wharf destroyed. Indianola suffered damage to waterfront buildings, but the storm tide did not cover the spit of land at Power Horn." Based upon this account, a single-point hurricane is analyzed and added to the best track database. It is quite possible that this hurricane was Category 2 (or stronger) given the sparseness of the population in the region. ******************************************************************************** 1851/02: No major changes from Partagas and Diaz's (1995a) analysis (was storm #1 in Partagas and Diaz), except to assume a date of July 5th for storm "before July 7th". No track available, only one point. Storm determined to be a hurricane based upon destruction that occurred in Tampico. ******************************************************************************** 1851/03: No major changes from Partagas and Diaz's (1995a) analysis (was storm #2 in Partagas and Diaz), though storm documentation is somewhat weak. No track available, only one point. ******************************************************************************** 1851/04: No major changes from Partagas and Diaz's (1995a) analysis (was storm #3 in Partagas and Diaz). Inland winds over Hispanola, Cuba and SE US reduced via methodology of Kaplan and DeMaria's (1995) inland decay model, but windspeed values over Hispanola and Cuba had an accelerated rate of decay due to the enhanced topography. Storm tide value of 12' obtained from Ludlum (1963) and Barnes (1998) for St. Marks, Florida. Storm determined to have reached major hurricane status based upon storm tide and extreme damage at landfall. Ludlum also called this storm the "Great Middle Florida Hurricane of August 1851". The best track provided appears to describe the full life cycle of this tropical cyclone (from its formation as a tropical storm to its peak as a major hurricane until its dissipation below tropical storm strength). ******************************************************************************** 1851/05: No major changes from Partagas and Diaz's (1995a) analysis (was storm #4 in Partagas and Diaz). Storm assumed to be stationary for 4 days. ******************************************************************************** 1851/06: No major changes from Partagas and Diaz's (1995a) analysis. Inland winds over NE US reduced via Kaplan and DeMaria's (1995) inland decay model. The best track provided appears to describe the full life cycle of this tropical cyclone (from its formation as a tropical storm until its dissipation below tropical storm strength). ******************************************************************************** 1851 - Additional Notes: 1. The tropical storm listed as #5 in 1851 in Partagas and Diaz (1995a) was not included into the HURDAT because of the evidence suggesting that the storm did not actually exist. Partagas and Diaz had found an unsupported reference to it in Tannehill (1938), but no other information. ********************************************************************************