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1856/01: Utilized Ho's (1989) work - apparently not used in Partagas and
Diaz's (1995a) analysis - to alter the track and intensity near the US.
Inland winds over SE US reduced via Kaplan and DeMaria's (1995) inland decay
model. Ship with pressure measurement of 955 mb not in the hurricane's
eye suggests at least 105 kt with the Gulf of Mexico wind-pressure
relationship, utilize 130 kt in best track. Ho's estimate of 934 mb at
landfall gives 125 kt, utilize 130 kt in best track - a major hurricane.
A small RMW of 12 nmi supports slight increase of winds over suggested
wind-pressure relationship. Storm tide value of 11-12' provided by Ludlum
(1963) for Last Island, Louisiana. The storm is also known as the "Last
Island Disaster" after the destruction caused at that location.
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1856/02: No major changes from Partagas and Diaz's (1995a) analysis. Storm
determined to have reached hurricane status from destruction felt in
Grenada and Barbados.
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1856/03: This storm was not identified by Partagas and Diaz's (1995a)
analysis. Enough evidence was retrieved from Ludlum's (1963) analysis
(see pages 99 and 100) to provide track and intensity estimates. Note
that the track provided here keeps the tropical storm's center offshore
of New England, which disagrees with Ludlum's assessment. This is due to
all wind reports from New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and - especially
- Massachusetts which remained at an easterly component for the duration of
this storm. If, as Ludlum suggested, the storm crossed the neck of Cape Cod,
there would have been a wind shift to a westerly component at Cape Cod and/or
Nantucket. Both remained easterly, thus suggesting a just-offshore track.
Ludlum referred to this storm as the "Charter Oak Storm of August 1856" for
the destruction of the famous Charter Oak that was a witness to the founding
of the Connecticut Colony in 1636.
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1856/04: This storm was listed as #3 in 1856 originally in Partagas and
Diaz (1995a). No major changes from Partagas and Diaz's (1995a) analysis.
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1856/05: This storm was listed as #4 in 1856 originally in Partagas and
Diaz (1995a). No major changes from Partagas and Diaz's (1995a)
analysis for track. Inland winds over SE US reduced via Kaplan and DeMaria's
(1995) inland decay model. Storm tide value of 6' obtained from Barnes (1998)
for Apalachicola, Florida. Havana's central pressure observation of 969 mb
gives 90 kt from the Gulf of Mexico wind-pressure relationship, which is used
directly. Pressure reading of 968 mb not in hurricane's center (on 18 UTC
of the 30th of August) suggests winds of at least 91 kt from the Gulf of
Mexico wind-pressure relationship - 100 kt is chosen for best track. This
last reading supports that this storm reached major hurricane status, but
likely weakened slightly before making landfall in the United States. Ludlum
(1963) referred to this storm as the "Southeastern States Hurricane of
1856".
1856/05 - 2003 REVISION:
00910 08/25/1856 M=10 5 SNBR= 33 NOT NAMED XING=1 SSS=2
00915 08/25*210 698 70 0*210 708 70 0*211 719 70 0*212 728 70 0
00920 08/26*216 739 70 0*217 748 70 0*220 759 80 0*222 766 80 0
00925 08/27*224 776 80 0*226 786 80 0*227 795 90 0*227 806 90 0
00925 08/27*224 776 80 0*226 786 80 0*227 795 90 0*227 806 80 0
**
00930 08/28*229 816 90 969*230 829 90 0*232 840 90 0*236 846 90 0
00930 08/28*229 816 80 0*230 829 90 969*232 840 90 0*236 846 90 0
** *** ***
00935 08/29*239 851 90 0*242 856 90 0*247 864 90 0*249 868 90 0
00940 08/30*252 871 100 0*256 873 100 0*262 874 100 0*275 873 100 0
00945 08/31*289 866 90 0*302 859 90 0*311 848 70 0*322 833 60 0
00950 09/01*330 816 50 0*340 796 50 0*347 779 50 0*355 753 50 0
00955 09/02*363 728 50 0*368 700 50 0*372 673 50 0*377 646 50 0
00960 09/03*382 618 50 0*388 586 50 0*390 560 50 0*395 523 50 0
00965 HRAFL2 AL1 GA1
Re-analysis effort by meteorologists in Cuba (Perez 2000) confirms
landfall as Category 2 hurricane (90 kt). However, winds reduced after
landfall in Cuba until center re-emerges off of the coast. Central
pressure of 969 mb in Havana corrected from 00Z to a 06Z value.
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1856/06: No major change from Partagas and Diaz's (1995a) analysis. Storm
is determined to have reached hurricane status based upon reports from the
ship "Utah".
1856/06 - 2003 REVISION:
00970 09/18/1856 M= 5 6 SNBR= 34 NOT NAMED XING=0 SSS=0
00975 09/18*320 488 50 0*325 489 50 0*329 490 50 0*335 493 50 0
00980 09/19*345 498 60 0*352 505 60 0*357 512 70 0*358 514 70 0
00980 09/19*345 498 60 0*352 505 60 0*356 510 70 0*358 514 70 0
*** ***
00985 09/20*360 517 70 0*360 520 70 0*362 523 70 0*363 524 70 0
00985 09/20*360 517 70 0*361 520 70 0*362 523 70 0*363 524 70 0
***
00990 09/21*364 525 60 0*365 526 60 0*365 527 60 0*365 528 60 0
00995 09/22*365 529 60 0*365 530 60 0*365 530 60 0*365 530 60 0
01000 HR
Track altered slightly for a more realistic translational velocity.
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1856 - Additional Notes:
1. The tropical storm listed as #5 in 1856 in Partagas and Diaz (1995a) was
not included into the HURDAT because of evidence suggesting that the storm
did not actually exist. Partagas and Diaz had found an unsupported reference
to it in Dunn and Miller (1960), but it is likely that this reference was
really referring to storm 1856/04 which hit the coast at the same exact
location.
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