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1866/01: No major changes from Partagas and Diaz's (1995a) analysis. No
track available, only one point. Storm is determined to have reached
hurricane status based upon reports from Matagorda, Texas.
1866/01 - 2003 REVISION:
02685 07/15/1866 M= 1 1 SNBR= 93 NOT NAMED XING=1 SSS=2
02685 07/11/1866 M= 6 1 SNBR= 95 NOT NAMED XING=1 SSS=2
** * **
(The 11th to the 14th are new to HURDAT.)
02686 07/11* 0 0 0 0* 0 0 0 0*280 873 90 0*280 878 90 0
02687 07/12*280 883 90 0*280 888 90 0*281 893 90 0*281 899 90 0
02688 07/13*281 905 90 0*281 911 90 0*282 917 90 0*282 923 90 0
02689 07/14*282 929 90 0*282 935 90 0*283 941 90 0*283 947 90 0
02690 07/15* 0 0 0 0* 0 0 0 0*285 965 90 0* 0 0 0 0
02690 07/15*284 953 90 0*285 959 90 0*285 965 90 0*286 971 60 0
*** *** ** *** *** ** *** *** **
(The 16th is new to HURDAT.)
02691 07/16*286 977 40 0* 0 0 0 0* 0 0 0 0* 0 0 0 0
02695 HRBTX2
Analysis by Roth (1997a) provides additional information for this hurricane
which was previously listed as a "single-point" storm in HURDAT. Roth writes:
"July 12-13th, 1866: A storm moved well off the coast of Louisiana. On the
11th at 28.5N 87.3W, a three-masted schooner was dismasted in heavy seas.
Winds "blew hard" at New Orleans for a few hours on the evening of the 12th.
Tides increased until daybreak the 13th. Damage was seen at the Timbalier
Bay lighthouse. "Ugly, threatening weather" hit on the 12th. Three feet of
water surrounded the tower. Wave action knocked away two brick piers, as 24
hours of pounding surf broke against the lighthouse. The keeper became
spooked by the combination of weather condition and loneliness, and "promptly
resigned"."
Based upon this description, the track was extended back to the 11th for
this hurricane. Inland decay model of Kaplan and DeMaria (1995) utilized for
inland winds over Texas.
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1866/02: No major changes from Partagas and Diaz's (1995a) analysis.
Inland winds over Mexico reduced via Kaplan and DeMaria's (1995)
inland decay model with an accelerated rate of decay to account for
enhanced topography. Storm is determined to have reached hurricane
status based upon observations from the ship "A. E. Patterson" and
the Fortress Monroe.
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1866/03: No major changes from Partagas and Diaz's (1995a) analysis. Storm
is determined to have reached hurricane status based upon reports from
ships "Messina" and "Robert Wing".
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1866/04: Major change from Partagas and Diaz's (1995a) analysis is to
not assume that the hurricane was stationary for three days at 15N
and 29.5W. Only one six-hourly position/intensity is provided on 12 UTC
of the 18th. Storm is determined to have reached hurricane status based
upon ship reports from the "Iddo Kimball".
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1866/05: No major changes from Partagas and Diaz's (1995a) analysis.
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1866/06: No major changes from Partagas and Diaz's (1995a) analysis.
Central pressure observation from Nassau with 938 mb gives 120 kt with the
southern wind-pressure relationship, which is used in the best track.
Storm is determined to have reached major hurricane status based upon
this central pressure measurement as well as several ship reports. This
system is known as the "Great Nassau Hurricane of 1866" (Ludlum 1963).
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1866/07: Major change from Partagas and Diaz's (1995a) analysis is to
extend track back one day to the 28th based upon discussion in their
analysis. Inland winds over New England reduced via Kaplan and DeMaria's
(1995) inland decay model. Storm is determined to have reached hurricane
status based upon observations at Fortune Island, Bahamas.
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1866 - Additional Notes:
1. The tropical storm listed as #8 in 1866 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 Tannehill (1938), but no other information. It is likely
that this case was confused with storm 1867/09, which hit at the exact same
place at exactly the same time of year.
2. The tropical storm listed as #9 in 1866 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 Tannehill (1938) and Dunn and Miller (1960), but no other
information. It is likely that this case was actually storm 1866/01.
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