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All storm pages · 1879 Atlantic season

Storm 2 of 1879 1879

Category 3 hurricane · Atlantic · August 13 to August 20, 1879

Storm 2 of 1879's 115 mph landfall in North Carolina on August 18, 1879 ranks tied for the second-strongest of the 69 storms with a landfall record there. The storm's 80 mph landfall in Massachusetts on August 19, 1879 ranks tied for the third-strongest of the 11 storms with a landfall record there. The storm generated 21% of the season's accumulated cyclone energy, more than any other 1879 storm.

Track of Storm 2 of 1879 from the best-track record, coloured by strength20°N30°N40°N50°N90°W80°W70°W60°W50°W40°WVirginia BeachNorth Carolina, 115 mphMassachusetts, 80 mphPeak 115 mphFirst recordTropical stormCategory 1Category 2Category 300 and 12 UTCLandfall

Strength over time

Maximum sustained wind of Storm 2 of 1879 over time, in mphTSCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 404080120Aug 14Aug 15Aug 16Aug 17Aug 18Aug 19Aug 20mph
  1. First record (tropical storm) 285 miles east-northeast of Saint John's, Antigua and Barbuda
  2. Hurricane 205 miles northeast of Banes, Holguín, Cuba
  3. Major hurricane 145 miles southeast of Charleston, South Carolina
  4. Peak, 115 mph 145 miles southeast of Charleston, South Carolina; lowest pressure 971 mb
  5. Landfall North Carolina
  6. Landfall Massachusetts
  7. Last record (tropical storm) 300 miles east-northeast of Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Against every Atlantic storm since 1851

Peak sustained wind115 mph · tied 281st of 1,98830 mph190 mph
Lowest central pressure971 mb · tied 379th of 1,277882 mb1016 mb
Accumulated cyclone energy13.6 · tied 395th of 1,7520.173.6
Days as a tropical or subtropical cyclone7.8 days · tied 461st of 1,9880.0 days31.8 days

In the 1879 season

04080120160this storm

Storm 2 of 8 in 1879, hurricane 2 of 6; it formed after Storm 1 of 1879 and before Storm 3 of 1879. This storm ranks second by peak wind in the season. See the season.

Places the center passed

The center came within 50 miles of at least 8 towns or cities of 10,000 people or more while the system was tropical. Distances are to the interpolated track line, not the storm's edge.

PlaceClosestWind thenDate
New Bedford, Massachusetts18 mi80 mphAugust 19
Virginia Beach, Virginia18 mi105 mphAugust 18
Newport, Rhode Island23 mi80 mphAugust 19
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada23 mi70 mphAugust 19
New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada28 mi70 mphAugust 19
Norfolk, Virginia34 mi105 mphAugust 18
Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada38 mi70 mphAugust 20
Atlantic City, New Jersey39 mi90 mphAugust 18

Every storm within 50 miles of Virginia Beach, Virginia

Similar landfalls in North Carolina

Storms whose strongest landfall record in North Carolina came closest to this one's 115 mph:

All 69 storms with a landfall record in North Carolina

Also peaked at 115 mph

Of 64 storms from other Atlantic seasons, the nearest in time:

  • Storm 10 of 1878951 mb, no landfall record
  • Storm 4 of 1877no pressure recorded, landfall in Florida
  • Storm 2 of 1876980 mb, landfall in North Carolina
  • Storm 5 of 1876958 mb, landfall in Florida