San Ciriaco hurricane strikes Puerto Rico
- When
- 1899
- Where
- Guayama, Puerto Rico; Puerto Rico
- Episodes
- 2
The San Ciriaco hurricane struck Puerto Rico on August 8, 1899, making landfall in Guayama with winds of 140 mph (220 km/h). It was the deadliest tropical cyclone in the island's history, resulting in at least 3,369 deaths. The storm was the first major storm in Puerto Rico since the 1876 San Felipe hurricane.
Episodes
- Landfall in Puerto Rico
The San Ciriaco hurricane made landfall in Guayama, Puerto Rico, late on August 8, 1899, with winds of 140 mph (220 km/h).
- Casualties
The hurricane resulted in at least 3,369 deaths in Puerto Rico, making it the deadliest tropical cyclone in the island's history.
Background and detail
Background. Puerto Rico was acquired by the United States in 1898 following the Spanish–American War. On average, a cyclone of tropical storm strength passes near Puerto Rico every five years, and a hurricane passes in its vicinity every seven years. The San Ciriaco hurricane was described as the first major storm in Puerto Rico since the 1876 San Felipe hurricane.
Impact. The hurricane caused at least 3,369 deaths in Puerto Rico, making it the deadliest hurricane to hit the island. It was also the strongest to strike Puerto Rico at the time, until Hurricane San Felipe Segundo made landfall in 1928 as a Category 5 hurricane.
Aftermath. The hurricane was one of the main reasons why Puerto Ricans migrated to Hawaii. On August 24, the USAT McClellan departed Brooklyn with supplies from the Puerto Rican Relief Committee, including clothing for women, men, and children.
Sources
- 1899 San Ciriaco hurricane Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-18
- Puerto Rico Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-14
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.