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1893 Sea Islands hurricane

1893 Sea Islands hurricane was a Category 3 hurricane at its peak, with 121 mph winds and a lowest pressure of 954 mb, per NOAA's National Hurricane Center. Modeled winds reached tropical-storm force (39 mph) at 44 of the cities we track; the strongest was Savannah, GA, with a modeled peak gust of 117 mph.

Peak strength121 mph winds (1-minute)
Category 3
Cities with tropical-storm-force windsModeled, of the cities we track
44
LandfallsFirst August 28, 1893
1
Lowest pressure
954 mb

Track, wind field and cities

Select a piece of the track or a city for details.

  • Depression or weaker
  • Tropical storm
  • Hurricane, Category 1 or 2
  • Major hurricane, Category 3 to 5
  • Landfall
  • City (larger ring, stronger modeled gust)
  • Modeled wind field, 39 to 111 mph sustained (darker, stronger; orange 111 mph+)
Source: NOAA/NWS National Hurricane Center best track (HURDAT2). City winds and the wind field are modeled.

The shaded areas are where our model puts 1893 Sea Islands hurricane’s sustained winds over open land at 39 mph or more (tropical-storm force), 58, 74 (hurricane force) and 111 mph (major hurricane force) at some point along its track. Modeled, not measured. How we model hurricane winds

Landfalls

  1. August 28, 1893, Category 3 at 115 mph, about 22 miles from Savannah, GA

Modeled winds at cities (44)

Estimated peak winds for open, flat ground at each city’s center. Not measurements. How we model hurricane winds

CityPeak gustSustainedClosest passPeak
Savannah, GA117 mph95 mph1 milesAug 27, 1893, 11:45 PM GMT-5
Hilton Head Island, SC117 mph95 mph27 milesAug 28, 1893, 12:30 AM GMT-5
Deltona, FL93 mph76 mph54 milesAug 27, 1893, 8:15 AM GMT-5
Palm Bay, FL93 mph75 mph50 milesAug 27, 1893, 2:30 AM GMT-5
Jacksonville, FL89 mph73 mph59 milesAug 27, 1893, 6:00 PM GMT-5
Columbia, SC85 mph69 mph8 milesAug 28, 1893, 6:00 AM GMT-5
Port St. Lucie, FL81 mph66 mph59 milesAug 27, 1893, 1:00 AM GMT-5
Charleston, SC79 mph65 mph69 milesAug 28, 1893, 3:15 AM GMT-5
Orlando, FL77 mph63 mph71 milesAug 27, 1893, 7:00 AM GMT-5
Charlotte, NC69 mph56 mph14 milesAug 28, 1893, 10:00 AM GMT-5
Greensboro, NC68 mph55 mph11 milesAug 28, 1893, 2:30 PM GMT-5
Durham, NC65 mph53 mph61 milesAug 28, 1893, 5:00 PM GMT-5
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What happened

The 1893 Sea Islands hurricane came ashore at Ossabaw Island, Georgia, just south of Savannah, at high tide, then moved north into South Carolina.1,2 NHC's best track puts landfall at 0500 UTC on August 28, 1893 (midnight EST) as a Category 3 hurricane with 100-knot (115 mph) winds and a central pressure of 954 mb.3

The storm tide submerged the islands along the Georgia and South Carolina coast, and the highest water at Savannah Beach was estimated at 17 to 19.5 feet above mean sea level.4 Nearly every building on Tybee Island was damaged and the railroad to the island was wrecked.4 Winds were estimated at 125 mph around Beaufort, South Carolina, and near 120 mph in Charleston.1 Damage was estimated at more than $1 million in Savannah and $10 million along the coast.4 NWS Charleston lists 1,000 to 2,000 deaths, and NOAA's Georgia storm tide study puts the toll at 2,000 to 2,500 on the coastal islands and lowlands between Tybee Island and Charleston.2,4

Sources

  1. 1. South Carolina State Climatology Office: South Carolina Comprehensive Hurricane Summary
  2. 2. NWS Charleston: Tropical Quick Facts
  3. 3. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Atlantic hurricane database (HURDAT2), 1851-2025
  4. 4. National Weather Service: Storm Tide Frequency Analysis for the Coast of Georgia (NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS HYDRO-19)

Best track (75 positions)

TimeStatusWindPressurePosition
Aug 15, 12:00 UTCTropical storm46 mph18.1°N, 20.2°W
Aug 15, 18:00 UTCTropical storm46 mph17.6°N, 20.9°W
Aug 16, 00:00 UTCTropical storm46 mph17.2°N, 21.6°W
Aug 16, 06:00 UTCTropical storm46 mph16.8°N, 22.4°W
Aug 16, 12:00 UTCTropical storm46 mph16.5°N, 23.2°W
Aug 16, 18:00 UTCTropical storm46 mph16.2°N, 24.1°W
Aug 17, 00:00 UTCTropical storm46 mph16.0°N, 25.0°W
Aug 17, 06:00 UTCTropical storm46 mph15.8°N, 26.0°W
Aug 17, 12:00 UTCTropical storm46 mph15.6°N, 26.9°W
Aug 17, 18:00 UTCTropical storm52 mph15.5°N, 27.8°W
Aug 18, 00:00 UTCTropical storm52 mph15.4°N, 28.6°W
Aug 18, 06:00 UTCTropical storm58 mph15.4°N, 29.4°W
Show all 75