Long before hurricanes took names or were tracked by satellite or aircraft,a major hurricane carved its way through the Caribbean region with deadlyeffect during October 1780.The storm killed no fewer than 22,000 people directly and, in all, 27,500deaths are attributed to this violent storm. Highest winds are said to havebeen 200 mph, although this would have been a rough estimate, not a hardmeasurement.
This was a "Cape Verde" storm that began over the eastern Atlantic Ocean as anAfrican tropical wave.
The long cross-Atlantic track intersected the Caribbean basin first with LesserAntilles and, later, with Hispaniola.
Beyond the Caribbean, this storm likely crossed the Bahamas before veering eastof the nascent United States. However, at this stage in its life cycle, thestorm's exact path is not recorded.
Story by AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews
