Hurricane History Map

1856 North Atlantic season

8 storms formed in the North Atlantic basin in 1856, from 7 August 1856 to 18 October 1856.

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Years1856
Ocean basin

Choosing a minimum category hides storms with no wind speed in the record. To see which storms have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • Tropical depression Winds below 34 knots (39 mph)
  • Tropical storm 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph)
  • Category 1 64 to 82 knots (74 to 95 mph)
  • Category 2 83 to 95 knots (96 to 110 mph)
  • Category 3 96 to 112 knots (111 to 129 mph), major
  • Category 4 113 to 136 knots (130 to 156 mph), major
  • Category 5 137 knots (157 mph) or more, major
  • Unknown intensity No wind speed in the record
  • Post-tropical Storm has become post-tropical (dashed line)

How to read the lines. Each line is the track of one storm, drawn through its six-hourly positions and coloured by its intensity at each point (the Saffir-Simpson scale), so a line changes colour as the storm strengthens or weakens. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see which storms have passed nearby. Weaker storms appear as you zoom in. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same kind of storm with different names in different oceans.

The 1856 season in numbers

The record holds 8 storms for the 1856 North Atlantic season, of which 0 had names.5 reached tropical storm strength (34 knots or more), 4 reached hurricane strength (category 1 or more) and 2 were major (category 3 or more). 3 have no wind speed in the record.

  • 8storms
  • 5tropical storm strength or more
  • 4hurricane strength or more
  • 2major (category 3 to 5)
  • 49accumulated cyclone energy

Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the squared wind speed of every position of 34 knots or more, divided by 10,000. It is approximate here because the winds are 1-minute equivalents, and it is mostly useful for comparing seasons of one basin.

Strongest storms of 1856

  • Unnamed storm of August 1856 (North Atlantic)7 August 1856 to 14 August 1856, peak Category 4 (130 kt), 934 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of August 1856 (North Atlantic)21 August 1856 to 3 September 1856, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 969 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of August 1856 (North Atlantic)12 August 1856 to 16 August 1856, peak Category 1 (70 kt)
  • Unnamed storm of September 1856 (North Atlantic)10 September 1856 to 22 September 1856, peak Category 1 (70 kt)
  • Unnamed storm of August 1856 (North Atlantic)19 August 1856 to 21 August 1856, peak Tropical storm (50 kt)

All 8 storms of 1856

StormPeak
Unnamed storm Category 4
Unnamed storm Unknown intensity
Unnamed storm Category 1
Unnamed storm Tropical storm
Unnamed storm Category 3
Unnamed storm Category 1
Unnamed storm Unknown intensity
Unnamed storm Unknown intensity

← 1855 · 1857 → · All seasons

Other basins in 1856

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