Texas Hurricane History:
Early 19th Century

September 12-14, 1818 Among the earliest accounts of a direct hurricane strike on the Texas coast was this storm which passed by the Cayman Islands, before moving westward into the Bay of Campeche, then northwest to hit Galveston on September 12th. It was described as a storm of extraordinary violence. War ships from Vera Cruz who encountered this storm were put out of commission for months.

All but 6 buildings on Galveston Island were reported destroyed when it was covered by 4 feet of water from the storm surge. The pirate Jean LaFitte was occupying Galveston at the time and played a great role during the tragedy. Most of the ships in his fleet were destroyed; 4 in all. After the disaster, his home named Red House was used as a hospital for the French colonists in the area.

September 10th, 1829: Hurricane struck Mouth of Rio Grande on September 10th. Inundated the Lower Coast. Port Isabel and Brazos Santiago saw great destruction. Corpus Christi reported high water. A subsequent flood along the Rio Grande washed away the Socorro Mission, originally built south of El Paso in 1691. The building, made of adobe brick, melted and sank into the ground (Ellis 21).

August 18th, 1831: Hurricane made landfall near mouth of Rio Grande. Port Isabel and Brazos Santiago were again ravaged by the storm.

September 1834: A hurricane struck South Texas. Establishments along the Mouth of the Rio Grande suffered severely.

August 18th, 1835: The Antigua Hurricane This storm was named such after it passed over Antigua on August 12th. It then raked the Greater Antilles; passing over Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and Cuba before heading back out into the open waters of the Florida Straits. The hurricane hit the Mouth of the Rio Grande on August 18th. In its 28 hour duration, many houses were blown down at Matamoros. The storm surge engulfed the barrier island and lowlands along the river.

The hamlet of Villa Hermosa de Santa Anna disappeared during the tempest. Every vessel in the nearby harbor of Brazos Santiago was either driven out to sea or beached high and dry after the storm. One ship was carried out to sea; when the crew realized the gales and tides were dragging them further and further from land, they jumped into the angry Gulf waters. Galveston Island saw flooding as well. The schooner Bravo was wrecked in Matagorda Bay. At least 14 perished in the storm. The system continued westward, moving into the mountains of Northern Mexico.

October 2nd-6th, 1837: Racer's Storm The first recorded storm to rake the entire coast was Racer's Storm on October 5th, named for a British sloop of war which encountered the storm in the extreme Northwest Caribbean on September 28th. It is remembered as one of the most destructive storms of the 19th century due to its extreme duration and 2000 mile long path of destruction.

The hurricane made landfall briefly south of Brownsville near Matamoros, lashing the coast for three days as the storm slowed to a near halt from the 2nd through the 4th of October. All vessels in Brazos Santiago fell victim to the storm. Paralleling the coast northeast, the storm took another ship victim offshore Matagorda Bay. Settlements along the bay all suffered heavy losses. All vessels at Velasco were driven ashore.

The map below shows the counties, in red, where the Racer's Storm affected most.

Then it was Galveston's turn. A storm surge of 6 to 7 feet higher than the spring tide inundated the coast. The scene on the island was one of utter desolation. Nearly all the homes on the island were blown down; all provisions were lost. The new Tremont hotel and two churches also were blown over. Water levels at Houston rose 4 feet. The whole character of the harbor entrance shifted during the hurricane. Ships were shoved as far as 3 miles inland. A long three masted bark was driven 5 miles inland on the ensuing storm surge. Two Texas Navy schooners were dashed to pieces on Galveston Island. The storm finally passed offshore Sabine Pass on the 6th into the Louisiana coastal waters. At least 2 lives were lost. See Louisiana Hurricane History for more details.

1838: Hurricane made landfall along Lower Texas Coast; caused high tides. Settlements at the Mouth of the Rio Grande again suffered losses.

November 5th, 1839: Hurricane struck Galveston unusually late in the season.

1840: Hurricane destroyed villages at Mouth of Rio Grande. Flooding was also noted.

September 17-18th, 1842: A strong tropical storm hit Galveston. They were on the west side of the system, as waters invaded the Island from the Bay to the north. About 4 feet of water swept over the island destroying smaller buildings and houses. Forty cattle were crushed under a house that was blown down. Damages totaled $10,000.

October 5th, 1842: A storm brushed by Galveston, flooding the town. The schooner Dream foundered between Galveston and New Orleans. All aboard the ill-fated craft were rescued.

The village of Brazos Santiago had been established by the Mexican government as a customs point for many years prior. An army garrison had been established there after Texas gained independence. The village site was just a few feet above sea level on Brazos Island and was extremely vulnerable to coastal flooding.

August 6th, 1844: This hurricane produced the first records of large loss of life along the lower Texas coast. Residents of South Padre Island fled to Matamoros for shelter. The 1844 storm completely destroyed the settlement after the waters eroded a pass clear through the old settlement. The town later relocated off the barrier island. The only survivor was reported to be the captain of the pilot boat who remained offshore. In Corpus Christi, high winds and tides capsized a pirate raft, loaded with their treasures. The Mexican Customs Office was moved to the mainland due to this storm. Seventy lives were lost.

October 17th, 1848: A hurricane struck the Lower Coast. Brazos Santiago Island was under two feet of water. Several vessels were lost near Port Isabel. Tides were reported to be high at Corpus Christi.

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* Author's current affiliation: NWS National Centers for Environmental Prediction - Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, Camp Springs, Maryland