Hurricane One The first tropical cyclone of the season was observed on August 12, about southeast of
Cape Race,
Newfoundland. Its entire track was unknown, and its existence was only confirmed for 24 hours, based on three ship reports. The second, a
barque, the
Prinze Frederik Carl, sustained damage to all of its sails. The
Hurricane Research Division (HRD) assessed the storm to have moved northeastward in its limited duration, and based on the ship reports estimated peak winds of ; this would make it a Category 2 hurricane on the modern-day
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.
Hurricane Two The Lower Texas Coast Hurricane of 1869 By August 16, a strong hurricane was located in the northwestern
Gulf of Mexico south of
Louisiana. With estimated winds of , it tracked westward and struck
Texas on
Matagorda Island before passing near
Refugio. The hurricane quickly weakened over land and dissipated late on August 17. Damage from the hurricane was heaviest in Refugio and
Indianola. In the latter city, strong waves damaged wharves and boats while the
storm surge flooded the streets with about of water. Intense winds knocked down several houses as well as a church, and many buildings lost their roofs. In
Sabine Pass, the winds ruined a variety of fruit crops.
Hurricane Three The third hurricane of the season was only known due to it affecting one ship. A vessel in the
Royal Mail Steam Packet Company reported a hurricane on August 27, about halfway between Bermuda and the
Azores. The storm was estimated to have been moving north-northwestward with winds of , although its entire track is unknown. It was one of three hurricanes, along with the
1938 New England hurricane and
Hurricane Carol in 1954, to strike New England as a major hurricane, or Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale. At landfall, the hurricane was compact, estimated around wide. However, less than west of the center, there were no strong winds. Shortly thereafter it dissipated over
Maine. Offshore Maine, a schooner capsized, killing all but one of the twelve crew. The storm also caused at least $50,000 (1869 USD) in damage in Maine alone.
Hurricane Seven A ship about halfway between South America and Cape Verde reported a hurricane on September 11. The storm tracked generally west-northwestward, affecting several other ships with damaging winds. On September 15, a ship traveling from
St. Thomas to
England encountered the hurricane and observed a minimum
barometric pressure of ; The strongest winds did not affect Massachusetts, although a few hours later the hurricane struck just east of
Portland, Maine at peak intensity. The high tides surpassed the
dykes across New Brunswick and left widespread flooding, killing many cattle and sheep and washing away roads. In the
Cumberland Basin, the floods washed two boats about inland. In
Moncton, water levels rose about higher than the previous highest level. There were 37 deaths between Maine, New Brunswick, and New York. == See also ==