1899 San Ciriaco hurricane
1899 San Ciriaco hurricane, also known as the 1899 Puerto Rico Hurricane or The Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1899, was the longest-lived Atlantic hurricane on record, and the second-longest-lived tropical cyclone globally on record (in terms of tropical duration) after Hurricane John in the Pacific. The third tropical cyclone and first major hurricane of the season, this storm was first observed southwest of Cape Verde on August 3. It slowly strengthened while heading steadily west-northwestward across the Atlantic Ocean and reached hurricane status by late on August 5. During the following 48 hours, it deepened further, reaching Category 4 on the modern day Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS) before crossing the Leeward Islands on August 7. Later that day, the storm peaked winds of 150 mph (240 km/h). The storm weakened slightly before making landfall in Guayama, Puerto Rico with winds of 140 mph (220 km/h) on August 8. Several hours later, it emerged into the southwestern Atlantic as a Category 3 hurricane. The system paralleled the north coast of Dominican Republic and then crossed the Bahamas, striking several islands. Thereafter, it began heading northward on August 14, while centered east of Florida. Early on the following day, the storm re-curved northeastward and appeared to be heading out to sea. However, by August 17, it turned back to the northwest and made landfall near Hatteras, North Carolina early on the following day. No stronger hurricane has made landfall on the Outer Banks since the San Ciriaco hurricane.
Meteorological history of Hurricane Maria
The hurricane made its closest approach to St. Croix at around 05:00 UTC on September 20, passing within 20 mi (30 km) of the island; the storm's outer eyewall lashed the island while the more violent inner eye remained offshore. Three hours later, at around 08:00 UTC, the outer eyewall struck Vieques, an island off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico. By this time, the outer eyewall became dominant as the inner one decayed, and the eyewall replacement cycle caused Maria weaken to Category 4 strength. Maria made landfall near Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, at 10:15 UTC, with winds of 155 mph (250 km/h) and a central pressure of 920 mbar (hPa; 27.17 inHg), making it the strongest to hit the island since the 1928 San Felipe Segundo hurricane, which had struck Puerto Rico as a Category 5 hurricane. Additionally, when Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm, following the landfalls of Harvey and Irma, it marked the first time that three Category 4 hurricanes made landfall in the United States within a year, including unincorporated territories.