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.
1985 Puerto Rico floods
The most intense rainfall occurred on October 6, and on that day two stations recorded 24-hour precipitation totals exceeding . These totals broke the 24-hour rainfall records set during the 1899 San Ciriaco hurricane, and amounted to nearly half of the annual precipitation totals. The town of Peñuelas reported very high rainfall totals in a short amount of time, including in one hour and in two hours. The highest rainfall total on Puerto Rico was in Toro Negro State Forest. Rainfall spread across the island, and the southern half of Puerto Rico experienced totals of over . Rainfall totals over spread across the United States Virgin Islands. The tropical wave later spawned a low pressure area north of Hispaniola that became Tropical Storm Isabel on October 7, a day before the rains subsided in Puerto Rico. The storm ultimately struck Florida before dissipating on October 15.