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<p>Understanding Atlantic hurricane activity prior to the instrumental era requires extending the observational record using historical sources. This study reassesses 35 pre-instrumental tropical cyclones (TCs) that occurred in the North Atlantic basin between 1528 and 1877, based on nearly 900 original documents from Spanish colonial archives. Using qualitative indicators such as wind direction, storm surge, shipwrecks, and structural damage, the archival evidence was systematically re-evaluated to identify, revise, or reclassify past storms. Eight new TCs are proposed, four are corrected or reinterpreted, twenty-two are revised, and three are proposed for rejection. The 18th century emerges as both the most active and best documented period, with 1766 identified as a hyperactive hurricane season and 1815 as another year of notable TC activity. Approximately 70% of the documents had not been used in previous studies, allowing more accurate reconstructions of storm tracks and landfall locations. While the resulting dataset is modest relative to the multi-century period covered, it helps reduce biases and provides a more consistent basis for interpreting pre-instrumental hurricane activity. This work highlights the continued value of archival climatology in supporting future analyses of past Atlantic TC activity.</p>

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Reassessing Atlantic basin hurricanes from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries using Spanish colonial archives

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月15日

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  • William Gomez Pretel

摘要

Understanding Atlantic hurricane activity prior to the instrumental era requires extending the observational record using historical sources. This study reassesses 35 pre-instrumental tropical cyclones (TCs) that occurred in the North Atlantic basin between 1528 and 1877, based on nearly 900 original documents from Spanish colonial archives. Using qualitative indicators such as wind direction, storm surge, shipwrecks, and structural damage, the archival evidence was systematically re-evaluated to identify, revise, or reclassify past storms. Eight new TCs are proposed, four are corrected or reinterpreted, twenty-two are revised, and three are proposed for rejection. The 18th century emerges as both the most active and best documented period, with 1766 identified as a hyperactive hurricane season and 1815 as another year of notable TC activity. Approximately 70% of the documents had not been used in previous studies, allowing more accurate reconstructions of storm tracks and landfall locations. While the resulting dataset is modest relative to the multi-century period covered, it helps reduce biases and provides a more consistent basis for interpreting pre-instrumental hurricane activity. This work highlights the continued value of archival climatology in supporting future analyses of past Atlantic TC activity.