The 1935 Atlantic hurricane season was a near-normal hurricane season. Altogether, ten tropical cyclones developed, eight of which intensified into tropical storms. Five of those tropical storms strengthened into hurricanes, while three of those reached major hurricane intensity. The season ran from June 1 through November 15, 1935.
There were five notable systems in 1935. A weakening late-August hurricane sank numerous ships off the coast of Newfoundland, causing 50 fatalities. In early September, the Labor Day hurricane made landfall in Florida twice. Its first landfall was on the Florida Keys as an extremely powerful Category 5 hurricane on the modern day Saffir–Simpson scale, becoming the first Category 5 U.S. landfall on record. It resulted in about 490 deaths and $100 million (1935 USD) in damage along its path. It was the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record in terms of barometric pressure, a record later surpassed by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 and Hurricane Wilma in 2005 as well as the strongest at landfall by 1-minute sustained winds, a record equalled by Hurricane Dorian in 2019 and Hurricane Melissa in 2025. It is also one of only four Category 5 hurricanes on record to strike the contiguous United States, along with Hurricane Camille (1969), Hurricane Andrew (1992), and Hurricane Michael (2018).
Late in September, the Cuba hurricane struck the country as a Category 3 and later the Bahamas as a Category 4. The hurricane caused 52 fatalities and roughly $14.5 million in damage. The Jérémie hurricane caused significant impacts in Cuba, Haiti, Honduras, and Jamaica in the month of October. Overall, the storm was attributed to about 2,150 deaths and $16 million in damage, with more than 2,000 fatalities in Haiti alone. The Yankee hurricane struck the Bahamas and Florida in early November. The system resulted in 23 deaths, while damage totaled roughly $5.5 million. Collectively, the tropical cyclones of the 1935 Atlantic hurricane season caused roughly $136 million in damage and 2,765 fatalities.
The season's activity was reflected with an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 106 units, slightly higher than the 1931–1943 average of 91.2. ACE is a metric used to express the energy used by a tropical cyclone during its lifetime. Therefore, a storm with a longer duration will have high values of ACE. It is only calculated at six-hour increments in which specific tropical and subtropical systems are either at or above sustained wind speeds of 39 mph (63 km/h), which is the threshold for tropical storm intensity. Thus, tropical depressions are not included here. __TOC__
Timeline
Systems Tropical Storm One
Historical weather maps and ship data indicate that a low-pressure area developed into a tropical depression about south of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, at 00:00 UTC on May 15. The depression moved north-northwestward and made landfall in Santo Domingo Este, Dominican Republic, about 12 hours later. After emerging into the Atlantic Ocean near the Turks and Caicos Islands, the cyclone intensified and became a tropical storm around 12:00 UTC on May 16. The storm then began to curve northeastward and accelerate. On May 18, the Dutch ship Magdala observed sustained winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) and a barometric pressure of , marking the storm's peak intensity. The system was absorbed by a frontal boundary by 00:00 UTC on May 19, about east-southeast of Bermuda.
Hurricane Two
Data from ships and nearby Windward Islands indicate that a tropical depression formed approximately southeast of Barbados around 06:00 UTC on August 16. The depression tracked north-northwestward and intensified into a tropical storm around 00:00 UTC on August 18, while situated between the islands of Antigua and Barbuda. Continuing north-northwestward, the cyclone intensified into a hurricane while north of the Lesser Antilles at 00:00 UTC on August 19. Curving west-northwest, the storm gradually intensified into a Category 2 hurricane the following day. On August 20, the system began to curve northward and later north-northeastward. The cyclone peaked with winds of 130 mph (215 km/h) on August 22, but weakened to a minimal Category 3 hurricane with winds of 115 mph (195 km/h) by the time it passed just west of Bermuda later that day. On August 24, the storm weakened to a Category 2 hurricane and began to turn more northward. Continuing to curve northwestward on August 25, the system continued to weaken to a Category 1 hurricane, later striking Newfoundland as an extratropical cyclone on August 26. The storm dissipated later that day.
A few islands of the Lesser Antilles recorded precipitation, including up to on Guadeloupe at Baie-Mahault. Called Newfoundland's "worst gale in 36 years," the remnants of the hurricane battered the island with damaging winds. Charlottetown in Prince Edward Island received of rain over a three-day span. In St. John's, Newfoundland, wind gusts averaged and caused extensive property damage. Total losses were estimated in the thousands of dollars. Communication lines across the island were downed, though the greatest effects were felt offshore. Gale-force winds and rough seas wrecked multiple schooners off the coast of Newfoundland, claiming an estimated 50 lives. Every ship that set sail within a day of the storm was damaged. Six people drowned when Walter sank near Trepassey. The SS Argyle was dispatched on search and rescue for three other vessels; however, upon discovery of the ships they reported no sign of life and their crew are believed to have been washed overboard. In the days following the storm, wrecks of schooners, such as the Carrie Evelyn, washed ashore.
Hurricane Three
An area of disturbed weather developed into a tropical depression around 06:00 UTC on August 29 while situated roughly northeast of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The depression initially strengthened slowly as it moved west-northwestward and then westward, reaching tropical storm intensity by early on August 31. Later that day and on the following day, the system passed through the Bahamas and reached hurricane intensity around 12:00 UTC on September 1. After passing near the south end of Andros Island, the storm rapidly intensified while moving across the Straits of Florida, achieving major hurricane status by 06:00 UTC on the next day. At approximately 00:00 UTC on September 3, the cyclone intensified into a Category 5 hurricane, with winds peaking at 185 mph (295 km/h), while other reports claim it was even more powerful. Few even claim that it may have reached sustained winds of 200 mph. Around that time, a weather station in Craig Key, Florida, observed a barometric pressure of , with other reports claiming an even lower pressure, including a sailor who claimed an inward pressure of 880 mbar. About two hours later, the hurricane made landfall on Long Key at the same intensity. The storm made its final landfall on the sparsely populated Apalachee coast near Cedar Key on September 4 as a Category 2 hurricane. Turning northeast, the system weakened to a tropical storm over Georgia on September 5, but re-intensified into a hurricane on September 6 shortly after emerging into the Atlantic offshore Virginia. The storm transitioned into an extratropical cyclone later that day, but persisted until being absorbed by another extratropical cyclone offshore southern Greenland on September 10.
In the Bahamas, the press stated that no damage occurred, though one report indicated that the storm caused some damage in extreme southern Andros Island. The Florida Climatological Data report notes that islands in the vicinity of the storm's landfall location "undoubtedly" experienced sustained winds between and gusts "probably exceeding" . Additionally, tides reached about above mean water level, while a storm surge of lashed the Upper Keys. A train intending to evacuate people to safety arrived too late; storm surge prevented the train from advancing past Islamorada and instead washed it off the tracks except for the locomotive and tender. The hurricane caused near total destruction of all buildings, bridges, roads, and viaducts between Tavernier and Key Vaca, including portions of the Florida East Coast Railway in the Upper Keys. Also heavily impacted were three Federal Emergency Relief Administration camps of World War I veterans. By March 1, 1936, officials had confirmed 485 deaths in the Florida Keys, with 257 veterans and 228 civilians killed. Along Florida's gulf coast, the hurricane impacted Cedar Key particularly severely. Nearly all roofs experienced at least minor damage, many of which were blown off, while winds also downed many trees and power lines. The cyclone also severely damaged docks and fishing vessels. Three deaths occurred in the town. Rains and winds damaged some crops and properties in Georgia and the Carolinas. In Virginia, one tornado in Norfolk caused about $22,000 in property damage while a second near Farmville resulted in about $55,000 in damage and two deaths. Further, flooding along the James River inflicted damage around $1.65 million. Overall, the hurricane caused approximately $100 million in damage.
Tropical Storm Four
A tropical depression formed in the northwestern Caribbean on August 30. The system moved westward and soon made landfall in the Yucatán Peninsula near Playa del Carmen. After emerging into the Bay of Campeche on the following day, the cyclone intensified into a tropical storm. By early on September 1, the system peaked with sustained winds of 60 mph (95 km/h). Around 18:00 UTC that day, the storm made landfall in the Mexican state of Veracruz to the southeast of the city of Veracruz. After moving inland, the storm quickly weakened to a tropical depression early on September 2, before dissipating several hours later. Authorities closed the Port of Veracruz. A weather station in the city of Veracruz recorded sustained winds up to . Heavy rains generated by the system washed out train tracks, delaying railroad traffic.
Hurricane Five
The origin of this hurricane is uncertain, though it is believed to have coalesced into a tropical depression over the central Caribbean Sea on September 23. The disturbance gradually organized as it moved to the west, and strengthened to tropical storm intensity less than a day after formation and further to a hurricane by September 25. The cyclone subsequently curved northward from its initial westward motion. On September 27, the storm reached major hurricane intensity before making landfall near Cienfuegos, Cuba, as a Category 3 hurricane the next day. After passing the island, the system reintensified and peaked with a minimum barometric pressure below 945 mbar (hPa; 27.91 inHg) and maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 km/h), making it a Category 4 hurricane. At the same time, the tropical cyclone passed over the Bahamian island of Bimini before moving out to sea. As it progressed northeastward, the hurricane gradually weakened before transitioning into an extratropical storm on October 2. The extratropical remnants traversed Newfoundland before dissipating later that day.
The hurricane caused widespread destruction from destruction from the Greater Antilles to Atlantic Canada. In Jamaica, the storm's strong winds and heavy rain destroyed roughly 3 percent of the island's banana production and damaged road networks. Damage on the island country totaled to $2.7 million and two people died.