The Iberian Peninsula is struck by a…
October 1842 CE
On October 26, a ship near Madeira records a barometric pressure of 965 mb (28.5 inHg), suggesting a hurricane of Category 2 intensity.
The hurricane passes just north of Madeira on October 27, producing heavy damage in Funchal.
After brushing the northwestern coast of Morocco on the night of October 28–29, the hurricane moves ashore over southwestern Spain and likely becomes extratropical shortly thereafter.
As a result of the extratropical transition, damaging winds extend far from the storm center and affect much of inland Spain.
Dozens of ships, including three belonging to the Spanish Navy, are lost or severely damaged in the storm.
Two bridges are washed away in Cádiz and homes are destroyed in Seville.
Hurricane-force winds reach as far inland as Madrid, and thousands of trees are uprooted in the province of Badajoz.
This storm serves as an important historical analogue for Hurricane Vince, which will follow a similar course in October 2005