1780 Atlantic hurricane season

Landfalling storms affected the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Cuba, Bermuda, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, and the New England states.

This destructive season should be seen against a backdrop of the American Revolution, which involved hostilities in the Caribbean by the fleets of Spain, France and the Dutch Republic operating against British fleets with the concomitant greater risk of loss of life due to increased exposure of warships and transports to hazardous weather conditions.

This critical coincidence is at least partially responsible for the unprecedented losses of life inflicted, especially in the three fierce hurricanes that struck in quick succession during October.

The hurricane also caused harvest-ruining crop damage, severe flooding, and tornadoes across southeast Louisiana.

Shortly after, it sank the British transport ship Monarch with all hands, including several hundred Spanish prisoners.

The hurricane devastated the island of Barbados on October 10 with 200+ mph wind gusts,[8] killing 4,300 and creating an economic depression.

The storm went on to kill 6,000 people on the island of St. Lucia and 9,000 on Martinique, with its capital city, St. Pierre, becoming almost completely demolished.

The high number of fatalities is due in part to "the presence of the powerful fleets of Britain and France, both maneuvering on nearby islands to strike blows at each other's rich possessions in the Antilles.

Progressing northwestwards it likely crossed the western end of Cuba, before shifting northeastwards to Apalachee Bay.