The third known system of the 1875 Atlantic hurricane season, the storm was first considered a tropical cyclone while located east of the Lesser Antilles on September 8.

After passing through the Windward Islands and entering the Caribbean Sea, the cyclone gradually began to move more northwestward and brushed the Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti late on September 12.

On the following day, the storm made a few landfalls on the southern coast of Cuba before moving inland over Sancti Spíritus Province.

The hurricane brought heavy rainfall to several islands of the Lesser Antilles, especially on Barbados and Saint Vincent.

Navassa Island experienced strong winds, heavy rainfall, and very large waves, downing many trees and destroying several homes.

The hurricane or its precursor was first observed on September 1 by the ship Tautallon Castle, which was located southwest of Cape Verde.

The storm moved westward and was later encountered on September 5 by a vessel which observed "terrific seas" and a barometric pressure of 982 mbar (29.0 inHg).

[1] However, HURDAT – the Atlantic hurricane database – does not confirm the existence of a tropical cyclone until 00:00 UTC on September 8, while the storm was situated about 285 miles (459 km) east-northeast of Barbados.

Initially estimated to have been a Category 1 hurricane on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson scale, the system moved westward to west-northwestward, passing through the Windward Islands between Martinique and St. Lucia early on September 9.

[2] Continuing northwestward, the cyclone made landfall near Pilón, Cuba, with winds of 105 mph (169 km/h), shortly before 06:00 UTC on September 13.

The storm briefly re-emerged into the Caribbean and weakened to a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall on the south coast of modern-day Sancti Spíritus Province around 18:00 UTC with winds of 90 mph (140 km/h).

Early the following day, the system emerged into the Straits of Florida and weakened to a tropical storm at about 06:00 UTC on September 14, before becoming a Category 1 hurricane again six hours later.

[2] Based on sustained winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) and the pressure–wind relationship developed by National Hurricane Center meteorologist Dan Brown in 2006, the barometric pressure was estimated at 955 mbar (28.2 inHg), the lowest associated with the storm.

[3] The hurricane curved northward after moving inland and quickly weakened to a tropical storm by 12:00 UTC the next day.

Turning northeastward shortly thereafter, the system weakened to a tropical depression on September 18 and dissipated over southern Mississippi around 18:00 UTC that same day.

[2] In Saint Vincent, the hurricane was "accompanied by a deluge of rain unprecedented", with nearly 12 in (300 mm) of precipitation falling in 12 hours.

In the Kingstown area, local streams, some of which typically resembled arroyos, rose as much as 12 ft (3.7 m) in six hours.

At the Roman Catholic cemetery, floodwaters unearthed several recently interred bodies and swept them into the ocean.

[5] In the Mariaqua Valley of Saint Vincent, hundreds of people fled their homes from the villages of Hopewell and Mesopotamia.

The storm caused an estimated $25,000 (equivalent to $693,636 in 2023) in damage to the island's phosphate mining infrastructure and company-owned buildings.

[8] The Belen College Observatory in Havana, Cuba, issued a storm warning on September 11, as forecasters anticipated that the hurricane would continue west-northwestward and strike the island.

[8] Strong winds and above normal tides left damage across the island, particularly in Júcaro and Santa Cruz del Sur.

The boats linked together and drifted down the Mississippi River, until the Natchez was re-secured after passing the Belle Rowland and the C. H. Dufree.

Inland, observers in Calcasieu Parish noted that the wind shifted with "terrific force" as the storm crossed Louisiana.

[12] In Spring, heavy precipitation caused streams to overflow and streets to quickly flood, with The Daily News noting that floodwaters took "almost everything within its reach."

Strong winds buffeted Austin County for about 48 hours, causing severe damage to vegetation and downing many trees.