Due to its unusual loop, initial reports suggested it was two separate storms that developed and hit land in rapid succession.

Although total monetary damage from the storm is unknown, estimates of losses in Havana, Cuba exceed $1 million and in the Florida Keys, $250,000.

[1] Steered by currents from an area of high pressure to the north, the storm began to drift northwestward and rapidly deepen over warm waters of the Gulf.

It executed a tight counterclockwise loop, and continued to mature;[3] on October 16 it reached peaked winds of 150 mph (240 km/h) with a minimum barometric pressure of 924 mbar (hPa; 27.29 inHg).

[1] The hurricane turned northeastward, again approaching western Cuba, and began to accelerate towards the Florida Peninsula on October 17.

From northeastern Florida, the cyclone curved northeastward and hugged the coast of the Southeast United States before heading out to sea.

[1] The storm is unusual in that due to its loop near Cuba, initial reports suggested that it was actually two separate cyclones.

[3] The Monthly Weather Review describes the event as multiple disturbances and reports that the first hurricane dissipated in the central Gulf of Mexico after crossing Cuba, while the second formed subsequently and hit Florida.

It was later identified as a single storm, although observations on the hurricane led to advances in the understanding of tropical cyclones with similar paths.

"[4] On October 15, all vessels within a 500 mi (800 km) radius of Key West were warned of the approaching storm, and many ships anchored in harbors.

[2] The storm wrought severe destruction in Cuba, considered to be among the worst effects from a tropical cyclone on record.

The seas came from all directions, though it was from the starboard that the real trouble seemed to come.The steamboat Harold spotted the ship and rescued all of its crew except Captain E. E. Walls, who opted to stay behind with the order "Report me to my owners".

[2][17] Gusts reached 110 mph (180 km/h) and storm tide ran 15 ft (4.6 m) above normal; swells in the area attained "unusually high" levels.

[2] Along the southern and western shores of Key West, buildings were heavily damaged and in some cases swept off their foundations.

The barometer fell to 961 mbar (hPa; 28.4 inHg), and extremely high waves battered the shore from Flamingo to Cape Romano.

[21] North of Tampa, the hurricane's effects were moderate or light, while in the southwestern part of the state, damage increased in severity.

Nearby, one man and a baby drowned as a result of the storm surge, and another died while attempting to cross a flooded river.

[2] A French steamship, the Louisiane, went ashore with 600 passengers; all people aboard the vessel were rescued by the Forward, a Revenue cutter.

It had rained every day from the 3rd to the 13th, with a total fall of 5.96 inches (151 mm), and the creeks and flat woods were full of water when the first storm began.

Small watercraft, docks and boathouses sustained damage, but otherwise the storm's effects on the east coast were more moderate compared to other areas.

An American schooner blew ashore at Boca Raton, killing three and leaving the rest of the crew stranded for 12 hours until help arrived.

Minor flooding extended northward into Georgia and South Carolina; initially, interruptions of communication between cities led to exaggerated reports of damage in those states.