Scientists began to understand hurricanes during the 1800s, and forecasters were able to issue warnings as storms approached. Despite this growing knowledge, hurricanes continued to cause incredible destruction throughout the century.

1815 -- Destructive hurricane hits New England

"The Great September Gale" hit New England in September of 1815. It first made landfall on Long Island, N.Y., and then again in Connecticut. The storm flooded Providene, R.I., and caused extensive damage throughout the region.

1819 -- Concept of hurricanes as "moving vortex" published

A Harvard professor concluded in an 1819 article that a hurricane "appears to have been a moving vortex and not the rushing forward of a great body of the atmosphere."

1837 -- "Racer's Storm" leaves 2,000-mile path of destruction

Racer's Storm, named for a British sloop of war which encountered the storm in the northwest Caribbean, was one of the most destructive storms of the 19th century. It formed near Jamaica, crossed the Yucatan, struck the Gulf coast of Texas, and moved over Lousiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina before arriving off the North Carolina coast on October 9.

1846 -- September hurricane creates inlets on the North Carolina Outer Banks

Two major inlets on the Outer Banks of North Carolina were cut by a hurricane in September 1846. Later in the year, a severe hurricane struck the Florida Keys destroying or damaging all but eight of the 600 houses in Key West. Some experts say this hurricane was probably a Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

1848 -- Hurricane pushes a 15-foot tide through Tampa, Fla.

Fort Brooke, site of the present-day city of Tampa, was nearly destroyed by two hurricanes that hit the area within a month of each other.

1873 -- First hurricane warning issued in the U.S.

The U.S. Army Signal Corps warned of a storm approaching the coast between Cape May, N.J., and New London, Conn. The storm never made landfall.

1878 -- Hurricane remains over Florida for three days

A slow-moving hurricane made landfall in the Florida Keys and slowly made its way up the center of the state.

1881 -- Hurricane kills 700 in Georgia and South Carolina

Savannah and Augusta, Ga., experienced severe damage when this hurricane came ashore in August 1881. Several barrier islands were completely submerged by the storm surge.

1886 -- June storm dumps 21.4 inches of rain on Alexandria, La.

After flooding the Louisiana coast, the storm moved into Texas where it completely destroyed the city of Indianola. Indianola was never rebuilt.

1893 -- Two storms kill thousands in South

In August, between 1,000 and 2,000 are killed in a storm that submerged the South Carolina barrier islands. In October, another storm flooded a Louisiana bayou, killing 2,000 people.