 On August 22 , a strong hurricane impacted Havana , Cuba , destroying fruit trees and disrupting shipping , before making landfall on the Florida Panhandle with an enormous storm surge . Coastal flooding was severe around Apalachicola , and as the storm moved inland , it generated destructive winds across the southeastern United States . Abundant precipitation fell from Georgia through Virginia , causing extensive flooding ; one river swelled over 20 feet ( 6 m ) above its normal height . The storm blew down crops and trees along its course , and toppled a large railroad bridge near Halifax , North Carolina . Offshore , a pilot boat collided with a larger ship in the rough seas and sank . Considered the worst storm in nearly 30 years in the tidewater region of Virginia , the cyclone briefly reentered the Atlantic off New Jersey before making landfall over New England . Strong winds and moderate to heavy rains plagued much of New England on August 24 and 25 . 
