The first of three recorded tropical cyclones recorded in the 1821 Atlantic hurricane season, the storm that would eventually strike New York was first observed off the southeast United States coast on September 1, with winds estimated in excess of 135 mph (215 km/h). It moved ashore near Wilmington, North Carolina, and passed near Norfolk, Virginia before moving through the Delmarva Peninsula and New Jersey just inland. On September 3, the hurricane struck approximately near Jamaica Bay, which later became part of New York City, and on September 4 it was observed over New England. This was just 6 years after the destructive Great September Gale of 1815.