1938 Atlantic hurricane season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Season summary map |
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| First storm formed: | Aug. 8, 1938 |
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| Last storm dissipated: | Nov. 10, 1938 |
| Strongest storm: | New England Hurricane of 1938 - 140 knots (160 mph) |
| Total storms: | 10 |
| Major storms (Cat. 3+): | 1 |
| Total damage: | $290.3 million (1938 USD) |
| Total fatalities: | 600 |
| Atlantic hurricane seasons 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940 |
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The 1938 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1938, and lasted until November 30, 1938. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin.
[edit] Storms
The 1938 season was fairly inactive save for one event. The New England Hurricane of 1938 (nicknamed the 'Long Island Express'), which reached Category 5 strength out in the Atlantic, slammed into Long Island, New York as a massive extratropical cyclone with sustained winds topping 115 mph. The storm surge swamped a large part of the island. Whole neighborhoods ceased to exist. New York City was paralyzed by the flooding rains dumped on it by the storm. New inlets were cut into the barrier islands just offshore. One, Shinnecock Inlet, is half a mile long. 600 people died. It remains one of the deadliest hurricanes to strike the US.
The rest of the season featured two Category 2 hurricanes hitting the Yucatan Peninsula in August. On August 29, it brought 9 inches of rain in 36 hours, left nine people dead, and left 400 families homeless. One later hit near the Texas/Louisiana border causing $243,000 in damage, and the other hit Mexico as a tropical storm.
The other four tropical storms had unusual tracks. The first formed over the Western Caribbean Sea on October 11. It moved northwestward, turned sharply east over the Gulf of Mexico, and turned back to the west before hitting Texas as a tropical depression with minor effects. The second was first noted near Bermuda on October 17. It tracked southwestward until it reached the Bahamas when it turned north-northeastward and dissipated. The third, first noted on October 25 over the Western Gulf of Mexico, raced to the northeast and became extratropical soon after crossing Florida. The final storm of the season followed a smooth parabolic track, originating near Hispaniola on November 6. It headed northwestward across the island, reached the Bahamas, turned southwestward, and crossed over Cuba. The storm dissipated over the Western Caribbean Sea at a similar Latitude to its genesis, after causing $100,000 in Florida from beach erosion.
