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A New England hurricane is a tropical cyclone originating in the North Atlantic Ocean that affects the states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, or Maine in the United States. Vermont rarely receives any tropical cyclones, as it does not border the Atlantic coast. However, a few storms have managed to cross into Vermont with tropical storm strength.
[edit] More frequent events
On average, a hurricane will make landfall in New England once every 10-20 years. The last hurricane to make landfall in New England was Hurricane Bob of the 1991 Atlantic hurricane season. More commonly, a tropical storm (or former hurricane) will make landfall in New England. The last tropical storm to make landfall in New England was Tropical Storm Beryl of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season. Hurricane Floyd is an example of a hurricane weakening to tropical storm status before making landfall in New England. Uniquely, Hurricane Noel was predicted to landfall on either Cape Cod and/or Maine at Category 1 strength, but the storm itself transformed into an extratropical cyclone and will not count in National Weather Service records as a New England hurricane landfall. Only a handful of major hurricanes have made landfall in New England each century, and only a few Category 4 or possibly Category 5 hurricanes have ever reached the area, notably in 1635 and 1815. The 1938 storm produced winds gusting to category 4 & 5 strength in exposed areas of southern Rhode Island and coastal Massachusetts west of Buzzards Bay, and notably at Blue Hill in Milton, Massachusetts.
During most hurricane seasons, New England will be affected by at least one of these cyclones: tropical depression, Extratropical cyclone, or the remnant low of a tropical cyclone. These can either travel up the coast or make landfall on the Gulf Coast and travel northeast towards the region. Also, New England commonly experiences fringe effects from passing cyclones. These effects include heavy rain, gusty winds, rough seas, and large waves. Often a storm moving off Nantucket will produce hurricane force wind gusts over southern and eastern Massachusetts. The last storm of this type was Hurricane Edouard in September of 1996.
A Nor'easter is a large mid-latitude cyclone that forms off the eastern coasts of Atlantic Canada and the United States. These will usually form between November and March and can cause damage similar to that of tropical cyclones. Not to be confused with Warm core tropical cyclones, these systems will exhibit Extratropical Characteristics including having a Cold core. One or more of these storms will hit New England during an average winter.
[edit] List of tropical cyclones
Most of the following are tropical cyclones that passed through the states after weakening from their peak.
- October 9,[1] 1804- The Storm of October 1804 crossed New England, cool air was entrained in the circulation, and it became extratropical. The storm brought heavy snow across the Northeast, in some areas up to 2-3 feet, and killed 9 people. This was the first observation of snow from a landfalling hurricane, but not the last. This Category three hurricane was a major one, especially for eastern Massachusetts.
- September 1815- What was once a major hurricane brought Tropical Storm-force winds into New England.
- September 23/24, 1815- The Great September Gale of 1815 struck New England as a major hurricane and delivered an 11-foot storm surge that funneled up Narragansett Bay where it destroyed some 500 houses and 35 ships and flooded Providence, Rhode Island. It also caused 38+ deaths all over New England.
- September 4, 1821- The 1821 Norfolk and Long Island Hurricane became extratropical over Maine.
- October 3, 1841- The October Gale of 1841 became an extratropical storm, and hit New England. It led to a storm of snow and sleet in Connecticut, bringing up to 18 feet of snow in some areas. The storm wrecked the Georges Bank fishing fleet which drowned 81 fishermen and knocked down trees, tore roofs off houses and forced boats to go up on shore. The storm also destroyed a saltworks factory along Cape Cod, sending the economy to a slump. In 1842, a monument was erected to remember the sailors and fishermen lost at sea.
- October 14, 1846- The Great Havana Hurricane of 1846 likely struck near Hartford, Connecticut, where hurricane-force winds destroyed a trestle bridge. Numerous apple orchards in Massachusetts were reported ruined. Luckily, no deaths due to the hurricane's passage over New England were reported.
- October 6, 1849- A tropical cyclone made landfall in Massachusetts, causing 143 deaths.
- August 1850- A tropical cyclone caused damage in its wake through New England.
- October 19, 1851- A tropical storm formed north of the Bahamas on October 16. It continued northward and reached a peak intensity of 70 mph (113 km/h). But it weakened to a 60 mph (97 km/h)-storm before it made landfall in Rhode Island on the 19th. Later that day it dissipated on the border between Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
- September 16, 1858- A category 1 hurricane made landfall on the Connecticut-Rhode Island border and brought heavy rain to New England before exiting Maine as a tropical storm. It then continued northeast until it dissipated just over the other side of the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the 17th.
- September 28, 1861- Hurricane 5 hit Connecticut as a 60 mph (97 km/h) tropical storm. It then continued east-northeast and dissipated in extreme eastern Maine later that day.
- November 3, 1861- The Expedition Hurricane struck eastern Connecticut as a 60 mph (97 km/h) tropical storm. It then continued northeast until it dissipated over southern Maine later that day.
- September 19, 1863- An Unnamed tropical storm makes landfall in New York and brings strong winds to western New England.
- October 30, 1866- The former category one Hurricane 7 makes landfall in New Jersey, Long Island, and New York City and begins to parallel the New York-New England border until it briefly enters Vermont and dissipates.
| Storm |
Category |
Season |
Date of landfall |
| Peak intensity |
Intensity at landfall |
| Unnamed |
Category 3 |
Category 3 |
1869 |
September 9, 1869 |
| 1869 Saxby Gale |
Category 2 |
Category 2 |
1869 |
October 4, 1869 |
| Unnamed |
Category 1 |
Tropical Storm |
1872 |
October 27, 1872 |
| Unnamed |
Category 1 |
Tropical Storm |
1874 |
September 30, 1874 |
| San Felipe Hurricane |
Category 3 |
Tropical Depression |
1876 |
September 19, 1876 |
| Unnamed |
Category 3 |
Extratropical Storm |
1877 |
October 5, 1877 |
| Gale of 1878 |
Category 2 |
Extratropical Storm |
1878 |
October 24, 1878 |
| Unnamed |
Category 3 |
Category 1 |
1879 |
August 19, 1879 |
| Unnamed |
Tropical Storm |
Extratropical Storm |
1880 |
October 23, 1880 |
| Unnamed |
Category 3 |
Tropical Storm |
1888 |
August 22, 1888 |
| Unnamed |
Tropical Storm |
Extratropical Storm |
1888 |
September 12, 1888 |
| Unnamed |
Category 1 |
Category 1 |
1888 |
September 26, 1888 |
| Unnamed |
Tropical Storm |
Tropical Storm |
1888 |
September, 1888 |
| Unnamed |
Category 2 |
Tropical Storm |
1889 |
September 25, 1889 |
| Hurricane 4 |
Category 3 |
Category 1 |
1893 |
August 24, 1893 |
| 1893 Sea Islands Hurricane |
Category 3 |
tropical storm/cat. 1 |
1893 |
August 29, 1893 |
- 1904 September 15 - category 1/extratropical - Damage in southeast Massachusetts, especially Martha's Vineyard. Trees down in Providence, Rhode Island and New Bedford, Massachusetts. Center moved NE just within coastline from Carolinas with eastern sector intact over ocean. Crossed Long Island and east RI border. Much marine destruction with heavy losses in Buzzards Bay and Vineyard sound and Massachusetts Bay.
- 1916 July 21 - category 1 - Center moved north from open Atlantic, crossing Buzzards Bay/Cape Cod area of Massachusetts. Hourly wind reports indicated sustained 50 mph (80 km/h) but actual winds were higher than hourly observations. Gusts of 85 mph (137 km/h) recorded in southeast Massachusetts and Cape Cod.
- 1924 August 26 - category 2/3 - large center moved over and just east of Cape Cod. Severe hurricane in New Bedford and Martha's Vineyard Massachusetts. New Bedford Newspaper (Mercury) published photo journal of severity. Often overlooked though much material present to include as destructive storm. On Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket considered worse than 1938. Widespread wind losses to structures. Very heavy tree damage in New Bedford north to Plymouth Massachusetts. Storm later destructive in Nova Scotia.
- 1934 September 8 - tropical storm - weakening hurricane crossed Long Island and lost strength from slow movement as it moved through Connecticut much in a similar manner as Hurricane Belle of August 1976. Trees downed in Providence Rhode Island and New Haven Conn.
- 1936 September 18 - category 1 - Eye moved east-northeast over Block Island and Nantucket Sounds after moving up East Coast of U. S. north of North Carolina and Virginia. Destructive in Providence, Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts. Boston had 80 mph (129 km/h) winds at 8am on the 18th as the storm moved east along the south coast of Cape Cod and the Islands. There was much media coverage but this storm was later eclipsed by the extreme hurricane two years later. Heavy wind damage in all of eastern Massachusetts.
- 1944 September 14- 15 - Great Atlantic Hurricane - Category 3 in southern New England. Eye over Conn. /Rhode Island border. Severe wind damage in southeastern Massachusetts and across the Cape and Islands. On Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard considered worse than 1938. Severe wind damage in New Bedford Mass. Much structural damage and much of the forest that had somehow escaped being decimated in 1938 fell victim to this storm.
| Storm |
Category |
Season |
Date of landfall |
| Peak intensity |
Intensity at landfall |
| New England Hurricane of 1938 |
Category 5 |
Category 3 |
1938 |
September 21, 1938 |
| Hurricane Able |
Category 2 |
Tropical Depression |
1952 |
September 1, 1952 |
| Hurricane Carol |
Category 3 |
Category 3 |
1954 |
August 31, 1954 |
| Hurricane Edna |
Category 3 |
Category 1 |
1954 |
September 11, 1954 |
| Hurricane Diane |
Category 3 |
Tropical Storm |
1955 |
August 18-19 1955 |
| Hurricane Cindy |
Category 1 |
Tropical Storm |
1959 |
July 11, 1959 |
| Hurricane Donna |
Category 5 |
Category 2 |
1960 |
September 12, 1960 |
| Hurricane Esther |
Category 4 |
Category 1 |
1961 |
September 21, 1961 |
| Hurricane Alma |
Category 3 |
Extr. Storm |
1966 |
June 13, 1966 |
| Tropical Storm Doria |
Tropical Storm |
Tropical Depression |
1971 |
August 29, 1971 |
| Hurricane Agnes |
Category 1 |
Tropical Depression |
1972 |
June 22, 1972 |
| Tropical Storm Carrie |
Tropical Storm |
Tropical Storm |
1972 |
September 3, 1972 |
| Subtropical Storm Alfa |
Tropical Storm |
Subtropical Storm |
1973 |
July 30, 1973 |
| Hurricane Belle |
Category 3 |
Category 1 |
1976 |
August 10, 1976 |
| Hurricane Gloria |
Category 4 |
Category 1 |
1985 |
September 27, 1985 |
| Tropical Storm Henri |
Tropical Storm |
Tropical Depression |
1985 |
September 23, 1985 |
| Tropical Storm Chris |
Tropical Storm |
Tropical Depression |
1988 |
? |
| Hurricane Bob |
Category 3 |
Category 2 |
1991 |
August 19, 1991 |
| Hurricane Bertha |
Category 3 |
Tropical Storm |
1996 |
July 13, 1996 |
| Hurricane Floyd |
Category 4 |
Tropical Storm |
1999 |
September 16-17 1999 |
- 1950 September 12 - Hurricane Dog - Major offshore hurricane - largest in size of all Atlantic storms - moved very close to Nantucket. Hurricane conditions over southeast Massachusetts. New Bedford Airport at 11pm observation reported sustained wind from the north at 75 mph (121 km/h) with gust to 100 mph (160 km/h). Very, very large, intense storm.
- 1953 September 7 - Hurricane Carol (the First)-category one. Maine landfall with considerable wind losses in Eastport Maine and New Brunswick, Canada. This hurricane was eclipsed by the extreme damage of another Carol (the second) the very next year.
- 1954 - Hurricane Edna - second category 3 hurricane in two weeks in New England made two landfalls, eye over Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod then again on coast of Maine where very severe losses occurred.
- 1971 - Doria - August 28 - was in process of becoming Category one hurricane as it moved into Connecticut from Long Island. Hurricane force winds measured at sea level in Bridgeport Conn. Gusts to 80 mph (129 km/h) in southeast Massachusetts and Blue Hill.
- 1972 - Carrie - as transitioning to extratropical storm on crossing Cape Cod produced hurricane force gusts of 90 mph (145 km/h) in Plymouth and 100 mph (160 km/h) Hyannis, Massachusetts.
- 1991 - Un-named (Former Hurricane Grace:Perfect Storm) - offshore - Wind gusts to 77 mph (124 km/h) over Cape Cod as far west as Jamestown, Rhode Island. Coastal damage very high in exposed eastern Massachusetts area from waves and tide. Minor wind damage coming just two months after Hurricane Bob which produced major damage over southeast Massachusetts.
- 1999 September 15-16 - tropical storm Floyd - wind gusts to 76 mph (122 km/h) in New Bedford, 73 mph (117 km/h) Hyannis, Massachusetts. Gust 90 mph (145 km/h) at Galilee, Rhode Island. Gusts 65-85 mph (137 km/h) along shorelines of Lake Champlain, Vermont and in high open elevations of Vermont. A tight pressure gradient and northerly flow over Vermont produced the most widespread damage reported in all New England during that storm. Widespread tree and roofing material damage reported in Vermont.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] Resources
- ^ a b Snow, Edward Rowe. Storms and Shipwrecks of New England. 2003.
- Bishop Valentine, Sarah. Hurricanes in New England 1635-1996: A Technical Paper. 1996
