List of New England hurricanes
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A New England hurricane is a tropical cyclone or subtropical 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 however, rarely gets any tropical or subtropical cyclones, as it does not border the Atlantic coast. However, a few storms have managed to cross into Vermont with tropical storm strength.
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[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. Only a small handful of major hurricanes have made landfall in New England, and no Category 4 or 5 hurricane has ever reached the area.
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.
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
| Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale | ||||||
| TD | TS | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Most of the following are tropical cyclones that passed through the states after weakening from their peak.
[edit] 1600s
- August 4, 1609- One ship sank near Bermuda, killing 32 men; inspired Shakespeare to write The Tempest.
- August 25, 1635- The Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635 struck Narragansett Bay as a possible Category 3 hurricane. It killed 46+ people.
- August 23, 1683- A tropical cyclone hit Connecticut and caused tremendous flooding.
- October 29, 1693- Another tropical cyclone struck New England and caused flooding so great, that new permanent inlets were created.
[edit] 1700s
- October 18, 1703- A tropical system caused great wind and flood damage; many ships were lost.
- February 23, 1723- An off-season storm struck Cape Cod a great deal of damage, but no reported deaths.[1]
- October 8, 1747- Seven ships were destroyed and "Many" perished.
- August 1775- The Newfoundland Hurricane of 1775 apparently brought strong winds and/or waves to New England, though it is not known to have actually made landfall.
- November 1, 1778- A late season hurricane struck Cape Cod, Massachusetts, killing 50-70 people.
- August 19, 1788- A hurricane struck New England.
[edit] 1800s
- 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.
- 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 were reported because of the hurricane's passage over New England.
- 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. But it weakened to a 60 mph-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 tropical storm. It then continued east-northeast and dissappated in extreme eastern Maine later that day.
- November 3, 1861- The Expedition Hurricane made struck eastern Connecticut as a 60 mph tropical storm. It then continued northeast until it dissappated 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 is 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 | 1893 | August 29, 1893 |
- October 10, 1894- Hurricane 5 struck Connecticut as a category 1 hurricane.
- September 10, 1896- Hurricane 2 struck Massachusetts as a category 1 hurricane.
- September 24, 1897- Tropical Storm 3 hit Connecticut as a 50 mph tropical storm. It continued up through all the New England states except for Vermont.
- October 6, 1898- Hurricane 7 came from the west and hit Maine as a tropical depression, then continued east into Atlantic Canada.
- November 1, 1899- Hurricane 8 struck New England as a 50 mph extratropical storm.
[edit] 1900s
| 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 1 | 1954 | August 31, 1954 |
| Hurricane Edna | Category 3 | Category 2 | 1954 | September 1954 |
| Hurricane Diane | Category 3 | Category 1 | 1955 | ? |
| Hurricane Daisy | Category 3 | ? | 1958 | ? |
| Hurricane Cindy | Category 1 | Tropical Storm | 1959 | ? |
| Hurricane Donna | Category 5 | Category 3 | 1960 | ? |
| Hurricane Esther | Category 4 | Category 1 | 1961 | September 21, 1961 |
| Hurricane Alma | Category 3 | Tropical Depression | 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 | ? |
| Tropical Storm Henri | Tropical Storm | Tropical Storm | 1985 | September 23, 1985 |
| Tropical Storm Chris | Tropical Storm | Tropical Storm | 1988 | ? |
| Hurricane Bob | Category 3 | Category 1 | 1991 | ? |
| Hurricane Bertha | Category 3 | Category 2 | 1996 | ? |
| Hurricane Floyd | Category 4 | Category 1 | 1999 | ? |
[edit] 2000s
| Storm | Category | Season | Date of landfall | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peak intensity | Intensity at landfall | |||
| Hurricane Charley | Category 4 | Tropical Storm | 2004 | August 15, 2004 |
| Tropical Storm Hermine | Tropical Storm | Tropical Storm | 2004 | August 31, 2004 |
| Hurricane Cindy | Category 1 | Extratropical | 2005 | July 9, 2005 |
| Tropical Storm Beryl | Tropical Storm | Tropical Storm | 2006 | July 21, 2006 |
| Hurricane Ernesto | Category 1 | Extratropical | 2006 | September 2, 2006 |
[edit] See also
- List of notable tropical cyclones
- List of Atlantic hurricane seasons
- List of New Jersey hurricanes
- Tropical cyclone
