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New England Numbers: Hurricane of '38
September 21, 2008, marks the 70th anniversary of the Great Hurricane of 1938.
19.4
feet: Connecticut River's height above flood stage at Hartford
25
feet: high-tide peak from New London (CT) to Cape Cod (MA)
564
deaths and 1,700 injuries in southern New England
20
feet: depth of storm tide covering the streets of Providence, RI
$306,000,000
cost of storm damage in 1938 dollars
8,900
homes destroyed
2,700
workers brought to New York and New England by Bell Systems to repair downed phone lines
186
miles per hour: peak wind-gust speed, strongest ever recorded at Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, MA
$20,000,000,000
estimated cost of storm damage in 2007 dollars
2,605
fishing boats destroyed
60 mph
Landspeed of the storm as it moved north across Connecticut, after making landfall 10 miles east of Milford (the rapid speed prevented it from losing strength as most storms do after landfall)
27.94 inches
Barometric pressure at landfall, the lowest of the storm, measured Bellport, New York, on the south side of Long Island
3
Category of the hurricane at the time of landfall, although it had been a Category 5 at sea
25 foot
Storm surge, a wall of water fueled by high winds and low atmospheric pressure that inundated the coast
30 to 50 foot
Waves, on top of the storm surge, that pounded Long Island's south shore
3:30 p.m.
Time of landfall on Long Island, just a few hours before high tide which was higher than normal that day due to the coincidence of the Autumnal Equinox and a New Moon
12
New inlets created by the storm surge, including Shinnecock Inlet on Long Island
50 miles
Width of the eye at landfall
More Information: Read a Yankee Classic about the Hurricane of '38, "Wind that Shook the World."
Reader Comments
Comment from Guilford J. Perry on September 14, 2008
Although I was only 1 at the time, I can remember the large, fallen trees in my Grandfather's yard in Seekonk, Ma. These memories were probably a year or so later.
Comment from Frederick Anderson on October 25, 2008
I can ewmwmber all the yachts from the clubs along Dorchester Bay being blown ashore and smashing each other into the sands. I remember one incident when the owner of a large yacht saw his boat run shore on the beach all by itself. He was hysterical with joy. Then along came a big barge, torn loose from its moorings, and smashed the yacht into the sand. I was in high school at the time and remember it well..
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