

Around 60 people died on Long Island - 29 of them at or near Westhampton Beach.The Long Island Express: Tracking the Hurricane. On Dune Road in Westhampton 179 homes only 26 stood afterwards. The Long Island Express: Tracking the Hurricane of 1938 on.

These were a cherished landmark in the area In East Hampton, almost half of the trees planted during the American Revolutionary War on Main Street were destroyed.About 3,500 trees were lost in the Bridgehampton-Sagaponack-Hayground area alone.Approximately 2 Billion trees were destroyed due to the storm across New England.The lowest atmospheric pressure was 27.94 observed in Bellport.Gusts reached up to 186 mph, as recorded in Massachusetts.In brief, the storm’s damage summary from Boston NWS Office is: Public Impact: Deaths: 564 Injured: > 1,700. The strongest winds of a northern hemisphere tropical cyclone are on the east side where the storm’s forward motion adds to the rotation speed. Peak steady winds were recorded at 121 mph Track and rainfall of the Hurricane of 1938.The Empire State Building recorded winds of 120 mph In Rhode Island (and New England), we measure storms like this weekends hurricane/tropical storm against the grandaddy of all New England hurricanes: the. The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 was one of the most destructive and powerful storms ever to strike Southern New England killing.A Mean Lower Low Water of 8 feet was recorded in Port Jefferson.Unfortunately the hurricane hit during high tide causing a tidal surge.When the hurricane hit Long Island, the impact is said to have registered on seismographs in Alaska.The hurricane made landfall near Bellport around 2:30pm as a Category 3.The storm was also known as the “Long Island Express Hurricane” referring to its speed.At the time, hurricanes were not named the way they are today and were known for the year and the region they hit.The hurricane is referred to as “Great New England Hurricane of 1938”.These simulations produce an H1938 storm track that differs markedly. The storm hit Long island at about 2:30pm Hurricane Floods dataset spanning the period of 12 to 17 September 1938, in inches.The hurricane hit Long Island on September 21, 1938.The New York Times forecast for that day called for "more rain for today and tomorrow cooler." There was no hint that a hurricane was barreling down on Long Island.Due to a lack of modern technology to track and forecast hurricanes at the time, the fast-moving storm took Long Islanders by surprise.When the storm turned north and missed Florida, weather forecasters thought it would dissipate in the the North Atlantic.A newspaper report after the storm said that records showed that the Island had been only been hit twice before by hurricanes, in 18.It had been over a hundred years since New England had been hit by a big hurricane.You can also see photos of the aftermath of the 1938 hurricane by clicking here. In September 1938, an historic storm hit Islanders particularly hard, with some long lasting effects that are still seen today.īelow we present some crazy historical facts about the Hurricane of 1938. This strong Cat.-3 Hurricane struck several coastal areas of New England in September of 1938 with little warning, killing 256 people and moving at a forward. If you lived through Hurricane Gloria, Superstorm Sandy, or even the Blizzard of 1978, the destruction and loss from these storms will forever be etched in your mind. The Hurricane of 1938 took everyone by surprise. Approximately 13 feet of water flooded Providence during the storm and winds gusted to 125 mph in the city.Long Island has been battered by some extremely powerful storms over the years. She documented the storm as the “worst in the history of Rhode Island.” “Nearly every oak tree went… it was weeks before we could travel on Fall River Avenue,” Helen Crews of Seekonk added.ĭuring the Hurricane of 1938, more than 600 people died, thousands were made homeless and an estimated millions of dollars in property was lost.Īn exhibit at the East Greenwich Library displays excerpts from the diary of Chief Nancy Allen, who was the only female fire chief in the country at the time. He witnessed the storm’s impact on the Providence River from his home. “Boats being thrown up on shore… you know… off the river,” Douglas Dean of East Providence recalled. home supply warehouses as the hurricane bears down on some unfortunate coastal community. (WPRI) - Friday marks 80 years since the Hurricane of 1938 wreaked havoc on Rhode Island, but survivors remember the most powerful and deadliest storm to hit the area like it was yesterday.
