Hurricane of 1938

Path of the 1938 hurricane

South beach after the storm

South Beach before the storm

Hurricane Carol of 1954

1938 New England hurricane – September 21, 1938 - This storm made landfall on Long Island and Connecticut as a Category 3 hurricane. Wind gusts reached Category 5 strength in eastern Connecticut, Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts west of Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod. The anemometer at the Blue Hill Observatory registered a peak wind gust of 186 mph (299 km/h) before the instrument broke. The hurricane lost strength as it tracked into interior areas of New England, but it is believed to have been at Category 2 intensity as it crossed into Vermont and at minimal Category 1 intensity as it tracked into Quebec. The storm killed over 600 people and is considered to be the worst hurricane to strike New England in modern times.

• August 31, 1954 – Hurricane Carol made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, in eastern Connecticut, southern Rhode Island, and south-coastal Massachusetts in the Buzzards Bay area, west of Cape Cod. Wind gusts of 135 mph (217 km/h) at Block Island, Rhode Island, and 115- mph at TF Green Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island were reported. Although at elevation, winds of 125 mph (201 km/h) in Milton, Massachusetts, were recorded. At least 68 people were killed across New England. Extreme damage was reported in southeast Connecticut, south coastal Rhode Island and south coastal Massachusetts. Storm surge damage along the Rhode Island ocean front was severe, with many homes and buildings swept away. Damage in the Buzzards Bay region rivaled that of the 1938 hurricane. In Groton Long Point, CT, 90% of the homes were damaged or destroyed. A barometric pressure of 956 mb (28.26 in) in Groton, Connecticut where the eye crossed the coastline.

Hurricane Bob of 1991

• August 19, 1991 – Hurricane Bob made landfall on Block Island, Rhode Island, and Newport, Rhode Island, as a Category 2 hurricane. Winds gusted to Category 3 strength in southeastern Massachusetts. Bob was one of the smallest in area and yet most intense hurricanes to hit southern New England since 1938. Storm surge in the Buzzards Bay area of Massachusetts was comparable to that of Hurricane Carol; Bob was considered to be the worst storm on Martha's Vineyard since the 1944 hurricane. This hurricane was among the top twenty-five costliest U.S. hurricanes of twentieth century. The 1938 and 1944 hurricanes, as well as Carol in 1954, Donna in 1960, and Bob in 1991, are all on the list. A tidal surge of 10 feet (3.0 m) above normal was recorded in upper reaches of Buzzards Bay. A wind gust of 135 mph (217 km/h) was recorded at Block Island before the anemometer blew away. A 125 mph (201 km/h)h wind-gust was recorded in Newport, Rhode Island, and a 5-minute sustained wind speed of 111 mph (179 km/h) with gusts to 144 mph (232 km/h) was observed at Westport Harbour on the south coastal border of southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Additional wind recordings include a 120 mph (193 km/h) gust at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy on Buzzards Bay and a 120 mph (193 km/h) gust in Truro, Massachusetts. A one-minute sustained wind speed of 110 mph (177 km/h) was recorded on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts. Several private anemometers in Falmouth, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod reported unofficial gusts of 150 mph (241 km/h). A New Bedford fishing boat off Cuttyhunk Island, Massachusetts, reported a peak gust of 162 mph (261 km/h).