Hurricanes In New England

A New England hurricane is a tropical cyclone originating in the Atlantic Ocean that affects the states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, or Maine in the United States.

Since record keeping began for some Atlantic tropical cyclones in 1851, there have been approximately 30 tropical cyclones to directly strike New England. Due to the unique location of New England, most tropical cyclones that threaten the region tend to recurve out to sea, mainly due to upper-level steering patterns, such as the jet stream. Tropical cyclones also tend to weaken upon approach due to the cooler waters of the North Atlantic, which border New England for most of the year. Thus, tropical cyclone formation near New England and over the Gulf of Maine is very unfavorable.

Most commonly, New England will see the remnants or weakening stage of most tropical cyclones that make landfall either along the United States east coast or Gulf coast. This can sometimes lead to excessive rainfall, and in rare cases destructive flooding. Hurricane Diane in 1955 produced over 19 inches of rain in Massachusetts and contributed to the 1955 Connecticut Floods, one of the worst flooding events in Connecticut's history. More recently, a weakening Hurricane Irene in 2011 produced historic flooding in Vermont, causing over $175 million in damage.

Although rare, several hurricanes have made a direct landfall in New England throughout its history. The return period for hurricane landfalls along the southern coast of New England is generally 10-15 years, with up to 50 years along the Maine coastline. As of 2022, the most recent hurricane to make landfall in the region was Hurricane Bob in 1991.

Due to the fact that sea surface temperatures around New England are generally too cold to support a tropical cyclone, the region very rarely sees a major hurricane landfall (Category 3 or higher). Since 1851, only 3 major hurricanes have ever made landfall on the New England coastline. The return period for storms of such strength along the southern New England coastline is considered to be 50-70 years, and upwards of 300 years in coastal Maine. As of 2022, the most recent major hurricane to make landfall in the region was Hurricane Carol in 1954.

On September 21, 1938, a powerful Category 3 hurricane made landfall over New Haven, Connecticut with winds of 115 mph and a pressure of 941 millibars. Delivering a 186 mph wind gust to the Blue Hill Observatory in Massachusetts, a 163 mph gust atop Mount Washington, and a storm surge of 10-18 feet from the Long Island Sound to the Narragansett Bay, it is often considered to be the most intense hurricane to ever strike New England in modern times. One estimate from Rhode Island stated the water level "reflects a storm occurring roughly once every 400 years." A study of sand deposits also gives more evidence that this was the strongest hurricane to hit Rhode Island in over 300 years.

List of New England Tropical Cyclones

Pre–17th century

Multiple intense hurricanes (Category 3+) are noted to have possibly struck New England in pre-Columbian times: between 1100 and 1150, 1300–1400 (1295–1407), and 1400–1450 (1404–1446), respectively.Donnelly, J. P.; Ettinger, R.; Cleary, P. (2001): "Intense hurricane strikes in southeastern New England since A.D. 1000", ''American Geophysical Union''.

17th century

* August 25, 1635 – The Great Colonial Hurricane struck Narragansett Bay, killing at least 46 people. This hurricane is often considered to be the most intense hurricane to hit New England since its European colonization. The only other storm of a similar magnitude was the 1938 hurricane.
* 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.

18th century

* 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 causing a great deal of damage, but no reported deaths.Snow, Edward Rowe. ''Storms and Shipwrecks of New England''. 2003.
* October 8, 1747 – Seven ships were destroyed, and "many" perished.
* September 8, 1769 – A hurricane that earlier caused great damage in Annapolis, Maryland; blew ashore boats at Boston and adjacent areas, Providence, and Newport. Some houses were blown down and destroyed.
* September 1775 – The Newfoundland hurricane apparently brought strong winds and/or waves to New England, though it is not known to have actually made landfall. This report may also be confused with the Independence Hurricane of September 2–3, 1775, which passed into New England from New York as a tropical depression or weak tropical storm.
* August 13, 1778 – A weakening hurricane that struck the Carolinas, and impacted the coasts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island but did not make landfall. This storm prevented a major battle between England and France off the coast of Rhode Island.
* November 1, 1778 – A possible late-season hurricane struck Cape Cod, Massachusetts, killing between 50 and 70 people. Twenty-three of these deaths are believed to be attributed to , a British ship which ran aground on Cape Cod during this storm.
* October 8–9, 1782 – A hurricane struck the Carolinas and moved up the coast, causing damage in Providence, Rhode Island. It is currently not known if this hurricane made landfall in New England.
* October 18–19, 1782 – A second hurricane moved up the coast and was considered more severe than the previous storm in portions of New England, especially Boston. This was a rare snow hurricane for New England and the storm was likely transforming into an extratropical cyclone as it approached the New England states.
* September 24–25, 1785 – A hurricane which made landfall near Ocracoke, North Carolina

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