A is a Tropical 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 receives any tropical 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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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 handful of major hurricanes have made landfall in New England each century, and only a few Category 4 or possibly Category 5 hurricanes have ever reached the area notably in 1635 and 1815. The 1938 storm produced wind gusts to category 4 & 5 strength in exposed areas of southern Rhode Island and coastal Massachusetts west of Buzzards Bay and notably at Blue Hill in Milton, Massachusetts.
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.Often a storm moving off Nantucket will produce hurricane force wind gusts over southern and eastern Massachusetts.The last storm of this type was Hurricane Edouard in September of 1996.
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.
Most of the following are tropical cyclones that passed through the states after weakening from their peak.
- 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.Snow, Edward Rowe. ''Storms and Shipwrecks of New England''. 2003.
- October 8 , 1747 - Seven ships were destroyed and "Many" perished.
- August 1775 - The 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.
- October 9 , Snow, Edward Rowe. ''Storms and Shipwrecks of New England''. 2003. 1804 - The 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. This was a major hurricane especially in eastern Massachusetts. Category three.
- September 1815 - What was once a major hurricane brought Tropical Storm-force winds into New England.
- September 23/24, 1815- The 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 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 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 . But it weakened to a -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 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 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 it briefly enters Vermont and dissipates.
- 1904 September 15 - category 1/extratropical - Damage in southeast Massachusetts, especially Marthas Vineyard. Trees down in Providence, Rhode Island and New Bedford, Massachusetts. Center moved NE just within coastline from Carolinas with eastern sector intact over ocean. Crossed Long Island and east RI border. Much marine destruction with heavy losses in Buzzards Bay and Vineyard sound and Massachusetts Bay.
- 1916 July 21 - category 1 - Center moved north from open Atlantic, crossing Buzzards Bay/Cape Cod area of Massachusetts. Hourly wind reports indicated sustained but actual winds were higher than hourly observations. Gusts of recorded in southeast Massachusetts and Cape Cod.
- 1924 August 26 - category 2/3 - large center moved over and just east of Cape Cod. Severe hurricane in New Bedford and Marthas Vineyard Massachusetts. New Bedford Newspaper (Mercury) published photo journal of severity. Often overlooked though much material present to include as destructive storm. On Cape Cod, Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket considered worse than 1938. Widespread wind losses to structures. Very heavy tree damage in New Bedford north to Plymouth Massachusetts. Storm later destructive in Nova Scotia.
- 1934 September 8 - tropical storm - weakening hurricane crossed Long Island and lost strength from slow movement as it moved through Connecticut much in a similar manner as Hurricane Belle of August 1976. Trees downed in Providence Rhode Island and New Haven Conn. however.
- 1936 September 18 - category 1 - Eye moved east-northeast over Block Island and Nantucket Sounds after moving up East Coast of U.S. north of North Carolina and Virginia. Destructive in Providence, Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts. Boston had winds at 8am on the 18th as the storm moved east along the south coast of Cape Cod and the Islands. Much media coverage but this storm was later eclipsed by the extreme hurricane two years later. Heavy wind damage in all of eastern Massachusetts.
These storms erase the "myth" of the 1938 hurricane as New England's "first in 115 years." That was a mythology that covered up the Weather Service's lack of warning as the 1938 storm hit. The two hurricanes of 1869 and the storm of 1924 were widespread weather lore in southern New England. It is curious that revisionism occurred in the press to make the 1938 storm seem unprecedented and therefore impossible to predict. Also, in that 115 year period, more hurricanes impacted southern New England than in all of the twentieth century, so often was New England hit.
- 1944 September 14 - 15 - Great Atlantic Hurricane - Category 3 in southern New England. Eye over Conn./Rhode Island border. Severe wind damage in southeastern Massachusetts and across the Cape and Islands. On Cape Cod and Marthas Vineyard considered worse than 1938. Severe wind damage in New Bedford Mass. Much structural damage and much of the forest that had somehow escaped being decimated in 1938 fell victim to this storm.
- 1950 September 12 - Hurricane Dog - Major offshore hurricane - largest in size of all Atlantic storms - moved very close to Nantucket. Hurricane conditions over southeast Massachusetts.New Bedford Airport at 11pm observation reported sustained wind from the north at with gust to . Very, very large, intense storm.
- 1953 September 7 - Hurricane Carol (the First)-category one. Maine landfall with considerable wind losses in Eastport Maine and New Brunswick, Canada. Eclipsed by the extreme damage of another Carol (the second) the very next year.
- 1954 - Hurricane Edna - second category 3 hurricane in two weeks in New England made two landfalls, eye over Marthas Vineyard and Cape Cod then again on coast of Maine where very severe losses occurred. Edna was a category 4 on approach to Cape.
- 1962 October 4 - Hurricane Daisy - offshore-produced hurricane conditions in coastal NE Maine and Mt. Desert Island.
- 1963 October 30 - Hurricane Ginny - offshore-produced hurricane conditions on Nantucket Island, Mass. and again along coastal NE Maine.
- 1971 - Doria - August 28 - was in process of becoming Category one hurricane as it moved into Connecticut from Long Island. Hurricane force winds measured at sea level in Bridgeport Conn. Gusts to in southeast Massachusetts and Blue Hill.
- 1972 - Carrie - as transitioning to extratropical storm on crossing Cape Cod produced hurricane force gusts of in Plymouth and Hyannis, Mass.
- 1991 - Un-named (Former Hurricane Grace:Perfect Storm) - offshore - Wind gusts to over Cape Cod as far west as Jamestown, Rhode Island. Coastal damage very high in exposed eastern Massachusetts area from waves and tide. Minor wind damage coming just two months after Hurricane Bob which produced major damage over southeast Massachusetts.
- 1996 September 2 - Hurricane Edouard - category 1 - offshore-hurricane force wind gusts from Buzzards Bay east across Cape and Islands.
- 1999 September 15 -16 - tropical storm Floyd - wind gusts to in New Bedford, Hyannis, Massachusetts. Gust at Galilee, Rhode Island. Gusts 65- along shorelines of Lake Champlain, Vermont and in high open elevations of Vermont. Tight pressure gradient and northerly flow over Vermont produced the most widespread damage reported in all New England during that storm. Widespread tree and roofing material damage in Vermont.
- Bishop Valentine, Sarah. Hurricanes in New England 1635-1996: A Technical Paper. 1996
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