The Great Hurricane Of 1938 Essay

THE GREAT HURRICANE OF 1938

Winds up to 183 miles per hour. Pouring rain. Waves as high as 50 feet. Conditions would be expected like this off of the coast of south Florida. But not this time. On September 13, 1938, the storm formed northwest of the Cape Verde Islands, “off of the west coast of Africa” according to September 21, 1938: The Great New England Hurricane by Sean Potter (“article 1”). It became a hurricane three days later. The weather conditions, other conditions, and impacts all have a great role in the story of the 1938 hurricane in New England.

Weather Conditions

To start describing the tragic hurricane of 1938, weather conditions played an important role. The hurricane of 1938 was 500 miles wide with an eye that was 50 miles wide, according to The Great Hurricane of 1938 by Deborah Hopkinson and article 1. The eye of a hurricane is the center of the hurricane and is calm. Being that the hurricane was so massive, the weather conditions were able to cover more ground. On the 19th and 20th of September the storm strengthened into a category 5 hurricane. A category 5 hurricane is the strongest and has much more power to tear through anything in its path. Prior to the hurricane striking New England and surrounding regions, there were four days of rain. The four days of rain led to swollen rivers and shortly

Because the northeast United States is not a hurricane prone area, they were unprepared. Being unprepared for such a storm could only cause calamitous damage. Two hours before the hurricane came down, there was no warning, although it had been spotted in New Jersey. Sailors on the Atlantic experienced barometers dropping. A barometer is a device that is used to measure atmospheric pressure (dictionary.com). The barometers were at their lowest, the most dangerous. Adding this to the unpreparedness of the Northeast, the hurricane left a devastated