Falmouth, Massachusetts, USA (North, East, West) (Teaticket) (Woods Hole) (Hatchville)
1938 - The Great New England Hurricane of 1938

CAT 3 - September 21, 1938
The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 was one of the most destructive and powerful storms ever to strike Southern New England. This system developed in the far eastern Atlantic, near the Cape Verde Islands on September 4. It made a twelve day journey across the Atlantic and up the Eastern Seaboard before crashing ashore on September 21 at Suffolk County, Long Island, then into Milford, Connecticut. The eye of the hurricane was observed in New Haven, Connecticut, 10 miles east of Milford. The center made landfall at the time of astronomical high tide, moving north at 60 mph. Unlike most storms, this hurricane did not weaken on its way toward Southern New England, due to its rapid forward speed and its track. This kept the center of the storm over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.

...Downtown Providence, Rhode Island was submerged under a storm tide of nearly 20 feet. Sections of Falmouth and New Bedford, Massachusetts were submerged under as much as 8 feet of water. All three locations had very rapid tides increased within 1.5 hours of the highest water mark...

National Weather Service
www.erh.noaa.gov



Visit Falmouth, Massachusetts, USA (North, East, West) (Teaticket) (Woods Hole) (Hatchville)
Discover the people who lived there, the places they visited and the stories they shared.