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The Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1944

Reconnaissance aircraft first discovered the fully developed hurricane on September 9, 1944, northeast of Puerto Rico. As the storm moved west-northwest, it steadily intensified. Further reconnaissance located the hurricanes center off the northern Bahaman Islands on the evening of the 12 September. At this time, the Category 4 hurricane was moving forward at 32-48 km/h (20-30 mph) with top wind speeds of 240 km/h (150 mph). After taking a northward turn on 14 September, the center of the storm passed just east of Cape Hatteras, NC around 9:00AM. The hurricane then turned slightly to the northeast and accelerated to a forward speed of about 64 km/h (40 mph). At 10:00 PM on 14 September, the hurricane passed over eastern Long Island, NY as a Category 3 hurricane. The hurricane made landfall near Point Judith, RI an hour later and moved northeastward, passing just southeast of Boston, MA and out to sea at 1:00 am on 15 September. (http://www.hurricanescience.org/history/storms/1940s/GreatAtlantic/)TRACKING

Sept 8th, 1944 Sept 15th, 194420th Century Reanalysis:DamageAs the storm moved northward along 1440 km (900 mi) of the eastern Atlantic seaboard, from North Carolina up to Newfoundland, it caused widespread damage. The hurricane cost over $100 million (1944 USD, $1.2 Billion 2010 USD) in damage and killed 390 people. The storm wreaked havoc on World War II shipping lines, and five ships sunk during the storm, including two US coast guard cutters off of North Carolina (48 lives lost) and a US Navy destroyer off of Florida (248 lives lost). Mainland evacuations and careful warnings, however, allowed the death toll on land to be fairly low: 46 persons. (http://www.hurricanescience.org/history/storms/1940s/GreatAtlantic/)

Harvey CedarsArchive Photos

(Photo Credit: NJ State Archives via the Department of Transportation Collection)Atlantic CityArchive Photos

(, Photo Credit: NJ State Archives via Dept. of Transportation Collection)Cape MayArchive Photos

Photo Credit NJ State Archives via Dept. of Transportation CollectionSeaside HeightsArchive Photos

Photo Credit NJ State Archives via Dept. of Transportation CollectionDowntown ManhattanArchive Photos

(Photo Credit businessinsider.com John Lent)During the storm, New York City saw sustained hurricane force winds of 130 km/h (81 mph) with gusts up to 158 km/h (99 mph). Damages consisted of power outages, some lasting 10 days, and downed trees throughout the city.http://www.hurricanescience.org/history/storms/1940s/GreatAtlantic/http://www.hurricanescience.org/history/storms/1940s/GreatAtlantic/9Rockefeller Plaza - NYCArchive Photos

(Photo Credit businessinsider.com John Lent)