Hurricane Able (1950)
Category 4 hurricane (SSHS)
Duration August 12 – August 22 (1950)
Intensity 140 mph (220 km/h) (1-min), 953 mbar (hPa)
The beginning of season was very inactive until the middle of August, when a tropical wave spawned a tropical storm east of the Lesser Antilles on August 12. Given the name “Able”, it reached hurricane status on August 13, and it gradually intensified as it tracked generally west-northwestward. By early on August 18, Able reached peak winds of 140 mph (225 km/h), and initially it posed a threat to the Bahamas and Florida.[3][6][11] Instead, the hurricane turned to the northwest, and later to the northeast, passing just offshore Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and Cape Cod. Steadily weakening and moving faster, Able struck Nova Scotia as a tropical storm and later Newfoundland as a tropical depression, before dissipating late on August 22 in the far northern Atlantic Ocean.[3][6]
Along the coast of North Carolina, the hurricane produced light winds and rough waves,[12] as well as moderate precipitation. Heavier rainfall occurred in southern New England,[13] causing flooding in portions of New York City and producing slick roads that caused nine traffic fatalities.[14] Able produced hurricane force winds in Nova Scotia,[3] and damage across Canada totaled over $1 million (CAD), between crops, communications, and fishing industries.[15] Overall, the hurricane killed 26 people in Canada.[16]
