This of course didn’t compare with the ferocious 35 MPH winds which caused Obama to evacuate Martha’s Vineyard last August.
The Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635:
One such storm was known as the Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635, striking the Jamestown settlement and Massachusetts bay colony in that year. The storm had a storm track similar to the Great Atlantic hurricane of 1944 which was parallel to the coast.
The eye of the storm evidently passed between Plymouth and Boston, and winds were estimated at 140mph, a deadly Category 4 hurricane. In Narragansett bay the tide was 14 feet above the ordinary tide and drowned many native people. There was severe damage to houses along Plymouth with complete blowdowns in rural areas of Eastern Massachusetts.
Note in the post below this one, that 1635 was the coldest year ever ….. Global cooling must have loaded Hansen’s dice.
With respect to the worst New England hurricanes, don’t forget Carol in 1954. In a narrow band from Rhode Island thru eastern Massachusetts, it was as bad as the 1938 hurricane. The high water mark at Providence may have exceeded that of 1938. Wind up to 135 at Block Island and 100 mph in Boston. Broght down the Old North Church.
On what basis did the folks in 1635 estimate wind speed to be 140 mph?
NOAA makes their estimates based on reported storm damage and surges.
What is the approximate forward velocity of this storm? The 1938 New England Hurricane was moving 60-70mph so that’s why gusts out on Eastern Long Island were over 160mph. I am wondering if any empirical data can be ascertained on the 1965 storm that would indicate what it’s forward velocity was before making landfall on Long Island. I know there was a study done years ago on sedimentary analysis so I will have to go back and check this.