Carol formed in the southern
Bahamas on August 25, 1954. By August 27, the developing storm was officially
classified as a hurricane while east of Florida. Caught in a weak upper level
steering environment, ship reports indicated the storm was drifting slowly
northwest off the Florida coastline between August 27 and late on August 29th.
Early on August 30th, a deepening trough elongated along the coast from South
Carolina to Canadian. The storm quickly became caught in this upper level
flow and turned northeast with increasing forward speed toward the northeast
Atlantic states.
By midnight on August
30th, Carol's western edge brushed the North Carolina Outer Banks. As the
storm passed Cape Hatteras, the forward speed accelerated to over 35-mph.
Residents in the north Atlantic states had to prepare for the hurricane in
darkness - adding to the confusion and fear of residents and vacationers.
Around 8:00 am the next morning (August 31), Carol made landfall across the
twin forks of Long Island, then moved into eastern Connecticut near New London.
The area from Saybrook, Connecticut to New Bedford, Massachusetts once again
was in the damaging eastern half of a tropical cyclone.
TRACK OF CAROL
Hurricane
Carol originated from an area of disturbed weather in the southern Bahamas.
Several hurricanes that have struck the northeast Atlantic states have developed
in this area - including Hurricane Bob (1991) and Hurricane Belle (1976).
(Track NOAA).
METEOROLOGICAL
CONDITIONS IN THE UNITED STATES
At
the time of landfall on far eastern Long Island and the eastern Connecticut
coast, the sustained winds in Carol were around 100- mph, with gusts in the
115 to 135-mph range. Like the 1938 hurricane, Carol accelerated northward
form Virginia to Long Island. The combination of 100-mph sustained winds and
a forward speed of 35-mph produced some of the strongest wind gusts ever measured
in the North Atlantic states. Montauk Point Lighthouse reported gusts to 120-mph.
Along the eastern Connecticut coast, from Saybrook Point to Groton Long Point,
wind gusts over 100-mph were reported. Southern Rhode Island was hit squarely
by the damaging eastern eyewall of the cyclone - wind gusts of 115 -135-mph,
blasted across the region. The T.F. Green State Airport (near Narragansett
Bay, RI) reported sustained winds of 90-mph, with gusts to 115-mph. The
most extreme winds recorded were on exposed Block Island off the Rhode Island
coast- sustained winds hit 100- mph with a gust to 135-mph.
Carol
was a small but intense storm. Most of Long Island and western Connecticut
experienced little effects from the storm. The New Haven Airport (along the
central Connecticut coast) reported a peak wind gust of only 69-mph. Forty
five miles to the east however, where the eye of the tropical cyclone crossed
the coast, wind gusts of 110-mph were measured at New London - blowing off
a section of the City Hall roof. This was also evident on Long Island, winds
west of Fire Island were only 30 to 40-mph, while the Montauk Point Coast
Guard Station reported gusts to 120-mph until the wind meter blew away..
Suffolk
County Airport on Long Island reported a low pressure of 28.35 inches (960
mb). Although this is the lowest official pressure associated with Carol,
the Coast Guard Moorings in Groton, Connecticut, recorded a low pressure of
28.26 inches (957 mb). Carol was one of the few northeast tropical cyclones
that had a classic eye when it made landfall - residents in the Groton, Connecticut
area, reported that around 10 a.m., the sky cleared and the winds dropped,
followed by a rapid increase 30-minutes later to hurricane force winds again
(New London Day 9/1/54).
Hurricane
Carol produced storm surge of 8 to 13-feet across the Rhode Island, eastern
Connecticut, and southeastern Massachuttes coastlines.
Although Carol's storm surge were at least 3 to 5-feet lower than the 38 hurricane,
some locations reported record tidal surges. Just as in 1938 - Carol arrived
close to the time of high tide. Observers in Montauk, Long Island reported
that the ocean completely crossed the Montauk highway, cutting off the far
eastern tip of Long Island for a time. On Shore Road, the main coastal road
along the beach in Westerly, Rhode Island, tides up to 13-feet above mean
water were estimated. The water rose to within 1-foot of the record
high water line on the Plaque at the Old Market House in Dowtown Providence
commemorating the Great 1938 Hurricane - 12.9-feet above mean water. In Connecticut,
the storm surge was severe east of the Connecticut River. A tidal measurement
of 8-feet above mean tide was recorded at the Groton Railroad Station.
The frightening
intensity of Hurricane Carol's storm surge in Rhode Island is captured in
this photograph of Westerly, Rhode Island. Buildings in the center of the
photo were floated off their foundations, while buildings in the lower portion
were swept completely away, only slabs and driveways remain (Photo Rhode Island
National Guard 9/54).
Many
buildings along the Rhode Island coast lost their roof in Carol's howling
winds. This building was located at the eastern end of Misquamicut Beach in
Westerly. (Photo Rhode Island National Guard 9/2/54).
THE
IMPACT
Southern Rhode Island bore the brunt of Hurricane Carol's fury. Sustained
winds of at least 100-mph with gusts to 135-mph tore roofs off hundreds of
buildings, downed thousands of trees and power lines, and littered roads and
rail lines with a mountain of debris. Many buildings in the Westerly/Charlestown
area lost their roofing during the height of the storm - forcing many to scurry
to secondary shelter in severe cyclone conditions. In Warwick, the roof of
a large apartment complex was blown off, exposing 165 people to the elements
all at once. Power was lost by 600,000 Rhode Islanders (85% of the State).
The
storm surge was even more destructive from Watch Hill to Point Judith. Carol
crossed the coast close to the time of high tide. A storm-surge of 10-13-feet
swamped many barrier island and tidal communities across Rhode Island. Hundreds
of summer cottages were swept away. Green Hill and Matunuck had homes swept
a half mile inland from their foundations. From Westerly to Newport - the
combined effects of wind and water destroyed more than 5,000 buildings. The
storm tide raced up the Pawcatuck River flooding the business sections of
Westerly. Storm surge flooding was also severe along the shores of Narragansett
Bay, as Bristol and Jamestown had hundreds of structures destroyed.
The
Pier boardwalk and Bathhouse complex in Matunuck, Rhode Island is shown in
June 1953, while hundreds of people enjoy the Arcade and Beach. (Rhode Island
Office of Economic Development 1953).
The
Pier and Bathhouse Complex two days after Hurricane Carol in 1954. Rows of
bathhouse (left of center) vanished without a trace (Rhode Island National
Guard 1954).
In
Connecticut, while the western half of the state suffered almost no damage
at all from Carol - southeastern Connecticut was pounded mercilessly. From
Saybrook, through the Lymes, to New London and Mystic, wind gusts of well
over 100-mph and tides 8- feet above normal damaged or destroyed thousands
of buildings. Many homes in southeastern Connecticut had roofing damage due
to large falling trees. In the Lymes, many beach cottages were flooded, some
completely swept away into the ocean. While in the Groton/Long Point area,
50 homes and the Casino Building were submerged at the height of the storm.
Carol pounded the City of New London - the harbor and docks were in shambles
after the storm, with hundreds of boats smashed and thrown onto coastal roads.
Shorefront restaurants and business had glass shattered and heavy flooding
- with losses in the millions. Up the Thames River in Norwich, river flooding
and tree damage was some of the worst on record. After the cyclone, along
with many sections of Rhode Island, Connecticut used martial law to strictly
enforce a dusk to dawn curfew.
Giant
waves crash against the second floor of oceanfront homes in Old Lyme, Connecticut
during Hurricane Carol in 1954. Tides along the eastern Connecticut coast
reached 8 feet above normal (Photo NOAA Photo Library).
Southeastern
Massachusetts was also hit severely by Carol. Carol was more damaging to
southeastern Massachusetts than the 1938 hurricane. Around New Bedford
and Buzzards Bay, the scene was one of devastation. Tides in Buzzards Bay
reached their highest known levels since records were kept. The massive storm
surge swept away cottages and destroyed the many small boatyards along both
ends of Buzzards Bay. Along the Outer Cape, a storm -surge of at least 13-feet
above normal (with 10-foot waves) created a 20-foot wall over water that swept
away buildings, homes, cottages, and business. Weeks after the storm, piles
of wreckage could be seen for miles along Route 6 in southeastern Massachusetts.
After roaring across Long Island and through southeastern Connecticut, Rhode
Island, and the Cape Cod area- Hurricane Carol was still not through. Racing
northward, almost 100-miles inland, the Boston area was hit worse than in
1938. Trees, traffic lights, and even the steeple of the Old North Church,
crashed into the streets. An estimated 500,000 people in the Boston area lost
power during Carol. Although most tropical cyclones lose their intensity when
they reach this far north - Carol, produced hurricane force gusts into New
England. In Concord, New Hampshire, city hall recorded gusts to 70-mph. Even
as far north as Maine, the storm still had hurricane force gusts: the Augusta
State Airport reported an 80-mph peak gust as the weakening tropical storm
passed through. Carol finally died over the cool forests of Canada on September
1st.
In
howling winds and a dark sky near 12 noon - the two-hundred- foot, 148-year
old steeple of the Old North Church crashes into the streets of Boston during
Hurricane Carol in 1954. The steeple had stood since 1806.
Hurricane
Carol killed 66 people, injured
several thousand, are left many locations in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and
southeastern Massachusetts in shambles. Although tragic, the death toll was
still far less than the 688 killed in the 38 cyclone. The storm also left
several hundred homeless in southern Rhode Island, and was a major economic
blow to the Rhode Island and Connecticut beach tourist industry. Downtown
Providence, Rhode Island, for the second time in less the 20-years - had suffered
a severe storm surge from a tropical cyclone. The Federal Government and the
State of Rhode Island decided that something needed to be done to protect
the capital city of Providence from hurricane storm surge flooding. A few
years later the Providence Hurricane Barrier was constructed to protect the
city from tidal flooding.
Although
the total number of buildings damaged by Hurricane Carol was less than in
the 38 storm, property values had increased greatly. Carol had produced destruction
from Long Island to Canada; however, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and southeastern
Massachusetts suffered the greatest destruction. Carol was the most expensive
hurricane to ever strike the United States up to that date (1954). Losses
were nearly $500 million.($6.4 billion in 2004 dollars).
BACK
©
Michael A Grammatico 8/03
