   #copyright

Hurricane Gloria

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Storms

   CAPTION: Hurricane Gloria

   Category 4 hurricane ( SSHS)
   Gloria near peak intensity on September 25
   Gloria near peak intensity on September 25
     __________________________________________________________________

   Formed September 16, 1985
   Dissipated October 2, 1985
   Highest
   winds
   145  mph (240  km/h) (1-minute sustained)
   Lowest pressure 919  mbar ( hPa)
   Damage $900 million (1985 USD)
   $1.6 billion (2005 USD)
   Fatalities 8 direct
   Areas
   affected North Carolina, New Jersey, Connecticut, Long Island, New
   England, Atlantic Canada
   Part of the
   1985 Atlantic hurricane season

   Hurricane Gloria was a powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane that formed
   during the 1985 Atlantic hurricane season and prowled the Atlantic
   Ocean from September 16 to September 28. Gloria reached Category 4 on
   the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale near the Bahamas, but weakened
   significantly by the time it made landfall on North Carolina's Outer
   Banks. From there, Gloria closely followed the Mid-Atlantic coastline
   and made a second landfall on Long Island, New York, and, after
   crossing the Long Island Sound, it made a third landfall in
   Connecticut.

   Overall, the storm caused extensive damage along the East Coast of the
   United States, amounting to $900 million ($1.6 billion in 2005 USD),
   and was responsible for 8 fatalities. The storm was the first
   significant system to impact the northeastern United States since
   Hurricane Agnes in 1972 and the last until Hurricane Bob in 1991.

Storm history

   Storm path
   Enlarge
   Storm path

   Gloria began as a tropical wave that moved off the coast of Africa on
   September 15. It moved westward through the favorable tropical Atlantic
   Ocean, and organized into a tropical depression the next day while
   south of the Cape Verde Islands. Tracking steadily west-northwestward
   due to the strong subtropical ridge, the depression continued to
   strengthen and became Tropical Storm Gloria on the 17th. Conditions for
   tropical development deteriorated, causing Gloria to weaken to a
   tropical depression on the 18th. After it crossed 45°W on the 20th, the
   system was able to restrengthen to a tropical storm, and steadily
   intensified as it approached the Lesser Antilles. While 620 miles
   (1000 km) east-southeast of St. Croix, Gloria attained hurricane
   status.

   Moving westward, Gloria threatened much of the Leeward Islands,
   prompting the islands' respective governments to issue Hurricane
   Warnings in anticipation of the storm. A turn to the west-northwest
   occurred on September 22, and the hurricane passed 155 miles (250 km)
   to the north of Anegada, the northernmost island in the Lesser
   Antilles. A break in the subtropical ridge, caused by Tropical Storms
   Fabian and Henri, was responsible for the northward turn and caused
   Gloria to take a northwest track. While passing to the northeast of the
   Bahamas, Gloria strengthened significantly in very favorable
   conditions, reaching major hurricane status on the 24th and peak wind
   speeds of 145 mph (235 km/h) and a central pressure of 919  mbar on the
   25th. This is the second lowest pressure ever recorded in an Atlantic
   hurricane that never reached Category 5 status, only second to
   Hurricane Opal of the 1995 season.
   Gloria to the south of North Carolina
   Enlarge
   Gloria to the south of North Carolina

   Shortly after peaking, Gloria's asymmetrical wind field caused the
   storm to rapidly weaken, and its winds decreased to 90 mph (145 km/h)
   after 18 hours. Continuing around the periphery of the subtropical
   ridge, the hurricane turned to the north-northeast, and its winds
   strengthened to 105 mph (170 km/h) as it passed over the warm waters of
   the Gulf Stream. Gloria then struck Cape Hatteras, North Carolina early
   on September 26, with winds of 105 mph (170 km/h) and a pressure of
   942  mbar while accelerating to the northeast. Gloria became the
   strongest recorded hurricane to strike the U.S. East Coast so far
   north, a distinction it still holds. It paralleled the coastlines of
   Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey, coming within miles of
   land.

   Gloria made its final landfall on western Long Island near Long Beach,
   New York as a minimal hurricane just 10 hours after hitting the Outer
   Banks. Originally, the National Hurricane Centre classified Gloria as a
   major hurricane upon making landfall, but it was later downgraded in
   the seasonal post-analysis. Shortly thereafter the storm crossed the
   Connecticut coastline near Bridgeport, and while continuing
   northeastward through New England, it became extratropical over Maine
   early on the 28th. After moving through Atlantic Canada, the
   extratropical storm tracked eastward before dissipating on October 2 to
   the southwest of Iceland.

Preparations

   Gloria on September 27 at 16:01 UTC
   Enlarge
   Gloria on September 27 at 16:01 UTC

   While approaching the East Coast of the United States, National
   Hurricane Centre director Neil Frank called Gloria the "Storm of the
   Century", due to its intensity and potential track over the densely
   populated area of New England. Such a track greatly gathered the
   attention of many people, and led to the evacuation of 380,000 people
   along the coast from North Carolina to Connecticut. In Maryland, for
   example, officials implemented lane reversing to expedite the
   evacuation process, a policy many other coastal states use.

   Officials recommended 95,000 citizens along the New Jersey coastline,
   an area that rarely experiences hurricanes, to evacuate. Cape May
   County, the most vulnerable part of the state and among the most
   susceptible in the entire country, would require 36 hours in 2005 to
   evacuate the 100,000 citizens and 900,000 tourists that were commonly
   present during busy summer weekends. 397 unofficial shelters existed in
   the county in 1985 for the preparation of Hurricane Gloria, of which
   150 were located on boardwalks; if the hurricane were to strike, only a
   small area in the northwest part of the county would be safe from the
   storm surge. Due to its vulnerability, an evacuation of the entire
   county would be required to avoid significant human losses in future
   hurricanes.

   Offices and classes of Harvard University closed only for the third
   time in the 20th century, the previous cases being the New England
   Hurricane of 1938 and the Blizzard of '78. Although Gloria's winds
   downed numerous trees and caused tens of thousands in damage in the
   area, overall effects were much less than expected.

Impact

   Flooding from Hurricane Gloria
   Enlarge
   Flooding from Hurricane Gloria

   Hurricane Gloria was a large hurricane that affected much of the
   northeastern United States. Gloria brought strong wind gusts to the
   area, downing thousands of trees and leaving over 2 million people
   without power. Overall, Gloria caused $900 million (1985 USD) in
   property damage and 8 deaths, a total lower than expected due to the
   hurricane's arrival at low tide.

Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic

   Upon making landfall on the Outer Banks, Gloria was a fast-moving
   hurricane that struck at low tide, reducing storm surges to a maximum
   of 6 ft (1.8 m) in North Carolina. Other locations from South Carolina
   through New Jersey reported surges less than 1–5 feet (0.3–1.5 m) high.
   Similarly, winds were relatively minimal and confined to the coast.
   Diamond Shoal Light reported sustained winds of 100 mph (160 km/h), and
   Cape Hatteras, where the storm's eye came ashore, experienced 75 mph
   (120 km/h) winds. Much of the Mid-Atlantic coastline was largely
   unscathed from Gloria's winds, excluding a report of 90 mph (145 km/h)
   on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and a report of 80 mph (130 km/h)
   in Ocean City, New Jersey. Though Gloria moved quickly through the
   region, it dropped moderate rainfall in locations, including peaks of
   7.09 inches (180 mm) in New Bern, North Carolina and 6.04 inches
   (153 mm) at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. In addition,
   some unofficial reports in southeastern Virginia indicated amounts of
   up to 8 inches (200 mm) of rain.

   Because much of the Mid-Atlantic experienced the western, weaker side
   of the hurricane, damage was relatively light. High winds downed
   numerous trees throughout the area, leaving hundreds of thousands
   without power, including 237,000 in New Jersey, 124,000 in Maryland,
   and 56,000 in Virginia. Extreme rainfall in Virginia resulted in
   $5.5 million (1985 USD, $9.8 million 2005 USD) in damage. Intense flood
   waters split Long Beach Island in half for a period of time. The
   hurricane's winds caused significant beach erosion, the area most
   affected being the Outer Banks.

Long Island and New York

   Though Gloria hit Long Island with winds of 85 mph (135 km/h), its fast
   forward speed of 35 mph (55 km/h) resulted in winds of 115 mph
   (185 km/h) in eastern Long Island. Islip, New York recorded a wind gust
   of 85 mph (135 km/h), though few other wind reports were available from
   the island. Because the hurricane arrived at low tide, storm surges
   were generally low, peaking at 6.9 feet (2.1 m) at Battery Park.
   Because it moved quickly, Gloria failed to produce significant rainfall
   amounts, and caused only 3.4 inches (86 mm) of rain in Central Park.

   Gloria's high winds caused moderate damage across Long Island and
   southeastern New York. The area hit the worst was eastern Long Island,
   where high wind gusts blew thousands of trees into buildings and across
   roads. In addition, the winds ripped roofs off of many buildings,
   including hangars at the MacArthur Airport and the roof of the Islip
   Police Station. Prolonged exposure to high winds and waves led to
   moderate beach erosion, washing away several piers and docks. The storm
   surge, though relatively weak, destroyed 48 houses on the ocean side of
   the island. Gloria's high winds left 683,000 people in New York without
   power, with some lacking electricity for over eleven days. Even though
   damage amounted to $300 million ($532 million in 2005 USD), due to
   well-executed evacuations there was only one casualty, the death
   occurring from a falling tree.

New England

   Rainfall totals from Gloria
   Enlarge
   Rainfall totals from Gloria

   Upon making landfall in Milford, Connecticut, Gloria was a weakened
   hurricane that passed quickly through the area. Though still a large
   hurricane, Gloria hit at low tide, resulting in low to moderate storm
   surges of 5 feet (1.5 m) in Groton, Connecticut, 6 feet (1.8 m) in New
   Bedford, Massachusetts, and 1 foot (.3 m) in Portland, Maine. The
   hurricane produced gusty winds across New England, with a peak
   observation of 83 mph (135 km/h) in Waterbury, Connecticut and Blue
   Hill, Connecticut. Gloria dropped moderate precipitation in the area
   amounting to a maximum of 6 inches (150 mm) in Littleville Lake,
   Massachusetts. In addition, Gloria caused significant beach erosion in
   Connecticut and Rhode Island.

   Gloria's high winds downed numerous trees across New England, causing
   minor to moderate damage. In the region, Connecticut received the worst
   of the hurricane, where tree and structural damage was greatest. Along
   the coastline, storm surge and strong waves washed away several fishing
   piers, and some roadways were underwater during the storm's passage.
   The hurricane did not pass close enough to Rhode Island and parts of
   Massachusetts, so these areas did not receive significant damage. New
   Hampshire was affected only slightly from the hurricane, and was
   limited to minor wind damage and localized flooding. In Maine, damage
   was more severe, where strong wind gusts ripped off roofs and uprooted
   hundreds of trees. High winds across New England resulted in
   significant power outages, leaving 250,000 in Maine, 84,000 in
   Massachusetts, 174,000 in Rhode Island, and 669,000 in Connecticut
   without power. In all, 7 deaths occurred in New England, many of which
   occurred from falling tree limbs.

Canada

   The extratropical remnants caused minimal damage in Nova Scotia and
   produced tropical storm force winds across southern Newfoundland.

Aftermath

   In the immediate aftermath in New York, hundreds of thousands had great
   difficulty living their everyday lives without power. The long duration
   without electricity led to a general disdain for the Long Island
   Lighting Company. This increased further when the company left the $40
   million (1985 USD) repair bill to the ratepayers, citing the company
   didn't have hurricane insurance. Citizens quickly protested this
   privately owned company, and within years the publicly owned Long
   Island Power Authority was formed.

   In Maine, most citizens remained indoors during the passage of the
   hurricane. One police officer noted that even the criminals stayed
   home. In the Lewiston area, restaurants experienced a great surge in
   business. During the power outage after the storm, several businesses
   stored frozen goods for houses without a generator.

   On December 30, 1985, President Ronald Reagan declared several counties
   in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and
   Massachusetts as federal disaster areas. This declaration allowed those
   counties to apply for disaster assistance.

   Due to its impact, the name Gloria was retired from the Atlantic
   tropical storm name list in the spring of 1986, so it will never again
   be used for an Atlantic hurricane. It was replaced with Grace in the
   1991 season.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Gloria"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
