The 1938 Hurricane

The 1938 Hurricane
Presented by Lourdes B. Avilés, Ph.D.

11:35 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 is the one to which all Northeast-affecting hurricanes are sooner or later compared. One of only three that have caused major hurricane damage and affected a widespread area over most of New England (1635, 1815, 1938), the storm has a fascinating history, both meteorological and social, and its legacy is still relevant to this day. Dr. Avilés, who wrote a book about the science and history of the 1938 Hurricane, will talk about its meteorology—including the storm track, monitoring, warning, and varied effects—as well as highlight interesting weather observational and warning differences between then and now, and how the storm is still used as worst case scenario by emergency managers in the New England states and Long Island.