1932 Bahamas Hurricane

In late August and early September, 1932, a potent Atlantic hurricane—retroactively rated Category 5 on the modern Saffir–Simpson scale—impacted portions of the Lucayan Archipelago and the East Coast of the United States, inflicting locally severe damage. It was known as the Great Abaco hurricane or the 1932 Bahamas hurricane, after the site of its worst effects, which it hit at peak intensity. Though large and powerful, it impacted few areas other than islands. The fourth tropical storm and third hurricane of the 1932 Atlantic hurricane season, it belonged to a pair of Category 5 storms in the Atlantic Ocean that year, the other happening in November.

The cyclone formed north of the Virgin Islands on August 30, over the next three days gradually strengthening. Heading west-northwest, it became a hurricane on September 2 and a strong hurricane a day later. On September 4 it became a major hurricane—Category 3 or stronger—and on September 5 peaked with winds of 160 mph (260 km/h), passing over the northern Bahamas on the latter date. Its eye traversed the Abaco Islands, attended by catastrophic winds and storm surge that killed 18 people. One of four Category 5 storms to hit the Bahamas on record, it was also the first of two such to strike the Abaco Islands, the other being 2019's Dorian.

Within a day of landfall it turned northward and then northeastward, heading seaward while a powerful hurricane. By September 8 the storm weakened to below Category 3 status, never making landfall on the contiguous United States. Nevertheless, its effects were felt on the East Coast of the United States, primarily in the northeastern part of the country, including winds offshore of New England, doing mostly minor—but occasionally significant—damage. On September 9 it lost tropical features and continued a week, brushing the Maritimes. In Atlantic Canada it claimed 14–15 lives, widely dispersing impacts, and gradually turned eastward near Iceland, eventually passing north of the Scandinavian Peninsula and ending near the Russian SFSR of the Soviet Union on September 17.

Meteorological history

At 18:00 UTC on August 30, the Atlantic hurricane database (HURDAT) initiated a tropical depression 50 miles (80 kilometres) east of Anegada in the British Virgin Islands. Around that time the United States Weather Bureau operationally first detected the storm, which it deemed minor. Once noted, the storm tracked generally west-northwest. The next day a ship logged winds, at which time the depression was already a tropical storm. Late on September 2, while centered 100 mi (160 km) east-northeast of Grand Turk Island, the storm became a minimal hurricane, but contemporary meteorologists believed it still weaker. The storm bypassed the Greater Antilles to the north on the night of September 2–3. A day later a ship saw winds of , first verifying hurricane status; meanwhile the storm had strengthened 35 mph (55 km/h) in 24 hours, showing rapid intensification.
At 00:00 UTC on September 4 the cyclone reached winds of 115 mph (185 km/h), equal to Category 3 status, and attained Category 4 just 18 hours later; winds no more than were reported by mariners to the Weather Bureau as late as the evening of September 4, however. Late the next day it peaked at 160 mph (260 km/h) and crossed the Abaco Islands, making a pressure of less than on land during its passage. As it did so it turned north, missing the most populous Bahamian islands—and the capital Nassau—well to the east, and generated extreme winds on the Abaco Islands.

On September 6 the storm largely retained force, heading north-northeast off the northern Bahamas, away from the mainland United States. Multiple ships this day caught hurricane-force winds and pressures down to . At 18:00 UTC the storm lost Category 5 winds but remained intense, and the next day it curved northeastward, roughly paralleling the East Coast of the United States. At 11:00 UTC the ship ''Deer Lodge'' clocked winds— Beaufort Force 12—and a barometric low of , implying maximum sustained winds of or greater. Another ship that day also recorded hurricane winds nearby and a pressure of , evidencing high-end Category 4 winds—145 mph (230 km/h) or higher—all day. On September 8, however, a more rapid downtrend started as the storm continued northeast, losing intensity. By 18:00 UTC it was no longer a major hurricane, but being of great extent, still brought high winds to coastal New England. Overnight the storm angled toward the coast, heading north, and passed about 200 mi (320 km) offshore with winds of 100 mph (155 km/h). At 18:00 UTC on September 9 it became extratropical and lurched east-northeast, keeping hurricane-force winds about a day longer. At 12:00 UTC on September 11 it shed hurricane intensity and resumed a northeast course. Shortly afterward it crossed just south of the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland, packing winds of 70 mph (110 km/h). Its remnants soon traveled near the Snæfellsnes, Iceland, and Jan Mayen, an island 370 mi (595 km) northeast of Iceland, bypassing those areas on the night of September 14–15. Early on September 16 the system veered eastward, and the following day finally ended over the Barents Sea.

Preparations, impact, aftermath, and records

Storm warnings in the United States were placed at 15:00 UTC on September 5 from Daytona Beach to Punta Gorda, Florida. Due in part to the warnings, people in the affected areas began boarding up windows and completing other preparations, some as early as September 3. A pair of trains were dispatched to evacuate Lake Okeechobee-area denizens.
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/ref> Evacuees streamed northward from Miami and West Palm Beach; between the latter place and Jacksonville many filling stations ran out of gas. Melbourne, which was filled up with refugees, converted its high school into a shelter. As the cyclone later appeared to miss South Florida, the first warnings were cancelled and new storm warnings issued between Daytona Beach and Wilmington, North Carolina. By early September 7, warnings were extended up the East Coast to Eastport, Maine.

In all 35–36 people were reported killed. About half the deaths occurred in the Bahamas, on and around Abaco Island; damage estimates in dollars, however, were not released. Along the East Coast of the United States losses tallied "many thousands". Despite the great size and intensity of the hurricane, ample warnings prevented loss of life and commerce at sea. To date, it is one of four Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes to make landfall in the Bahamas at that intensity—the others having taken place in 1933, 1992, and 2019—and the first of two such storms to hit the Abaco Islands.

The Bahamas

The storm caused at least 18 fatalities in the island chain, along with an additional 300 injured. Passing north of Cat Island, it caused a pressure of and a north wind of there, downing power lines. Although the cyclone passed within 65 mi (105 km) of New Providence, it blew at up to and did no significant damage there, other than to tomatoes. At Nassau it produced a pressure of , along with sustained winds of . Farther west, it left Andros unaffected. On San Salvador, then Watling Island, the storm only destroyed a radio station. The cyclone wrought winds on Eleuthera, doing much damage to crops and part of a wharf. It also tore up roads on the island. On Grand Bahama the storm was worse, ravaging vessels, unroofing homes, and causing flooding. Some homes were destroyed and many others badly damaged. Floodwaters reached depths of up to , pushing houses off their homesites, and Hawksbill Creek rose to a height of . The storm heavily damaged citrus crops at West End. A number of minor injuries occurred as well. Food shortages were reported between Eight Mile Rock and Sweeting Cay.

The storm was at its most damaging on the Abaco Islands, delivering powerful wind gusts—estimated at over —that shattered strong buildings, leveling hundreds of homes. On Abaco Island the storm afflicted half a dozen settlements, destroying most of the houses there; one of the sites lost all but one home. Collectively the storm leveled 171 homes in the villages of Cornish Town, Cherokee Sound, Cedar Harbour, Riding Rock, Blackwood, and Coopers Town. A pier was obliterated. At Marsh Harbour, the storm's eye passed overhead for a very short while around 20:00 UTC, yielding a 15-minute calm and a barometric low of at most . 12 homes were destroyed and most of the rest severely damaged.
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/ref> Schools, a teacher's home, a pair of wharves, and many boats were wrecked as well, along with orchards and crops, but no one was killed. A storm surge of more than swamped the area, and 3,000  banana plants were ripped up. At Hope Town, Elbow Cay, the winds destroyed 83 homes, as well as the public buildings and a wireless radio station; the same also badly damaged 63 other homes. 40 more homes received light damage. A few churches were destroyed as well, along with the post office and a jail. A tin washtub was found away, and winds lofted a house . Notwithstanding damage, no fatalities occurred in Hope Town. An anemometer there witnessed a gust of before blowing away. Around 15:00 UTC, at the height of the storm, a barometer measured a low of , during which winds shifted from northeast to southeast. In the aftermath food supplies ran low and salt contaminated the drinking supply. Across Elbow Cay the storm destroyed three settlements, engendering the creation of Dundas Town. On Man-O-War Cay the storm severely damaged or destroyed 24 homes.

Hardest hit of all was Green Turtle Cay—whose history was split by the storm; the storm's fiercest winds were reported there, along with its eye. Observers deduced sustained winds of or more from photographs. Out of 80 houses only a dozen were left. Additionally, the storm felled all fruit and coconut trees on the cay. It also ruined four churches, a school, the New Plymouth Hotel, and the Government Wharf; among the churches were a large brick pair with stone walls, blocks of which were tossed . The sea submerged the island, removing all vegetation and boats, as well as a cemetery, gravestones and corpses all. Six people died there and 26 sustained severe injuries. Debris crushed most of the livestock on the island. Virtually all inhabitants were left homeless, including the residents of Bluff Point. At the latter the strongest winds were from the north and northwest; these were attended by a storm surge that inundated the settlement. Water carried a mail boat . Stricken islanders endured almost a week without food except coconuts and sugarcane. Just four homes out of 35 still stood on Great Guana Cay, where the barometric minimum was . There the storm ravaged many boats, and one person died. At nearby Coopers Town, which was "wiped out", but six homes survived the storm; in all the storm destroyed 40 homes there. At Spanish Cay the storm destroyed a home, and flattened six more at Sales Cay. Small watercraft, a schooner, and a sloop were swept out at Water Cay.

Charles Dundas and the wife of Bede Clifford surveyed the aftermath on Abaco Island; the latter dressed a wound there.
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/ref> Three Abaco parliamentarians partook in a relief mission, reaching Green Turtle Cay on September 10. The few intact homes were used as operation centers and makeshift hospitals, while the ship ''Lady Cordeaux'' delivered fresh water; the vessel also brought blankets, food, and construction materials. Donors privately contributed as well, including the victims' relatives. Many groups set up relief funds, among them churches and the Royal Bank of Canada. The Nassau Theatre Club held a benefit showing of Edward G. Robinson's ''Two Seconds''. The Governor-General and other dignitaries attended a relief show at Victoria Hall. The Daughters of the Empire and other organizations hosted special events such as relief luncheons. 21 packages of clothing were shipped aboard the ''Ena K.'' from Miami. The Government House was converted into a distribution center, pooling private contributions. Public relief was scarce, but locals quickly rebuilt. Few ships were lost at sea, and loss of life was relatively low. The storm coincided with a seven-year span of severe hurricanes, notably in 1926, 1929, and 1933. The cumulative effects of these storms made Bahamian sponge diving unviable, effectively ending a key to the local economy.

East Coast of the United States

Although warnings were posted for the eastern United States, the storm's path prevented landfall, leaving the main effects as heavy swells and gales. In the Southeast, large breakers pummeled the Florida coast from Cape Canaveral to Miami. Blowing at , west winds whipped up sea spray, forming "streamers" and presenting onlookers with a spectacle "such as never has been witnessed by inhabitants hereabouts". Above-normal tides undermined an unfinished road on the Outer Banks, between New and Oregon inlets. Just offshore winds blew at .
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/ref> The elements forced a ferry en route from Manns Harbor to Roanoke Island to dock at Wanchese— south of its normal port. Winds peaked at at Cape Hatteras. Strong gales on the evening of September 7 blew the Cape Lookout Lightship loose from her anchorage. Off the coast at the same time, the crew of the Munson steamer ''Munloyal'', then believed to be 350 mi (565 km) southeast of Frying Pan Shoals, North Carolina, reported that her position was unknown and her rudder blown away. The United States Coast Guard dispatched cutters from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to her assistance. winds reversed her course nearly , while breaking her radio antenna. The storm also tore off a propeller, paralyzing the ship, which had to be towed to port.

Up the coast in the Mid-Atlantic, low-lying parts of Norfolk, Virginia, flooded.
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/ref> Along coastal New Jersey rough surf and brisk winds caused locally extensive damage. Waves swept away parts of the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, along with a fishing pier at Stone Harbor and the remains of another in Ocean City. The sea also destroyed a water main, a section of boardwalk, and of railing at Cape May. At Atlantic City sea spray surged upward, drenching onlookers, and seawater drowned nearby streets. Big waves marooned two motorists, and snapped folding doors at a Skee-Ball arcade. At Ocean City surf destroyed a three-story frame clubhouse. Four people were reported missing at sea but later found. At Matawan the storm broke off tree limbs, blocking traffic. Tides on Matawan Creek and at Keyport rose to within a foot of the record, slightly damaging boats at the latter place. Coastal bungalows, moorings, and bulkheads took "considerable" damage. Treacherous currents, including strong undertow, menaced bathers. At Point Pleasant Beach rescuers averted three drownings. Surf overtopped a seawall at Monmouth Beach. Seawater submersed Sea Bright and Highlands, but did mostly scant damage to North Jersey, other than massive coastal erosion. The Shrewsbury River backed up, clogging sewers. The weather and damage were the same in New York as in New Jersey. On Long Island the storm dislodged "several feet" of beachfront, west of Montauk, and breached Westhampton Beach, cutting a inlet at the latter, where water sloshed over of road.
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/ref> The storm removed of shoreline at Oak Beach. Squalls overturned a skiff, drowning one of its two occupants. Inclement weather caused a motorboat to drift onto a sandbar near Dead Horse Bay, stranding its two occupants for a few hours. Large trees and signs fell down in Brooklyn, New York, due to the winds. Cold temperatures succeeded the hurricane.

In New England, small boats wrecked at Newport, Rhode Island.
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/ref> At its closest approach to the mainland United States, the storm generated winds in coastal Massachusetts, downing signage there and in neighboring states, as well as smashing windows. Nantucket measured as the hurricane stayed offshore, along with a pressure of , and a weather station at Chatham unofficially reported . At Cape Cod unparalleled tides cast dozens of boats ashore, and 30 more washed up around Nantucket. winds churned past Highland Light, delaying the departure of ships from Boston Harbor. Nantasket Beach felt its highest tides in five years. Winds off the Massachusetts coast topped , snarling shipping.
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/ref> Tremendous seas—among the highest known to "the oldest inhabitants"—hurled boats ashore on Martha's Vineyard, even in secure spots. Wreckage filled the seas off the island. Salt spray zoomed over dunes, filling brackish ponds in the island's interior. Winds sheared off tree branches, damaged fruit crops, and leveled cornfields, yet little injured homes. Automobile doors flexed in the winds.
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/ref> At Manomet Bluffs the storm sank or unmoored 16 out of 20 boats. In the Plymouth area it did "thousands" of dollars in damage to watercraft, including fishing boats, and lobster traps. The surf drew "hundreds" of onlookers. Many dories washed ashore near Plymouth Rock.
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/ref> At Gloucester winds splintered tree limbs and blew off apples, injuring gardens. Near Highland Light the schooner ''Getrude L. Thebaud'' lost two of her crew. Coast Guardsmen retrieved a crew of two from a sloop that capsized at Scituate.
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/ref> The storm crippled the auxiliary training ship ''Nantucket'' offshore New England, causing her to drift after high seas caused flooding, disabled the radio, and wrenched loose an anchor weighing . The ''Nantucket'' also lost three  lifeboats and a section of the spar deck, and tossed a motorboat off a davit into the chart house. On the high seas the storm rocked the steamship ''Manhattan'', injuring several passengers.

Bermuda, Atlantic Canada, Newfoundland, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and far North Atlantic

The storm's arrival at Bermuda suspended a test of the ''Bathysphere''. Vigorous winds and mountainous seas affected the island. Atlantic Canada reported 14–15 fatalities, all off Nova Scotia. In Nova Scotia the worst of the storm missed Halifax, which clocked winds of . Water overflowed roads at Glace Bay, and the steamer ''Watford'' foundered, killing two crew members. The storm laid waste to 10% of the apple crop in the Annapolis Valley. At Canso it sank a pleasure craft and 18 fishing boats. Winds toppled a chimney, crumpling the roof of a church. A fire during the storm engulfed a few garages, a hotel, and homes at Beaconsfield, at a loss of $33,800. Losses to lobster fishing equipment at Amherst totaled "several thousand dollars". At Chéticamp the storm damaged grain and wheat crops. Three boats beached at Scatarie Island, as did a liquor carrier at Lingan. In Hants County a barge sank with its load of cordwood. On Cape Breton Island the storm downed phone and power lines. Winds there reached . Floods obliterated roads and railways on the island. Winds leveled small buildings at Pugwash. A man aboard the ''Mary H. Hirtle'' drowned off Sable Island. Two schooners—the ''Patara'' and the ''BeeBee''—succumbed as well, along with 11 or 12 of their crew. A third, unnamed schooner sank off St. Brendan's, Newfoundland. At Little Cape 25 fishing boats were a total loss, along with half a dozen more at Pouch Cove. At Cappa Hayden the steamer ''Odensholm'' grounded. At Culdesac winds buckled a few homes and a church. The storm also tore apart all the fishing stages at Leading Teakles, as well as 16  smacks. The storm ripped apart an abandoned steamer at Burnt Point. Winds of buffeted Prince Edward Island. In addition, the storm drove four schooners ashore on Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Although extratropical by then, the storm was still notably intense off Newfoundland, Iceland, and Jan Mayen, the last of which observed pressures at or below . Rough weather incapacitated a fishing vessel off Patreksfjörður, Iceland, necessitating the rescue of its crew.

Notes

See also

* Hurricanes in the Bahama Archipelago
*List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes
* Tropical cyclone effects in Europe
* 1899 San Ciriaco hurricane – A destructive, long-lived Category 4 hurricane that took a similar path, devastating the Bahamas
*1933 Cuba–Brownsville hurricane – The second known Category 5 hurricane to make hit the Bahamas at that intensity
*Hurricane Andrew (1992) – Also struck the northern Bahamas as a Category 5 hurricane
*Hurricane Joaquin (2015) – A Category 4 hurricane that struck similar areas of the Bahamas, causing widespread damage
*Hurricane Dorian (2019) – A Category 5 hurricane that became the strongest to ever strike the Bahamas, causing widespread destruction

References

Sources

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Bahamas Hurricane, 1932
1932
Hurricanes in the Bahamas
Hurricanes in North Carolina
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