Everything about Hurricane Bob totally explained
Hurricane Bob was the second named storm, first hurricane and first major hurricane of the
1991 Atlantic hurricane season. The first and only hurricane to make U.S. landfall during the 1991 season, Bob brushed the
Outer Banks of
North Carolina as it moved northward. The storm then struck
New England and later
Atlantic Canada as a
category 2 hurricane. Bob left ten people dead and $2.8 billion dollars (2005
USD) in damage. It is still the most recent hurricane to strike the Northeast, as of late 2007.
Storm history
On
August 16, a tropical depression formed 200 miles (320 km) to the east of the Bahamas. This storm moved slowly to the northwest and intensified. By the end of the next day, the storm had become a hurricane and was named Bob, as it was the second storm of the season.
As Bob became a hurricane, it began to move to the northeast and accelerated. By
August 19, the storm was located 30-35 miles (50-55 km) to the east of
Cape Hatteras, and was at its peak intensity of 115 mph (185 km/h). As the storm moved quickly northeast, it began to weaken over the colder waters. Hurricane Bob then made landfall twice on Rhode Island: at 1:30 p.m. on Block Island, then at 2 p.m. over Newport. The storm cut a path across southeastern
Massachusetts and then into the
Gulf of Maine. As it did this, it continued to weaken and began to lose its tropical characteristics. By 10 p.m. that evening, the storm made a second landfall in
Rockland, Maine, at which time it was downgraded to a tropical storm. The storm proceeded across eastern
Maine and
New Brunswick and then out to sea on
August 20. The remnants crossed the Atlantic until dissipating near
Portugal on the 29th.
Impact
Hurricane Bob brought sustained hurricane force winds to the immediate coastal communities of Rhode Island and most of southeast
Massachusetts. Storm surge in
Narragansett Bay peaked at 11.5 feet. Strong tropical storm force winds blew across the remainder of the region, with many areas receiving gusts to hurricane force east of the
Connecticut River. Wind damage to
trees and utility poles was common and resulted in numerous power outages. Over 60 percent of the residents across southeast Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts lost power. Damage was also extensive to apple and peach
orchards across these areas.
Coastal communities bore the brunt of the storm, with sustained winds between 75 to 100 mph. Peak wind gusts to 125 mph were recorded on
Cape Cod in the towns of
Brewster and
Truro, as well as in
Wethersfield, Connecticut. The highest sustained wind of 100 mph, was recorded in
North Truro.
Block Island reported sustained winds of 90 mph, with gusts in excess of 105 mph (maximum speed of equipment).
Wind gusts to near 100 mph were recorded in
Newport and by the Navy Ship
USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58), which was riding out the storm on the east passage between Newport and
Jamestown, Rhode Island. Additionally, Six confirmed tornadoes were associated with hurricane Bob; four touched down in North Carolina and two on Long Island, New York. There were 16 unconfirmed tornadoes reported, including nine on Hatteras Island, NC, two in Rhode Island, and two in Massachusetts. The lowest barometric pressure was recorded by the
USS Valdez (FF-1096) while in the east passage of
Narragansett Bay, with a reading of 28.47 inches.
Hurricane Bob caused a storm surge of 6 to 10 feet (above mean tide) along the Rhode Island shore, but drove a surge of 10 to 15 feet into
Buzzards Bay. The Buzzards Bay shore east to Cape Cod was hardest hit. The highest surges, of 12 to 15 feet, were observed in
Onset,
Bourne, and
Wareham, at the head of Buzzards Bay. Cove Road, in
Mattapoisett, Massachusetts had 29 of 37 homes destroyed, while Angelica Point lost 32 of 35 homes along the shore. Boat damage was significant, as many boats were torn from their
moorings. Extensive beach
erosion occurred along the shore from
Westerly, Rhode Island eastward. Some south facing beach locations on
Martha's Vineyard and
Nantucket Island lost up to 50 feet of beach to erosion. Due to the extensive damage, President George H.W. Bush declared Rhode Island a "disaster area" because of Hurricane Bob.
The storm also affected the Canadian Maritimes. Two boys were killed by being swept out to sea. The eye passed directly over
Campobello Island,
New Brunswick.
Significant rainfall of 3 to 6 inches fell across all but southeast Rhode Island and eastward to Cape Cod, where less than 1 inch fell. The heaviest rainfall of over 7 inches affected western Rhode Island and extreme eastern Connecticut.
Portland, Maine had the highest amount of rain with 8.24 inches; the 24 hour rainfall associated with Bob set a record for Portland. Its storm total rainfall graphic is located
here.
Wind gusts of up to 61 mph were reported in Portland, Maine. 2.8 feet storm surge occurred in the
Portland Tide Gauge. A total of three fatalities from Bob were reported in Maine. The total damage in Maine topped off at $212 million (1991 USD). Many locations in Maine experienced long-duration power-outages. The
Sebago Lake area also reported heavy damage.
It was the strongest hurricane to strike New England since
Hurricane Gloria hit on
September 27,
1985. Bob was responsible for six deaths in Connecticut and 18 deaths overall. It spawned
tornadoes in
North Carolina and
Long Island. Total damage in southern New England was approximately $1.5 billion ($2.3 billion in
2005 dollars).
Retirement
Because of its impact, the name Bob was retired in the spring of 1992 and will never be used again for an
Atlantic hurricane. It was replaced with "Bill" in the
1997 season.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Hurricane Bob'.
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