Remembering Hurricane Donna

Today marks the 53rd anniversary of the arrival of Hurricane Donna to New England. Donna impacted most of the Caribbean Islands and every single state on the Eastern seaboard. The hurricane recorded 160 mile-an-hour winds with gusts up to 200 miles-an-hour. Hurricane Donna holds the record for retaining ‘major hurricane’ status of Category 3 or better in the Atlantic basin for the longest period of time. In fact, it was so strong that the name "Donna" has been retired.

This storm is the only one on record to produce hurricane-force winds in Florida, the mid-Atlantic States, and New England. Donna hit New England in southeastern Connecticut with sustained winds of 100 miles-an-hour, gusting to 125 to 130 miles-an-hour. It eventually moved diagonally through New England into Maine. The hurricane produced pockets of four-to-eight inches of rain as well as five to ten-foot storm surges. The storm ultimately killed 364 people and caused over $500 million in damage.

Here is a video showing the effects of the Hurricane on the Rockaways on Long Island.



Donna crossed the Florida Peninsula on September 11. Despite its path over land, the storm remained intense and reorganized when it moved back into the Atlantic Ocean. It struck eastern North Carolina and parts of South Carolina as a Category 3 storm. After reaching the ocean a third time, Hurricane Donna accelerated, crossing Long Island and then the New England region on late September 12 and early September 13 as a Category 3 hurricane on Long Island. Take a look at the front page of the Naugatuck Daily News from the previous day, September 12, 1960.

Storm surge values reached 11 feet in New York Harbor, which destroyed many piers. A resort area in Cliffwood Beach, New Jersey, saw its boardwalk and tourist attractions destroyed by the hurricane, and the area never recovered. Blue Hill Observatory in Massachusetts reported gusts to over 145 mph. The strong southwest winds associated with Donna at Chatham led to a significant deposit of salt spray, which whitewashed southwest-facing windows. Many trees and shrubs saw their leaves brown due to the salt.

From the time it became a tropical depression to when it dissipated after becoming an extratropical storm, Donna roamed the Atlantic from August 29 to September 14, a total of 17 days. Donna briefly achieved Category 5 strength while crossing the Atlantic. The highest sustained winds measured for Hurricane Donna were 160 miles-an-hour, and the lowest measured pressure was 930mb. At the time Donna struck North Carolina, its eye was unusually large, ranging from 50 to 80 miles in diameter.

Paul