The National Weather Service office in Taunton, MA, recently issued a public information statement about Hurricane Bob:
The last time New England took a direct hit from a hurricane was twenty years ago, on 19 August 1991, when Hurricane Bob hit Southeastern New England. As bad as Bob was, it was only a Category Two hurricane at landfall. The last time that New England was hit by a major hurricane – Category 3 – was 57 years ago, in 1954.
Hurricane Bob developed in the central Bahamas on 16 August 1991. It steadily intensified and reached hurricane status on the evening of 17 August. Bob strengthened and accelerated northeastward. The eye of Hurricane Bob passed over Block Island, RI, at approximately 1:30 PM on 19 August and made landfall over Newport, RI, shortly before 2:00 PM.
Hurricane Bob brought sustained hurricane force winds to the immediate coastal communities of Rhode Island and most of southeastern Massachusetts. Strong tropical storm force winds blew across the remainder of the region, with many areas east of the Connecticut River receiving gusts to hurricane force. Wind damage to trees and utility poles was common and resulted in 60 percent of residents in southeast Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts losing power. Apple and peach orchards there were extensively damaged.
Coastal communities bore the brunt of the storm with sustained winds between 75 and 100 miles per hour. Gusts to 125 MPH were recorded in Brewster and North Truro on Cape Cod and also 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 (which was the maximum speed of that equipment). There were four reports of tornadoes as Bob came ashore. The lowest barometric pressure was recorded by the USS Valdez while in the East passage of Narragansett Bay – a reading of 28.47.
Hurricane Bob caused a storm surge of five to eight feet along the Rhode Island shore, but drove a surge of ten to fifteen feet into Buzzards Bay. The highest surges – twelve to fifteen feet – were observed in Onset, Bourne, Mashpee, and Wareham at the head of Buzzards Bay. Cove Road, in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, had 29 of 37 homes destroyed, while Angelica Point, also in Mattapoisett, lost 32 of 35 homes along the shore. Boat damage was significant, with many boats torn from their moorings. Some south facing beaches on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket lost up to fifty feet of beach due to erosion.
As is typically the case with New England hurricanes, heavy rain was focused to the west of the track of the storm. Three to seven inches of rain occurred across all of Rhode Island except the southeast portion, with the highest reading of 7.01 inches in Foster. Less than an inch of rain fell on Cape Cod to the east of the track, but that is where the highest winds and storm surge occurred.
Bob was responsible for six deaths in the region – all in Connecticut. Total damage in Southern New England was approximately 680 million dollars.
Note: This information was taken from Southern New England Tropical Storms and Hurricanes, A Ninety-eight Year Summary 1909-1997, by David R. Vallee and Michael R. Dion, National Weather Service, Taunton, MA.
Background information:
Stormpulse: Hurricane Bob, 1991
Boston Globe: 20 years after, remembering Hurricane Bob (19 AUG 11)
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