Hurricane Gloria

:This article is about the 1985 hurricane. For other storms of the same name, see Hurricane Gloria (disambiguation).

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Hurricane Gloria was a hurricane during the 1985 Atlantic hurricane season that prowled the Atlantic Ocean from September 16 to September 28, 1985. It reached Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, but weakened significantly by the time it made landfall.

Related Topics:
Hurricane - 1985 Atlantic hurricane season - Atlantic Ocean - September 16 - September 28 - 1985 - Category 4 - Saffir-Simpson Scale

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Gloria was a Cape Verde-type hurricane, developing off the coast of Africa and travelling all the way west to the United States. It veered north of the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, and Dominican Republic. While east of the Bahamas the storm reached its peak intensity on September 24, with winds of 150 mph (240 km/h) and a central pressure of 920 mb. It weakened slightly by the time it struck Cape Hatteras, North Carolina on the night of September 26. The eye of Gloria skimmed the Outer Banks, briefly making landfall as a category 3 storm with pressure of 942 mb (making it the 16th most intense hurricane to strike the United States in the twentieth century). Gloria continued to accelerate northward, moving at a fast clip of over 30 mph (48 km/h) and the next day crossed Long Island as a weakened category 2 storm. The hurricane bore through Suffolk County, New York, before slamming into land near Milford, Connecticut, and eventually moved up into New England.

Related Topics:
Cape Verde-type hurricane - Leeward Islands - Puerto Rico - Dominican Republic - Bahamas - September 24 - Mb - Cape Hatteras, North Carolina - September 26 - Outer Banks - Category 3 - Long Island - Category 2 - Suffolk County, New York - Milford, Connecticut

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Incredibly, only 8 people died in Gloria, mostly from falling trees. The storm hit the Northeast at lowtide, saving much of the coast from a terrible storm surge. Quick and organized evacuation procedures in most of Long Island's coastal communities like Fire Island and Long Beach also was credited with saving lives. The slow response of the Long Island Lighting Company to the storm -- many areas of Long Island were without power for two weeks -- played a major role in the utility's dissolution two and a half years later.

Related Topics:
Storm surge - Fire Island - Long Beach - Long Island Lighting Company

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Gloria did leave behind over US$900 million in damages (1985 dollars).

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By contrast, 1991's Hurricane Bob, a storm of nearly identical strength and size when it made landfall in New England, did a lot more damage and was a lot more destructive.

Related Topics:
Hurricane Bob - New England

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The name Gloria was retired in the spring of 1986, and was replaced with Grace in the 1991 season.

Related Topics:
1986 - 1991 season

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