We don’t have hurricanes in Maryland, do we? Well, yes, we do, but it has been 57 years since a significant storm paid us a visit and affected our coast or our way of life. But that wasn’t always the case.

My curiosity piqued by Tropical Storm Bertha, I browsed

Bertha Won’t Make Up Her Mind

Tropical Storm Bertha will likely become Hurricane
Bertha by Monday. Sustained winds have increased to 65 mph with higher gusts, tropical force winds extend out 85 nautical miles with seas running at 13-18 feet. There is every indication an eye-like feature is forming and there is nothing but warm ocean in front of her, which further supports strengthening. The subtropical ridge is expected to weaken and wind shear is forecast to be weak which will slow the forward motion but continue to steer Bertha on a northwest track.

At this juncture, the National Hurricane Center states it cannot predict if Bertha will affect any land areas. However, the current track would indicate that Bertha could affect the Chesapeake Bay area in some form or fashion by next weekend.

“We believe that Bertha will stay south of a large ridge of high pressure located across the central Atlantic,” AccuWeather.com reports. “The question with its track is what happens when she moves west of the ridge axis?

“Generally, tropical systems will be steered by the backside of the ridge more northerly and eventually even northeasterly. Because of the uncertainty of the path later in the week, due to weak steering currents at that time, interests in both Bermuda and along the Atlantic Coast of the U.S. are advised to stay abreast of the situation.

Check the most up-to-date track at the National Hurricane Center.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at2+shtml/023413.shtml?tswind120#contents

Spotlight and top graphic from the National Hurricane Center.

through the National Hurricane Centers list of the
“Most Extreme” cyclones and was surprised to find that from 1938 to 1955, six hurricanes ravaged the East Coast. The New England Hurricane of 1938 still ranks as one of the most significant storms on record with regard to storm surge events.

On Sept. 19, the New England Hurricane was a Category 5 located in the vicinity of Puerto Rico. She took a wicked turn to the north and was within 150 miles of Cape Hatteras by the morning of the Sept. 21. The storm then experienced a forward acceleration speed of 60 to 70 mph, making landfall over Long Island and Connecticut that afternoon as a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 121 mph and gust to 183 mph. Storm surges exceeded 12 feet and there was widespread flooding. This storm caused 600 deaths and $308 million in damages.

The Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1944 followed a similar track but stayed farther off the coast. Hurricane force winds were reported from North Carolina to Massachusetts with rainfall totals of 6 to 11 inches. While this storm caused 46 deaths and $100 million in damage in the United States, the worst effects occurred at sea where it wreaked havoc on World War 11 shipping. Five ships, including a Navy destroyer, two Coast Guard cutters and a light vessel, sank due to the storm causing 344 deaths.

1954 and 1955 were the most active season on record, boast