Hurricane Carol 1953

From Africa to a Category 5 peak

Carol developed near Cape Verde on 28 August and crossed the Atlantic westward before turning northwest. On 2 September, the steamship Umatilla reported hurricane-force winds and falling pressure, prompting the Weather Bureau to begin advisories. Reconnaissance crews entered the storm the following day.

The current archive records peak one-minute sustained winds of 140 kt at 12:00 UTC on 3 September and a minimum pressure of 929 hPa later that day. Carol then weakened as it approached Bermuda. Aircraft left the island and ships sought harbor before the hurricane passed to the southwest with rough seas and gale-force winds.

Fatal seas off New England

Forecasters issued storm warnings from New Jersey to Maine. Carol passed offshore, but high waves and fog created dangerous conditions for boats. Four people died in New England boating accidents, and Coast Guard crews rescued at least 40 people. Fishing losses totaled about US$1 million in 1953 dollars.

Landfall and damage in Atlantic Canada

Carol brushed western Nova Scotia and made landfall near Saint John, New Brunswick, on 7 September. In Nova Scotia, high seas drove boats ashore and sank eleven yachts at Chester. One man drowned at Cow Bay. Ferry operators suspended or delayed services across the region.

Wind gusts reached 80 mph in Halifax. Fallen trees interrupted power, telephone and telegraph service, while farms in the Annapolis Valley lost large portions of their apple and grain crops. Carol continued through eastern Canada after its tropical phase ended, and the archived track finishes on 9 September.