Hurricane Gloria was the strongest recorded hurricane with a landfall so farnorth along the Eastern Seaboard when, in 1985, it roared ashore from CapeHatteras to Long Island.The storm killed 8 people while wreaking damage of $1.8 billion in 2010 terms.
The eye of Gloria first crossed the North Carolina Outer Banks as a Category 2storm in the early predawn of September 27. Another landfall happened nearmidday at Fire Island, on Long Island, followed by a last landfall in southernConnecticut.
This mighty storm unleashed sustained winds to 100 mph at the Diamond ShoalLight, and to 75 mph on nearby Cape Hatteras, N.C, as it clipped the OuterBanks. At the time, highest sustained winds were reckoned at 105 mph.
Upon landfall on western Long Island, highest sustained winds were 95 to 100mph; gusts hit 115 mph. Nearly 700,000 people were left without power on theisland owing to downed trees and power lines.
In New England, Gloria still held enough power to unleash 83-mph gusts atWaterbury, Conn., and Blue Hill Observatory, Mass.
At its strongest, Gloria had been a Catagory 4 storm east of the Bahamas.
Story by AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews
