The 1932 Abaco hurricane was a potent Atlantic hurricane that impacted portions of the Lucayan Archipelago in the Caribbean, inflicting severe damage. One of four Category 5 hurricanes to make landfall in the Bahamas at that intensity, it was the first of two to do so on the Abaco Islands. The fourth tropical storm and third hurricane of the annual season, it belonged to a pair of Category 5 storms in the Atlantic Ocean, the other happening in November. The cyclone formed north of the Virgin Islands on August 30 and slowly intensified over the next three days. It became a hurricane on September 2 and a major hurricane two days later. On September 5 it peaked with winds of 160 mph (260 km/h) and crossed the northern Bahamas. In the Bahamas the hurricane killed 18 people and injured 300. Strong winds and storm surge swept the islands, leveling hundreds of homes, roads, and crops.
The storm prompted the United States Weather Bureau to issue storm warnings from South Florida to Maine, but missed the United States. By September 8, it weakened to below Category 3 status, threading Bermuda and the northeastern United States. On the next day it lost tropical features. Its remnants brushed the Maritimes, Iceland, and the northern Scandinavian Peninsula, ending near the Russian SFSR of the Soviet Union on September 17. Due to its large size, the storm spread gusty winds, high surf, and flooding from Florida to Bermuda and Atlantic Canada. Across Canadian waters, 14 or 15 people died, and five more drowned in the northeastern United States. Wind gusts felled buildings in Canada, along with vegetation and light items in both nations. The storm caused severe beach erosion as far south as the Carolinas and snarled shipping as far as Iceland. __ToC__
Meteorological history
At 18:00 UTC on August 30, a low-pressure area—first noted then by the Weather Bureau as a weak "disturbance"—developed into a tropical depression 50 miles (80 kilometres) east of Anegada in the British Virgin Islands, as per the hurricane databases (HURDAT). Over the next six days it headed generally west-northwest, with a ship report of indicating a tropical storm on August 31. On September 2, while treated as a "moderate" storm by the Weather Bureau, it passed 100 mi (160 km) east-northeast of Grand Turk Island, at which time it became a minimal hurricane. Tracking overnight north of the Greater Antilles, the storm's winds rapidly rose from 75–110 mph (120–175 km/h)—a rate of 35 mph (55 km/h)—over the next 24 hours. Late on September 3 a ship first logged hurricane-force winds. On September 4 the cyclone reached winds of at least 111 mph (179 km/h) and then 130 mph (209 km/h). On that day ships reported top winds at . On September 5 the storm peaked at 160 mph (260 km/h) and hit the Abaco Islands, part of the Bahamian chain, with the same winds. A study in 2012 assigned the winds using a pressure reading of less than by a barometer on Green Turtle Cay, from which a value based on pressure–wind relations was derived. This suggested winds of , but the pressure was taken outside the eye, so a higher speed was assumed.
This made the storm one of four Category 5 cyclones to strike the Bahamas at that intensity, the others being the 1933 Cuba–Brownsville hurricane, 1992's Hurricane Andrew, and 2019's Hurricane Dorian. The storm turned north during landfall, missing the most populous Bahamian islands—and the capital Nassau—well to the east. Over the next few days it gradually curved northeast, roughly paralleling the mainland United States, and weakened, but retained winds of at least 145 mph (230 km/h). Two ships near the center, the Deer Lodge and Yankee Arrow, clocked winds of Beaufort Force 12, with the lowest barometer measuring . On this basis, as well as data from other ships and coastal weather stations, reanalysis deduced a large wind field with peak velocities of or greater. On September 8 the storm began to weaken more quickly and lost major hurricane status. During the evening it angled north toward New England, passing about 200 mi (320 km) offshore with winds of 100 mph (155 km/h). On the following day, it became extratropical and turned east-northeast. On September 11 it shed hurricane intensity and resumed a northeast course, passing just south of the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland, with winds of 70 mph (110 km/h). On September 14–15 the storm traveled near the Snæfellsnes, Iceland, and Jan Mayen, an island 370 mi (595 km) northeast of Iceland. Early on September 16 the system veered eastward, and the following day finally ended over the Barents Sea north of Russia.
Preparations
On September 5 the Weather Bureau first posted storm warnings in the United States from Daytona Beach to Punta Gorda, Florida. Partly due to the warnings, people in the affected areas began shuttering windows and finishing other preparations as early as September 3. To house evacuees, Melbourne converted a local high school into a storm shelter. Owing to demand, gasoline ran out at many filling stations between West Palm Beach and Jacksonville. A pair of trains evacuated the Lake Okeechobee area, P. 6 due to fears of deadly flooding similar to a 1928 storm. Shrimp boats sheltered in the Amelia and St. Marys rivers. As the storm veered away from Florida, the Weather Bureau canceled and reissued warnings from Daytona Beach to Wilmington, North Carolina. The agency later extended these up the East Coast to Eastport, Maine. Boats were secured in the Carolinas. P. 4 Vessels also sought safety farther north, such as in New England. P. 6
Impact The storm widely dispersed impacts from the Bahamas to Iceland, though it directly struck few areas other than islands. It killed 37–38 people, about half of them in the Bahamas, and injured hundreds. It generated extreme winds and tides in the Bahamas, though its worst impacts were limited to the Abaco Islands. In Canada the storm caused 14–15 fatalities. Ample radio warnings limited the death toll to five in the United States: two each in New Jersey and Massachusetts, and one in New York. Monetary losses in the Bahamas were unknown, but totaled several thousand dollars in the United States and over $33,800 in Canada.
The Bahamas
The core of the cyclone lashed the Abaco Islands with Category 5 winds and catastrophic storm surge. An anemometer at Hope Town was disabled after recording a gust to . Eyewitnesses estimated gusts on the Abaco Islands at over . The strongest winds—forensically estimated from photographs to be at least —hit Green Turtle Cay. A large storm surge, dubbed a "tidal wave" by press reports, also struck the area. Storm surge levels on the worst-hit islands exceeded . Intense thunder and lightning attended the storm. Storm victims also alleged earthquakes that worsened impacts from other aspects of the storm. P. 18 The eye of the storm passed near or over Hope Town, Marsh Harbour, and Green Turtle Cay, yielding calm conditions at the latter two sites. In some areas the storm lasted one and a half days.
The storm caused 18 fatalities in the Bahamas: 10 on Great Abaco Island, including six at Cedar Harbour and four at Coopers Town; six on Green Turtle Cay; and two on Great Guana Cay. The storm hit during daytime, minimizing the death toll. Few ships were lost at sea, though the dead were all sailors. In addition, the storm injured 300 people, 26 of whom suffered acute injuries on Green Turtle Cay. On the island, the winds flattened a pair of stone churches, blocks of which were thrown up to . The storm tore apart 68 out of 80 homes, along with four churches, a hotel, and a school. All fruit trees and coconut palms were toppled. Storm surge overflowed Green Turtle Cay, removing buildings and vegetation. A creek spilled over its banks, eroding a cemetery and exposing corpses. Wind and surge wrecked most of the homes in the New Plymouth settlement. High tides carried a mail boat . Surging seas forced most of the people to flee. After the storm, debris so cluttered the area that residents "were literally walking on house roofs." The debris littered the island, fatally crushing livestock. All boats on Green Turtle Cay were destroyed. The storm displaced most of the islanders. At Hope Town the cyclone destroyed 83 homes, the public buildings, a wireless radio station, a few churches, the post office, and a jail. Additionally, 103 homes were more or less damaged, 63 severely, along with a commissioner's office and home. A few boats were wrecked as well. A home was blown up to away. A tin washtub floated .
The storm smashed 200 homes—90% of the total—on Great Abaco, virtually leveling six settlements. The storm razed 171 homes in the villages of Cornish Town, Cherokee Sound, Cedar Harbour, Riding Rock, Blackwood, and Coopers Town. Only six out of 46 homes in Coopers Town survived the storm. At Marsh Harbour the storm wrecked 13 homes, schools, a pair of wharves, and the post office. An additional 3,012 homes were badly damaged, along with a number of boats. The storm felled thousands of fruit trees, including 3,000 banana plants. All local crops were ruined. Water levels rose to over —higher than in three 1926 hurricanes. A cemetery was destroyed at Bluff Point, along with boats, a school, and churches. Most of the damage was surge-related. An aerial survey found that "[t]here was nothing left" of the village, and the entire population was homeless. Only four out of 35 homes remained intact on Great Guana Cay. A visitor depicted the cay as "swept off the face of the earth." Storm surge inundated the cay, and all livestock was killed. Numerous boats were shattered. A further 24 homes were severely damaged or destroyed on Man-O-War Cay. Portions of Moore's Island flooded to a depth of , lifting homes off their foundations. A number of minor injuries occurred. The storm extensively damaged or destroyed many homes on Grand Bahama, several of which lost their roofs. Hawksbill Creek rose . Vessels were damaged as well. Citrus trees were heavily damaged at West End. At Spanish Cay the storm destroyed a home, and flattened six more at Sales Cay. Small watercraft, a schooner, and a sloop were swept out at Water Cay.
Elsewhere in the Bahamas the storm caused lesser damage. Winds on Eleuthera peaked at , considerably damaging crops, roads, and part of a wharf. On Watling Island (now San Salvador), the storm only destroyed a radio station. On New Providence, winds blew at , with damage confined to tomato crops. Although the cyclone passed within 65 mi (105 km) of the capital, it barely affected Nassau. On Cat Island winds peaked at , downing power lines. No damage occurred on Andros, largest of the westernmost Bahamas.
Florida to the Carolinas and Bermuda
While staying offshore, the storm generated gales and heavy swells along the coastal Southeastern United States. The highest wind speeds affected Cape Hatteras on the Outer Banks, reaching . Spectacular wave action pummeled the Florida shore, with large breakers astounding onlookers from Cape Canaveral to Miami. Above-normal tides in North Carolina undermined an unfinished road between New and Oregon inlets. A ferry en route from Manns Harbor to Roanoke Island made a forced detour to Wanchese, south of its normal port. The storm unmoored a lightship off Cape Lookout. The Munson Line steamer Munloyal lost its rudder while drifting 350 mi (565 km) southeast of Frying Pan Shoals. The storm snapped a radio antenna and a propeller on the ship, causing it to deviate off course. The United States Coast Guard sent cutters from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to its aid. The edge of the storm brought rough seas and blustery winds to Bermuda, suspending a test of the Bathysphere.
Mid-Atlantic states