Hurricane Bob

[CoastalWx]

This happens with a lot of noreasters too. I think downsloping contributes quite a bit.

A lot of it is due to pressure rises on the backside of storms like Bob. Forward motion plus strongly inverted soundings make it tough for areas to see strong northeast winds unless they are right near the center or if the storm is going extra-tropical.

[Arnold214]

Probably should resurrect this thread. 8/19 is just about here. Hurricane Bob is definitely in my top 3 list of most impressionable weather events in my life.

Was on the west side of the storm on Eastern Long Island, but still had gusts in the 80s with tremendous tree damage and many days without power.

Pretty awesome event.

[HarveyLeonardFan]

Probably should resurrect this thread. 8/19 is just about here. Hurricane Bob is definitely in my top 3 list of most impressionable weather events in my life.

Was on the west side of the storm on Eastern Long Island, but still had gusts in the 80s with tremendous tree damage and many days without power.

Pretty awesome event.

I concur with this assessment. The intensity of Gloria...and every Nor'easter I have ever experienced cannot compare to Bob in Newport in any way, shape, or form. 100 MPH wind gusts for two hours in the Northeast with all our big 'ole trees is serious business. I lost power for a little over a day with Gloria, 5 days with Bob. Sure, the lack of rain was disappointing...I probably had less than an inch with Bob...zero with Gloria...and the storm surge was disappointing in Newport, but overall it was the most exhilirating weather day of my life. If only it had been moving faster it would not have weakened as much as it did at the eleventh hour because Bob was looking awesome early in the morning when it was due east of South Jersey.

I love snow as much as you guys, but nothing compares to experiencing....or even tracking hurricanes...especially in the competitive national news era we're living in where all the cable news nets go wall to wall when hurricanes strike the US coast line.

[ackwaves]

42 years old back then and wishing for a direct hit. highest impact was producing the largest(unrideable)surf i had ever seen(until Emily and Earl)and salt spray defoliating all the trees causing them to have a 2nd bloom. other than that, the no-name, a couple months later, was a better show out here.

[Turtle]

Bob is the only tropical system of my (limited by living in the inland NE) experience to do this. Tree damage from NW winds was similar (minor to moderate) as that from SE winds. Peak gusts were probably about 60, putting it in the mix with Doria ('71), 4/82 blizzard, and 6/06 straightline TS wind for 4th place among the strongest winds I've experienced. (1950 Apps Gale and 12/62 frigid NW howler contend for 1st, Hazel is 3rd.) I missed Gloria's winds. Though working in AUG, I was still living in Ft. Kent (drive south Sun PM, return Fri late), where it was an ordinary fall storm in character. I did appreciate Gov. Brennan releasing state workers at noon that Fri so I could travel north ahead of the storm.

Bob dumped 6.4" RA at my (then) Gardiner, Maine home, most I've ever measured from a single event. PWM had about 8", their greatest ever in 24 hr at the time, since dwarfed by the 10/96 washout. The heavy RA all came prior to the wind shift, only about 0.4" after, as a windblown mist.

I was stationed at the old NWS PWM office at the time, and had never seen it rain so hard until I moved to CHS. My then fiance (now hubby) was in Fall River as the eye passed, while PWM got into the western edge of what was left of the eyewall. Not a whole lot of wind as I recall, but a pretty good hit. And wholeheartedly agree that SE MA and Cape Cod took a big hit on this one. Have some video from the Providence stations, and the S coast of RI got a pretty good hit, too.

From the NWS GYX website, the NOWdata indicates that PWM recorded 7.75 inches for their 24 hour record that day (8/19/91). This is the second highest all time 24 hour record rainfall, as mentioned in a previous post. The October 1996 storm thoroughly eclipsed the then record.

Here's the ERH report on Bob:

http://www.erh.noaa....ricaneBob.shtml

Blue Hill Observatory published a book on Hurricane Bob that I wrote an article about the effects of Bob on Maine and New Hampshire. The article above only talks about SNE, and not much into SE CT at that.

There's a PNS out from our office on this anniversary, but it's pretty much a reprint of the article above.

--Turtle

[CT Rain]

[HoarfrostHubb]

Sadly, I was living in Lowell at the time and worked at the food service at the University. I did get to leave work early and watched the storm on tv. Pretty decent rain where I was, but mostly meh.

Where my mom lives in Jamestown, RI (well, actually on the other side of the island), a huge barge broke loose and washed ashore. Plus numerous other boat mishaps.

[tamarack]

I was stationed at the old NWS PWM office at the time, and had never seen it rain so hard until I moved to CHS. My then fiance (now hubby) was in Fall River as the eye passed, while PWM got into the western edge of what was left of the eyewall. Not a whole lot of wind as I recall, but a pretty good hit. And wholeheartedly agree that SE MA and Cape Cod took a big hit on this one. Have some video from the Providence stations, and the S coast of RI got a pretty good hit, too.

From the NWS GYX website, the NOWdata indicates that PWM recorded 7.75 inches for their 24 hour record that day (8/19/91). This is the second highest all time 24 hour record rainfall, as mentioned in a previous post. The October 1996 storm thoroughly eclipsed the then record.

--Turtle

Great info. Didn't know you had spent time at the airport. New digs on the hillside in Gray are much nicer, IMO, though staff have to walk up to the crest to see what's approaching from the west. (View of MWN on a clear day.)

[sakabakbrg]

Sadly, I was living in Lowell at the time and worked at the food service at the University. I did get to leave work early and watched the storm on tv. Pretty decent rain where I was, but mostly meh.

Where my mom lives in Jamestown, RI (well, actually on the other side of the island), a huge barge broke loose and washed ashore. Plus numerous other boat mishaps.

I was in Lowell for Bob as well. Gary Gray and I were manning the WeatherLab in Olney Hall the whole day, doing live updates all day for WLLH and the old PhoneLine Forecast we used to have, as well as for the University police all day long. We had a funnel cloud pass right by Olney Hall at the height of the storm (documented by a Lowell Sun reporter there to write an article about us).

We had 5.99" of rain that day, most we've ever recorded in 1 day at the University, and the 2nd highest 1-day total for Lowell (6.97" with Hurricane Edna in 1954 is the record).

Scott

[HarveyLeonardFan]

I was stationed at the old NWS PWM office at the time, and had never seen it rain so hard until I moved to CHS. My then fiance (now hubby) was in Fall River as the eye passed, while PWM got into the western edge of what was left of the eyewall. Not a whole lot of wind as I recall, but a pretty good hit. And wholeheartedly agree that SE MA and Cape Cod took a big hit on this one. Have some video from the Providence stations, and the S coast of RI got a pretty good hit, too.

From the NWS GYX website, the NOWdata indicates that PWM recorded 7.75 inches for their 24 hour record that day (8/19/91). This is the second highest all time 24 hour record rainfall, as mentioned in a previous post. The October 1996 storm thoroughly eclipsed the then record.

Here's the ERH report on Bob:

http://www.erh.noaa....ricaneBob.shtml

Blue Hill Observatory published a book on Hurricane Bob that I wrote an article about the effects of Bob on Maine and New Hampshire. The article above only talks about SNE, and not much into SE CT at that.

There's a PNS out from our office on this anniversary, but it's pretty much a reprint of the article above.

--Turtle

Turtle,

Can you post some of the video from the PVD stations? I never got to see it because I lost power pretty quickly and the moment I lost power I was watching met John Flanders on Channel 12.

[Turtle]

Turtle,

Can you post some of the video from the PVD stations? I never got to see it because I lost power pretty quickly and the moment I lost power. I was watching met John Flanders on Channel 12.

Unfortunately, it's on VHS tape and haven't had it converted to DVD, yet. Plan on doing that sometime. I do have some Channel 12 footage on the tape, but the aftermath. Don't recall anything with Flanders.

Sorry.

--Turtle

P.S. Here's a link from WPRI with some footage. Looks like this was done in 2009.

http://www.wpri.com/dpp/weather/local_wpri_hurricane_bob_retrospective_20090820_nek

[HoarfrostHubb]

I was in Lowell for Bob as well. Gary Gray and I were manning the WeatherLab in Olney Hall the whole day, doing live updates all day for WLLH and the old PhoneLine Forecast we used to have, as well as for the University police all day long. We had a funnel cloud pass right by Olney Hall at the height of the storm (documented by a Lowell Sun reporter there to write an article about us).

We had 5.99" of rain that day, most we've ever recorded in 1 day at the University, and the 2nd highest 1-day total for Lowell (6.97" with Hurricane Edna in 1954 is the record).

Scott

Really? I was living about 100 yards from OH at the time

Sorry I missed your post the other day. I don't remember much other than walking back from Fox Hall to my apartment and watching it on tv...and the rain.

I used to call the weather line (late 1980s-early 1990s)

[HarveyLeonardFan]

Unfortunately, it's on VHS tape and haven't had it converted to DVD, yet. Plan on doing that sometime. I do have some Channel 12 footage on the tape, but the aftermath. Don't recall anything with Flanders.

Sorry.

--Turtle

P.S. Here's a link from WPRI with some footage. Looks like this was done in 2009.

http://www.wpri.com/...ve_20090820_nek

Thanks for the link Turtle! Tony Petrarca hasn't changed much in 20 years.

[Hambone]

I was living on top of a hill in North Chelmsford and had 7 oaks fall on my house and car.

[tmagan]

Just went through the NHC public advisories on Bob and when it reached 100 kts. maximum sustained winds, it was labeled a 'very dangerous' hurricane. I don't remember that terminology being used for 100 kts. hurricanes recently from the NHC.