1933 Chesapeake–Potomac hurricane

On August 13, a tropical depression developed near the west coast of Africa, southeast of Cape Verde, with an associated closed circulation. Based on observations from a nearby ship, it is estimated the depression quickly intensified into a tropical storm while moving generally to the west-northwest. For several days the storm continued this general trajectory, eventually shifting more to the northwest. Based on interpolation of reports, it is estimated the storm intensified into a hurricane on August 16 while halfway between Africa and the Lesser Antilles. The Weather Bureau began tracking the system on August 18. Later that day, a ship reported a pressure of , suggesting winds of . This made the hurricane a Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. Another ship report on August 20 indicated a pressure of while reporting hurricane winds, suggesting peak winds of . After remaining near peak intensity for three days, the hurricane began steadily weakening while curving more to the west-northwest, a rare track for the region due to steering from a ridge over New England. On August 21, the storm passed about southwest of Bermuda. At 1000 UTC on August 23, the hurricane made landfall along the northern Outer Banks of North Carolina, near Nags Head, with a pressure of . Based on the steady weakening, coastal observations, and a larger than normal size, landfall winds were estimated at . A few hours later, the hurricane made another landfall on the North Carolina mainland after crossing the Albemarle Sound. While the hurricane continued to the northwest, the eye briefly moved over Norfolk, Virginia, for the first time since the 1821 Norfolk and Long Island hurricane. Early on August 24, the hurricane weakened into a tropical storm while passing near Washington, D.C. Curving to the north, the storm crossed Pennsylvania and into New York, where it weakened further into a tropical depression. On August 25, the former hurricane turned to the east near the Canada–US border, and after interacting with a cold front, became extratropical. It emerged from Maine and briefly re-intensified, moving across southern Nova Scotia with gale-force winds. On August 28, the circulation dissipated to the south of Newfoundland. ==Preparations and impact==

and Maryland The hurricane first affected Bermuda when it passed to the south. Winds at St. George's reached . Early on August 21, the Weather Bureau issued storm warnings from Cape Hatteras to Boston, Massachusetts. As the hurricane approached land, the warnings were extended southward to Southport, North Carolina. In Norfolk, Virginia, most ships either remained at port or sought shelter due to advance warning. and about 350 people left their houses in Virginia Beach. A 1993 article published in the Monthly Weather Review considered the storm to have been "one of the most severe storms that has ever visited the Middle Atlantic coast." although higher in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore due to sea level rise. This hurricane caused damage from North Carolina through New Jersey, due to the combination of high winds and storm tides, The four-masted schooner G.A. Kohler hailing from Baltimore and bound for Haiti was driven ashore at Hatteras by the high winds. Across the region, the storm downed power lines, washed out highways, wrecked boats, and destroyed houses, and overall damage in the state was around $250,000. As the hurricane moved into Virginia, winds were as strong as at Cape Henry, while Norfolk reported winds of . Due to advance warning, there was minimal damage to shipping in the region. On August 24, the minimum pressure in Philadelphia dropped to , which was the lowest on record in the month of August at the time. Wind gusts in the city reached . In the surrounding area, winds and rainfall caused $1 million in damage, mostly to crops and houses, and there were four deaths. and the storm capsized nine boats. The waves destroyed a long fishing pier in Cape May. High winds damaged the boardwalk while streets were flooded in Atlantic City, and there was about $3 million in damage. A power outage during the storm caused the Statue of Liberty torch to extinguish for the first time since 1929. The former hurricane passed near southern Quebec as a tropical depression, and later crossed southern Nova Scotia as an extratropical cyclone. Along Lake Ontario, winds reached , and in Montreal, winds reached . After a dry summer, the storm's accompanying rainfall was beneficial, reaching in Fredericton, New Brunswick and in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The rains helped farmers in Ontario and assisted firefighters in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. In Montreal, of rainfall flooded a tunnel. Gusty winds knocked down power lines in portions of Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Nova Scotia. Overall effects were minor, limited to some utility damage and delays for shipping. ==See also==