The 1933 Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane

Stories about the storm from people living, at the time, in the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula.

The 1933 Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane was the 8th storm and third hurricane of the very active 1933 Atlantic hurricane season. The August storm formed in the central Atlantic, where it moved west-northwest. Aided by the warm ocean waters, the hurricane briefly reached Category 3 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale before making landfall along the Virginia/North Carolina coast as a Category 1 storm.
The hurricane caused severe damage along the East Coast of the United States. The state hardest hit by the storm was Virginia, where the center of circulation passed directly over Norfolk. The hurricane was the worst storm to strike Virginia until Hurricane Isabel of 2003. Elsewhere, the hurricane left damage across Maryland, Washington, DC and Delaware. In all, the hurricane caused $27.2 million dollars (1933 USD, $368.4 million 2005 USD) in damage and 30 fatalities.

The 1933 storm was a key factor in bringing the steamboat era to an end on many of the rivers and creeks throughout the Bay since the storm destroyed many wharfs. It was a time that the steamboat companies that owned the wharfs were struggling and replacing the wharfs was not economically feasable.

1933 Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane Statistics
Formed: August 17th Dissipated: August 26th
Highest sustained winds: 120 mph Lowest pressure: 971 mbar
Fatalities: 30 Damage: $27.2 million (1933) $452 Million (2008)

 

1933 US Department of Commerce Weather Bureau Hurricane Tracking Chart