July 1964
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Richard Fay 353
Weather Note
HURRlC A NE GIN NY 'S
RICHARD FAY
"TAIL"
Weather Bureau Airport Station, Boston, Mass.
Along the hlrhine coast the strongest winds associated
with hurricane Ginny occurred when the center was over
Now Scotia, iLbout 200 mi. to the northeast. These
winds were in a riLther shnrp meso-trough which evidently
extended southwestwiwd like a tail from the storm center
iind moved northwwrd in the face of quite strong northerly
surflice winds. At 500 nib. the flow wiis still strong from
the south.
The first indication of the trough, or "tail", was noted
t i t Nimtucket a t 1200 EST, October 29, 1963, when the
pressure was reported ns julliny rapidly. At this time
Gitiriy was over 200 mi. to the east-northeitst of Arm-
tucket. A similsr report came from Providence one hour
later. By 1400 w r , pressures were agaili rising rapidly
over Rhode Tslixnd m d eastern Xllassiwhusetts, arid winds
a t Brunswick and Portland, hhine (see fig. 1 for locution
of stations) shifted from northenst to northwest. If these
are related phenotnena, then the trough must Iitive been
moving a t about 60 kt., or tLboutv 15 kt. faster than the
hurricane center.
The barogriyh trace from East Boothbay (fig. 2) shows
21 sudden drop of over 0.20 in. Hg in a mntter of tninutes.
This drop brought the pressure well below the iitldped
field a t the time. The pressure returned to synoptic
scale \.dues i n iibout one hour. Similar falls imd rises
within one hour were reported from Rocklttrid (0.24 in.
beginning a t 1400 XST) and from Bmgor (iLbout 0.20 in.
beginning ut 1 500 EST).
12 15 18 21 00 0 3 06 09 12 15 18
FIG LIRE 2.-Barograpli trace, East 13oothbay, Maine, October 20,
1063. Courtesy of Mr. Williaiii S. Daiiforth.
354 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW Vol. 92, No. 7
The highest winds were reported as follows:
nrne (EST) LOCation Speed
1415-1430- - ____ Wiscasset ____ - - “Tornadic” 1426 ___________ Augusta _____ __ Gust to 72 kt. 1430 ___________ Rockland ______ Gust to 87 kt. 1445 ___________ Camden _______ Gust to 74 kt.
k An observer a t Boothbay, an experienced seaman,
reported a cyclonic circulation in the clouds a t about
1430 EST.
It is interesting to note the similarity to the trough
reported by Pierce [l] in connection with the New England
hurricane of 1938. It is not suggested that this is a New
England peculiarity, but it may be associated with strong
southerly upper winds which are almost a prerequisite
to hurricanes affecting New England. Perhaps such
meso-scale troughs are associated with tornadoes accom-
panying hurricanes.
REFERENCE
1. C . H. Pierce, “The Meteorological History of the New England
Hurricane of September 21, 1938,” Monthly Weather Re-
view, vol. 67, No. 8, Aug. 1939, pp. 237-285.
[Received April 9, 196 1
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CORRECTION
May 1964 issue, pp. 251 and 252: I n the legends to figures 1 and 2,
the date should be September 12, 1961.