September 27, 1985: Hurricane Gloria Slammed North Carolina

Vickie Frantz
By Vickie Frantz, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer
September 27, 2012; 6:50 PM
Share |
This satelite image of Hurricane Gloria is courtesy of NOAA.

Hurricane Gloria slammed into Cape Hatteras, N.C., during the early hours of Sept. 27 as Category 2 storm.

Winds associated with Gloria were reported to be sustained at a maximum of 105 mph at the time of landfall.

After rapid acceleration, Gloria made a second landfall on the afternoon of the 27th on western Long Island, N.Y., as a Category 1 hurricane. A Category 3 wind gust was reported on the island.

Localized flooding, fallen trees and multiple power outages were reported throughout the East Coast states from North Carolina north into New England. After all was said and done, eight people had died and damages from Gloria were reported to be $900 million.

Gloria became the strongest recorded hurricane to strike the U.S.'s East Coast so far north.

Witnesses of the wrath of Gloria share their memories and photographs below.

Hurricane Gloria 1985

September 26-28, 1985, Hurricane Gloria carved a path along the East Coast causing eight fatalities and $900 million in damages.

Storified by Accu Weather · Wed, Sep 26 2012 14:45:22

Our house after hurricane "Gloria" went through,September 1985ebarthelmas2007
"Had no power for a week...and No School!," wrote AccuWeather Facebook fan Tim S. of De Pere, Wis.
"Our House Boat"!!! September 1985 our house on the day after hurricane "Gloria" hit the coastebarthelmas2007
AccuWeather Facebook fan frank B. of Port Orange, Fla. wrote, "In an eerie way Hurricane Gloria brings back some good memories. When it finally hit LI it was basically a dud. A few friends and I had some hurricane parties."
Ocean City boardwalk,after hurricane "Gloria",September 1985ebarthelmas2007
As my mother said, you have not lived through a hurricane, unless you lived through the hurricane of 38. This was after I was talking to her about Hurricane Gloria in 1985. Michael E. Tirone
undefinedNoaa
The above map, courtesy of NOAA, shows rainfall totals for the states impacted by Gloria.
Our street,after hurricane "Gloria", September 1985ebarthelmas2007
Hurricane Gloria didn't break the porch swing Monica did!!Laura Emery
Our street,after hurricane "Gloria" came through,September 1985ebarthelmas2007
A part of the boardwalk is floating down our street,after hurricane "Gloria",September 1985ebarthelmas2007
#TDIH 1985 #Hurricane Gloria brought 8" of rain to Camden area. Bethany Beach was worst hit with damages of about $1mil #NetDE #ArchivesDE Public Archives
September 1985,angry ocean,hurricane "Gloria" is coming to Ocean Cityebarthelmas2007
The rear of our house,with damaged garage door,after hurricane "Gloria",September 1985ebarthelmas2007

Comments

Comments left here should adhere to the AccuWeather.com Community Guidelines. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.

More Weather News

  • Moore Tornado Makeup: Nature's Fury

    May 21, 2013; 8:49 PM ET

    The atmospheric severe weather engine began firing on all cylinders this past weekend and reached full speed Monday over Oklahoma.

Daily U.S. Extremes

past 24 hours

  Extreme Location
High N/A
Low N/A
Precip N/A

WeatherWhys®

This Day In Weather History

San Antonio, TX (1998)
Very dry since April 1st - only 0.05 of rain.

New Brunswick, NJ (1804)
Tornado destroyed 2 barns, 1 hotel and 3 houses. "The damage done in this village cannot be less than $1,500 or $2,000." New York Evening Post, June 5, 1904.

Liberal, KS (1933)
A powerful F4 tornado (winds 207-260 mph) hidden in a dust storm devastates the business district. 4 people were killed and 150 were injured. Tornado estimated to be 600 yards wide at times.

Rough Weather