Vol. 44 TORREYA January 1945 



Damage to Trees in New York City in the Hurricane of 

 September 14, 1944 



Arthur Harmount Graves 



Trees, often of large size, uprooted in the parks, botanic gardens, private 

 estates, and woodland areas, or blown over to an angle quite at variance with 

 their natural geotropic or plagiotropic tendencies, are now a familiar sight to 

 anyone who has lately visited one or more of the five boroughs which comprise 

 Greater New York. And, as everyone knows, these are some of the results 

 of the great hurricane 1 which struck New York City with devastating force on 

 September 14, 1944. 



The damage was far more severe than that resulting from the hurricane of 

 September 21, 1938, the main reasons being that in the recent storm the City 

 was more directly in its path ; the wind was more violent — 81 miles per hour 

 (maximum 99 m.p.h.) as compared with 70 miles per hour in 1938 (maxi- 

 mum 80 m.p.h.) ; the duration of the storm was longer — about 5 hours as 

 against 4 hours. 2 



It will be recalled that in the 1938 storm one of the most important factors 

 in the overthrow of trees and shrubs was the watersoaked condition of the soil. 

 Because of this, the hold of the roots was weakened. In 1938 the rainfall from 

 September 13 to September 21 (including the hurricane rain) amounted to 

 8.54 inches — quite a sizable soaking for an eight-day period in these parts. 



That there was a similar preliminary soaking of the soil in the 1944 storm 

 is borne out by the figures — 8.32 inches rainfall from September 1 to and in- 

 cluding September 14. However, the soaking in the former period was more 

 gradual, extending over a period of 8 days, while the larger part of the water 

 in the recent storm fell on the 12th, 13th, and 14th — 1.86, 3.43 and 2.93 inches 



1 The word "hurricane" originally came from the natives of the West Indies or Central 

 America. It is an Indian word. By early navigators at and following the time of Columbus, 

 the word was variously given as "aracan," "huiranvacan," "urican," "hurican," etc. It is 

 claimed by some to be a Carib Indian word signifying "big wind." According to Professor 

 Lehmann-Nitsche, the god of stormy weather was "Hunrakan" to the Indians of Guate- 

 mala, from whom the word hurricane came. From "Hurricanes, their nature and history," 

 by Ivan Ray Tannehill. 5th ed. Princeton Univ. Press. Princeton, N. J. 1944. p. 44. 



2 These figures as well as the following have been kindly furnished me by Mr. Benjamin 

 Parry, Chief of the U. S. Weather Bureau at Whitehall Building, Manhattan, New York 

 City. 



Explanation of figure 1 



Reproduced, with permission, from "Report of Hurricane, September 14, 1944 (pro- 

 visional)." Prepared under the direction of Benjamin Parry, Meteorologist in Charge, 

 U. S. Weather Bureau Office, New York, N. Y., October 9, 1944. 



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