On this day in 1954, Hurricane Hazel made landfall near the North Carolina-South Carolina border as a Category 4 storm with winds around 140 mph, then accelerated northward toward the Mid-Atlantic at what The Washington Post described as “express-train speed.” The storm tore from the Carolina coast to Ontario in only about 12 hours, maintaining extraordinary intensity deep inland.
By late afternoon, Hazel slammed into the DC area with the most severe hurricane conditions ever reliably documented in the city. At National Airport, a wind gust of 98 mph was recorded at 5:05 p.m. — still the strongest wind gust ever officially measured in Washington. Sustained winds reached 78 mph, equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane.
The damage across the region was immense. According to the Climatic Handbook for Washington, D.C., personnel in the National Airport control tower were forced to abandon the building after windows blew in. Hundreds of trees crashed onto homes, streets and cars. More than 1,200 power lines were downed, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity. Roofs were ripped from houses and businesses, and downtown windows shattered under the force of the wind. The Arlington Recreation Center famously burned to the ground in minutes after flames were whipped by the hurricane-force gusts.
Hazel also drove water northward up the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. Hains Point was inundated, and flooding spread several blocks inland in Old Town Alexandria. Marinas along the Potomac suffered extensive destruction as boats were sunk or tossed ashore. Elsewhere in the region, flooding swamped portions of Annapolis and damaged countless waterfront communities.
The storm killed 13 people in Virginia, six in Maryland and three in the District. Across the eastern United States and Canada, Hazel caused catastrophic destruction and became one of the most infamous hurricanes in North American history.
Additional reading:
- Hurricane Hazel set Washington’s wind speed record
- More than 60 years ago, the Carolinas faced its most dangerous hurricane
- Matthew’s track is eerily similar to Hurricane Hazel’s in 1954
Here are other notables from this date:
- Average high: 70
- Average low: 53
- Record high: 87 (1975)
- Record low: 32 (1874)
- Record rainfall: 2.59 inches (1942)
