Hurricane Dog (1950)

Hurricane Dog

Category 4 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS)
Surface weather analysis of Hurricane Dog on September 4
Formed	August 30, 1950
Dissipated	September 18, 1950
(Extratropical after September 11)
Highest winds	1-minute sustained: 145 mph (230 km/h)
Lowest pressure	≤ 943 mbar (hPa); 27.85 inHg
Fatalities	26 direct, 5 indirect
Damage	$3 million (1950 USD)
Areas affected	Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, East Coast of the United States, Bermuda, Atlantic Canada, Northern Ireland, Scotland
Part of the 1950 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Dog was the most intense hurricane in the 1950 Atlantic hurricane season. Prior to reanalysis by the Hurricane Research Division in 2014, it was considered one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, equivalent to Category 5 status on the modern Saffir-Simpson scale, with winds of 185 miles per hour (298 km/h). The fourth named storm of the season, Dog developed on August 30 to the east of Antigua; after passing through the northern Lesser Antilles, it turned to the north and intensified into a Category 4 hurricane. Dog reached its peak intensity with winds of 145 mph (230 km/h) over the open Atlantic, and after weakening it passed within 200 miles (320 km) of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The storm became extratropical on September 12.

Hurricane Dog caused extensive damage to the Leeward Islands, and was considered the most severe hurricane on record in Antigua. Many buildings were destroyed or severely damaged on the island, with thousands left homeless just weeks after Hurricane Baker caused serious damage there. In the United States, the hurricane caused moderate coastal damage, including damage to several boats, and resulted in 11 offshore drownings. Strong winds caused widespread power outages across southeastern New England. There were twelve people missing and assumed dead offshore Nova Scotia. Damage across its path totaled about $3 million (1950 USD, $26.8 million 2009 USD).