The Great Blowdown: the Science and History of the Great New England Hurricane and its effects on the White Mountains of New Hampshire

Presented live via Zoom with time for Q&A. Pre-registration is required.

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The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 is the one to which all other New England Hurricanes are sooner or later compared. Dr. Avilés, professor of meteorology at Plymouth State, who spent more than a decade studying the storm and wrote a book about it, will talk about the storm in the context of its place in history and hurricane science. The effects of the storm were many and unimaginable to modern New Englanders; in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, on which the talk will focus, there were massive tree damage and devastating floods. Terrifying and fascinating, the 1938 Hurricane has a unique interdisciplinary legacy that will be highlighted.

Dr. Avilés has worked at Plymouth State since 2004 and is currently “chair” of meteorology, physics, and climate studies, and director of the CAMPS (Computational, Applied, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences) Academic Unit. She is Trustee of the national University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Dr. Avilés published a book on the 75th anniversary of the Great New England Hurricane of 1938 and an update on the 80th anniversary, which won the 2013 History Choice award from the Atmospheric Science Librarians International. She is currently working on textbook about the science, history, and societal aspects of atmospheric optics (rainbows, blue skies, and many other optical effects in the sky).

Free and open to the public. Presented as part of the Museum’s ongoing virtual Mountain Voices series.