Blue Hill Gales Reach Record High Since '38

The University's Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory recorded the highest wind gust during the weekend disturbances since the 1938 all-time high. Wind meters climbed to 94 miles per hour as compared with 186, 12 years ago. Winds also reached a sustained speed of 67 miles per hour, highest since 1886.

A 2.47 inch rainfall in the Boston area raised this month's total to 8.03 inches. This amount is over twice the ordinary November average, Charles F. Brooks '12, director of the Observatory, said last night.

The rain and wind slackened yesterday, but not before causing millions of dollars in damage, and inconvenience to hundreds of thousands. Forty-six storm deaths occurred along the eastern coast.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Works said that damage to state highways alone would exceed $250,000.

Damage to some New England colleges was great. Vermont state police estimated that the cost of the storm to Middlebury College would exceed $100,000. Winds blew the roof off the University of Vermont's gym and a Bowdoin College dormitory.

Brooks said last night that two masses of cold air and a mass of warm air caused the very intense winter storm that lashed the East.

The first large mass of cold air moved southward from the Arctic over Labrader down to Maine in the wake of last Monday's storm, forming a high pressure zone in the northeastern U.S. At the same time, a second cold air mass flowed down from north central Canada to form a cold front extending along the Appalachian Mountains down to Georgia.

This mountain chain and the northeastern high pressure zone blocked the eastward flow of the western cold air mass. As a result, a low pressure area formed at the south end of the Appalachians, setting off a whirlpool of air which expanded rapidly in size and intensity towards the northwest.

The high pressure zone in the northeast and the low pressure zone at the southern end of the Appalachians caused an increased pressure gradient. A large warm air mass from the Atlantic Ocean then moved in towards the west and precipitated its moisture on contact with the cold air masses.