The Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635 hit the Jamestown Settlement in Virginia and the Massachusetts Bay Colony during August 1635. It is considered to be one of the earliest hurricanes to have struck New England, occurring just 15 years after the settlement at Plymouth rock. Although the hurricane’s exact track remains unknown, several historical accounts describe the storm. The storm is first mentioned on August 24, 1635, as it moved rapidly to the east of the Jamestown Colony in Virginia, but did not cause any damage. Massachusetts Bay Governor, John Winthrop, kept a running journal of his experiences in the Boston area at that time. On August 25 he described a storm arriving before midnight on August 25, blowing with “such violence” and “an abundance of rain”. Historian and writer William Bradford, who lived in Plymouth Plantation, stated that the hurricane “was such a mighty storm of wind and rain as none living in these parts, ever saw… It caused the sea to swell to the southward [of this place] above 20 feet right up and down…” Reverend Richard Mather, who was traveling on the ship the James at the time of the storm, recounted strong, shifting winds while aboard the vessel. The hurricane produced a storm surge of 20 ft in Narragansett Bay. Due to strong winds, heavy rainfall, and high tide, hundreds of trees were toppled, homes were destroyed, and ships were blown off their anchors. An estimated 46 people died. The damage to structures and the losses described were similar to the descriptions from the 1938 New England Hurricane, so, historians believe the intensity of the Great Colonial Hurricane was comparable.

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