Is Hurricane Lee coming for Rhode Island? A look back at hurricane damage from years past

All of New England is holding its breath asking: "Will Hurricane Lee swing left and wallop the northeast, or stay offshore?"

"Will the storm cause major destruction or just great surfing for Rhode Islanders?"

Forecasters are still working to figure the projected path of Hurricane Lee.

What impact will Hurricane Lee have on Southern New England?

More "soaking rain" will hit parts of Southern New England Wednesday, and the region will feel some impact from Hurricane Lee, although the current forecast projects the storm staying offshore before moving into Nova Scotia, according to the weather service.

"Hurricane Lee could still make a closer pass late this week or next weekend," the weather service says in its forecast discussion. "Increasing surf and rip currents are likely to begin around Tuesday and continue into the weekend, although there is low confidence in any other impacts."

Full Forecast: More flooding possible today, then Hurricane Lee impacts to start Tuesday

Major storms have made landfall in years past

Here is a look back at seven notable hurricanes that hit New England, their impacts, and aftermath.

More: NOAA predicts a busy hurricane season. Take a look back at 7 big New England storms

The Great Hurricane of 1938

The Great Hurricane of 1938 was a Category 3 storm that caused close to 600 deaths and over 1,700 injuries in New England. It's considered the worst hurricane to hit New England in living memory.

Hurricanes Carol – 1954

Hurricanes Carol and Edna, known as "the twins," made landfall in 1954 just 11 days apart. Carol, a Category 3, made landfall in Connecticut, with 90 mph winds reaching Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts. Water depths in Providence reached 12 feet. At least 68 people were killed.

Tremendous flooding occurred particularly in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, where several coastal communities were destroyed and Downtown Providence was inundated with 13 feet of water. In some places, wind gusts reached Category 5 strength at upwards of 180 mph.

Hurricane Bob - 1991

In August 1991, Hurricane Bob made landfall on Block Island, then Newport, Rhode Island, leaving behind $1.5 billion in damage, with $1 billion in Massachusetts alone. Brewster and North Truro experienced gusts of 125 mph, and 60% of southeastern Massachusetts lost power. The towns of Onset, Bourne, Mashpee, and Wareham saw the worst storm surge between 12 and 15 feet.

More: What we can learn from Hurricane Bob as Henri makes its way to Newport

Hurricane Sandy – 2012

Parts of Connecticut's and Rhode Island's coastlines were devastated by Hurricane Sandy, which made landfall in New Jersey on Oct. 29, 2012 and became one of the costliest hurricanes to ever hit the country. Property damage when the storm was over was estimated at approximately $71.4 billion, and five people were killed in New England. Around 600,000 people in Connecticut were without power, and the region saw wind gusts over 70 mph.

Coastal flooding and an aging hurricane barrier: Climate change and infrastructure designed last century mean hurricanes could cause major damage in RI

Can Providence's hurricane barrier withstand sea-level rise?

Crews from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers arrived at the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier the night before Superstorm Sandy was due to hit the Northeast in 2012.

They divided into four-hour shifts, so they could be ready to jump into action around the clock. Sometime between 3 and 4 a.m. on Oct. 29, the charts on their computer screens showed the beginnings of a surge approaching Rhode Island, says Rich Patterson, one of the crew leaders that morning.

Shortly before 7 a.m., with the full-moon tide reaching its peak, he and the other workers closed the barrier’s three towering gates and sealed off the Providence River from the floodwaters to come.

At the height of the storm about an hour later, Patterson stepped outside to a near-surreal contrast in scenes from one side of the barrier to the other.

On the side of the river facing Narragansett Bay, the surge rose 7.6 feet above mean sea level, the wind pushing the water up against the concrete wall and steel gates as waves crashed in and sent spray and foam up toward Patterson, who stood on a walkway above.

And on the side facing downtown Providence, the waters were calm.

Now, 11 years later experts have questioned whether the barrier built across the Providence River is still up to the task of shielding the city from extreme weather.

In a 2021 report on Providence’s climate vulnerabilities, the Providence Resilience Partnership called on the Army Corps to take a closer look at the barrier.

“The conditions today and looking ahead are fundamentally different from the assumptions used in the 1960s,” said Michele Jalbert, executive director of the partnership. “The weather is changing too dramatically, too quickly and we don’t fully understand its potential impact.”

- Alex Kuffner, Providence Journal Reporter

More: With seas rising, study will ask — is Providence's hurricane barrier up to the task?

This RI neighborhood will soon be underwater forever. Can it be saved?

There were warnings as the remnants of Hurricane Ida barreled across the country after tearing through Louisiana. But when the rains came, few were prepared for the sudden torrents they unleashed throughout the Northeast.

On the night of Sept. 1, in a matter of hours, the storm unloaded 6.3 inches of rain on Warren — 1½ times as much as the Providence area typically gets in the entire month of September.

Between the rising river and more extreme storms, Child and Market streets and the smaller roads around them are getting repeatedly inundated with water. Under current projections, the highest daily tides would reach 31 buildings housing 86 people within the next 14 years.

“We know absolutely there will be structures lost by 2035,” Bob Rulli, Warren's director of planning says.

Can it be saved? This RI neighborhood will soon be underwater forever

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Hurricanes hit RI: Looking at the major destruction storms have caused