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February 10, 2012
Take the Journey
The Portland Gale was the "perfect storm" of the 19th century.
The Weather

The storm that has come to be referred to as the Portland Gale, was the "perfect storm" of the 19th century — two systems colliding to become a violent tempest. The first was a huge cold front sweeping east from the Great Lakes, which was predicted by the weather forecasters of the day. But another small low, invisible to the predictors, was sweeping warm, moist air up the Atlantic coast. When the two systems clashed over New England, pandemonium burst from the skies.

The devastation was catastrophic from New York to eastern Maine. Houses were blown over and washed away. Train and ferry service was washed out or halted. The coastline was littered with debris from the wreckage of scores of vessels, and even huge ocean liners were set adrift. In all, up to 400 vessels were lost and more than 400 people were killed in 36 hours.
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