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The 1938 Atlantic hurricane season produced fifteen tropical cyclones, of which nine strengthened into tropical storms. Four storms intensified into hurricanes. Two of those four became major hurricanes, the equivalent of a Category 3 or greater storm on the modern day Saffir–Simpson scale. The hurricane season officially began on June 16 and ended on November 15. In 2012, as part of the Atlantic hurricane reanalysis project, meteorologists identified a previously undocumented January hurricane and September tropical storm while fine-tuning the meteorological histories of several others. However, given scant observations from ships and weather stations, significant uncertainty of tropical cyclone tracks, intensity, and duration remains, particularly for those storms that stayed at sea.
Seasonal activity began with the formation of a tropical or subtropical cyclone over the northeastern Atlantic on January 3, the earliest occurrence in a calendar year (earliest start to a season) on record. In mid-August, a hurricane struck near Cameron, Louisiana, producing strong winds and water level rises that caused $245,550 in damage throughout that state and Texas. It was followed in quick succession by an even more potent hurricane that tracked through the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and into northern Mexico. There, 9 people were killed and over 400 families were left homeless. An additional 4 deaths occurred in Texas. The season's strongest and most destructive system, the "Great New England Hurricane", swept into New England, where 494–700 people were killed, over 1,700 individuals were injured, and about 23,900 structures were damaged or destroyed. The cost was estimated at $620 million. It was the strongest hurricane to hit New England in over 300 years, since 1635. Later in the season, a minimal mid-October tropical storm affected Texas and Louisiana, and a stronger early-November tropical storm caused minor damage along the eastern coastline of Florida.
The season's activity was reflected with an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 78 units, below the 1931–1943 average of 91.2. leading to the formation of a tropical storm by 18:00 UTC on January 3 about southwest of the Azores. It is possible, however, that the system existed as a subtropical cyclone before transitioning into a fully tropical entity.
Tropical Storm Two
A strong tropical storm with peak winds of was first identified just west of Antigua and Barbuda at 06:00 UTC on August 8, though it may have developed days earlier in the absence of a reliable data network. The rapidly-moving system curved west, passing north of Puerto Rico before striking the northeastern coastline of the Dominican Republic as a cyclone at 09:00 UTC on August 9. A grandstand and fence at the American Legion ballpark were smashed, as well as two planes at the Lake Charles Regional Airport. Hurricane-force winds were estimated in nearby Grand Chenier. Squalls caused damage to structures in Benton and overturned a boat on Cross Lake, causing a man to drown. Another man was found drowned on the western edge of the Calcasieu River. Five people were rescued from their motor boat on Lake Pontchartrain. Throughout the state, the winds caused damage to buildings, wires, oil derricks, piers, and other structures totaling to $133,000. Water levels of above the mean low tide inundated the coasts of Cameron and Vermillion parishes, and lowlands were flooded to a depth of . Torrential rainfall, peaking at in Koll, caused extensive damage to crops; the rice, cotton, and corn crops in particular were heavily affected, with total damage estimated at $110,000. Communications between Port Arthur and Galveston were severed.
Hurricane Four
A tropical storm first developed to the south of Haiti by 06:00 UTC on August 23 and moved west-northwest, a trajectory it maintained throughout its duration. The system intensified into a hurricane shortly after passing south of Jamaica and Grand Cayman on August 24. though some areas locally saw losses as high as 20%. In Portland, Jamaica, hundreds of banana and breadfruit trees were blown down in a 15-minute period. Considerable property damage was also wrought on the island, marked by the loss of some homes and the unroofing of others. Shipping and airmail services were disrupted as ships and planes were held during the storm's passage. Telegraph communications were also subject to disruptions as the storm passed. Communications with Cozumel were lost late on August 25, before the onset of the worst conditions. High winds toppled numerous trees and destroyed at least 200 homes. However, the overall damage toll on the Yucatán Peninsula was lessened by the relatively low population density of the peninsula's northeastern coast. Waters rose over to their highest level in six years, over-spilling into farmlands near Matamoros, Tamaulipas after a levee was breached and inundating multiple areas on the Mexican side of the United States–Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. Nine people were killed, including eight who were swept away by floodwaters and one whose body was recovered from a home ravaged by wind and floodwater. The vehicles of several American tourists were engulfed by the Santa Catarina River on the road between Mexico City and Ciudad Victoria. The latter city was isolated from the remainder of Mexico. More than 400 families were left homeless. The military and local officials transformed public buildings into temporary shelters. As it traversed the Atlantic Ocean for nearly two weeks, data from numerous ships was used to identify the system as a tropical storm on September 10, and as a hurricane on September 15. The powerful storm made two landfalls on September 21, first on Long Island at 19:45 UTC with winds of and second near New Haven, Connecticut, at 20:40 UTC with winds of . Although it is still analyzed as a hurricane at these landfalls, the system is believed to have been losing tropical characteristics. It completed extratropical transition over southern Vermont by 00:00 UTC on September 22. The Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory in Massachusetts recorded peak sustained winds of , gusting to ; the highest sustained wind measurement not influenced by terrain was at Fishers Island, New York. About of power and telephone lines were toppled on Long Island alone. Across the region, approximately 8,900 homes and buildings were destroyed and an additional 15,000 were damaged, with more than 1,700 individuals injured. In Texas, the storm produced peak winds of at Fort Crockett.
Tropical Storm Eight
A trough in the vicinity of Bermuda organized into a tropical depression around 12:00 UTC on October 16.
Tropical Storm Nine
The final cyclone of the 1938 season developed by 06:00 UTC on November 7 off the northern coast of Haiti. In its early stages, the system exhibited a broad radius of maximum winds and was in close proximity to a stationary front, suggesting it was a subtropical storm for most of its duration. High pressure to the north directed the cyclone northwest, and it made landfall on Inagua in the Bahamas with winds of at 11:00 UTC on November 7; these winds were located well north of the center. It made a second landfall eight hours later on Crooked Island at an unchanged strength. The storm began to weaken early on November 8 and curved southwestward later that day, bringing it ashore the central coastline of Cuba with winds of around 06:00 UTC on November 9. The effects of the storm and a subsequent nor'easter necessitated the repair and extension of jetties at the mouth of the St. Johns River.
Other systems
In addition to the systems which at least attained tropical storm intensity in 1938, the Atlantic hurricane reanalysis project also identified six tropical depressions. Due to their weak intensities, however, they were not added to the official database. The first was identified around 00:00 UTC on June 2 to the south of Bermuda. It moved north-northeast very near the island before degenerating to a trough. The second tropical depression may have formed south of Jamaica as soon as August 8. It moved west-northwest for a few days and was absorbed by Hurricane Three around 00:00 UTC on August 12. There is no conclusive evidence that a closed circulation existed after August 10, however. Eight days later, a possible tropical storm was identified over the central Atlantic as nearby ships recorded gale-force winds. Despite this, only three observations showed westerly winds south of the center, and this evidence was insufficient to support more than a tropical depression. The system dissipated on August 21.