page_title: Tropical Storm Carrie (1972)
section_title: Preparations and impact
hierarchical_section_title: Tropical Storm Carrie (1972) / Preparations and impact
caption_attribution_description: English: Storm total rainfall map of Tropical Storm Carrie during August and September 1972.
context_page_description: Tropical Storm Carrie was a strong tropical storm that affected the East Coast of the United States in early September 1972. The third tropical cyclone of the 1972 Atlantic hurricane season, Carrie formed on August 29 from a complex sequence of meteorological events starting with the emergence of a tropical wave into the Atlantic in the middle of August. Tracking generally northward throughout its life, Carrie reached an initial peak intensity as a moderate tropical storm before nearly weakening back into tropical depression status. The storm began to reintensify in a baroclinic environment after turning toward the northwest; its winds of 70 miles per hour as it was transitioning into an extratropical system eclipsed the cyclone's previous maximum strength. The extratropical remnants of Carrie skirted eastern New England before making landfall in Maine on September 4 and dissipating over the Gulf of Saint Lawrence during the next two days.
  Carrie had a minimal impact on the East Coast south of New England, limited to increased swells, gusty winds, and light rainfall.
context_section_description: The pressure gradient between Carrie and the high pressure area to its north produced gusty northeasterly winds, and by extension high seas. In response, the National Weather Service issued small craft warnings starting on September 1 and extending from Massachusetts to the Carolinas. Gale warnings were posted the next day from southern New Jersey to the coast of central New England, and the small craft warnings were brought north to Maine. Ongoing, as well as the threat of continued heavy rainfall necessitated the issuance of flash flood watches throughout eastern Massachusetts, southeastern New Hampshire, and southern and central Maine on September 3. Due to rough surf, the beach at Virginia Beach, Virginia was closed to swimmers on August 31.
caption: Contour map highlighting rainfall totals in the United States from Carrie
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