Long Island is somewhat vulnerable to
tropical cyclones. While it lies north of where most tropical cyclones turn eastward and out to sea (most landfalls on the East Coast of the U.S. occur from
North Carolina southward), several tropical cyclones have struck Long Island, including a devastating Category 3, the
1938 New England hurricane (also known as the "Long Island Express"), and another Category 3,
Hurricane Carol in 1954. Other 20th-century storms that made landfall on Long Island at hurricane intensity include the
1944 Great Atlantic hurricane,
Hurricane Donna in 1960,
Hurricane Belle in 1976, and
Hurricane Gloria in 1985. Also, the eyewall of
Hurricane Bob in 1991 brushed the eastern tip. In August 2011, portions of Long Island were evacuated in preparation for
Hurricane Irene, a Category 1 hurricane which weakened to a tropical storm before it reached Long Island.